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Winter was an odd time for the various empires that ruled the land. For some, it was still as sweltering hot as it was six months ago during the summer. Others, it was as if hell had frozen over, leaving a snowy wasteland in its wake for the people to suffer.
Scott was the latter of the two, fortunately for him. Rivendall was already snowy most other parts of the year, save for the two months during the summer when it melted and became a haven of rocks and tall grass. Scott preferred the cooler spring and freezing winter to the burning heat of summer.
Winter was also an odd time because of the holiday traditions that each empire had, individually and as a collective. Many of the empires had holidays, something equivalent to what Scott remembered to be Christmas. For example, Sausage celebrated something adjacent to it, though instead made the holiday on a day closer to the end of the winter season to celebrate the coming of spring and the day Saint Pearl awoke from a long slumber and blessed Mythland with greenery.
Rivendall also had a winter holiday (apart from the Winter Solstice) dedicated to Aeor. It wasn’t as grand as it had been when his ancestors had celebrated it. The kingdom had dimmed it down over time to simply holding a festival for the day. After Rivendall had joined the House Blossom alliance, extravagance had been exchanged for simplicity in order to welcome influence from his allied emperors.
One such tradition that had been picked up was the Codlands activity of gift giving. Before, Scott hadn’t ever heard of such a thing. The holiday season in Rivendell had been more for the sake of celebration– more accurately to their patron deity– than to family. After Scott and Jimmy had been wed, an influx of cod people had come over to Rivendall to rejoice the happy union, which just so happened to be during their annual winter festival.
After the festivities had concluded for the day, in the candle lit sanctity of Scott’s bedroom, JImmy had presented him with a simple box, wrapped in shiny cyan paper and with a simple white bow on top.
Scott had taken the box, with some confusion as he examined it in his hands. It took up both his palms, but didn’t feel very heavy despite it being about the size of a tissue box.
“What’s this?” He asked, not ungrateful but rather confused at the sudden gift.
“It’s my holiday present for you!” Jimmy replied, beaming with excitement. “One of the merchants in Mezelea had been selling it and it just reminded me so much of you, I had to get it.”
“Holiday present?” Scott echoed, eyebrows furrowing as he set the box in his lap and began to carefully untie the bow. The ribbon was a nice material, he noted.
“Does your empire not do that kind of thing during your winter holidays?” Jimmy asked, his shoulders tensing nervously, fingers flexing as if ready to take it back at a moment's notice in case he accidentally just offended Scott.
Scott rolled the ribbon around his fingers, setting it beside him carefully as he shook his head. “We don’t, but I am still thankful you thought of me. I take it that this is a Cod tradition?”
“I mean- it’s not exclusively a Codlands tradition.” Jimmy mumbled, wringing his hands in a nervous manner as he watched Scott peel back the wrapping paper, revealing a black velvet box.
Scott was about to respond before pausing, taking a second to examine the box and feeling his brain short circuit.
“You didn’t.” Scott whispered accusingly, quickly opening the box to confirm his suspicions.
Jimmy gave him a weak smile as Scott lifted the piece of jewelry up to examine in the low candle light, giving the Codfather a look crossed between confusion and joy. “If you don’t consider it a holiday gift, just… think of it as a late wedding gift! Oh gosh, uh-”
“Good Aeor, Jimmy, shut up.” Scott let out a disbelieving laugh, scooting himself forward to stop his beautifully dense husband from running his mouth with a kiss.
He pulled back after a few seconds, cradling Jimmy’s flushed cheek in the hand not holding the jewelry. A dainty little necklace with a hand painted locket hanging from it. It was nothing special, far less extravagant than anything currently sealed away in the treasury; however, Scott had always been fond of lockets because of his twin. The two of them had matching ones when they were younger that had gotten lost during the war.
It was a story he told Jimmy once, late at night when they had been cuddling after a long day of meetings and too much wedding preparation. Half coherent, they had both drifted off not long after Scott finished talking.
“You remembered,” He told him, amusement in his tone but pure giddy on his face as he pulled away to clasp the necklace around his neck.
“How could I forget? I remember how sad you had been after losing your old one during the war and I know this will never replace the one you had with them, but-”
“Just shush, it’s perfect. Thank you, Jimmy.”
Even a year after, Scott still wore the locket with him everywhere, tucked beneath whatever shirt he happened to be wearing that day. Every time he felt the metal against his skin, he had to hold back a smile to keep his air of professionalism, but the butterflies were there all the same.
Unconsciously, however, he found himself getting more and more desperate to meet the standard of getting Jimmy just as good, if not better of a gift. But what could he possibly get to show the same appreciation towards his husband?
He sat in his office one day, a paper full of smudges ink and cross out ideas. The pen he used hung loosely between the fingers on his right hand as his left tapped a consistent pattern against his desktop. His gloves dampened the noise. He had needed to put them on after he got irritated and froze his other pen.
“Why is this so hard?” Scott groaned, dropping the pen to drag his hands down his face.
Jimmy makes this seem so easy, Scott thought to himself as he stood up and grabbed his cloak from his chair. He needed to think with a clear head, and his office was certainly not the place to do that. Too many professional papers all around him and books about elven politics.
The garden, yes, that would do nicely. Despite the snow and freezing temperatures, wildlife in RIvendell seemed to thrive in the conditions. One of Scott’s favorites was the bristles of holly planted all around the area. The bright red berries were gorgeous with the way they popped against the white snow. They also reminded Scott of the flowers Jimmy had given him when they first started going out. Poppies, a flower so beautiful yet so tragic.
That could also be an idea, Scott mused as he walked along the salted paths of the castle’s garden, letting himself get lost in the scenery as he tried to wrack his brain for ideas.
There had to be something, there just had to be. There was no way Jimmy had >em>never mentioned wanting something as a gift, right?
Scott paused in front of the pavilion that sat at the center of the area, struck with a sudden realization. When had been the last time Jimmy talked to him about wanting something just because he wanted it? Scott felt a small wave of wonder, then dread wash over him.
If there was one thing that he loved but disliked about his husband at the moment, it was the fact that he seemingly didn’t talk about himself enough. Not to say that Scott didn’t know a lot about Jimmy, it was just…
Well, Jimmy was a giver.
Scott buried his face in his hands, wanting to scream. Curse his husband for being such a kind and caring person. Just how and the world was Scott supposed to get a gift for a man who rarely spoke about himself?
The only moment that Scott could recall off the top of his head of Jimmy ever directly stating that he wanted something was…
He snapped his eyes up, eyes wide with the new idea.
That’s it, yes, perfect! He thought to himself with newfound determination, turning on his heel to make his way back into the castle.
He knew exactly what to get Jimmy, or rather make; and, to do that he would need a block of wood and a widdler.
–
Unfortunately for himself, Scott did not account for the fact that he had zero previous woodcarving experience, nor did he know anyone who did. Double unfortunately, he only recalled these facts after thirteen failed attempts.
He sat on the floor of his office, sleeved rolled up and gloves cast aside as he glared at the lop shaped piece of wood in his hand, whittled into what looked like a poor attempt at recreating the wheel.
“Ugh, why is this so difficult?” Scott groaned, throwing his latest failure with the rest of its brethren next to him, the piling only growing frustratingly larger.
Scott had been at this for hours now, his hands growing red and blistered from his continuous efforts to try and recreate the wooden bracelet that Jimmy had shown him was a rare Codland’s courting gift.
Jimmy had mentioned to him one time, long before they had even begun dating, that if he were to get married he would be ecstatic to receive one. A carved wooden circlet, usually done by a lover, symbolizes the bind never ending with its shape. Depending on status, some would have small gemstones or even pearls embedded in them.
Scott had completely forgotten about this when he and Jimmy had been initially wed, so thank Aoer he had remembered it now. Though, maybe he should have picked up a few carving handbooks beforehand.
Scott sighed, settling the whittling tool next to the new piece of wood in front of him, lightly smacking his cheeks to get his head back in it.
“Come on now Scott, you are Aoer’s champion!” He scolded, picking up the tool and wood, staring at them with determination. “You have bested your sibling turned demon and won. A bit of wood will not stop you!”
Yet, whittling a circle large enough to fit onto Jimmy’s wrist was much harder then Scott anticipated it to be. Attempt after attempt, he began to somewhat get the hang of it, but still nothing he deemed worthy enough to give as a gift to his beloved husband.
As the sky faded from glittering pink into inky black, Scott’s frustration became desperation, turning from a scowl into tears burning behind his eyes.
Damnit, damnit, damnit! Why couldn’t he do this one thing right? Jimmy deserved something nice for always putting up with Scott, and he couldn’t even give that to him.
Scott threw the tools down in front of him, the sound of sharp metal scraping against wood making him wince. Great, first failing to make the only thing he could ever remember Jimmy asking him for and now he’s gone and messed up the floors. He drew his legs up to his chest, burying his face in them to hide his tears from the audience he didn’t have.
Aoer, he was pathetic. Crying over something so juvenile as this. Scott half expected to sit there crying until the sun rose the next morning, when he would have to face Jimmy knowing his husband probably got him some amazing present for this winter holiday and Scott couldn’t even cough up one half decent.
What he did not expect was the hands touching his arms so gently, causing him to jump and snap his gaze up to meet Jimmy’s gaze.
Worried brown eyes stared at him, so warm and unable to hide their emotions that it made Scott’s heart flutter even all these years later. Jimmy seemed to radiate warmth, even with the cold temperatures of the kingdom.
“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” Jimmy asked, his voice soft, and his eyes moving to the discarded pile of whittled wood. “... and what’s that?”
Scott sniffed, hand moving to clutch Jimmy’s before he could even think of not doing so. “The visible proof of my failures.” He sighed, staring at the pile with disdain. “I’m sorry, this isn’t what I wanted to happen.”
“Wha- Scott, what are you even talking about?” Jimmy asked.
So, Scott explained about his plan to get Jimmy a nice holiday gift after the one he had received the year prior, only to stumble upon the dilemma of not knowing what to get Jimmy since he never talked about wanting anything. Then, about his bright idea to try and carve Jimmy a wooden circlet like he had talked about when they had been just friends.
Jimmy listened to him intently through it all, not judgmental in any way. If anything, the Codfather seemed touched at the gesture.
“Oh, Scott.” He laughed gently, but not mockingly, “You didn’t have to do all this. I know Rivendell isn’t big on doing gift giving, but the gesture is sweet.”
Scott huffed, pulling his hands away from Jimmy to cross his arms and look to the side, cheeks a bit pink from embarrassment at letting himself over think this.
“I just wanted to try to get you something, and this circlet thing is the only thing I could even remember you mentioning.” Scott mumbled, “I couldn’t just buy you a nice piece of jewelry, I wanted to show you I actually cared.”
Jimmy let out an amused sound, leaning forward to pull Scott into a hug, whispering in his ear-
“Love of my life, thank you. But you show me you care everyday.”
Eventually, long after the holiday had passed, Scott had gotten wood carving lessons to make the circlet for Jimmy’s birthday instead. The winter holiday slowly became something where the two of them simply were with each other all day to show their love, rather than about the gift. And that was the best thing Scott could’ve hoped to happen.