Chapter Text
“Wait, wait!” Jimmy flapped his hands as the idea popped into his head, quickly turning to Scott and placing his hands on Scott’s thigh. His eyes shined excitedly and a grin was persistent on his face. “Do one of a cod.”
“Another? I think you’re enjoying this a little too much.” Despite his words, Scott indulged Jimmy once more. He used the seawater to create a cod out of ice, letting it float around with the multitude of other small ice sculptures Scott created.
Jimmy squealed excitedly, clapping his hands together in quick applause. He completely ignored Scott’s quip, showing no hesitation in asking for another. “Can you do a puffer’ish this time?”
“Can you say that one more time?” Scott raised an eyebrow, a small smirk growing on his lips.
“A puffer’ish?” Jimmy quieted, blinking at him. “That’s the word in common, is it not? |Pufferfish.| Puffer’ish. Puffer’ish, yeah! It’s the little spiky guy. A fish that is a puffer.”
Scott sucked in his lips as he tried (and failed) to hold back his amusement. “Do you mean ‘pufferfish’?”
“Is that,” his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “not what I said?”
“Oh, Jimmy.” Scott clicked his tongue as if he were genuinely being condescending. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”
“You’re forgetting smart, powerful, strong,” Jimmy continued to list off the adjectives as if he were counting them all, “amazing, tall, courageous, funny, phenomenal.”
As Jimmy complimented himself, Scott formed the pufferfish out of ice. He held it up for his boyfriend to grab. “Here’s your puffer’ish, mister phenomenal.”
“Look at him!” Jimmy’s attention was immediately taken away from his list and given to the ice sculpture. He took the pufferfish in his hands and smiled wide at it. Jimmy gave the ice pufferfish a quick hug before letting the pufferfish plop into the ocean with the other floating chunks of ice.
Scott idly kicked his legs in the water, hands resting on the edge of the lilypad. The wind blew softly but it was enough to make the dangly earrings he was wearing swing against each other. The sound was similar to wind chimes. He wrapped his arm around Jimmy, who promptly leaned against him.
He entangled his fingers with Jimmy’s before placing another soft kiss (several soft kisses have been shared already) on his boyfriend’s forehead. Scott enjoyed moments like this. They were quiet and peaceful. It felt like time stopped moving just to bless them. He would be happy if he could stay like this forever.
“I wish our empires were closer.” Jimmy sighed as he fidgeted with the assorted shell necklace he was wearing. “You’re so far away.”
“It’s quicker if you fly.” Scott shook out his wings to call attention to them but it was gentle enough to keep himself a stable person for Jimmy to lean against. “You have an elytra.”
“Fish don’t belong in the air!” Jimmy wrinkled his nose at the memories of all the times he used an elytra. His tongue slipped out between his teeth as if he were concentrating. “I was made to swim, not figure out how to fly artificially. I mean, I can do it, I just don't like it. It's weird.”
“Are elytras that difficult to use?” Scott wouldn’t know. No one in his family could put on an elytra if they wanted to due to the fact they all have natural wings. “The typical elytra looks fairly stiff, I’d admit, but the one Fwhip created-”
“We can’t buy one of those.” Jimmy straightened up, Scott’s hold no longer on him. They stopped holding hands during the process but, as soon as Jimmy was in position, he linked their fingers back together. “Maybe if the cold war with Mythland ends, we can, but Lizzie doesn’t want influential oceanfolk to display something so clearly from the Wither Rose Alliance. I’m counted under the umbrella of influential oceanfolk.”
Fwhip had developed a more advanced elytra than what was now the cheaper version. He started making custom elytras for prominent people in exchange for money, favors, or whatever else as trade. Fwhip gradually branched out into the artificial flight market until they were at the point it is today. They were still expensive (a given considering their complexity) but it was a luxury many who wished for flight desired.
Jimmy was given a noncommittal hum from Scott as an answer. Scott shifted his attention to the ocean over his boyfriend. Part of him wanted Jimmy to fly more often but he knew not to push it. He knew Jimmy struggled with elytras and he was grateful for the times Jimmy had used his elytra to visit Rivendell for him. Scott was just frustrated because the alternatives to flying were slower than a snail! Traveling on land was far from speedy and communicating via letter could take a lot longer than that, depending on several factors. Aeor, Scott had seen Jimmy three times before his letter about the troublemakers’ defeat got to him!
A cod swam toward them with a shell in its mouth. Scott kept his eyes trained on the fish, curious as to what it was doing. Jimmy didn’t say anything about it so he assumed he didn’t see it. When he turned to talk to Jimmy, he didn’t expect them to make eye contact.
Jimmy’s face flushed pink when their eyes met as if he had just been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. He just gave Scott a nervous smile before averting his eyes. Scott returned it, though he was a lot more confident. “You’re allowed to stare, you know? We are boyfriends.”
“I wasn’t staring!” Jimmy denied, going to cross his arms before realizing that they were still holding hands. He committed to the motion and “crossed his arms” but only with one arm. The other arm was occupied and unable to be contacted. It was doing something else (handholding) that was more important, which made Scott feel all warm inside. “I was admiring you. There is a difference.”
“You flatter me.” Scott brought Jimmy’s hand to his lips, kissing his knuckles and earning an adorable giggle from Jimmy. “What did I do to deserve such a phenomenal boyfriend?”
“I used that word once!” Jimmy had caught onto the intentional word use instantly. Scott figured there was a fifty-fifty chance he would call him out on it this time.
“It’s a good word!” Scott defended himself so he could continue his lighthearted teasing. “It describes you so well. In fact, there are several other words I can use to describe you. Some of which sound the best when whispered into your ear, if you would like to hear those sometime~”
“Scott!” Jimmy squeaked, his face turning several shades darker than before. He stammered to try and form more of a response but it failed. He just let out a muffled whine of protest, burying his face in his hands. Scott planned to see just how red he could get Jimmy but that would have to be saved for another time. Jimmy removed his hands from his face when the cod brushed against his leg. “Hm? Oh! Thank you.”
Scott watched Jimmy take the shell from the cod, trying to recall what shell it was. Jimmy had been talking a lot about shells recently so Scott had taken it upon himself to study the different types. He could not claim that he was now a shell expert but he has picked up the book several times to try and commit them all to memory. That was hopefully preparation enough. “Is that an auger shell?”
Jimmy was surprised, though his expression and response didn’t inform Scott if his guess was correct or not. “You know what an auger shell is? Like, enough to recognize one?”
“I have been trying to learn what some of the shells are,” Scott admitted, studying the shell in his boyfriend’s hand curiously. “Is it an auger shell?”
“No, it’s not. That is a good guess though! Some auger shells look like miter shells so it is easy to make that mistake! Shells in general can look very similar to other ones.” Jimmy explained, holding the shell up to Scott as if he were presenting a staff or a sword to someone. “Also, this is for you!”
Jimmy shined like the sun, bright and happy. What had he done to deserve someone like Jimmy? Part of him tried to tell him that getting so involved with Jimmy was a mistake but he shoved those feelings away. If it was a problem, he was already too far gone. Jimmy could simply glance in Scott’s direction and Scott knew he would follow him anywhere he took them. Scott thanked Jimmy and took the shell from him. He looked down at it, carefully cupping the miter shell in his hands.
“Auger shells and miter shells have the same meaning in my culture”, he continued the previous thought, “so that also didn’t help. Do you remember, um, do you remember what it means?”
Scott squinted his eyes at the miter shell, trying to recall the shell’s meaning. He was already unfamiliar with shells to start with so placing a bunch of various shell meanings with the correct shell was difficult. It did not help that Jimmy had told him about them all one after another. “Is it one of the shells used during Bestowal?”
“Mhm.” Jimmy nodded with a nervous chuckle. “I played with the idea of giving you one of these during Bestowal when we were younger but I was never that bold.”
“It’s the one with romantic implications-?” Scott started, looking at Jimmy for confirmation. When he gave it, Scott’s mouth gaped open and his eyes widened. “You wanted- really? When?”
“Several times, on and off,” Jimmy admitted, fiddling with the shells that hung off his necklace. “They were usually passive ideas. I had thought about it seriously before though, partly because Lizzie told me she was going to give one to her now ex-girlfriend. I don’t remember when that was; it’s been a while since then.”
“Thank you, Jimmy.” Scott held the shell to his chest, not bothering to suppress the happy fluttering of his wings this time. He allowed himself to feel the positive emotions, refusing to let the negative ones invade his mind. “I love it. I will find something to give to you in return.”
“You don’t need to give me anything. You are more than enough for me.” Jimmy ran a hand through Scott’s hair, roaming until his hand found a place on the back of Scott’s head. He was met with no resistance as he guided Scott to his lips.
Scott reached out toward the water as they kissed, trying to be discreet about his movements. With skillful precision, he formed a flower out of ice and held the stem of it as if it were a real flower.
Jimmy’s ear fin closest to the water twitched, breaking the kiss. “Did you create another ice sculpture?”
Scott didn’t answer directly. Instead, he extended the ice flower towards Jimmy. “For you.”
“It’s a poppy!” Jimmy gasped, eagerly taking the ice flower. “It’s a poppy, right?”
“Yes!” Scott confirmed enthusiastically, pleased by Jimmy's recognition of the flower he had replicated. Poppies were among Scott's favorites, just as Jimmy was among his favorite people. It felt natural to gift him one. Besides, he had crafted his fair share of them, so creating one for Jimmy came easily. “Look at you, knowing your flowers.”
“I told you I was smart!” Jimmy tucked the ice poppy behind his ear fin. “It’s going to melt in my hair but that’s okay. I love it. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Scott whispered, creating another ice poppy and tucking it behind his own ear so they could match. Jimmy giggled, commenting on the matching flowers tucked behind their ears, but Scott was too focused on his next creation to pick up on it. He was busy crafting an ice necklace to hold the miter shell. Concentrating with precision, he ensured the ice was sturdy enough to support the shell without risk of breaking. Finally satisfied, he slipped the ice chain over his head, allowing the shell to sit like a pendant on his chest.
Scott's thoughtful gesture earned him instant boyfriend points, evident in Jimmy's speechless bliss. Unable to find words, Jimmy expressed his affection and joy with another kiss and tender touches, each moment reaffirming that everything it took to reach this point was worth it. Jimmy is worth everything.