Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was hard to tell how much time passed when they were kept in there. There was no light, and on the occasions when food was brought, it would be at random times, keeping the two on edge. There was no telling when they’d be fed, nor when they’d be hurt. Everything was designed for the most miserable experience there could be.

Scott was curled up on the sore excuse for a bed, his wings wrapped around him. It was cold, with no heat coming in and the water occasionally dripping from the ceiling. At least he wouldn’t be dehydrated.

There was no noise coming from the other cell. Joey and Sausage had already come in to take Gem to whatever it was they kept doing to her. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was bad. The first time it happened, he hadn’t seen her face, but she didn’t speak for a long time.

He shivered, wrapping his wings around himself further. The dripping was his only company for now. Gem had been gone for about ten minutes or so. On many occasions, she’d be gone for an hour, sometimes two. And he was left with his thoughts in this dark, cold cell. Wondering what they could be doing to her. Feeling guilty for letting it happen. If only he’d tried harder, if only he’d seen it coming. But there was nothing he could do, not at this moment.

It would be a while before he would have company again. All he could do in this time was wait, hunger gnawing at him, shivering despite his best efforts at keeping warm. He knew there was no way out of this cell. After the first time Gem had been taken, Scott had desperately walked around the cell, doing everything he could to find a way out. Finding a weak bar, trying to fit himself through the hole they passed food through. He could fit his head through and nothing else, he found out the hard way. His wings still twinged at the thought, healing from the scrapes.

He stood. At the very least, he could walk around to keep the blood flowing. Get some warmth back into himself. There wasn’t much room to walk, but he would make do with what he had. He spread his wings out as far as he could, trying to get the feeling back into them. It wasn’t good for them to be unused for so long. Scott stretched, wincing as the feeling came back to his limbs as well. How long were they going to be kept here? How long had they been there already?

Scott had to stay hopeful. They wouldn’t be there forever. If they both lost hope, all would be over for them. Someone would notice they were gone. Someone would come for them. Gem’s brother was very protective over her, he at least would definitely notice her absence.

Would anyone notice his?

…

He couldn’t think like that. If someone noticed Gem’s disappearance, they’d be looking for her, and would find him too. Even if no one was looking for him, he’d be found eventually. He had to keep up hope. Gem had already lost most of hers, despite his best efforts.Whatever they were doing to her couldn’t help. He had to stay hopeful, for both of their sakes.

Someone would find them. They had to.

Chapter Text

Gem was back, finally. It had been longer this time. After a bit, he’d started to hear screams. He knew he wasn’t hallucinating them. It was Gem. They were horrifying. He’d had to force himself not to cover his ears to block them out. After all, it was his fault they were happening. Wrapping his wings around himself tighter, shivering, he shut his eyes tight. Tears were threatening to fall.

“I’m sorry, Gem,” he said softly to himself.

She, of course, didn’t respond. She never did when the sessions were over. But it was worse this time. The screams still echoed in his head, and he had no idea what had even been done to her. Sometimes, they’d both leaned their heads out of the holes to at least see each other, but she was unwilling to. He didn’t know why, but it had to be bad, of course. She must have been hurt worse than usual this time. While he did nothing but feel sorry for himself.

“Gem.” He had to try. He had to see. At the very least, he had to try and offer her some comfort. “Gem, please talk to me.”

There was a shuffling sound from the other cell. “...What is there to say, Scott? We’re never going to get out of here. They’re just going to chip us away until there’s nothing left. Take pieces of us, until they can’t take anymore. No one’s coming for us. Don’t you get that?”

Gem had been getting worse. She had hope in the beginning, but it slowly left her until she had no more. It seemed she had hit rock bottom. That was bad.

“Gem…” Her choice of words caught his attention. ‘Take pieces of us.’ He didn’t know what she was insinuating there, but… “Gem. Gem, can I see you? Please? I just… I need to see you.” Scott leaned his head out of the hole, hoping she would do the same. He had to know.

A long silence. Until finally, he heard a sigh. “Okay.” And she did.

What Scott saw wasn’t his good friend, the one who would risk her life for a baby dragon. He saw someone who had been through hell and was just tired. Her eyes were puffy. She’d been crying. Her hair was messy, and she looked like nothing could make her happy anymore. But the worst part was when he looked up. Her antlers. He knew she took great pride in them, keeping them pristine and presentable. They weren’t like that anymore. One was covered in the regular dirt that was everywhere in this place, they couldn’t bother to keep it clean. But the other? It was just gone. There was a jagged line where it had sat. It wasn’t a clean cut, either. It looked like it was ripped off, and painfully if he was to go by her screams. “Oh, Gem…”

“Is that what you wanted to see, Scott?” There was no venom behind her words, no malice. Gem was just tired. She was so tired.

“Gem, I…”

“Please don’t apologise, Scott.” Her voice softened. “Please. I don’t want you to apologise. I want you to just be okay.”

She continued to worry about him even though she was the one who had been hurt in the process.

Scott’s eyes filled with tears. He reached his arm out as far as it would go, grazing her fingertips as she did so in return. “Okay. Alright. Okay.”

Gem smiled at him. It was a small one, one that went away quickly, tinged with exhaustion. But it was a smile. He hadn’t seen her smile since before they had gotten taken. The tears fell.

“Rest, okay? You- you need to rest after all that. I’ll be here to keep watch, and I’ll wake you up if anything happens.” He could at least do that for her.

“...Okay, Scott.” She gave him one last smile and retreated back into her cell.

He did the same, sighing softly, resting on the bed once again. Hopefully she would take his advice. She needed it.

Chapter Text

Scott was awoken with a bang on the bars. He hadn’t realised he’d fallen asleep. He blinked groggily, looking up. It was Sausage. The unnatural grin he’d sported since the beginning still sat on his face as he readied his weapon.

“What’s- what’s going on?” Scott scooted back against the wall, ready to fight if needed, though he knew it would be fruitless.

“It’s your turn, Brother Boy! If we continued with Gem, we could kill her! So we decided we should be nice and give her a bit of a break. So that means it’s your turn!” Sausage pointed the weapon at Scott as he unlocked the cell. “Come on, then!”

He slowly stood, his wings pulled tightly inwards to his back. He didn’t trust this. Glancing around for any escape routes, he gingerly made his way towards Sausage.

As if telling what Scott was thinking, Sausage grabbed one of his wings, squeezing it tightly in his fist. “Don’t even think of running! You don’t want poor Gem to get hurt again, do you?”

Scott froze at the hand on his wing, completely still. Wings were a powerful but delicate thing. And then the mention of Gem… One look at her cell told him she was asleep. That was good. She didn’t need to know. “I…” He gazed at Gem for a while longer. “...Okay.”

If possible, Sausage’s grin seemed to get wider. “Good! I was hoping you’d come easily! I don’t want to cause violence unnecessarily.”

That was a complete and utter lie, but he didn’t really feel like arguing when there was still a tight grip on his wing. “Let’s just…get this over with.” It couldn’t be that bad, could it? Ha. He knew it would be, based on how quiet Gem had been. Though he tried his hardest to stay calm, he could feel his heart rate quicken. He didn’t know what was going to happen to him, but he knew it would be bad.

Sausage began to drag him along, and Scott had to keep up so as not to be pulled by his wing. The weapon pointed at him deterred any other thoughts of escape, as well.

Soon he was brought to a room that just smelled like blood. He didn’t see any, but he just knew it had been there. That didn’t spell good things for him.

“Oh good, you’re here!” Joey’s voice. This was bad.

“He’s ready!” Sausage continued to pull him to a table within the room. A closer look at the table revealed straps. This was bad.

Scott was beginning to panic. He didn’t know what they would do to him, but a table with straps? A room that smelled like blood? It wasn’t spelling good things for him.

Joey seemed to notice the look on his face. “Oh don’t worry, we just have questions! If you answer honestly, this’ll only hurt a little!”

This didn’t spell good things for Scott. He had to get out of there. He had to escape and get Gem and get out of there. But any movement was halted by the tightening grip on his wing. It had grown painful. There was no way for him to run without risking damage. His wings fluttered anxiously, and he settled down as much as he could. “...Fine. Do what you will.”

Joey grinned at him, sending a chill down his spine. “Oh, we will.”

Scott was dragged towards the table and made to lay on his stomach. He’d thought they would want him on his back, but it did make sense, what with his wings. It served to send more fear through his body, however. His limbs were strapped down to prevent any movement, though curiously, his wings were left free. “What’s…?”

“It’s not your turn to ask questions, Scott, and I don’t think you want to upset us.” Joey laid a hand casually on top of one of Scott’s wings, gently stroking the feathers. “Such pretty wings you have, Scott. You must take very good care of them.”

As had happened before, Scott froze when the hand touched his wings. For avians, their wings meant a great deal to them. It was a source of pride to have meticulously cleaned wings, not a feather out of place. The freedom of the open air was something all avians enjoyed, and it was always a great loss when one was unable to fly. He’d seen it happen to people before. With the loss of that freedom, they always seemed to fall into deep despair. So when someone without explicit permission touches someone’s wings, it is always taken as a violation, and deeply affects the avian.

He continued stroking the feathers, smirking when Scott shivered the slightest bit. “You’re going to answer my questions. And you’re going to answer them truthfully. You won’t like what’ll happen if you don’t.” With that, he yanked a feather out.

A barely stifled yelp came out of Scott and he turned his head to glare at Joey, though the look on the other’s face sent fear coursing through his veins. He very clearly wasn’t bluffing. What he would do, however, wasn’t something the avian was sure of. “...Ask your questions, then.”

Laughter. “Good! I’m glad you’re cooperating. First question. Where is the egg?”

Right off the bat. He wasn’t kidding around. “...I don’t know.”

Joey’s hand curled into a fist. “Are you sure that’s what you want your answer to be?”

Scott looked away. “I don’t know.”

“Very well then.” Snap.

His vision went white. His wing felt like it was on fire. He choked on his inhale, stifling his cry of pain, coughing. He couldn’t let Gem hear this. Couldn’t let her know this was going on. He couldn’t make her sit through the hours of waiting like he did. Let her sleep. He controlled his breaths, hands beginning to shake. “Go to… go to hell.”

Joey just laughed at that. “You want to be a tough guy? Fine, I’ll let you be a tough guy.” He squeezed the now broken bone as hard as he could.

Scott bit his lip hard to prevent himself from screaming, tears springing to his eyes. For Gem. For Gem. For Gem.

Finally, he let go, leaving the man shuddering. “I don’t think you’ve learned your lesson. Where is the egg?” When Scott didn’t open his mouth, he sighed. “You’re really doing this to yourself now.” Snap. Another bone.

A sharp cry escaped from him, though he shut his mouth after. He had to stay strong. He couldn’t give in.

Joey stroked his wings again, a cheap imitation of a soothing manner. “You really don’t know when to quit, do you?” He chuckled. “I’ll give you one more chance to say something. You won’t like what I do next.”

Scott said nothing.

A noise of frustration. Anger. “I need to know for my Xorny!” Hands gripping wings. “You are going to tell me! Where-” Snap. “-is-” Snap. “-the-” Snap. “-EGG!” Snap.

“STOP!” Scott’s whole body was shaking, and a sob escaped him. “Please.”

Joey took a step back. A satisfied smile. “I think that’s enough for today. Don’t you Sausage?”

The other man perked up at the mention of his name. He’d zoned out as this went on. “Yeah! I’ll take him back to his cell now.” He pulled out his weapon, pointing it at Scott as he let him out of the restraints. “And don’t even think of escaping!”

Scott wasn’t responsive, wings hanging listlessly, shuddering as he repressed sobs. A mix of emotions was rushing through him. Desperation. Relief. Shame. He was meant to be regal, the emperor of Rivendell, fazed by nothing. And yet he was reduced to tears over a few broken bones. How could he call himself a ruler? He said nothing as he was taken back to his cell, Gem still mercifully asleep.

The door shut behind him. “Rest up, Scott! You’ll need it for tomorrow!”

Chapter Text

Scott didn’t get any sleep. He concentrated on breathing through the pain, though any movement of his wings sent fire through his veins. He couldn’t wrap himself up to protect from the cold now, so all he could do was sit there and breathe, shivering. The only thing that kept him from breaking down was Gem sleeping next door. Stuck with his thoughts, he listened to the sound of Gem breathing, relishing the fact that at least she was alive and was none the wiser. She didn’t need to know what happened to him, she would just feel bad and lose all hope, if she even had any left. No, he had to keep it to himself.

He sucked in a breath when he heard movement from the other side of the wall. Gem was waking up.

On one hand, Scott would be glad for the company, on the other, the more she slept the less she would have to deal with this hell. He felt guilty for the relief he felt when she finally woke up.

“...Scott?” Gem sounded tired, as though she hadn’t even slept at all. 

“Sleep well, Gem?” He kept his voice upbeat. No reason to worry her.

“...I think they drugged me.”

“...What?”

“I think they drugged me.”

And it was silent for a while. Of course she slept so soundly. No one would sleep so normally in a place like this unless they were forced into it. And here Scott had been, feeling relief that she had been asleep as well. There was no telling what kind of dreams she could have had in a sleep like that, unable to wake up with the drugs coursing through her. It seemed no matter what he did, Scott felt terrible. Gem had been through hell, and he was relieved. 

“...Well, any amount of sleep is good in this place. There’s no telling when they might come back. We need all the rest we can get.”

“You didn’t get any sleep, did you?” Ah, Gem. Ever the observer. 

“I…couldn’t. Too much going on for me to fall asleep.” Well, it wasn’t technically a lie, now was it?

Gem made a sympathetic noise and scooted towards the opening in her bars. “Scott, c’mere.” She reached out her hand.

Scott followed suit, stretching out his hand, grazing her fingertips, though the movement caused his wings to be jostled, sending pain radiating through his entire body. He sucked in a breath, then ignored it, relishing in the small comfort he and Gem could give to each other. “...We’ll get out of here, Gem. fWhip would definitely have noticed you were gone by now. And you know how persistent he is.”

A small chuckle sounded from the other cell, warming his heart, no matter how exhausted it sounded. “I know that very well.” She was silent for a while. “...Do you really think anyone’s going to come for us?”

Scott paused. He didn’t want to offer false hope, because as the time passed, it just weighed down on them further. “...I think fWhip will stop at nothing to find you. You’re his sister, and he’d do anything for you. There’s no way he isn’t looking for you right now.”

More silence. “...Do you not think there’s anyone looking for you?”

“I…” He didn’t know how to answer that. Of course, the answer was no, but he didn’t want to wallow in self pity in front of Gem, who’d already been through so much in the time they’d been down here. “I tend to keep to myself a lot anyway, people probably think I’m just being a hermit right now, as per usual.”

“Scott…” Gem sighed. “People notice when you isolate yourself, too. The people who love you notice. Someone’s out there looking for you too.”

Scott said nothing.

“...People care about you too, Scott.”

“...Right.”

Silence followed. Scott pulled himself back into his cell, sitting on the meager excuse for a bed, shivering at the cold. Gem kept her hand outstretched for a moment longer, before she too retreated back into her cell.

“...Scott?”

“Yeah, Gem?”

“ I love you.”

More silence, until it was broken by soft sniffling from Scott.

“I- I’m sorry, I-” He was cut off by a sob.

“It’s okay, Scott. It’s okay. You can cry.”

And with that, Scott finally broke down.

Chapter Text

Scott cried for a long while, Gem silent except for occasional reassurances. He typically didn’t let himself cry, no matter the situation, but so much had happened, and he was in pain and he was tired and he just wanted to go home. And Gem… she had already been through so much in however long they’d been there, and he felt so bad every time they would take her away. In a way, he was glad they had decided to focus on him, because it meant she would be able to rest, though the thought of going through that again terrified him. A ruler terrified of pain. What kind of ruler was he?

Eventually, with enough time, he was able to calm down, an apology muttered under his breath, though Gem simply shushed him at that. She wouldn’t let him apologise, no matter how much he felt he needed to. She was good like that. He really didn’t deserve a friend like her. It was his fault she was captured, his fault she was hurt, his fault she was in such despair. And he knew it. Gem must know it too, but she was far too nice to tell him that. 

The sound of a door opening brought him from his thoughts. They were back. Instinctively, he scooted to the back of his cell, gasping in pain when it jostled his wings. They walked towards his cell, completely disregarding his protests. 

“Well, Scott? Are you ready for more?” Joey grinned, malice in every word.

“More…?” Gem’s voice. “Scott?”

Scott said nothing, staring at Joey and Sausage, unable to move.

“Scott, come on now. You don’t want us to hurt little Gem again, do you?” It was Sausage this time, slowly starting to move towards Gem’s cell.

“No! I’ll… I’m coming.” He stood, slightly trembling. Feeling dread with every step, he made his way to the door.

Joey unlocked it, with Sausage once again pointing a weapon at him.

Scott pulled his wings inward, though they screamed in pain. Gem didn’t need to know what happened to him. It would be fine. Everything would be fine.

“Scott? Scott!” Gem again. She sounded frantic.

“It’ll- it’ll be okay, Gem. I’m okay.” He was sure she could hear the wobble in his voice. He was scared. He didn’t want to go back and be hurt again, but he would do anything if it meant he’d never hear Gem scream again.

He was led to the same room. Scott froze at the sight of it, until a prod against his back forced him to walk inside. 

The table still sat there, a few feathers littered on it. It made him feel sick, the pain in his wings flaring up once again. 

“Oh don’t worry, you won’t be going there. Sausage?”

At the sound of his name, Sausage stepped over and grabbed one of Scott’s wings, putting his other hand over Scott’s mouth. Before he could figure out what was going on, Joey had a fire charge in his hand. Next thing he knew, it felt like his wing was on fire. And then it was. His scream was muffled by Sausage’s hand, and he struggled to pull his other wing out of the grip, no matter how much it hurt. His struggles were halted by the freezing water that doused the flames but only served to cause further pain. Ruined feathers fell to the floor, and muffled sobs came from Scott. Despite the water dripping from his wings, he still felt like it was on fire. 

“What are you planning on doing to Xornoth, Scott?” Joey leaned in close to his ear. “Tell me and I’ll let you go.”

Scott couldn’t answer. His mouth was still covered by Sausage’s hand, and he couldn’t speak anyway. 

Joey smiled, as though he expected that. “Oh well. I tried. Looks like he wants more. Sausage?”

Sausage let go of Scott’s wing and removed his hand from Scott’s mouth, though it was very quickly covered by his other hand as he grabbed the previously burned wing. “You could’ve gotten out of this by answering, Scott, so this is what you get.”

He, of course, didn’t answer that either, as he was still sobbing into Sausage’s hand. 

Joey grabbed another charge. “You asked for this.”

And he was on fire once again. Muffled screaming. Doused by freezing water that only served to make the pain worse. This wasn’t interrogation. This was just torture. They just wanted to cause him pain.

Sausage finally removed his hand from Scott’s mouth, letting him go. He didn’t bother pulling out his weapon. Scott wasn’t going anywhere. His wings were thoroughly ruined, and he wouldn’t be flying for a good long while, even if he got medical treatment. 

Scott’s knees buckled with the loss of support, and he fell to the ground, unable to even pull himself back up, still quietly sobbing. 

Joey knelt beside him, stroking the ruined feathers in a sick imitation of sympathy. “Don’t worry, Scott, we’ll give you a bit of a break. Maybe we’ll even go back to Gem for a little bit too!”

“No…” A word broke through his sobs. “Just…leave her alone. Please.”

With a smile, Joey stood. “You really care about her, don’t you? Alright. We’ll leave her alone for now. We’ll just focus on you!” He nudged Scott’s form with his foot. “Time to go back to your cell!”

Sausage leaned down and picked up Scott, waiting for him to be able to stand on his own.

After a long moment, Scott sucked in a breath and pulled his wings inward, another sob escaping him. He couldn’t let Gem see him like this. “Just…please, just give me a second. I can’t… she can’t see this.”

Joey and Sausage gave each other a look, before Joey turned back to Scott with a condescending smile. “Of course. Calm yourself down, and then we’ll go back.”

They stood there until Scott’s breathing returned to normal, and he was splashed with more water (which he did not ask for) in order to help the puffiness in his eyes and disguise the tear tracks.

“It’s been long enough, Scott. You’ll need your rest!” Joey’s words sent a chill down Scott’s spine. What more could they do to him?

He didn’t have time to think about it, as they started marching him back towards his cell. 

Gem was still awake, and she stood when she saw Scott. He could see her eyes searching him, trying to see what they had done to him. He folded his wings more to hide the damage from her. Her brow furrowed when she saw nothing but the evidence of water. “Scott?”

They shoved him back in his cell and he barely restrained a whimper when he landed on the ground. “Rest well, Scott!”

Scott was quiet until they left.

“...Scott?”

“Yeah, Gem?”

“...Are you okay?”

“...Yeah.”

Chapter Text

Scott woke up to immense pain in his back. He’d passed out at some point, unable to stay awake any longer. He sat up, having ended up laying on his back. That explained it. He shivered, the heat in his back doing nothing to stop the cold everywhere else. They’d been there too long. Neither of them would survive here much longer, would they? Gem had been quieter than ever, and he wasn’t doing much better. They were rarely given food, and he could feel that eating at him, no pun intended. They wouldn’t last much longer.

He wrapped his wings around himself as much as he could stand to, trying not to cry again. He had to be strong. For Gem. She wouldn’t be able to keep going if he couldn’t. 

…How long were they going to be kept there? How long could they keep going? If they stayed there much longer, at least one of them would die, Scott knew that much. Both of them were injured, losing hope. It didn’t look good.

Another shiver ran through him, more violent than the last. It felt colder in the room than it had before. He pulled his wings a little closer to him, though he had to stop when the pain became unbearable. Scott controlled his breaths, waiting for the pain to die down to a  more bearable level.

Gem still hadn’t said a word, and while that worried him, it didn’t entirely surprise him. She’d lost something important to her, and she’d been through so much. He didn’t much feel like talking either. 

He shivered again. Someone had to come for them soon, or they wouldn’t make it out of this.

But Scott was losing hope, too. No one had come, and he didn’t know how long they’d been there. If no one had already come, it was likely… No. He couldn’t think like that. Someone had to.

The sound of footsteps jerked him from his thoughts. No. No, they couldn’t be coming back already. It hadn’t been long enough. He couldn’t go through something like that again, not so soon. His wings hadn’t even begun to heal. He scooted back until he hit the wall, breath picking up. Not again.

The footsteps came closer. Scott squeezed his eyes shut, as if that would prevent things from happening. He began to hyperventilate. The steps were so close. They were in front of his cell. He couldn’t do this again.

“...Scott?” The voice that came through the bars didn’t sound like Joey, or Sausage, or even like Gem.

Scott opened his eyes. This couldn’t be real. This had to be a hallucination. They’d drugged him like they did to Gem.

Standing in front of him in all his fishy glory was the Codfather himself, Jimmy Solidarity.

“...Jimmy?”

“Scott, what’s- what are you doing in here? Gem, too? What’s going on?”

“Jimmy, I-” Scott’s voice broke. “Please, just- Gem’s hurt, we need- there’s a key, somewhere, please-”

“Okay, okay, hold on-” Jimmy hurried to search the area, luckily finding the keys hanging on a far wall. He ran back to Scott’s cell, fumbling with the keys, unlocking the door. He threw the door open and rushed in, helping Scott up, though he retracted his arm for a moment when Scott let out a noise of pain. “What’s- oh, oh great cod in the sky. Scott, your…”

He leaned against Jimmy, breathing heavily, shaking. “I know. I know. We need to help Gem.”

“Hold on a moment.” Jimmy whipped off his jacket as quickly as he could, wrapping it around Scott. “You’re freezing. ”

“Am I?” Scott pulled the jacket around himself, only now realising how violently he was shivering. “So I am.”

Jimmy wrapped an arm around Scott to support him as they walked out of the cell. He led him to a chair, sitting him down. “Alright, stay here while I get Gem.”

Scott said nothing, only pulling the jacket around himself tighter, despite his nerves flaring in protest. The pain came and went in waves, though it never truly disappeared. He watched as Jimmy unlocked Gem’s cell, gently waking her up, calming her down, and then holding her as she cried. He led her back out, whereupon she saw Scott.

“Scott!” Gem stumbled over to him, wrapping her arms around him. “Oh, god, Scott.”

Scott hugged her back, though the action caused pain to radiate throughout his body. It was okay. They were saved. “We’re okay, Gem.” Neither of them mentioned how his voice shook. “We’re okay. Let’s go.” He gently let go of her, leaning against the chair to push himself up. He steadied himself. He could walk. No need to worry Gem. She needed to recover, after all. 

Jimmy walked over to them both, offering his arm out for support. He frowned when Scott didn’t accept, furrowing his brow at him, though he was distracted when Gem accepted the offer. 

The three slowly but surely made their way out of the hellhole, with Jimmy graciously not mentioning when Gem started to cry and Scott teared up, looking away and covering his mouth with his hand. 

When they made it out, it was bright. The sun was shining. Scott squinted, unused to bright light after so long in the dark. 

“Come on, you two.” Jimmy’s voice was soft. “Let’s get you taken care of.”

They ended up at Jimmy’s house, where they sat for a while until eventually fWhip came for Gem. That left Scott and Jimmy.

After Gem left, Scott started to stand.

“Hey, whoa, whoa, what do you think you’re doing?” Jimmy rushed over, trying to get him to sit back down.

“I need- I need to get back to my kingdom. I’ve been gone for- for I don’t know how long, and I need to get back to work.” Scott was shivering, the jacket seemingly useless now. It slipped from his hands. 

The other looked incredulous. “Scott, you- you were tortured, Scott, you need rest and medical attention. ”

“I need to go back. I need to…” He trailed off. 

Jimmy frowned. “Scott? Are you okay?”

“I… it’s cold.” His shivering grew worse. “I’m so cold. I…” 

“Scott? Scott!”

And then Scott heard nothing.

Chapter Text

Scott swam in and out of consciousness for a while, occasionally hearing mumbling from a vaguely familiar voice, though he couldn’t quite place it in his state. Once, he even felt a brief warmth on his face before his consciousness slipped away again. He felt varying stages of warmth and cold, the only constant being the fire in his back. 

Eventually, he awoke fully, though he still shivered. A blanket was pulled over him, and he attempted to sit up to no avail, falling back with a pained grunt. Turning his head to the side, there was a figure slumped over in a chair, a foot or so away from where he lay. Jimmy.

Scott blinked in confusion, wondering what he was doing in Jimmy’s house, when the previous events finally returned to him. A choked gasp escaped him, causing a coughing fit, which woke Jimmy up with a start.

“Whoa- Scott!” Jimmy shot up, running towards his kitchen (what he called a kitchen, Scott would later think to himself). He came back with a glass of water, pressing it to Scott’s lips, ignoring the other’s attempts at taking it. “Here, drink this, it’ll help.”

The coughs subsided, and Scott took the water with more relief than he would ever admit to. Once he could speak again, he looked up at Jimmy. “What… why am I…?” His eyes widened for a moment, and he shot up, though the pain in his back paralysed him for a moment. “Gem! W- is- where is she?!” 

“Whoa, whoa, calm down.” Jimmy laid a hand against Scott’s chest, gently pushing him back down on the bed. “She’s okay! fWhip came and got her, remember? Before you, um… before you passed out.”

“Passed out…? How- how long has it been? What happened?” 

“...It’s been a couple days, Scott.” He kept his hand on Scott’s chest as the other tried to sit up again. “You were freezing. I- I had to call Lizzie. You were… your wings, Scott. The, ah, the burns.” Jimmy winced as Scott flinched. “Hypothermia. That’s what Lizzie said. She said it caused you to lose heat pretty quickly in the rest of your body, and it was pretty cold in there too. You… Scott, I… I thought you died for a moment there. I had to-” He cut himself off, noticing the look on Scott’s face. 

Scott was frozen. He’d never admit it to anyone, but the idea of death scared him. The things that could be waiting for him, or worse, the things that wouldn’t be waiting for him. The idea of endlessness. Nothingness. Dread. He was broken out of his thoughts by sudden warmth on his hand. He looked up in confusion, only to find Jimmy’s hand over his. He looked up at Jimmy himself, seeing an earnest expression on his face.

“Scott. Hey. You’ll be okay. I won’t… I won’t let anything happen to you!” Jimmy puffed out his chest, trying to appear braver than he usually was. “I’ll protect you, Scott of Rivendell! Until you’re better, I’ll be your protector!”

Now, normally Scott would have laughed at these words. Jimmy Solidarity, protecting him? He never thought he’d see the day. But here? He could only stare at Jimmy, a strange feeling in his chest. He felt warm. He must have a fever.

At the silence, Jimmy’s confidence wavered, and he laughed nervously, pulling his hand from Scott’s. “...Get some rest, alright? You’ve been through a lot, and we can worry about things when you wake up. I’ll… I’ll watch over you, and call Lizzie if I need something, and I’ll wake you up if something goes wrong, okay?” Though he still appeared nervous, he gave Scott a genuine smile.

Though Scott wanted to fight the matter, he could feel exhaustion buzzing at the corners of his mind, and when Jimmy looked at him with a smile like that, how was he to say no? 

…He must be sicker than he thought.

Chapter Text

The next time Scott woke up was a lot more peaceful than any of the previous times, no drips of water from a poorly kept dungeon, no screams that made him want to tear his heart out from the despair within them. Only the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore. He looked around a bit. The cabin was empty, no signs of Jimmy at the moment. He must have gone out for something.

The sound of approaching footsteps shocked him out of his thoughts. They didn’t sound like Jimmy’s. Fear gripped Scott, still too weak to escape or fight back if someone was coming to get him. Sausage or Joey were here to get him, to take him back to that place, take what was left of his wings, his sense of self. He tried to sit up, but the pain lancing through his wings sent him back down. The footsteps grew closer, and his breathing became stuttered, hitching in his throat. The door opened.

Instead of one of the two like he expected, a young woman came running in, flowers adorned in her hair. 

“...Katherine?” 

“Scott! Oh my god, Scott.” Katherine ran over to Scott, reaching to pull him in an embrace before she finally registered the sight in front of her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t visit sooner, Jimmy came and got me as soon as he thought you were better, or at least rested enough for people. Scott, I’m-” She cut herself off as he continued to stare at her. “...Scott?”

To Scott’s horror, tears filled his eyes. “Ka- Katherine -” The tears spilled over and before he could stop himself, he started sobbing. The past few weeks had been so much, and it finally registered he was out. He was free. And someone had worried about him. Come to visit him. Made sure he was okay. “ Katherine -”

Katherine’s expression softened as Scott began to cry in front of her, and she did pull him into an embrace this time, minding his injuries. “Oh, Scott, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” 

He returned her embrace, sobbing into her shoulder, the events catching up to him, and all coming out in the form of tears. 

She gently began to stroke his feathers, making sure to avoid the ruined ones. She stopped when he shuddered, until he very slowly pushed his wings into her hands again. A gentle smile crossed her face, and she began again. 

Soon, his cries tapered off, and he relaxed into the embrace, his shoulders untensing, his wings spreading out a bit to relieve some of the pain. Scott didn’t pull back, pull away, relishing the comfort he had been craving. He shut his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder, letting out a shuddery sigh. “...Thank you.”

Katherine continued to stroke his wings with one hand, moving the other to stroke his hair. “Of course.” Her voice was gentle as ever, music to Scott’s ears. He’d missed her, he’d missed comfort, he’d missed friends. 

For the second time, there was the sound of footsteps. Scott opened his eyes to see Jimmy walking in, holding a bottle of red in his hand. “...Hey, Scott.”

“...Hey, Jimmy.” He didn’t move from Katherine’s arms. He didn’t want to yet. 

“Hey, Katherine, um…” Jimmy trailed off, fidgeting awkwardly for a moment.

Katherine turned her head, catching a glimpse of the bottle, a look of understanding crossing her face. She turned back to Scott, finally pulling away. “Scott, I’m gonna go now, but I promise I’ll visit, okay? I promise.” She gave him one last smile, before leaving.

Scott frowned at that, turning to Jimmy, already missing the warmth. “What’s that in your hand?” He squinted at it, scrutinizing it, before it clicked what it was. “Oh, come on, no. No, no.”

“Scott, I’m sorry, but you’re still hurt and sick. You need to heal.” He held it out to Scott, an apologetic smile appearing when he grimaced. “Hey, the sooner you take it, the sooner you can get rid of it and get better.”

Scott sighed, taking the bottle. Healing potions. Fast acting, but by Aeor, they tasted horrible. At least his hands weren’t so shaky anymore. He popped the top off, steeled himself, then downed it. “ God , that’s horrible.”

Jimmy sat next to him on the bed, taking the bottle and setting it on the bedside table. “At least you got it over with. The sooner the better. Hopefully it’ll help.”

As much as Scott hated to admit it, it really did. The burn that was ever present faded a bit into an ache. “...Thanks, Jimmy.” 

He nudged him gently with his shoulder. “‘Course, Scott. After everything, it’s the least I could do.”

He felt warm where Jimmy nudged him, the warmth spreading throughout his body. He wanted more of it. Without thinking, Scott grabbed Jimmy’s hand.

Jimmy froze. He looked at Scott, then down at their joined hands, then back up at Scott.

Scott also froze as soon as he realised what he’d done. He let go, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, um, I wasn’t-” 

He was cut off when Jimmy grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently. “If you want me to let go, tell me, and I will.” When Scott said nothing, he squeezed it again. “Scott, it’s okay. You went through a lot. Don’t apologise.” He didn’t make eye contact with Scott, but he did smile. It was nervous, as per usual with Jimmy, but it was real. 

Scott’s whole body was tense, eyes wide, but he didn’t let go. Slowly, he forced himself to relax, though his heart was going a mile a minute. For comfort. Warmth. That’s all this was. Like with Katherine. Just comfort. Jimmy was the closest person there was, and that’s why his mind latched onto him. Just comfort.

Why was his face so warm?

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for Scott, the two of them couldn’t sit there forever. He was still injured, and there were more prominent injuries to be taken care of.

Jimmy was the one to break the silence. “...You’re going to hate this, but Scott?”

He was already on edge with that one sentence. “...Yes?”

“I need to set the bones in your wings.”

Immediately, Scott was on his feet, letting go of Jimmy’s hand. He barely registered the loss of warmth. “No. Absolutely not.” Distantly, he was aware that if they weren’t set, they would heal wrong, and he would likely never be able to fly again, but at the forefront of his mind was the thought of someone touching his wings again. He was barely able to stand Katherine stroking them, but someone full on putting their hands on them, even if it was to help? Even if it was Jimmy, he couldn’t stand the thought.

Jimmy stood up with him, holding his hands out in a placating manner. “Scott, I know, I know, but it needs to happen. I know how much you care about your wings. You want to be able to fly again, yeah?”

That stopped him. “...Yeah, yeah, I do.” He knew Jimmy was right, but he hated it. With no small amount of trepidation, he sat back down on the bed. “Okay. Okay. I trust you.”

The Codfather slowly sat down next to him, gently placing his hands on the other’s wings. “Is this okay?”

Scott shuddered slightly, closing his eyes, then nodded. 

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Jimmy shot up, startling Scott into opening his eyes. He rushed off into a separate room, then came back out holding a piece of cloth. “I thought you, um, might want to bite down on something. The healing potion will help a little, but it’s…it’s still gonna hurt.”

His heart pounded. He grabbed the piece of cloth tightly in his hands. “I’m ready.” His voice wavered and he cleared his throat. “I’m ready,” he said again, a bit firmer this time. 

Jimmy set his hands on Scott’s wings again, surveying what he had ahead of him. “Let me know if you need me to stop and we can take a break, okay?”

Scott took a deep breath. “Okay.”

With that confirmation, he placed his hands by the first one. “Be prepared to bite down.” And with that, he set the first bone.

The pain was excruciating. Scott bit down on the cloth hard , muffling a scream. He didn’t hear the apologies coming from Jimmy as he set another bone, too focused on the pain in his back. He was brought back to the dungeon, Joey snapping them for fun, not even waiting for answers to his questions. A sob escaped him. “Stop, please , I don’t know anything! Please .” He curled in on himself a bit, quiet pleas escaping him. 

It stopped. Scott looked up to see Jimmy crouched in front of him, a concerned look on his face that was blurred by the tears still running down.

“Scott, hey, it’s okay. You’re here. You’re okay. I’m here. You’re in my cabin.” 

Scott’s lip trembled for a moment, before he launched himself at Jimmy in a way that he would probably be embarrassed about later, breaking down into sobs again. He was so tired of crying but he couldn’t help it. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry .”

Jimmy stumbled back a bit but caught Scott easily, wrapping his arms around him, avoiding his injuries. “You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re safe. They can’t get you here.” He gently rubbed the other’s back, shushing him. “It’s okay.”

He cried for a long, long time, longer than he even had with Katherine. Something was just different about Jimmy. It wasn’t that he didn’t like or trust Katherine, but this was Jimmy . There was always something about Jimmy.

Said man continued to hold him, allowing him to cry the past weeks of fear and pain and exhaustion out, continuing to shush him and offer his comfort. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re okay.”

A final sniffle. “I got your shirt wet.”

Soft laughter. “I have other shirts.”

Finally, a smile. “I guess you do.”

Jimmy brightened at the other finally smiling, though it faded a little at the prospect of finishing the job. “...Are you okay to continue?”

Scott swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I am.”

“That’s good. There’s not much more to go, anyway. Remember that you’re in my cabin, you’re here with me, you’re safe. You won’t be going back.”

He took a deep breath. “I’m safe. I’m here. Okay. I’m ready.”

After a moment, the hands were back on his wings. The hands hesitated, then went to the next bone.

The pain returned, excruciating, yet somehow more bearable. Scott still bit down, tears still sprung to his eyes, but he remembered Jimmy’s hand on his, his arms around him. A shuddery breath was let out. He was safe. 

Finally, the hands retreated from his back. “Alright.” Jimmy appeared back in his vision with a smile. “It’s done. You did good. You doing okay?”

Scott looked up at him, wiping the tears off his face, exhaling shakily. “Yeah, I’m- …yeah, I’m okay. Or- maybe not okay, but I will be.” A hesitant smile graced his face. “After all, you’re here, aren’t you?”

Jimmy was silent for a moment, making Scott nervous, until a grin appeared. “That’s right! I am here. And I always will be!”

The warmth in Scott’s chest was back. He always seemed to feel warm around Jimmy. Now he really began to question if he was sick. Maybe he should talk to someone about that? Who he would talk to about it, though, he didn’t know. That’s a question for another time. He realised he was quiet for too long when Jimmy’s grin started fading.

“Sorry, was that- was that too much? Ah, it probably was, I’ll leave you to rest-”

“No!” Both Jimmy and Scott were startled at how loud that was. Scott’s cheeks heated up, and he coughed, lowering his voice. “Sorry. Um, you don’t have to go if you don’t want to. I’d...I wouldn’t mind the company.”

The wide grin he received in return might as well have blinded him with how bright it was. “Um! Sure! I’ll stay, if you’d like me to.” Jimmy sat himself back down on the bed. “You should rest, though. After all that, you need it.”

“Ironically, I’m tired of resting.” Scott basked in the laugh he shocked out of the other. 

“That joke was awful .” Jimmy shook his head, though he was still smiling. “But seriously. Please try?”

He let out a long sigh, then nodded. “Okay.” He slowly lowered himself onto the bed, laying down, taking care to avoid further injuring his wings. “...Night, Jimmy.”

“Night, Scott.”

Scott was out as soon as he hit the pillow.

And Jimmy was still in his bed.

Chapter Text

When Scott awoke this time, all was quiet, except for the sounds of soft snores. There was an unfamiliar warmth to his side. He frowned and turned over to see what it was, only to come face to face with Jimmy Solidarity, only a few inches between them. He yelped and shot backwards, face going beet red.

Jimmy startled awake, the movement causing him to fall off the side of the bed. He popped up with a frown of his own, only to see a red faced Scott in bed. “Scott? Is everything okay?”

“You- we- bed- sleep-” He couldn’t get the words out. Typically he would be more eloquent, but give him a break. He was held captive for weeks and tortured and had to listen to his friend being tortured and he just woke up . Plus, he was coming down with something . Why else would his face keep getting so red?

“Oh.” Jimmy’s eyes widened and he flushed. “ Oh. Um, listen, you went to sleep immediately, and you seemed like you were comfortable, and I didn’t want to wake you, and I was tired, so I just-”

“Jimmy!” Scott cut him off before he could ramble further. “Jimmy, it’s okay. I…do appreciate it. Really. Thank you.” 

The Codfather settled down, giving him a smile, though his face was still red. “Of course! Anything I can do to make you feel comfortable and safe here. After everything you went through…I want to do everything I can to help you. You deserve it.”

The elven king swallowed, blinking back the sudden tears. He couldn’t remember the last time someone told him something like that, if they ever did. “I…thank you. Again. For all of this. I- I don’t… People don’t typically… This is new. To me. Thank you.” Why couldn’t he get the words out? What was it about Jimmy that caused him to be unable to speak right? He was an emperor, for Aeor’s sake, he could do better than this. “Right.” Scott cleared his throat. “Um, I should be better soon, and then I’ll be out of your hair. I’ll find my own way out.” Never mind the fact that he could still barely move his wings without sending agony through them, though ever since Jimmy set the bones it had been marginally better. 

Jimmy balked at that, standing up fully, looking down at Scott, who was still on the bed. “What? Scott, it’s only been a couple days since you- since all that! You need to rest, and take it easy, and heal! You can’t make a walk all the way back to Rivendell, and you are in no shape to fly anytime soon! Your burns still need to be fully treated, your bones need time to heal, and you need time to heal. Scott, you could’ve died. If I hadn’t gotten to Lizzie in time, you would have died. And there is no way you can stand the Rivendell cold right now, elf blood or not. You are staying and resting. Got it?”

Scott’s mouth opened and shut a couple times, staring at Jimmy, who looked at him with the sternest look he’d ever seen. Jimmy wasn’t backing down. He wasn’t used to being told off like this, and especially not from the Codfather of all people, who was usually so timid. He was speechless. Silently, he nodded his understanding, slowly settling back onto the bed as much as he could.

A smile came to the other’s face, and his posture relaxed, looking mildly relieved. “Good. I need to go out and get a couple potions, to help with pain and the burns and stuff. Will you be okay on your own for a little bit?”

He nodded again, not trusting himself to speak.

“Alright. Take it easy. I’ll be back soon.” And with that, Jimmy left.

Scott sighed, laying his head in his hands. What was wrong with him? Rendered speechless. What kind of elf was he? He was above this. And by Jimmy of all people. 

Jimmy. Kind, sweet Jimmy, who risked his life saving him and Gem, who’s been taking care of him, who’s kept him alive. Jimmy, who is going out to find potions for him. Who’s healing him, comforting him. Joking with him. Sleeping in the same bed as him just to make sure he feels safe. Jimmy, with the most enrapturing laugh and the most beautiful smile.

His head shot up out of his hands at that last thought. What? His face went bright red, even though there was no one around him. Jimmy Solidarity, the Codfather, beautiful? When did he start thinking that? How did that happen? Those weeks in captivity must have done more to him than he thought.

But it made sense. Things started to piece together in his head. Why he couldn’t seem to form real sentences around him, why all the blood seemed to rush to his face. Why he was thinking things like beautiful about him. Oh, Aeor help him. He’d fallen for the fish boy. He was doomed.

Scott shook the thoughts out of his head, standing up gingerly. This wouldn’t do. He couldn’t fall for the one who was taking care of him. He had to clear his head. The elf found his way towards the kitchen, making his way to the sink. He turned on the water, making sure it was cold, before splashing his face with it. He needed to cool down, to shock his system, and that was the best way to do it. Feeling better, he sighed and turned off the water, grabbing a towel to dry his face off.

He heard the sound of the door opening.

“Jimmy? Are you back already?”

The sound of a crossbow loading. “Try again.”

That wasn’t Jimmy. Scott froze, the towel falling from his hands. Someone else was here, holding a crossbow at him, and it wasn’t Jimmy.  

“Turn around, Scott.”

Slowly, he turned, holding his hands up. They lowered slightly in shock when he saw who it was. 

“...fWhip?”

Chapter Text

“Ding ding ding!” A crossbow in hand, Count fWhip of the Grimlands was standing in Jimmy’s house. A smile was on his face, but not one like Jimmy’s, nor one like the two who tormented him and Gem. This smile was full of malice and hatred, a fire in his eyes. “Do you want to guess why I’m here, Smajor?”

Scott instinctively flared his wings out behind him in a defense mechanism, though wincing as it pulled at his injuries. “If you’re here to hurt Jimmy-”

“HA! Jimmy? You think I care about Jimmy?” fWhip took a step forward, pointing the crossbow at Scott’s chest. “No, I’m not here for Jimmy. Do you want to tell me why I show up here and find my sister after she’s been missing for weeks , looking like she hasn’t bathed the whole time, a thousand yard stare in her eyes, and missing an antler? Do you want to enlighten me?”

He swallowed, eyes on the crossbow. “Look, fWhip, it’s not-”

“‘It’s not what you think’? Is that what you’re going to tell me? My sister shows up after weeks, injured and traumatised, and it’s not what I think?” fWhip pressed the crossbow up against Scott now, the smile dropping from his face. He glared, his expression full of hatred. 

His shoulders raised, now becoming indignant. “You are going to get that crossbow off of me and get out. ” 

fWhip’s eyes were wild. “Get out? You want me to get out? You know what I want, Smajor? I want to know what you did to my sister. I want to know why she’s so afraid that she can hardly sleep, and refuses to eat or drink unless she makes it. And you’re going to tell me.”

Scott drew himself to his full height, attempting to look regal despite his disheveled appearance. “Do you think you can just come in here and threaten m-”

He was slammed into the wall, his sentence cut off by a pained gasp which then itself was cut off when fWhip pressed his arm against Scott’s throat, pinning him to the wall. “I think, right now, I can do whatever I want. You are in no position to threaten me, elf. I would do ANYTHING for my sister.” fWhip pressed his arm further into Scott’s throat, cutting off most of his air supply. “You’re going to tell me what you did to Gem.”

His wings feeling like they were on fire all over again, unable to do anything but choke and wheeze for air, Scott tugged at fWhip’s arm. But he was still weak. He was still recovering. He wasn’t strong enough. Black spots danced at the edge of his vision. 

“Put. Him. Down.” A voice came from behind fWhip. Weakly, Scott raised his head to see a familiar mop of blond hair. Jimmy Solidarity was holding a crossbow of his own to fWhip’s back with an expression Scott had never seen before. He looked downright murderous.

fWhip froze at the feeling of the crossbow, his lip curling into a snarl. “Looks like someone grew a spine.”

He saw Jimmy’s face flush red but the Codfather refused to back down. “fWhip, put him down and get out of my house or so help me…” He trailed off, but punctuated his point by pressing the crossbow closer to fWhip.

After a long moment, the Count finally scoffed. “Fine. Don’t think I’m done with you, Smajor. I’ll see you again.” And with that, he dropped him to the ground and stormed out of the house, rocketing off on his elytra.

Scott lay in a crumpled heap on the floor, gasping and coughing, tears of pain springing to his eyes. 

Jimmy rushed to his side, sitting him up, holding him close to his chest without a regard for embarrassment. “You’re okay, I’ve got you, you’re safe. I’ve got you.”

He curled up against Jimmy, catching his breath, shaking. Any attempt to speak was cut off by the burn in his throat that matched the burn in his wings. Instead, he lay his head against Jimmy’s chest and listened to his heartbeat. Slowly his breaths returned to normal, though they still agitated his throat with every inhale and exhale. He squeezed his eyes shut against the tears. Aeor, he was tired of crying every five seconds. 

Jimmy stroked Scott’s hair, the other’s breath hitching as he tried not to cry again. “I’ve got you, Scott,” he said softly. “I’ve got you.”

They stayed like that for a good while, Scott against Jimmy, as he finally managed to calm down. “Can…can I have water, Jimmy?” His voice was raspy from the assault.

Nodding, Jimmy set Scott down gently. “I’ll get you some water, and I’ll be right back!” He hurried to the sink to grab a cup and fill it, oblivious to Scott smiling after him. He returned with a cup full of cold water, handing it to Scott, helping him support it.

The cold water soothed his aching throat and Scott let out a sigh. “Thank you.” His voice was quiet, his demeanor so unlike how he often was. Usually, Scott wouldn’t accept help, let alone ask for it. But he was just so tired and scared and tired of being scared. 

Jimmy smiled at him momentarily, before it faded. “...What was all that about? Why was fWhip threatening you?”

Scott clutched the cup tightly, not making eye contact with Jimmy. “He thought I hurt Gem.”

He scoffed. “As if you would! You and Gem are close as can be! You’d never hurt Gem.”

Scott’s grip tightened on the cup. “Didn’t I, though?”

Frowning, Jimmy peered at his face. “What do you mean?”

“It was my empire we were captured in.” He glared at his reflection on the surface of the water. “I’m the champion of Aeor, and I’m the ruler of Rivendell, and I couldn’t even protect my friend. It’s my fault she got hurt.” His body seemed to deflate, curling in on itself. “It’s my fault.”

The frown deepened. “Scott.”

He didn’t answer.

Hands gripped his shoulders. “ Scott. ”

Slowly, he raised his gaze, meeting Jimmy’s. “Yes?”

Jimmy’s stare was captivating. He looked more serious than Scott had ever seen him. “Did you lay a hand on her? Did you rip her antler from her head?”

Scott recoiled, horrified. “No! Of course not!”

The other man’s expression softened into a smile. “Then you didn’t hurt her.”

“But I-”

“No.” Jimmy cut him off. “You didn’t touch her. You didn’t tell them to hurt her. It’s not your fault, Scott.” 

There was a moment of silence, and then Scott’s expression crumpled. This time, he couldn’t hold back the tears. He closed the gap between him and Jimmy until he was wrapped in another embrace, very quickly soaking the fabric on Jimmy’s shoulder. He’d been blaming himself the entire time, but hearing it wasn’t his fault from someone completely outside of the situation broke him. Sure, he knew Gem would tell him it wasn’t his fault, but there was something about hearing it from someone else that got to him. “Thank you,” he said softly. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Jimmy smiled. His hands found their way to Scott’s hair again and stroked it in a soothing manner. It had seemed to become something of a routine these past few days. He found that while not perfect, this worked as a method to at least kind of calm Scott down. It had become very useful, what with anxiety attacks being triggered easily. 

Calmer and now red with embarrassment, Scott pulled away, though still within arm’s reach. “Sorry if I’ve…caused problems between you and fWhip now.”

“Ha! There’s been problems between me and fWhip for a while. He, ah, likes to pick on me a lot.” He met Scott’s eyes, the earnest expression still on his face. “But Scott, if he comes back when I’m not here, you tell me. I want to protect you. I’ll- I’ll fight him if I need to!”

Scott’s chest felt as warm as his face. He’d never had someone care about him so openly as Jimmy did. He didn’t know what he did to deserve it. All he did was cause problems. And yet Jimmy wanted to protect him. Was even willing to fight for him, which were big words coming from Jimmy of all people. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes were shining in such a way that caused Jimmy to match his flushed face. 

“Uh, Scott? You okay there?” Jimmy waved a hand in front of his eyes.

He snapped out of it. “Yes, um- thank…thank you, Jimmy. Really. Thank you.”

Jimmy grinned at him, brightening the room around them. “Of course! I’d do anything for you, Scott. Anything.” 

Scott short circuited at that. Jimmy said he would do anything for him. Sure, he probably didn’t mean anything , but those words still caused him to freeze. Ever since realising he had fallen for him, he didn’t know how to act. He was an elf, the ruler of Rivendell, the champion of Aeor, and he was acting like a schoolboy with a crush. Which, he supposed, was fitting. He’d never been an actual schoolboy with a crush, so it was fitting he would be now .

Brought back to the present, he noticed Jimmy looking at him all concerned again. 

“Hey, Scott, you’re like… really red. Do you have a fever or something?” He reached out a hand to feel Scott’s forehead. 

Scott shot backwards, flushing harder. If words caused him to freeze, Jimmy touching his face would surely kill him. “No! I’m okay! J- just, um, need to go lie down! Or something!”

Jimmy furrowed his brow at him, a worried expression on his face, but he didn’t question it. “Alright. I’ll help you to the bed.” 

Before Scott could protest, Jimmy had picked him up. Not helped him up. He carried him, bridal style, over to the bed. Scott was shocked into silence as he was placed in the bed.

“Rest well, Scott.” He smiled at him, leaving him be.

Scott watched him go, then placed the pillow over his head, groaning to himself.

This man was going to ruin him.

Chapter Text

Jimmy stared down at Scott’s resting form, sighing softly. He’d fallen asleep not too long after Jimmy had carried him to bed. 

He was worried. Scott had been slowly recovering over the past few days, but he still flinched at touch. He didn’t seem to notice, but Jimmy did. He noticed the little things, like the fact that Scott refused to let him be out of his sight whenever he was near. If Jimmy needed to go behind him, or move out of sight, Scott would slowly and imperceptibly shift himself so Jimmy would still be within eyeshot.

And so Jimmy was worried. Scott was talking to him, but he hadn’t said anything about what happened to him while he was there. And he blamed himself for Gem. They had talked about that, and Jimmy had reassured the elf that it wasn’t his fault, but he knew that wasn’t enough. Some small part still blamed himself, no matter how ridiculous it was. 

The worst part was his wings. He’d been given a healing potion, his burns had been treated, the bones set, but the wings still looked horrendous. Now, Jimmy didn’t know much about avians, but he knew they took great care of their wings. But Scott’s… Feathers were out of place, skin was exposed in areas touched by fire, and overall they looked weak. Granted, they were still healing, but Scott hadn’t exercised them or even been able to extend them in the time he was gone, nor had he while healing. It struck Jimmy as troubling. He knew avians prioritised their freedom and their ability to soar, so the fact that Scott hadn’t been able to? Oh, how Jimmy worried. How well would Scott be able to fly after this? How much would his wings really heal?

Jimmy was still staring. He shook his head, flustered, thankful that Scott was asleep. He hadn’t had time to think about the feelings that churned in his gut and warmed his chest every time he looked at the man. 

He hated Scott, at first. The other man had struck him as an uptight, pompous jerk who looked at everyone as if they were below him. He was standoffish and aloof, cold. And he’d always seemed to take joy in riling Jimmy up, though that wasn’t hard to do.

However, after taking time to get to know him, Jimmy realised that Scott was lonely. And scared. And he really, really just didn’t know how to talk to people. All that time in Rivendell, raised the way he was, he didn’t know how to connect with people. He’d eventually confided this in Jimmy. And Jimmy understood. He had Lizzie, and therefore Joel, but he didn’t know how to talk to people either. His anxiety and quick temper usually got in the way. So he understood. And eventually, that’s what helped them bond. They bonded over being unable to talk to people, told stories of their pasts and learned about each other’s cultures. It turned into fondness, and then something more.

It was the something more that scared Jimmy. He didn’t know how he felt about Scott. No, that wasn’t true. He felt unbearable fondness towards him, feelings of friendship. But is this what friendship really felt like? No. It was something more. Something different. And it was new. Jimmy had gone crying to Lizzie about it, confused and overwhelmed, and it was her exasperated but fond smile and way of explaining things that eventually got him to understand.

Jimmy was in love. Jimmy had gone and fallen in love with the elf king of Rivendell. That revelation made a lot of things make sense. He had other friends, but he never wanted to spend time with them the way he did with Scott. He didn’t fantasise about waking up next to them. He was in love.

It was unfortunate, though, that in his mind at least, Scott would never be in love with him. Scott would never go for a dirty swamp boy, he was far too noble for that. He’d never be interested in him. So Jimmy didn’t let himself entertain false hopes. He shoved those feelings down every time he was around the other man, content to be his friend.

He couldn’t say it wasn’t nice to take care of him, though he wished it wasn’t under these circumstances.

Jimmy looked down at Scott again, watching the gentle rise and fall of his chest, the way he was curled to avoid putting weight on his wings. They occasionally twitched, but Scott didn’t seem distressed. He appeared rather peaceful, honestly. The stress and fear of the past few weeks washed away into gentle serenity. It was nice.

He was staring again. Jimmy sighed, shaking himself out of his reverie. He couldn’t just sit here and be a creep, staring at Scott while he slept. He wanted Scott to feel safe, and comfortable. Maybe he could do something for him, something to make Scott feel at least a little better while he was recovering away from home. The thought rejuvenated Jimmy, and he sprang to his feet, though taking care to not disturb the sleeping figure near him. 

Jimmy rushed out of the house, taking extra care to lock the door behind him. After fWhip, he didn’t want to risk anyone else coming in, especially while Scott was asleep. He hurried out, pulling out his elytra and securing it, before shooting off with rockets. He had a specific thing in mind and needed to find them.

After a bit, he finally found what he was looking for. Grinning in victory, Jimmy shot his way back home. Miraculously, the door was still locked, and making his way inside, he found Scott still asleep. 

Searching his cabinets for a glass that would suffice, he pulled one out that was sufficiently tall enough and placed his prize inside. 

A handful of poppies. They were perfect. He couldn’t explain why, but some small, deep part of him told him that it felt right. Something far off, long forgotten, buried deep inside. Poppies and Scott. Something about it was familiar, and comforting. He poured water into the glass, mindful of the poppies. Perhaps it would have been easier to put water in first, then the poppies, but he didn’t care. Carefully, he carried them over to the bed and set them on the table that sat beside it. It was perfect.

Satisfied, Jimmy settled back into the chair that he had placed beside the bed that Scott had taken over. 

He wondered how long Scott would sleep for. The man was exhausted, he could tell. He didn’t know whether he had slept while he had been gone, but he’d slept fitfully at Jimmy’s. Scott had at least seemed to settle a bit more the longer he was there, but he still seemed tired. Not just from lack of sleep, but a bone-deep exhaustion that shone in every line, every muscle. Jimmy hoped he’d at least get some rest here.

A thought occurred to Jimmy as he observed the dust and dirt that still clung to Scott’s wings, his unkempt appearance. Scott hadn’t gotten to bathe since he’d been rescued. Jimmy was still wary of letting him go under running water due to his injuries, but perhaps he could work something out with Scott when he woke up. His gaze drew back to the wings. With the feathers all out of place, the grime that seemed interwoven with it now, it must be uncomfortable. His hands were halfway to the wings before he caught himself, drawing his hands back almost violently. He couldn’t just touch the other man’s wings, especially not while he was sleeping! Wings were important to those who sported them, and touching them, grooming them, was an act of intimacy reserved for those they were closest to. Jimmy would have to figure something else out. But later. For now, he’d let Scott rest. 

He leaned back in the chair, sighing for the umpteenth time. He didn’t know when Scott would wake up, and Jimmy was never one to handle being left alone with his thoughts well. He tended to spiral without someone to ground him. So he didn’t. He focused his thoughts on Scott, though beating away any thoughts of his feelings for the man. Scott looked so peaceful but so vulnerable in his sleeping form. He was battered and the slight furrow in his brow was not lost on Jimmy. Even in sleep, fear still followed. He didn’t seem distressed, though, so Jimmy let him be. 

Jimmy gazed at his hands. He’d pointed a crossbow at fWhip earlier to protect Scott, to get him to leave him alone. That was a foreign feeling to him, this protectiveness. Scott had always seemed like someone who could take care of himself, and he often did, though “taking care” was a bit of a stretch. He kept himself alive, though, and mostly out of danger. Until now. Now, he was weak, and he was hurt, and scared. And Jimmy wanted to protect him. Something about it made something new flare up in his chest. A long buried instinct. Protecting those he loved. Right now, Scott was his charge. And he wasn’t going to let anything else happen to him.

He looked back at Scott, who was still sound asleep. The furrow was still there, but he seemed relaxed for the most part. 

“I’ll keep you safe, Scott,” Jimmy whispered, his hand hovering above Scott’s arm, not quite touching. He pulled back. “I promise.”