“Yeah, maybe i will. Maybe I won’t. Who knows?” He stopped as he saw how many people were in there. “So many people. . .who come all of a sudden they decide to appear?” Jackson said quote surprise on the amount of people in the room. Sure, he had seen a lot of people there before, but not as much as today.
"Shift changes," Phillips explained. Amelia managed to squeeze a spot for herself at Phillips's feet, but now there was nowhere for Jackson. "Captain decided more people needed to work now so there aren't any more accidents." Phillips thought for a moment, then motioned for Jackson to sit on his lap. There really was nowhere else.
Jackson sighed, bit his lip and walked over to Phillips. He hesitated for a moment and then sat on Phillips lap. He tried to ignore the looks the two were getting from the others, but it was proving to be hard for Jackson.
Phillips wrapped his arms lightly around Jackson's waist, resting his chin on Jackson's shoulder. It was easier for Phillips to ignore the looks they were getting, since he usually got them anyway, but he saw how Jackson was reacting to them.
"We're doing nothing wrong," he said quietly. "They're just not used to people being kind to their pets."
“They show that a lot, my question is, if they’ll ever get to people being kind to their pets.” Jackson sighed and for the next couple of minutes, his face was unreadable. He glared at a man who was giving him a weird look, not caring that he could have anger the man. “This is my fault, isn’t it.” Jackson whispered.
Phillips was talking to someone else when Jackson spoke.
"How would it be your fault?" Phillips asked quietly, shifting a little to glance at Jackson. The food had come, and Phillips offered the plate to Jackson.
“This. .” He paused and motioned the whole place. “It’s my fault. If the man never died, this place wouldn’t be overcrowded.” Jackson whispered. He noticed that a couple of pets where outside and he frowned.
They won’t be able to eat, all because of me.
"Don't worry, Jackson. Everything will go back to normal in a couple days." Phillips, when Jackson didn't accept the plate, handed it down to Amelia. She was huddled behind Phillips's legs, trying to not get kicked by other people.
Jackson sighed, he wanted to believe Phillips, but he knew that everything would not go back to normal. Jackson put his chin in his hands and just watched the others eat. This made him look extremely bored, even if he wasn’t.
Eventually, Amelia caught Phillips's attention, handing up the plate. There was still about a third left.
"You want some?" Phillips asked Jackson, seeing how bored he looked.
"If not we'll get out of here."
“No thanks, I’m not hungry.” Jackson said as he yawned. He looked around and muttered something under his breath. He still wasn’t sure that everything would go back to normal, but he dismissed that for the moment. “Right, so, what now?”
Phillips set the plate down.
"We get to work," he said. "I think I have another job you could do, if you want to." He lightly picked Jackson up off his lap, standing. Amelia scrambled out from under the table to join them.
“Ah, I love jobs. They’re my absolute favorite. Tell me, what can I do, your Majesty.” Jackson said as he tried his best to not laugh. He could’ve bowed, but, he decided not to. He just looked at Phillips, not noticing that Amelia was now besides them.
Phillips let out a little snort, but just himself off before he actually laughed.
"How does learning how to steer the ship sound?" he asked.
“I’m actually going to learn how to steer the ship? That’s so cool! It’s been a dream of mine since I was a lil boy.” Jackson said, while laughing.
Phillips chuckled softly. He put his arm around Amelia's waist, taking Jackson's hand in his own and leading them out of the crowded room. Jackson really was bringing out the best in Phillips.
Jackson was as happy as a boy getting his first sweet. He was actually pretty excited to learn how to steer the ship. Ever since he had been claimed as a pet, and ever since he had seen Phillips steer the ship, he’d been wanting to steer the ship for a bit know.
Phillips led both of his pets up to the helm. He took his arm from around Amelia, who promptly sat down on the deck close to the wheel. Phillips brought Jackson over, positioning him between Phillips and the wheel. He took both of Jackson's hands and put them on the wheel, keeping his hands on top.
"Like this," he said into Jackson's ear, watching the wheel.
Jackson nodded silently and did what he had seen Phillips do. It wasn’t hard, but if you get distracted, a disaster could happen, and that was something he didn’t want to happen. So he was determined to not be distracted.
"You're doing good," Phillips said, smiling. He kept his hands on top of Jackson's, causing Jackson to be pressed against his chest. He helped guide Jackson's movements, only taking away one hand to lift his mask off. He was doing that a lot nowadays, taking his mask off. He had never really done that before Jackson came into his life.
Jackson smiled, he was happy that he was doing good, and he was happy that he was spending time with Phillips. Whenever he was around Phillips, he would forget absolutely everything and focus on Phillips. “Spidey man, Spidey man, does whatever a spider can.” Jackson sang quietly.
"Spins a web, any size. Catches thieves- just like flies," Phillips continued under his breath, smiling softly at Jackson. He was really happy, pressing just a touch closer to Jackson and resting his chin on Jackson's shoulder.
Jackson chuckled and smiled. He could feel that Phillips was happy and that made him even happier. “You know, I like it when you’re happy. Happiness is a very important part of life, just as important as love.”
"Well, you're really good at making me happy." Phillips smiled, so very relaxed around Jackson. There was no one else to bother them, either; Amelia had fallen asleep, and no one else had a job on this part of the ship.
Jackson’s smile grew even bigger. “Is that so? Well, that’s certainly a good thing! I would hate to know that I’m great at making you angry. Which, come to think of it. . I might be to good at making you worry.”