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Scott wasn’t sure how he was still standing, honestly. Fatigue was beginning to creep in on him in waves, and Jimmy’s earlier insistence on making sure that he had some actual food was beginning to make sense now. His wings were drooping, and he was clinging to Jimmy like a lifeline- but this was more important. They had to be able to defend themselves against Fwhip, Sausage, and the corruption. He could push through a little sleepiness and hunger to make sure they would be safe. However Jimmy- sweet, wonderful, charming Jimmy- saw right through him.
“I think we need to take a break,” Jimmy blurted, interrupting him partway through asking Lizzie about the possibility of a canal or moat system to defend their empires.
“Bored already?” Scott teased, although his voice was a little rough from talking so much, and there was unmistakable exhaustion in his tone.
“I’m not bored, Scott. It’s just that you can barely stand right now, and don’t think I’ve forgotten that you haven’t eaten anything yet,” Jimmy said sternly. Scott chuckled nervously as several sets of concerned eyes turned to him.
“I’m fine, really! This is more important anyway,” Scott tried to protest, but Gem was already making her way over, gently grabbing the arm that used to be infected and placing her hand over the scar. A faint purple glow emitted from her, and Scott felt a slight tingling sensation before it disappeared as Gem drew back her hand.
“The corruption is gone, but you’re still recovering from other injuries. Let’s head to the apothecary, some rest and food would do you some good- in fact, I think that would all do us some good, it’s been a stressful few days,” Gem said firmly. The others nodded in agreement, Shelby cheerfully chiming in to say that she happened to have some mushrooms on her for stew, Pearl joining in and offering some crops from her empire. The group made their way out of the hidden meeting room, Scott, Jimmy, and Gem slowly trailing behind. Now both Jimmy and Gem were supporting him as they walked, and Scott was a little too embarrassed to thank them for the help.
“So who made you my doctor anyhow?” Scott settled for instead, teasing Gem a little.
“Since you up and collapsed in the middle of my empire and gave us all a heart attack,” Gem shot back cheerfully.
“It’s not like I chose to get ambushed and corrupted,” Scott muttered.
“I know. But you did show up to my empire for help, so actually I think you made me your doctor,” Gem teased back with a grin.
“I think you’re losing this round, sunshine,” Jimmy murmured.
“I can’t believe I’m being bullied by my- erm. My… I can’t believe you’re bullying me,” Scott finally settled on, unsure of how to refer to Jimmy. Sure, they had kissed (a lot), but did that mean they were courting now? Was referring to Jimmy as his partner too fast, considering they had just figured out their feelings for one another? And calling Jimmy his “boyfriend” didn’t feel quite right either, it felt too casual for the connection they had between them.
“Oh uh. Yep- I’m definitely uh. Yeah,” Jimmy rambled, face flushing pink at the way Scott had stumbled over what to call him. Gem let out a sigh.
“How is this worse than when you two used to argue all the time,” she muttered. Scott and Jimmy both let out various indignant responses, but Gem only smiled and shook her head as she continued helping Scott to the apothecary.
When they arrived there, the smells of a vegetable stew were already permeating the air. Everyone was gathered in the small kitchen area of the apothecary. Pearl was hard at work kneading some dough, Katherine and Shelby were standing at the stove and stirring the stew, and Pixl and Lizzie were laughing as they tried to dust some flour off of Joel. Jimmy chuckled fondly at the sight, guiding Scott to sit down at the table where Pearl was working before helping Lizzie and Pixl. Gem let out a sigh that was half exasperated and half fond, sitting down beside Scott.
“I really can’t leave any of you alone for more than a minute, can I?” she teased.
“Joel got a little overzealous with the flour, that’s all,” Pearl replied with a chuckle, setting the lump of kneaded dough in a pan and turning to put it in the oven. Scott looked over towards Joel again, unable to keep the fond smile off of his face as Jimmy only managed to get flour on himself as he tried to brush it off of Joel. That smile turned into a short laugh of amusement at Lizzie’s indignant shriek when Jimmy wiped the flour off on her sleeve.
“Soup’s on, lover boy!” a voice chirped, startling Scott slightly as he turned to see Shelby grinning at him. She set a steaming bowl of stew in front of him and Gem, before happily flouncing back to the stove to get stew for the rest of them. He took a small spoonful of the stew, not wanting to eat too fast and upset his stomach, and couldn’t help the contented sigh at how cozy the atmosphere felt. Jimmy soon sat at his side with his own bowl of stew, and Scott instinctively shifted his wing out to drape over Jimmy’s shoulders. Pearl gave him a knowing smile, her own wings shifting slightly, and Scott flushed and looked down at his stew.
“Why’re you smiling at Scott like that and why did it make him blush, is there something we can be teasing him about?” Joel asked as he sat down, a mischievous grin on his face.
“No! Why do you feel the need to tease me anyway?” Scott protested.
“Oh come on, you’re part of the family now! Which means I get to embarrass you,” Joel replied, somehow managing to grin brighter. Scott nearly dropped his spoon.
“I’m… what?” Scott asked in disbelief.
“Well, you and Jimmy do seem pretty attached, and he’s always been like family to me, so that makes you family too!” Joel answered with a shrug.
“Well- I’m not- we-” was all Scott could manage to get out, ducking his head down to hide his blush.
“Well Joel, it looks like you didn’t even need to know about the forms of affection winged beings use to embarrass Scott!” Pearl teased. Scott’s head shot up then.
“Pearl!” he squawked, feathers puffing up indignantly.
“Aww, Scott! Is that what the wing thing is about?” Jimmy asked, gently running a hand over Scott’s feathers. Scott just about shuddered and leaned into his touch right then and there, but he was extremely aware that all of their friends were sitting at the table with them. Pearl already had an eyebrow raised, being the only other winged person in the room who definitely knew what was going on. So he took Jimmy’s hand, squeezing it gently as he pulled it away from his feathers.
“Sorry, I uh… I haven’t preened in a bit, my feathers are kind of a mess. But yes, that’s what the wing thing is about. It’s common among winged beings- elf, human, or otherwise- to tuck loved ones under their wings,” Scott explained, curling his wing a bit tighter over Jimmy’s shoulders. A soft, adoring expression took over Jimmy’s face as he blushed slightly, and he placed his free hand over his heart.
“That’s about the cutest thing I’ve ever heard,” Jimmy cooed. Scott felt his face burning, suddenly finding his bowl of stew very interesting to look at.
“Blech, I think I almost miss those two arguing compared to- hey, ow!” Joel’s sentence got cut off by a yelp as Lizzie elbowed him sharply.
“It’s not as if we’re much better, babe,” she hummed with a smirk.
“That’s a good point, the first time Lizzie kissed Joel on the cheek he was incoherent for about a week,” Jimmy piped up. The table erupted into laughter as Joel’s face flushed as he gestured uselessly before finding the words to speak.
“THAT is an exaggeration -”
“Not really,” Lizzie interrupted in a mutter.
“AND we are supposed to be teasing you two about being sappy, not me!” Joel finished, crossing his arms and looking rather like a pouty toddler.
“I think that ship has sailed, Joel,” Scott replied with a laugh.
“You’re infuriating. Jimmy, you can do so much better than him,” Joel fumed, although there was no real malice in his tone. Jimmy chuckled fondly, then turned his head to look at Scott with nothing short of pure adoration in his eyes.
“I honestly don’t think I can,” he said softly. It felt like Scott’s world came to a screeching halt with those words, and distantly Scott wondered if he was dead, if they were all dead and this was some bizarre afterlife where everything was cozy and perfect. But it was real. Scott was alive, and he could tell through the fatigue that had settled deep into his bones, the dull aches he felt from fighting the mobs a few days ago, the uncomfortable itchiness of his feathers in desperate need of preening, and most importantly through the warmth that was Jimmy nestled beside him and holding his hand.
“I- you- you’re impossible,” Scott managed to get out. Jimmy just chuckled, squeezing his hand before letting go to continue eating his stew.
“That sounds more like the Scott and Jimmy we know,” Pixl commented with a laugh of his own. The laughter that sounded from the group as a result filled Scott with warmth that settled deep in his bones. The group of them had been through a lot, but maybe, just maybe, they would all start to heal. Together.
The evening wound down eventually, and slowly the other rulers left to return to their own empires. Gem had offered to let them stay in the Crystal Cliffs for the night, but each of them politely refused, saying that they had been away from their empires for too long. All of them except for Jimmy, that is. Gem was not allowing Scott to leave the Crystal Cliffs until he was completely back on his feet, and by extension Jimmy wasn't leaving the Crystal Cliffs. And he was being extremely gentle yet firm in making sure Scott was taking care of himself. Scott wasn't sure if it was endearing or irritating, but he definitely wasn't complaining about Jimmy sticking so close to him, an arm around his waist as he helped him to bed. Scott was about ready to just collapse face first into the sheets, but Jimmy sat him on the side of the bed with a stern look.
"You mentioned earlier that your wings haven't been preened in a bit- I might not know much about winged folk, but I do know that messy feathers are uncomfortable for you guys," Jimmy said firmly, hands on his hips as he looked down at Scott. Scott chuckled sheepishly, stretching out one wing and beginning to meticulously comb through his feathers, realigning them and picking out bits of dirt and dust. He was careful near his golden prosthetic feathers, making sure they were still properly attached. Soon enough, one wing was finished, and it was then Scott realized Jimmy was watching him. He glanced up and saw Jimmy sitting in a chair near the bed, and when Scott saw him staring, Jimmy quickly looked away.
"Would you like to help me?" Scott offered before he could really think about it. Preening was something extremely personal for winged beings, and if his parents were here, they surely would have lectured Scott about moving too fast with a man who he had barely started courting. If they had even started courting, that is. They hadn't had a proper conversation about it yet, and frankly Scott wasn't sure if he wanted to. He liked the way things were now, all soft and gentle and caring. He was afraid of ruining it if he tried to make it into something more serious. Yet here he was, asking Jimmy to be part of an extremely intimate practice.
"Are you sure? I don't know anything about wings," Jimmy asked softly.
"I'll teach you," Scott replied, scooching over and patting the bed. Jimmy slowly made his way over, as if Scott was a skittish animal that would run away at the slightest movement. Once he sat down, Scott stretched out his wing and guided Jimmy’s hands to his feathers.
"You'll let me know if I do something wrong, right?" Jimmy asked, voice trembling ever so slightly with nerves.
"Of course. Now see how some parts of the feathers are going the wrong way? That's because the barbs and barbules need to be realigned- they're simple enough to smooth out, just don't pull too hard," Scott explained. Jimmy did as he was told, albeit clumsily, but it made Scott sigh pleasantly all the same. He hadn't had someone else preen his wings since he was small, and to have someone doing it now was odd, but in a good way. Time seemed to pass slowly and syrupy, and Scott began to feel pleasantly warm. He just about dozed off too, until Jimmy was done and drew his hand back, Scott jolting slightly from the loss of contact and just barely being able to hold back the whine he wanted to let loose.
"You okay?" Jimmy asked with a soft chuckle.
"Mmm… yeah. Thank you for helping me," Scott replied, voice low and sounding like he had just woken up after a pleasant sleep.
"Of course," Jimmy replied, voice barely above a whisper. Scott then realized how close the two of them were, noses practically touching. There was a breath, and Jimmy leaned in for a slow, soft kiss that was over before Scott could really enjoy it. Jimmy pulled away for half a second, before they both dove back in for a kiss that was firmer than the first one, but still soft and sweet. Jimmy's arms wrapped around him, and Scott clutched back at him desperately. Scott felt like he was going to die if Jimmy stopped kissing him, stopped holding him like he was the most treasured thing in the world. He wasn’t completely sure if he deserved that treatment, but he definitely wasn’t one to complain as Jimmy’s hands brushed past his wings and Scott shivered before he melted into his touch. Jimmy made an intrigued sound in the back of his throat before deliberately and gently trailing his fingers over freshly preened feathers, and Scott felt borderline lightheaded at the touch, letting out a gasp into the kiss. Jimmy kept going with his gentle touch through Scott’s feathers, and it was both too much and not enough. Scott kissed Jimmy desperately, roughly even- but Jimmy gentled it every time, sending Scott’s heart fluttering as he felt warm, safe, and cared for. It didn’t make sense. What in Aeor’s name had Scott done to earn this , to capture the attention of a man to whom he had done nothing but hurt?
He didn’t even realize he had begun crying until Jimmy pushed him away, looking at him with concern. He drew his hands away from Scott’s wings, and an involuntary sob burst its way past Scott’s lips in response. Jimmy quickly put his hands back where they were, smoothing over his feathers soothingly. Scott sighed in relief, melting into the touch before burying his face in Jimmy’s chest, not wanting to look him in the eyes as he tried to stop crying.
“Hey hey hey- sunshine, look at me. What’s going on? Was I too much?” Jimmy murmured, moving one hand to tilt Scott’s head up to look at him. A thumb gently brushed away a tear rolling down Scott’s cheek. Some deep dark part of Scott suddenly snapped- he didn’t deserve to be treated so gently, like he was worth something. But he couldn’t say that out loud- because what if Jimmy agreed with that dark part of himself? What if he agreed and realized he was wasting his time with Scott? So he didn’t admit that to Jimmy… but what he said was maybe almost worse.
“I’m not made of glass, y’know. I’m not gonna break if you touch me,” Scott snapped. A flash of hurt came over Jimmy’s face, before it smoothed down into soft concern.
“Scott, I kissed you and now you’re having a mental breakdown. Think that means me being gentle is a little necessary here,” Jimmy said lightly. Scott instantly felt horrible for snapping at Jimmy like that, and curled back down into Jimmy’s chest so that he didn’t have to meet his eyes. Yet again, Jimmy gently prodded him out of his hiding place, and Jimmy couldn’t help but chuckle at Scott’s resulting offended expression.
“You’re really gonna make me talk about my issues?” Scott huffed indignantly. Jimmy shook his head fondly.
“Scott, I don’t know if you remember, but the last time we didn’t talk about our issues, you ended up half-dead and corrupted,” Jimmy pointed out with a nervous laugh. Scott let out a shaky sigh of defeat, wiping away any last tears on his face.
“You… have a point,” he muttered.
“Glad you could see it my way. Now please tell me what happened so I know not to do whatever I did again,” Jimmy said with a sheepish smile. Scott blinked at him in surprise, confused for a few moments before he gathered his thoughts to reply.
“Jimmy, you… you didn’t do anything. You were wonderful, and I uh. I’m usually a little guarded when it comes to my wings, but with you- it um. It feels really nice when you touch them, which is… new for me. And I dunno, maybe that made me feel a little overwhelmed- but nothing you did made me cry. I think I just got in my own head a little,” Scott said softly. At his words, Jimmy started running his fingers through Scott’s feathers again, causing Scott to let out a pleasant sigh.
“You wanna elaborate on what happened in that head of yours?” Jimmy asked gently. He could have asked Scott for the world with that tenderhearted tone and careful touch of his, and Scott would have given it to him without question. So curse Jimmy for asking Scott to open up about something as icky and complicated as feelings . Scott let out a heavy sigh.
“I just don’t feel like I deserve this,” Scott said, voice barely above a whisper. Jimmy’s fingers froze in their movements, and he looked to Scott with his brow furrowed in concern.
“What are you talking about, sunshine?” Jimmy asked softly. Scott’s eyes drifted to the hand-shaped bruises that were still prevalent on Jimmy’s neck, and he could practically still feel Jimmy’s life fading away beneath his fingertips before Jimmy- sweet, wonderful, charming Jimmy- kissed him and saved them both. But it wasn’t just that. He could still see the confusion and heartbreak in Jimmy’s eyes during his fight with Joel at the House Blossom Ball, and then the anger and distrust when he all but banished Scott from his empire- even if those emotions were long gone.
“I hurt you,” was all Scott could manage to get out before he broke down crying again. Jimmy let him curl into his chest this time, holding him tightly as he pressed kisses to his hair between words of comfort.
“It’s all in the past now, Scott. We have each other now, it’s alright. I promise you it’s alright,” he soothed. Scott risked a peek up at Jimmy’s face, and saw nothing but genuine care and affection there.
“You keep promising that. That everything is alright- how can you be so sure?” Scott asked timidly. Jimmy let out a soft laugh.
“Because I have you. It’s like- it’s like I managed to catch a bit of sunshine between my hands, and even though I opened my hands, that ray of light stayed anyway. With you here with me… I feel like I could take on the whole world single-handedly. That’s how I know everything is alright,” Jimmy explained with a soft grin. Frankly, Scott found it a little ridiculous that Jimmy was comparing him to sunshine when Jimmy had a smile like that.
“That’s some dangerously optimistic thinking,” Scott commented dryly, but there was a smile growing on his lips and a teasing twinkle in his eyes.
“I am trying to compliment you,” Jimmy replied with a laugh. Scott couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as well.
“I know. And… thank you. For putting up with me,” Scott said with a soft sigh, wiping at his eyes. Jimmy laughed again, sounding a bit incredulous this time around.
“It’s not ‘putting up with’ you if I love you, Scott,” Jimmy said softly. Scott swore he felt his heart stop even as all the blood rushed to his face.
“You. You what ?” Scott asked, voice barely above a whisper. Jimmy seemed to register what he had just said, face flaming red in an instant.
“Oh. Uh. I love you? Was that too quick to say? I mean, I’m not taking it back, I’m pretty sure I am completely, totally, irrevocably in love with you. I just… gosh this is all so new, I have no idea what I’m doing and I just told you that I love you even if we’ve only been together-” Scott cut off Jimmy’s rambling with a kiss. He blinked in surprise when Scott pulled away, looking so adorably baffled that Scott couldn’t help dropping another kiss onto his nose, giggling at how it scrunched up in irritation as a result.
“For the record, I think I love you too. Guess this means we're courting now, huh?" Scott replied with a grin. Jimmy let out a laugh.
"I dunno what else this would be if it wasn't courting," he got out between laughs.
"Allyship with benefits?" Scott teased. Jimmy just laughed harder, eyes squeezing shut as he did so. Aeor above, he was gorgeous . His laughter calmed down eventually, eyes fluttering open to gaze at Scott with an incredibly sappy expression.
"By cod, I love you," he confessed softly.
"Think you've mentioned that already," Scott chuckled.
"Just figured I'd remind you, sunshine," Jimmy replied with a kiss to his forehead. Scott opened his mouth to reply- but all that came out was a yawn. Jimmy chuckled at the sight.
"Guess we should get some sleep, huh?" Scott said with a chuckle of his own. Jimmy smirked playfully, causing Scott's heart to flutter.
"Inviting me to bed, King Scott? Think of the scandal," Jimmy said in a mock appalled tone. Scott laughed, before shifting his expression to something a bit more sultry.
"Well, what did you think I was doing this whole time, letting you touch my wings?" Scott purred. Jimmy’s face flushed, pulling back slightly.
"Wait. Was the preening thing uh… and me touching your feathers… ?" Jimmy trailed off, unsure of how to ask just how sensitive Scott's feathers were. Scott couldn't help it- he broke down laughing at Jimmy's bewildered expression. Jimmy looked offended for a moment, until Scott's laughter finally ceased.
"Sorry, your face was priceless , dear. And to answer your question, feathers for winged beings is kind of like hair. It certainly can be something more… intimate, but most times having someone else preen your wings is just comforting. Like someone brushing or playing with your hair," Scott explained with a soft smile.
"Well I'm glad to know I haven't accidentally done something scandalous. Although I think Pearl definitely knew what you were up to at dinner," Jimmy teased.
"You were the one who tried to touch my feathers at the table!" Scott protested.
"I didn't know the significance then, sunshine. And I think this argument is getting us nowhere, we should be sleeping," Jimmy said sternly. A smirk crept onto Scott’s face.
"Didn't know you were so eager to get into bed with me," Scott teased, even as he let Jimmy guide him to lay down. Jimmy rolled his eyes, although he was smiling as Scott nestled down to lay against his chest.
"Less talking, more sleeping. You need the rest," Jimmy murmured, pressing a kiss to Scott’s hair. Scott let out a pleasant hum, wings shifting to drape over Jimmy like a blanket in return for the kiss.
"If you say so. G'night, love," Scott murmured back, half asleep already just with the comforting hold Jimmy had on him.
"Night, sunshine," Jimmy replied, and with that, Scott drifted off to sleep, at peace with his love's arms around him- and slowly beginning to accept that he was worthy of him.