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~<>~
I know I needed you
But I never showed
But I wanna stay with you until we're grey and old
Just say you won't let go
~<>~
Scott woke up early in the morning, feeling the warmest he’s been in a long time.
He’s always wrapped tightly under blankets these days, as the seasons start approaching the colder times, constantly shivering and still too cold for comfort. It was never usually this cold in Barrowhill, with the small town having been in the plains and valleys instead of up on the mountains like the Blue Kingdom was. As such, Scott never prepared any long-term winter clothes on his trek here a few months prior, leaving him now a miserable, freezing half-elf.
He tried to hide it. He really did, often times just walking around seemingly unbothered, only ducking in corners when no one’s around, or just being in the mage tower all day. The Kingdoms weren’t at threat of war anymore, at least not so soon, but Blue could always use more potions anyways, so his station within the tower wasn’t questioned by anyone.
Apparently, Nom wasn’t ‘anyone’.
Because what Scott failed to notice in his fruitless endeavor of trying to stay warm is a strong, armor-clad knight eying his movements around the Kingdom and having a clear revelation that maybe a shirt, a bodice, pants and a cape wouldn’t do well for snowy weather, and because he’s Nom, he followed Scott to the mage tower, one day, not looking for enchantments unfortunately.
Nom questioned why Scott seemed so strange these past few days, one thing led to another, and it ended up with him accompanying Scott to bed that night with the promise to make sure he’s warmed up. Scott, of course, had denied initially, not wanting to interrupt his knightly duties and patrol schedules, but Nom insisted, and in truth, Scott could never find it in himself to deny the other for long.
So now, Scott was waking up from a long rest, groggy and still sleepy, noticeably warmer than he was the night before. Behind him, Nom was still fast asleep, face buried in Scott’s hair, arms tightly wrapped around his middle.
Scott might have just exploded if he weren’t so tired still.
Before everything went down, Scott wouldn’t have never predicted this outcome. He wasn’t against hugging, nor was he afraid of showing vulnerabilities. During his time here, the people have made this once-cage feel more homey than it ever was, and while he can return to Barrowhill now - courtesy of Graecie, who met the Mayor directly and informed them of Scott’s state, freed from all his responsibilities in Blue - it was empty and lifeless without his parents. If there was any place Scott felt comfortable being open and honest in, it was Blue Kingdom, as much as it confused him to say.
But being like this, cozied up and cuddling one of Blue’s most long-standing, powerful knights? It wasn’t something Scott was ever considering would happen to him. He’d never even thought about finding a forever partner when he came here; not while he’s still forced to serve this place, tied up with invisible threats he had long lost any care for. He would’ve ran far, far away after Dad died had he not gotten close to Nom. Supposed he was always going to be Scott’s downfall.
With their close proximity, Scott could hear the other snoring.
It was a soft, steady rumble, deep with every inhale and calm with every exhale, resembling a dragon huffing. Seems like Nom was exhausted from training the day before, judging by how easy he was sleeping. Scott was glad for him. He hadn’t been able to sleep well in a while, or so he’s heard. The Creaking King’s defeat and subsequent healing really took a toll on his mental.
He didn’t want to wake the sleeping knight, what with everything they’d been through at this point, but by now Scott could already see the sun rising over the mountain tops. With any luck, it’d be early noon right about now, and they’re clearly very late to their respective duties. Oh, wasn’t there a meeting soon? They would have to show themselves, and quick.
So, with much care, Scott started to worm his way out of the strong arms that held him, trying his best to wiggle away and onto the floor beside him.
Immediately, he felt himself struggle. Nom was holding onto him so hard anyone would think they were in an apocalypse and were unable to let go of each other to ensure their survival. Scott tried lifting the hands off, tried pushing against the bed for support, and even tried kicking his legs around from underneath the blanket to balance himself upwards, all to no avail. It was practically impossible for him to get up from where he was held.
And frankly, he really didn’t want to.
It’d been so long since he was held like this, cradled up like something precious and valuable in the arms of someone he considered home. Distantly, he remembered when he was just a young boy, huddled under the covers as a thunderstorm wrecked the sky outside his window. Mum would pull him close and tell him they were hiding out, that some mighty evil sky god was being a big baby with a temper tantrum, and that he was so strong for not faltering to the storm.
He remembered the days he yearned for Mum to come back. To embrace him again and call him her little sprout, oh so proud of him for withstanding another long scary storm, reassuring him that he was the most fierce sprout she’s ever seen. He missed when it was that simple, when everything would be okay again, so long as she was still there to hold him through it all.
He’d believed he would never feel that safe again, when Mum gave everything for him to survive the attack, nor when Dad left another gaping hole in his chest he’d never quite find the way to patch up. He was going to be left alone in a storm he couldn’t see the end of, and this time, with no Mum to pull him through. No home to help him through any of it.
Home has never just been with them, has it?
Because if that were the case, how is it now that he feels safer than ever here, within the embrace of a knight whom he’s only known for a few months at best? How is it that he’d never known the seas to be kind, yet would travel all seven to be with them all in the drop of hat. How is it that he’d give every dime and penny he had within the second they asked simply because he wanted them happy?
The only people he’d ever thought of giving his all to was his family.
He’d find that now, he’d still only given to family.
Nom started to stir behind him, causing Scott to jolt back to the waking world. Right, he was trying to get out and go about his duties. How long had he prolonged their sleep while in reminiscence? He’s sure he’s going to get an earful if he doesn’t make his appearance known to the meeting hall soon. This meeting was of great importance, as they all were, and he really shouldn’t be lounging around like this.
“Scott?”, came the muffled voice in his hair, heavy with sleep and lingering tiredness, “What are you doing up so early?”
Scott couldn’t help but snort.
“Nom,” he started, already trying to turn to glare at the knight, even if he couldn’t hide his smile from creeping up his face, “It’s noon.”
“No it’s not”, a hand squished him tighter, undoing all his process in escaping and throwing him right back to square one. “You’re just lying to get rid of me.”
“Why would I want to be rid of you?”
“Because you hate me.”
Scott laughed — this light, airy thing he couldn’t have imagined letting out just a few months prior, turning over to face the other, who didn’t seem keen on leaving the blond curls yet. “There’s almost no world where I could possibly hate you, Nom.” He paused, smiling softly at the other before tugging gently on his arms. “But it is half past 12, and we were supposed to be at the meeting—”
“We missed the meeting?!”
From the blankets out comes a frantic Nominalgravy, causing the fabric covering the two to immediately fall off and bunch up beneath the bed. The knight didn’t have his glasses on, bright uncanny orange eyes still working at maximum capacity to focus as he launched out of bed, already reaching for his morning star left by the door. Immediately, Scott felt warmth leave him, leaving him defenseless against the chill of winter. Right, there was still that issue persisting, and while he’s still currently in the safety of his own cozy abode, it was still a problem he needed to bundle up and deal with right now. He wrapped his arms around himself as he gingerly got up and grabbed his things.
As he was rubbing his eyes, he saw Nom stare straight at him.
“What’s up?” Scott asked, wrapping his Mum’s cape around himself and tensing slightly at the cold that clung to the fabric, not missing the way the other was making his way over.
Nom didn’t answer though, opting to instead hold his cheek in his palm and rub at it.
“You’re rosy”, he commented, rubbing his thumb in a circular motion and peering into the half-elf’s forest green eyes, “Cold?”
Instantly, he hated how much Nom was able to read him. It was like Nom could always peer into Scott’s mind and fish out exactly what he felt at any given moment, and Scott had no defense to that. And yet, he holds that power like it’s a delicate flower he doesn’t dare snap. Anything Scott could’ve done for Nom always feels like they dwarf what the knight has done for him, and if beyond anything in the world, he hopes he brought upon that same safety to him too.
The mage nodded softly, slight shame curling in his eyes as he berates himself for the millionth time about this exact problem. The knight didn’t seem to have the same opinion, however, turning over to the couch and grabbing his previously forgotten coat.
“Not sure how you could wear this,” Nom said, as he lifted the coat up by its shoulders, tilting his head to the side and moving his eyes from the fabric to Scott. He then turns fully over to the half-elf, lowering the coat and gesturing towards where Scott’s standing. “Do you mind taking off the cape?”
As he mentions the heirloom, Nom’s eyes trail to it currently wrapped around Scott, grimacing at the stubborn frost having coated it over slightly. Out of everyone in Blue, Nom would know best how much the cape meant to Scott. He’d spilt many things during their talks, having laid his soul bare between the two in hopes of creating a space for Nom to do the same. It’d worked, many times, and it’s also how the knight knows how important the simple piece of fabric was. It’s the only thing Scott managed to save before Mum was dragged away from him, and the final thing tethering him to her besides their last name.
Clearly, the cape wouldn’t do well drenched in snow, Scott knew that. He was just not ready to leave Mum’s embrace yet.
Sensing the other’s hesitation, Nom frowned, once again making his way over to Scott and placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, you don’t have to part ways from it. We could take it with us. I just don’t want you to have to be cold in this weather. Besides, it’s gonna be a pain drying that later, you know?”
Scott is sure Nom has no magic of his own, yet nothing else would explain how a wave of calm soothes his anxious brain that simply. He smiles, eyes flickering back up to meet sunset orange.
“You’re not worried about your coat getting wet?”
“I mean,” the other grins, quickly dropping back into the chaotic charm Scott’s always known him for, “that is kind of its job, no?”
“Fair.” He smiles, folding the cape into a square bundle and holding it to his chest. “Give me the coat?”
Nom seems to contemplate it for a moment, before deciding on something else. He beckons Scott over, gesturing for him to turn around as he starts wrapping the coat around him methodically. The latter kept his gaze on the ground for most of it, partially afraid he’d ruin something. He slid his hands through the coat’s sleeves, feeling the thick fabric cling onto his arms as the other straightened the coat from behind and spun him around to zip it up.
“See? Looking cozier already!” He smiled as he finished, moving back a little to get a better overview, clearly not noticing the way Scott’s face started to redden up a little more for a different reason. “You got any mittens around?”
“Uh… no, I don’t think.”
“Figures. Check the pockets, they should have a pair.”
Scott obliged, reaching into the side pockets to pull out a pair of warm black mittens, sliding them onto his own hands and clenching his fists to test them out. They were slightly bigger than Scott’s palm, but they served their purpose.
Seeing as Scott was settled, Nom started heading for the door.
“Wait”, the former called, causing Nom to turn back, “you’re not wearing any winter clothes?”
Nom paused, expression making it seem like he hadn’t even thought about it, before he gestured to his armor.
“I’m pretty warm in these anyways, so it’s not a bother. It’s a short trek from here to the Castle anyways.”
Scott knew he was supposed to be at least a little more concerned for Nom’s wellbeing if he was so graciously cared for himself, so he grabbed a piece of cloth lying around and bundled it up into a makeshift scarf, reaching over to tie it around the other’s throat. It was slightly awkward, what with the rough metal armor not really giving way for a piece of fabric to settle and actually be of use, but it was something.
Nom’s hand went up to his neck, laughter bubbling out of him as Scott was tying the cloth’s ends into a knot, bunching it up into a flower shape under the former’s chin. He looked funny with flowers near him, like it was completely foreign to the poor knight. Something always told Scott that it probably was foreign, being in constantly battles filled with bloodshed, where not a single bloom could rise. It reminded him of when Nom first got the crown, with lilies still woven in its edges, holding his weapon he’d sworn never to pick up again. However many flowers Nom hadn’t been able to see in his life, Scott was sure to introduce to him tenfold.
“Alright, now we’re ready.” The half-elf smiled, finishing up and proudly admiring his work. He spared a glance at the window, realizing they’d just wasted another few precious minutes dilly-dallying instead of actually getting to the meeting. Part of him guiltily hopes Mae was late, or that Kitty was distracted with something silly, just so they wouldn’t be the last two. “Let’s go, quickly.”
“After you.”
~<>~
They were, quite predictably, the last two to arrive to the meeting.
Graecie reassured them that they weren’t too late, as she’d anticipated some foreseeable delay and simply resorted to easy catching up between friends. She had this knowing smile when the two rapidly slammed through the door though, as if she’d known the delay was always going to be specifically those two. Scott embarrassedly shuffled over and ignored everyone’s gaze as he took his usual seat near the monarch’s, Nom taking the one next to him.
The meeting started quickly after, with Graecie clearing her throat and jumping straight into action. During the whole meeting, Nom kept on turning to Scott and flicking his pointy ears just slightly so they bounce back up, stifling a laugh or two every time Scott turns to glare at him.
All this definitely didn’t escape Mae though, as Scott couldn’t help but notice how the rogue was looking at him this entire time, this smug expression in her face he couldn’t explain. She’s giggling now, nudging Kitty to look at him like he didn’t know they were peering, obviously trying to communicate something to the now clued-in cat rogue. He usually always caught onto her antics quicker than anyone else in the Kingdom, so he knew exactly what’s catching her eye this time. Except, it’s still very, very cold, and Scott can’t afford to take off the very much Nom-colored coat yet
Now that Scott’s starting to pay closer attention, almost everyone seemed to spare strange glances at the mage. Graecie has this semi-exasperated look he’s seen her get whenever she’s fondly disappointed, Shan’s grinning, El has her head resting on her palms as she looks between Scott and Nom, getting equally interested in something she’s figured out. Out of everyone there, Owain seems most normal, having simply sat with his typical posture, nodding along to the concerns the monarch brought up.
“On the topic of the upcoming crop shortages,” the lion knight’s voice rang out, calling for the attention of everyone in the room, “the winter seems to be rapidly approaching. I think it’d be wise if everyone stocks up on winter supplies soon.”
Owain pauses for a moment, presumably to have a glance over the room, but it was all enough time for Shan to smirk and turn her head fully to the half-elf and the human duo.
“I’m sure our knight is doing his diligent job of taking care of our dearest mage over there, even sacrificing his own belongings to keep him warm.”
Instantly, Scott felt his face explode from heat, red probably spreading to the tips of his ears from how suddenly hot he felt. His eyes shot to the ground, suddenly finding every line in the wood especially interesting as numerous sounds of agreement sounded out from around the table. He realized in horror that one of those sounds came from Nom himself, a sudden rumble that screamed pride instead of his initial terror, which was approximately exactly what Scott was experiencing
In an act of pure spite and raw panic, Scott reached up and grabbed the tip of one of Nom’s horns and yanked it.
“Ow, ow!” Came the screech as Nom got pulled to the side, clearly having not expected the sudden ambush to be this strong. “Okay, okay, I get it!”
Scott gave it one firm yank before letting go, leaving the other to rub where the mage was gripping at. Of course, Scott couldn’t be angry for long, so he started to run his hands over the base of them as an apology. Nom quickly seemed to forget everything, before he just then realized they were in public and straightened up slightly.
The room burst into silly laughter, Mae falling off her chair and Shan having the widest most insufferable grin she could muster, while Owain looked just as confused as ever. With a soothing easiness, Scott felt himself also smiling with everyone as the laughter died down. Yeah, this really was what home was like, wasn’t it. Home was never just with his birth family, it was also here, with people that turned his awful situation into a place he could feel comfortable just being in the presence of.
Home was always the people that mattered, not just the ones tied by blood.
Nom seemed to notice his shifting expression, as he always does with Scott, and offers Scott a hand.
‘You alright?’ He mouthed, tilting his head to a side as his orange eyes shimmer with concern.
‘Better than that.’ Scott mouthed back, smiling wider as he takes the hand and lets his own rest there.
That seemed to ease Nom up, as he turned back to the table and raised his voice to another topic, much to Graecie’s relief. They would spend another few hours talking back and forth, nodding along and spitballing ideas for the future with this possibly permanent truce they have between the Kingdoms, relishing in this veil of peace that’s fallen over the land.
As his hand rests in Nom’s, Scott couldn’t help but remember how Mum would take his hand in hers and tell him everything would be alright, even when the world seemed to be at its darkest.
For the first time, in a long time, Scott believed her.
~<>~
I'll be there for the highs and lows
Give you mine if your heart gets broke
By your side when you're all alone
I will be there
~<>~