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“The hell are ye sneakin’ 'round fer, Jimbo?”
Jim yelped in surprise and turned quickly, hiding something behind his back as best as he could. He'd almost made it to the galley too! Just a little further and he would have been able to put it on the stove to sit like a cake topper for the Ursid to discover when they went down to make dinner.
Ideally Silver would have gone into the room first and asked where it came from when he noticed it and Jim would have done his absolute best to play it off as if he didn't know what he meant until he finally caved. But plans always had a way of going astray, so here they were- Silver gazing down at him, eyebrow raised, hands on his hips as they stood in the hallway.
“I'm not sneaking around.” Yeah that sounds real convincing, Jim...
The second eyebrow joined the first and the Ursid tilted his head forward the slightest bit, “Did ye ruin another one o’ me pans?”
“The opposite actually...” Jim bit the inside of his lip and sighed. “It was supposed to be a surprise. Here.”
He brought his arms from behind himself and offered a very large black pan to Silver. The Ursid made a soft noise in his throat and took it carefully, turning it over to inspect it in wide-eyed wonder. Jim stood awkwardly, not sure what to do with his hands or where to look, so he shoved them in his pockets and studied a knot in the wood to his right as if it were far more interesting than it actually was.
“Ye got this fer me?”
The tone in Silver’s voice made him flinch. He wasn't angry, Jim could tell that much, instead he sounded as if he'd never been given anything before in his life, “Well, yeah. Since I destroyed one of your other ones…”
“Where’d ye git the coin te buy a good quality pan like this?” they both admired the hint of shine on the deep black metal.
Jim smiled at the gleam of delight in Silver's eyes and felt his chest swell with pride. He'd spent a long time inspecting and choosing the right one, and many less-than-welcome visits into bar kitchens to badger the cooks about what they would suggest as a heavy duty pan whenever they made port. They'd all given in without too much argument after his more than eager offer to help out for the information - free of pay, obviously, he didn't dare push his luck - and finally pointed him toward a good cast iron.
“Used some of my share from Treasure Planet.” The last of it, actually, but you don't need to know that.
“Lad-” Silver started. He caught Jim’s gaze with his own and softened at how nervous the boy looked that he wouldn't like the pan. “That was meant fer ye te use fer yerself.”
Jim shrugged, “I did. To buy you a present.”
"I don't need a present..."
"I know. But it's almost been a full year since we started sailing together and I wanted to get you something anyway, and then I fucked up your pan so-"
He squeaked - unintentionally of course - as Silver's arm came around him and dragged him into a hug. He melted immediately into the Ursid's warmth. His arms came up and embraced Silver back as his rumbling voice spoke soothingly in his ear, "Thank ye, lad."
The Ursid's breathing hitched in a quiet sob - neither would ever admit it though - and they leaned into each other for a long while. He cleared his throat and patted Jim's back suddenly, “I got ye somethin’ too.”
Jim almost fell back into the hug, but he let Silver put a step of space between them. The Ursid dug in his pocket and pulled out a circular gold trinket. He dropped it into Jim’s outstretched hand and the boy admired it quietly.
It wasn’t quite a sphere, the top part curved toward one and the bottom started to as well, but then flattened out about halfway down so it sat without rolling on his palm. The overall size was maybe a quarter what the map to Treasure Planet had been.
All over the surface was intricately etched with delicate swirling designs of constellations and planets. A little ship that looked distinctly like their own acted as the clip holding the top and bottom shut. The ship sailed toward a tiny dull gem or- is that a light? If it was he couldn't feel a switch to turn it on anywhere on it.
He flipped it over and ran his thumb over the carved inscription ‘James Hawkins’.
His smile was as bright as the shining gold when he turned his face up to look at Silver again, “Can I open it?”
Silver’s soft expression hardened teasingly, “Not ‘til the time's right.”
"When will that be?" Jim blinked at him.
"Not sure yet."
“Wha- you know I can’t help my curiosity! Why do I have to wait?!”
“S’a surprise.”
The boy’s shoulders fell and he tossed his head back dramatically, “Ugh! I hate surprises!”
“I kin take it back ‘til we git te the day if’n ye don’t think ye kin wait-”
Jim’s fist tightened around the trinket and he turned his body to shield it, “NO! I’ll wait! But I’ll complain about it until then!”
“I wouldn’t expect any less o’ ye, lad,” Silver laughed. He ruffled the boy’s hair, “S’time fer grub. C’mon, help me make supper?”
Of course, he was distracted all through making food, and then eating, and then wrapping everything up to go to bed. The bobble was so small in his pocket, but it felt like it weighed a million pounds, and it only weighed more the more he guessed at what it could hold. His hand kept slipping into the pocket and touching it unconsciously to make sure it was still there even though he knew it would be. You could never be too careful whenever Morph caught sight of something shiny; he loved to take off with coins and jewelry whenever he got the chance. So far he wasn't interested in Jim's gift...yet.
Silver was sure to use the new pan and happily rave the entire time, 'Ye even got a pre-seasoned pan! I don't 'ave te do anythin' a'fore usin' it. Ye spoil me Jimbo!' and 'I'll never use a diff'rent pan after this'n, it's the best thing I've ever cooked with!'
The boy was certain the Ursid was embellishing at least a little bit, but he did seem to be pleased with the overall performance. He cleaned it as soon as it cooled and made a whole show of hanging it on the prize hook in the kitchen and moving all the other pots and pans away from it so it sat as a centerpiece.
It certainly helped cement in Jim's mind that he'd made a good purchase when dinner tasted amazing too - not that this was anything new with Silver's cooking, it always tasted great, but he allowed himself to think that it was partly because he picked a good pan.
And just like that, they'd stayed up late throwing joking insults and batting everything down and it was time to go to bed, and he could finally take the trinket from his pocket and look it over again.
Jim ran his thumb over the designs for the umpteenth time and had to forcibly stop himself and put it down. At this rate he’d tarnish the gold and he wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get it cleaned with how infrequently they stopped at any ports.
He rolled onto his side on his cot and tucked his arm under his head. Set the trinket on the little table by his bed and gazed at it in the dim light coming under the door. The light went out and he was washed in darkness.
Silver’s gone to bed…
His hand moved on its own accord and a finger traced along the carved clouds the little ship sailed over. He took it back in hand and pressed his thumb over the ship. Just one easy flick and it would pop open. He hesitated, then set it back on the table. Whatever was inside was important enough Silver wanted him to wait for it, so he would.
"Soooo...how much longer do I have to wait?"
Silver snorted but didn't look up from the potatoes he was slicing. Jim passed him another peeled one and leaned over on his elbow on the counter to grab another, and he poked the boy in his ribs right as he was starting to get back up so he laughed and crumpled over, "How many times ye gonna ask that? I think I've heard that question more times this past week'n I've ever heard me own name! Wait jest a bit longer."
"I told you I'd complain the whole time, didn't I?" Jim rubbed his side to get the feeling of the tickle to go away.
"That ye did, boyo."
The Ursid took down the new pan and set it on the stove to heat through. He hummed softly and motioned with one hand toward the parchment wrapped bundle on the end of the counter, "Hand me that there, Jimbo."
He tugged on the twine, pushed it to one side, and let the paper fall open. Jim's eyes widened, "You got bacon!"
"It's a special day t'day."
They both smiled softly. One year. Had it really gone so fast?
Soon the room was filled with the tantalizing smell as the meat cooked. Jim hovered around Silver’s elbow as he stood in front of the stove to the point the Ursid hooked his arm around the boy’s waist and dumped him on the counter, “Jest sit an’ wait, boyo! Yer gonna get knocked out if ye keep dancin’ ‘round me like that.”
Morph started to flit around his head and he shooed him over away to float with Jim as well, “Git out o’ here, both o’ ye!”
They waited impatiently, bouncing and leaning and pestering quietly until Silver finally thrust heaping plates toward the boy and let out a sharp laugh, “Go on then, ye monsters! Eat!”
He watched the two wolf down their breakfast with a contented grin and ruffled the boy’s hair, “Don’t choke.”
There was a muffled beeping and Jim cocked his head to try to find the source. He met the Ursid’s knowing gaze.
“Where’s that tricket I gave ye?”
“Oh!” the boy fished it out of his pocket. The little thing he’d finally decided was a light blinked softly and the beeping chimed in time with the light. His eyes turned up to Silver.
“Looks like it’s time, eh, Jimbo?”
Jim pressed his thumb to the ship and flicked it to one side. The top popped open, hollow as an eggshell, and he could see that the bottom was a miniature communicator machine. A hologram rose from the sensors lining the center projector and a face appeared.
“Mom…?” he gasped.
Sarah Hawkins looked just as shocked to see him as he was her and they gaped at each other. And then the both of them started to cry. Jim swiped at the tears quickly, “Mom…”
“Jim, oh my God, Jim. I can’t believe it’s you!”
He looked to Silver with a confused expression and the Ursid spilled, “I had two communicators commissioned fer ye and yer mam so ye could talk whenever ye wanted. Sent hers with a letter tellin’ her te wait until t’day te open it.”
Silver watched with a smile as they tried - and failed - to calm down and talk. They ended up crying the entire time, but neither seemed bothered. Sarah asked a million questions, made sure he was eating well and staying safe and Jim turned his tear-stained face to Silver with such a bright smile he thought his heart might break, “Yeah, Silver’s been taking good care of me.”
“Come home…Jim, please. Come home.”
The boy paused. His eyes darted toward the Ursid, who nodded encouragingly.
Jim slipped off the counter and disappeared down the hall to his room. Silver thought about tuning his ear to listen, but the boy had wanted privacy, so he set to cleaning up the galley instead.
He would let him go if that’s what he wanted. He’d deliver Jim back to Montressor himself, to hell with the danger of arrest; he just wanted him to be happy.
The creak of the door opening again set Silver on edge and he turned as Jim padded back into the galley. The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes and joined him to clean. They were quiet as they worked next to each other. After several minutes Jim finally leaned against his side and gave him a quick hug, “Thank you.”
“O’ course lad. Let’s finish up in ‘ere an’ then we’ll go change course.”
Those blue eyes turned up to his face, eyebrows pulled together, “Where are we going?”
“Montressor, o’ course.”
“Why?”
“Te take ye home.”
Jim stepped back, “I’m not going back.”
Silver stared at him silently. He didn’t dare let himself rejoice, “Lad-”
“Silver,” his expression was gentle. How could someone so young look at him with such understanding on his face? “Don’t you remember me telling you that I wouldn’t leave you alone? I meant that. And I still mean it.”
Emotion overwhelmed the Ursid and he felt the tension in his shoulders relax as Jim’s arms wrapped as far around his belly as they could go. He embraced the boy, carded his organic fingers through his soft hair, let himself cry softly in his happiness, “Guess I’m stuck with ye fer the rest o’ me life, huh?”
“That was the plan.”