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Mog arrives back at the Saltdogs base with yet another gift for Pix. It’s sunset by the time he arrives, and he waves out towards the water where Pix is building to catch his attention.
“Oh, hello!” Pix calls back. “You’re back late.”
“I got caught up in the resource world!” Mog calls back. They adjust their grip on the shulker box they’ve got tucked under one arm, using their free hand to kick off their shoes and socks. They roll up their pant legs past their knees to wade out a little ways into the ocean where Pix works.
Pix glances back at him before he climbs down off the ship he’s been building. It’s shallow enough that he can wade back in towards shore to meet Mog half way, both up to their shins in the water. “What’s all this?” he asks.
Mog smiles, extending the shulker box out to him. “More building supplies for you.”
“Really?” Pix asks, hesitantly accepting the gift from him. “I’ll be honest, I think I’m still working through the last of what you gave me.”
Mog shrugs. “Well I knew that you wouldn’t have enough to finish the project, and I didn’t want you to need to stop half-way through
“Huh, that’s really thoughtful of you.” Pix lifts the lid of the shulker box to peek at the resources inside. It’s filled to the brim with wool and wood for their ship build. “I hope I didn’t make you feel like… this was an expectation or something. You really didn’t have to do all this.”
“What? No, nothing like that!” Mog insists. “Pix, I like providing for you. Helping you out makes me feel good.”
“Oh.” says Pix, he smiles a little at that and pauses for a moment. “I mean, is this some sort of love language expression then?”
Mog’s face lights up in recognition. “Yeah! You know, gift-giving, acts of service?”
Pix laughs lightly. “Right, yeah. I guess that makes more sense then.”He glances down at the shulker box in his hands. “I’ll admit, it might take a little adjustment. But it’s more than appreciated, as long as the gifts are all of your own accord.”
“Oh absolutely,” Mog assures him. “And hey, if it gets too much, I’ll lay off it.”
Pix shakes his head at that. “I don’t think there will be any need for that. This is a huge help, really.” He nods up at the ship. “While you’re here, did you want to check out the progress? We’ll actually have a nice view of the sunset from the other side.”
“Absolutely!” Mog agrees.
The two of them climb back up onto the ship, and Pix takes a moment to set the shulker box over with the other chests and shulker boxes full of build materials. By this point, most of them are from Mog.
“Oh wow– you were right about the sunset!” Mog exclaims. The view out over the water is nothing short of spectacular. He moves towards the front of the boat, standing against the railing where he can watch the sun sink down below the sea, casting a vibrant orange glow over the rippling water. He glances back at Pix over his shoulder. “Pix, this is incredible!”
“I built the ship with this in mind, actually,” Pix admits, following Mog to the front of the boat. He finds a spot beside them leaning against the railing, and follows their gaze out to the sea. “I liked the idea that we could just sail off into the sunset someday. There’s something beautiful about that.”
Mog hums in understanding. For a while, the two are quiet, simply enraptured by the view, watching the sun dip lower, the vibrant pinks and oranges slowly fading to a soft nighttime blue. Mog finally breaks the silence.
“Can I be honest, for a minute?” She asks, a bit hesitantly.
“Always,” Pix responds. “This feels like a good moment for it anyhow.”
Mog smiles a little. They glance over at Pix, but quickly shift it back to the sea. The eye contact momentarily feels a little too intimate. “It’s been a while since we’ve worked together. A few years now, right? I mean, we kind of just lost touch for a while.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking that too.”
“Yeah… and the truth is that, I think I’ve missed you more than I’ve let on.” Mog smiles a little to himself, fidgeting with his hands in front of the railing. “So the gifts, the acts of service… it kind of comes more naturally when I’ve spent this long missing you.” He finally chances another look over at Pix. “Is that weird to say?”
Pix shakes his head. “No, not at all. I’ve missed you too honestly. I guess I just didn’t want to be the first to say it.”
Mog giggles at that. “Well someone had to!”
Pix finds himself laughing too. “Yeah, that’s very true. I’m sorry I left it up to you to break the ice. I guess that’s why I was a little nervous about the gifts too. I just didn’t know where we stood years later.”
“I mean, we both missed each other. I guess that answer isn’t so complicated.”
“I guess it’s not.”
Mog lets himself relax. If it’s that simple, then there’s nothing left to worry about. When Pix meets his eyes with an easy little smile, Mog can’t help but smile back.