Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You’ve been crushing on someone for a while now. The object of your affection is a young Rivendellian, someone who comes with their family to vacation in the Cod Empire every summer. You’ve always watched from afar as they wander around your homeland, but you never get too close. Lizzie, your seabling, teases you about it at least once a day, if not more. As if she doesn’t have a human to try and court before they grow old on her end. Humans have always had such short lifespans, but seeing your seabling fall for one makes it such a stark reality. Your parents courted each other for a good sixty years before they wed, but if Lizzie takes that much time, the poor Mezalean prince will be on his deathbed by the time they tie the knot. Luckily for you, you have time. The one you have your eye on is an elf, whose life you know is going to be long, so you can afford to be shy for a few more years. 

Maybe five more summers and you’ll be ready.

Just maybe.

Another year goes by and you resign yourself to another summer of watching the beautiful cyan-haired elf from afar, but it seems like they might not have as much planned as they have in years past. You don’t see them around as much as you usually do. You see their violet-haired sibling more often than you see them, but they may also just have different plans you don’t know about. Either that or they’re staying inside. It’s very hard to miss a foreigner in the Cod Empire, especially a tall one with blue hair and large white and gold wings. Those aren’t features citizens of the Cod Empire usually have, so they’re hard to miss, but your eyesight must be going because you’ve seen neither of those specific details on anyone since the day after the elven family arrived. You’ve searched the empire countless times over the three weeks they’ve been here and you’ve seen no sign of them.

One day, you’re walking through the spruce forest, lost in thought, when you think you hear someone coming up behind you, so you whip around real fast only to see no one there.

“Huh,” you say, shrugging. “Maybe I’m just hearing things,” you conclude. You continue walking, looking for pine cones for a project Lizzie wants to start soon. You find a few good ones after a while and continue on, scanning the ground for them as you go. You think you hear something again, so you look about and see nothing, so you continue what you’re doing and keep walking. A few minutes later, you hear a twig snap, followed by a squeak and the flapping of wings. You turn around to find a single white feather speckled with gold fluttering to the ground.

“So I was right! Someone was following me,” you say, picking up the fallen feather. “Hmm… this looks familiar,” you observe. “Let’s go show Lizzie!”

So, with a basket full of pine cones in one hand and a curious feather in the other, you head home.

-_-_-

A week later, Lizzie sends you out to gather flowers, the latest material necessary for that project of hers. She tells you not to come home until the basket you have is filled with flowers. It shouldn’t be a hard task, so you agree to her terms and head out.

You walk the same path as the week before, certain that you’d seen loads of blossoms while hunting for pine cones, but you can’t seem to find any. There are no flowers. None. None at all.

“Ugh! Where are they?” you say to yourself, frustrated at the lack of flowers you know were there the other day.

“Looking for these?” someone asks from behind a tree. You look around to see a rather large bouquet of flowers being held out by an elf.

No.

Not just any elf.

The elf. The one you’ve had your eye on for years.

Your voice catches in your throat.

“Uh, um, er,” you stutter out, your brain not working at all. Oceans below! You’re so unprepared. “Mhm,” you finally confirm with a nod. “Th-thank you,” you say, reaching for the flowers. Just before your fingers can wrap around the stems, the elf pulls the bunch of flowers away with a smirk.

“Nuh-uh-uh,” they say with a sing-song voice. “I’ve been watching you, and it seems like you have been watching me. ”

Your face reddens in color, growing hot. This is bad. You’ve been caught and now they’re going to think you’re scum. They’re going to think you’re gross and disgusting and never want anything to do with you or the Cod Empire ever again. This is bad.

“S-sorry,” you croak out, suddenly finding the forest floor very interesting to look at. “Didn’t mean to. You’re just so- so-”

“I’m so…” You can hear the impatience, or maybe the disgust, in their expectant voice. You look up, prepared to see the elf’s sneer, but the light catches just right and, oh! Their eyes are so-

“Pretty.”

You gasp and your hands fly to your mouth as soon as you process what you’ve just said aloud. They’re going to be upset with you. They’re going to leave. They’re going to take the flowers and you won’t be able to find any more and Lizzie will be upset and won’t make you any more nice things and, and, and…

And they’re laughing.

A wonderful sound.

A marvelous sound.

A melodious sound.

You want to hear that sound every day for the rest of forever.

And then it dawns on you that they’re laughing at you. Your face falls and your arms drop to your sides.

“What’s wrong?” they ask, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Y-you’re laughing. At me,” you say softly.

“Oh! I didn’t mean anything bad by it!” they say quickly, trying to make you feel better. “You’re just… adorable!”

The praise makes you blush. And then you frown. Are they mocking you?

“What? No, I’m not mocking you,” they say. Oops. You said that out loud. “I genuinely find you cute.”

Oh no. Your blush is back in full swing. You cover your face for a minute to allow yourself to calm down, but when you remove your hands, they’re still smiling at you.

“What’s your name?” they ask.

“J-jimmy,” you say, stumbling over your own damned name.

“Jimmy?” they repeat. You nod. “Got it. I like that. I’m Ceylin. Well, at least that’s my name for now,” Ceylin says. They must notice your confused face because they continue speaking. “You see, elves are given one name when they’re born and they use that one for a while and when they come of age, they have a name-choosing ceremony where they get a new name that fits them better.” They look at you as if to ask if you understand. You nod. “Well, I’m technically able to go through that, but I’ve been putting it off for over a decade. I’m a little scared, honestly.” They look nervous.

“Wait. Why are you nervous?” you ask. You barely know them, but you can’t help but to be concerned.

“I don’t know, really. I think it’s because it’ll be a name I’m stuck with for life,” they explain. “And what if I choose wrong? What if I pick a name that everyone else wants me to have and absolutely hate it later? What if-”

“Whatever you do end up going with when you feel the time is right, I’m sure it’ll fit you,” you interrupt, stopping the elf from spiraling into a panic you know all too well. “If you don’t like elven names, why not use a more non-traditional one? Like Jeff, or Scott, or Bemflekin, or something like that,” you offer.

They nod. “Thank you, Jimmy. I know we haven’t officially known each other very long, but… do you want to maybe hang out more often whenever I’m here for the summer?” they ask.

Your eyes light up and you’re eagerly nodding your head. You haven’t really had anyone new to properly hang out with in a good half a century or so, and Ceylin’s literally the one person you’d like to get to know more in this place, so you’d like that.

“Yeah. That’d be.. Nice,” you say. Ceylin finally hands you the bouquet of flowers that you’d honestly forgotten you were supposed to be picking. “Oh! Thanks! My seabling’s gonna kill me if I don’t return home with these!” you say, shoving them into your basket. The current amount only fills it slightly over halfway, so you still need to find more. “She told me to not come back until this thing is completely full and I do not want to disappoint her,” you say. “Looks like I’ve got a bunch more to gather.”

“Do you mind if I tag along and help you out?” you ask.

“Depends,” you say teasingly. “Do I still get to talk to you while we do it?”

“Oh,” Ceylin says, waggling their eyebrows mischievously. “While we do it you say?”

Your face turns a bright red.

“Not like that!” you exclaim. “You- I- we- we don’t know each other well enough for that! ” you sputter.

Ceylin giggles.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered!”

“Shut up!” you counter, nearly laughing with nerves. “Let’s just go.”

“Lead the way!”

Ceylin links their arm in yours and you lead them deeper into the forest, where you know there’s a meadow somewhere. Hours later, the two of you walk back out of the woods closer than you ever expected you’d be so soon after officially meeting them. You always thought it would be a lot scarier and more nerve wracking, but you find that getting to know Ceylin is easier than- than- than swimming. After parting ways, you watch them walk to the door of their inn and then book it home to tell Lizzie about the amazing day you just had.

-_-_-

Year after year, Ceylin comes back, and you’re no longer shy about approaching them once they’ve arrived and settled in. The two of you do nearly everything together and you think that maybe, just maybe, you’re falling for them. At least, that’s what Lizzie says when you continually gush about the visiting elf.

“Have you considered actually courting them?” she asks one night. “Surely one of you has to be willing to make a move. It’s the only reason Joel and I are together in the first place.”

“Right,” you say flatly. “And how’s the whole ‘human lifespan versus ours’ thing going?”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Lizzie says. “We have that all figured out. Let’s talk about you and how you plan to woo your favorite elf, seabling mine.”

You blush at that, but you divulge your plans and she helps you perfect them. You’ve tried to make a move to let Ceylin know you’re interested in them before, but you’ve always been interrupted or planned things at the wrong time, so it’s never worked.

This year, however, is different. Ceylin is staying longer than the rest of their family is, so you have more time with them this time.

You know almost exactly the time the rest of the elves leave because you’re out tending to a small pond of cod when all of a sudden there’s a large cyan blur streaking through the sky towards. Ceylin lands unceremoniously, nearly bowling you over as they immediately run to hug you.

“Oh! Hello to you, too, Cey,” you laugh as they wrap both their arms and their wings around you, nuzzling their face into your neck.

“Missed you,” they say against your skin.

“Missed me? You saw me two days ago,” you reply softly, enjoying this softer side of them they only seem to show around you.

“That’s too long,” they say, and you can’t help but agree. Two days is too long, especially when you feel this attached to them. You feel them pull away slightly but only their arms unwrap from your body. Taking the cue, you also let go of them.

You can feel them looking at you.

“What’s up, Ceylin?” you ask.

“Jimmy, may I ask you something?” they respond, sounding nervous even as their wings are still holding you close, blocking out the sun.

“Ask away.”

“Can I… kiss you?” they ask, looking very nervous as your breath hitches.

“Please,” you sigh, looking up at them, and that’s all the permission they need before their lips are on yours and you’re kissing.

All the feelings you’ve had for them over the last twenty or so years are poured into the kiss. It’s soft and it’s sweet and you want nothing more than for Ceylin to feel all your love conveyed through the kiss.

You part and you look at them with such fondness that you feel like your heart is about to burst. You give them another quick kiss before hugging them tight.

“I love you,” you whisper into soft pale skin. They wrap their arms tighter around you, holding you close. “I want to show you something,” you say. They nod and let go of you completely. The sudden lack of their warmth is jarring, even though it’s a hot summer day, but you need to be able to move to take them to the place you want them to see.

Grabbing their hand, you lead Ceylin down through the forest, past the swamp, to a crude structure made of colorful fabrics and wooden planks all tacked together haphazardly nestled between the trees.

“What’s this?” Ceylin asks.

“My favorite place on the planet,” you say, rushing to the opening. You lift the leather flap that makes up the door to reveal a cozy little fort built around a wide tree stump. “After you,” you say, motioning for the elf to walk inside.

“Whoa!” Their face lights up as they take it all in. “This is neat!” You giggle. “What?”

“You don’t strike me as the kind of person to say ‘neat’ when someone shows you something important to them,” you answer, smiling softly at them as you make your way inside.

“I just- my pa- I don’t have a place like this back home, okay? This is really cool!”

Their eyes are filled with wonder as they notice small details in your fort, like the cod skeleton you found once and labeled ‘rip friend’ on a board, or the tiny strings of lights that hang in varying color and brightness around the low ceiling, or the wide tree stump that’s been the focal point of it all throughout the years. It’s covered in paint, dust, and notches from knives from all the times you and Lizzie would come here in your youth, but your favorite part is all the rings that make up the old stump.

“So, this is the center?” Ceylin asks, touching the remains of the fallen tree.

“Yeah,” you say, tracing along the rings of the tree stump with your fingers. “It used to be this great big tree, but they cut it down when I was a hundred.”

“How old are you now?” they ask.

“Two ten. It’s been a while since my sister and I built this place. We put this thing together as soon as we could and it became our go-to secret spot, but she doesn’t come here anymore.”

You look up at them and they’re watching you in awe.

“You really love this place, huh?” they ask.

“Yeah,” you say wistfully. “I guess I do.”

“Could- could this be our place?” Ceylin asks.

You would like that, so you nod, and then you’re filled with the sudden urge to kiss them. You don’t have to suppress that urge anymore, so you don’t. You lean across the stump and go for it and they kiss you back, just as sweet as before.

“You know, I don’t have to leave for another week,” they say against your lips. “So we can do whatever we want without getting caught.”

You look at them and see a glint of something promising in their eye.

“You mean…?”

“Mhm,” they respond. You dive back in for another kiss. A much hungrier kiss.

-_-_-

The next day, ghosts of sweet moans follow you around as you do your chores, the memory of Ceylin’s skin staining your hands like indelible ink, and you realize that you don’t want to go another day without that bliss.

You make up your mind. By the end of the week, you’ll ask if you can officially court them and take whatever answer they give you. You’re so smitten that you hope they say yes, but you’ll accept anything that comes from their lips.

The next few days are spent with your love, doing anything and everything you two can think of before they eventually have to leave.

You teach them how to swim. 

They show you how to make flower crowns. 

You learn that their favorite color is teal and it surprises them that it’s your favorite color as well. Truth be told, you didn’t have a favorite color before, but when they tell you theirs, it just makes sense and it becomes your favorite as well. How could it not be?

Ceylin swaps the flimsy cot for one in your secret hideout for a soft, fluffy, super comfortable nest for two, making the nights much more enjoyable.

Four days in, you fall asleep together after watching a meteor shower and enjoying each other’s bodies, soft admissions of love pouring from swollen lips like a fountain. The next morning, you roll over to discover that you are alone. You begin to worry. Ceylin’s never just gone when you wake. Something must have happened to cause them to leave and you start to doubt yourself and it feels really bad. So you reach out to pull their pillow close to you, to hold it as if it is them, and your hand hits something smooth, something papery, and you can’t help but to be curious. You grab it and sit up, seeing an envelope with your name on it.

You open it.

-_-_-

My love,

Something urgent has come up at home and I must leave. I might not be able to return for quite some time, if at all, but this isn’t a goodbye. I’ll see you in the future, when we’re older. When we are full of stories to be told. Cross my heart and hope to die. I’ll see you with your laughter lines.

I love you.

Forever yours,

Ceylin Smajor of Rivendell

-_-_-

You finish reading the letter and realize that the paper is stained with tears. Not just your tears, but tears that have dried already, left by your beloved elf, causing the ink to bloom as the paper swelled with new liquid. It looks pretty, all dried up like this, but it forces you to think about how upset they must have been writing it. Something terrible must have happened to make them leave so suddenly.

The two of you have exchanged promises like that, with the childish ‘cross my heart’ chant, several times throughout the years, but none of them have ever seemed as binding nor as serious as this one.

“Cross my heart,” you say to the thin morning air. “Hope to die.” You put a hand over your heart. “I’ll see you with your laughter lines.”

Chapter Text

A hundred years pass and things are rapidly changing.

You’ve been elected- or rather, appointed- to the office of Codfather, ruler of the Cod Empire, by the Cod Council just recently and it’s been quite the adjustment to make. You have meetings to attend, people to look after, and allyships to form and maintain. You’re glad Lizzie and Joel, with all their years of experience, are able to help you learn the ropes because you’d be helpless without them.

One day, about a month after your appointment to the Codfather role, you get a letter, an invitation to an alliance meeting at House Blossom. You know their ruler, Queen Katherine, but not too well. She’s been one of Lizzie’s friends for years and you’ve been to Lizzie’s for game nights before, so you’ve hung around her a couple times.

It seems like these House Blossom Alliance meetings have been going on quarterly for quite a while, you observe after asking an advisor. The last Codparent, Helixis, must have gone to a lot of these before their untimely demise, but this will be your first meeting and you don’t know what to expect, so you arrive early just to make a good impression.

“Oh, good! Jimmy! You made it!” Katherine says by way of greeting as you enter the meeting room. “It’s been too long!” she says cheerily, giving you a brief hug.

“Uh, yeah, good to see you, too, Lady- no, Queen- Kath-”

“Oh, just Katherine is fine, since we’re already friends,” the fairy says.

“Oh. Okay. Whatever you say, Katherine,” you say. The name without the honorific sounds wrong in your mouth, but you stomach it anyway. “You’re the boss around here.”

“Yep!” she chimes. “But you might want to stick with the formalities with the other rulers, since you’re new and all.”

“Got it,” you say, giving her a thumbs up.

“Great! Now this is where you’ll be sitting,” your friend and ally says, leading you to a spot at the conference table. You sit down and place the folder of important papers your advisors told you to bring in front of you. “The meeting starts in half an hour. If you need anything, just let me know,” Katherine says. “I’m always here to help.”

“Thanks,” you say, looking over your papers. You’d prepared for what you’re going to report on from the stats your advisors gave you this morning, but you can’t help but feel like you’re going to jumble your words last minute

As leaders trickle in one by one, you’re introduced briefly before they begin to fill in all the chairs around the table. 

All but one.

“Lovely to see most of you here,” Katherine says, ready to start the meeting, apparently. “As per usual, King Smajor is running late, but he should be here shortly.”

Smajor.

Where do you know that name from? It sounds familiar but you don’t know why. You zone out, trying to figure out how you know that name until you feel your seabling shaking your shoulder.

“Jimmy, it’s your turn,” she says.

“Oh. Right.” You stand, holding your papers in front of you as if they are a shield. “I’m Jimmy, the new Codfather,” you say nervously although you’ve already been introduced to everyone. “Uh, the Cod Empire is doing well. We are increasing our spruce exports and our slime production is at an all time high,” you say, reading numbers and charts out as words the others will understand. “We’re working on preserving marine-”

The door to the conference room opens suddenly, cutting you off, and a figure walks into the room. They are tall and imposing in regal blues and golds that work beautifully with the coloring of their wings. You get a good solid look at their face and you recognize it instantly.

It’s them!

Ceylin!

“Sorry for being late,” they say. “My council held me up for longer than I expected.” 

They seem unbothered by the fact that they’ve just interrupted you, and you find that you don’t care either. You get to hear their voice again after so long. It’s been a century since you’ve had any sort of contact with them and it feels so good yet stings at the same time.

“That’s great, Scott, but could you please sit down?” Katherine asks, somewhat annoyed. “You’ve interrupted the report from the Cod Empire.”

Scott. 

That’s their name now. 

You like it.

“Who’s this?” they ask. “Where’s Helixis?”

“This is the new Codfather. His name is Jimmy,” Katherine says. You search Scott’s face for any sign of recognition, but there are none. They mustn’t remember you. “Unfortunately, Helixis has passed, hence the new Codparent.”

That seems to satisfy the elf and they sit at the empty place at the table. 

You feel… weird. 

You feel the need to leave.

“Anyway, I was just saying that the Cod Empire is doing well. That is all,” you say. You can feel the tears welling up behind your eyes. You turn to Katherine. “I am sorry, but I must leave. An urgent matter has just come up.”

She nods in understanding and you exit the room with haste, not wanting a room full of near strangers to see you cry.

There’s a river not too far from the meeting place and you don’t feel like walking, so you shove your folder into your rucksack and dive into the water. You swim the river all the way home, your tears mingling with the cool water as you go.

(No one can see you cry if you’re under the water the whole time.)

Once you reach the Codlands, you step out onto dry land and shake the water from your body real quick before pausing.

Where are you going? Do you go back to your advisors? Do you go back home? What do you need? You need… You need comfort. You need comfort and there’s only really one place you can think of that can provide that, so you dash into the forest, past the swamp, and towards a clearing you know all too well. 

You stumble into your secret hideout and practically fall into the nest of pillows and blankets that’s still there after all this time. You’ve never had the heart to take it down, and for this you’re glad. Pulling blankets around you, you curl up into a ball and cry.

You lose track of time, as if you ever keep track of it anyway, and you fall asleep. You wake up to the inhumanly smooth hand of your brother-in-law jostling you awake.

“Oi. Jimmy,” he says softly. “You have to wake up.”

You blink away both sleep and sadness to see a very worried Joel right in front of you.

“Joel? What are you doing here?” you ask.
“We’ve been worried, mate,” Joel says. He turns towards the door. “He’s in here, Lizzie!” he calls.

You sit up.

“Lizzie’s here?” you ask, surprised.

“Of course she is!” Joel replies. “You ran away from the meeting looking like you’d seen a ghost and we were worried. When your advisors said they hadn’t seen you, we set up a search party.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” you say.

“Jimmy, you’re the Codfather now. You can’t just run off like that anymore. People notice.”

“What if I have a good reason to?” you ask.

“And that would be…?”

“I really did see a ghost,” you tell him.

“Sure, bud,” Joel says. “Let’s go before my wife tears the roof off this place to come get you.”

“Yeah… Let’s not do that.”

Joel offers you a hand and you take it, allowing him to help you up. You walk outside and immediately get scooped up by your Ocean-blessed giantess of a sister, who holds both you and Joel like you weigh nothing.

“Don’t scare us like that!” she says. “We were really worried! You can’t just run off like that! What were you thinking?”

“Um… that I saw a ghost?” you try, knowing that it’s technically true, but that she won’t buy it.

“Right,” she says. “Let’s let everyone know you’re safe and then I’m taking you to my place.”

-_-_-

You wind up spending a few days in the Ocean Empire with your seabling and her husband and you’d originally thought it’d be boring but it’s actually pretty nice.

It turns out that you’ve been a little more than stressed out since becoming the Codfather and you’ve needed a break for a bit. You relax, take some time to calm down, and, when you’re ready, you talk about what went on at the House Blossom meeting.

“So you’re certain that’s the same person you fell in love with all those years ago?” Joel asks.

“I’m, like, ninety-five percent sure,” you reply. “But when did they get so stern?”

“They’ve been like that for as long as I’ve known them,” Joel says. “So, probably… a good ninety years or so,” he adds, counting on his fingers.

“Okay. So it’s not anything I did,” you respond, relieved.

“What? Jimmy! That was literally your first House Blossom meeting!” Lizzie says. “You couldn’t have done anything to tick off people you’d just met that fast, could you?”

“No,” you reply. “But what if I did?”

“You didn’t. I promise,” Lizzie assures you. “Scott just had a rough day, I’m sure.”

That makes you feel only slightly better, but you take it.

-_-_-

You return home to the Cod Empire to find an office full of distraught advisors waiting for you.

“Codfather! What were you thinking?”

“You can’t just run off like that, sir!”

“What if you had died, James?”

“It’s Jimmy ,” you correct. “I’m an adult who can run off whenever I very well please, I was safe and in no danger of dying, and I was thinking some very personal stuff that I will not be divulging to my advisors,” you say, answering their questions in one breath. “I need to get back to work, so could you please just leave me to it?”

Your advisors begin to leave the room and you relax before one turns around.

“Oh, uh, Codfather?”

“Yes, Harrison?”

“The elf king came by while you were away, asking to speak to you,” he says.

“Oh, really?” You are intrigued.

“They said it was important but didn’t stick around when we told them you were taking some personal time away.”

Scott came looking for you? On purpose? Or because they were told to apologize? Either way, you’re surprised.

“Thank you, Harrison. You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir,” the advisor says, walking out the office door. You get up to shut the door and when you get back to your desk, you notice an envelope on your desk that hadn’t been there when you left for the House Blossom meeting earlier in the week.

Curious, you pick it up.

“Codfather” it says on the front.

The back is sealed with a blue wax seal of an owl with two small feathers sticking out of the wax.

It’s from Scott.

Does this mean they remember who you are?

Or is this just a formality?

You open it, carefully prying the seal from the paper to preserve it.

You read it quickly, taking in the familiar handwriting with excitement.

In their letter, Scott apologizes for doing anything that could have been construed as rude at the meeting even if they weren’t aware of it. They also apologize for not immediately recognizing you and ask if there is anything they can do to remedy things if it caused tension between your two Empires. They seem genuinely concerned, which seems promising, so you pull out a piece of paper and begin writing.

You draft up a nice and formal response and seal it up in an envelope with the Cod Empire’s insignia, telling the courier you hand it to to deliver it with haste.

-_-_-

Three days later, you’re waiting outside your secret hideout, wondering if maybe this was a good idea. It’s been so long and you don’t know if they even got your letter, much less remember where to meet you. You’re about to call it quits and give up on waiting when you hear footsteps in the forest.

“Hello?” you call out, unsure if it’s Scott approaching or someone else, but that is quickly remedied when the bright red of poppies enters your vision.

“Hey,” Scott says softly, sounding a bit nervous. “How- how have you… been?” they ask.

“I’ve, uh, I’ve been doing okay, I guess,” you reply, not sure exactly what you should tell them.

“That’s good. That’s good,” Scott says. “These are for you.”

They thrust the bouquet of poppies in your direction.

“Oh, no. I can’t take those,” you say.

“No, I insist,” they reply.

“I can’t take them.”

“Please take them, Jimmy,” Scott says.

“Make me,” you reply playfully.

The elf sighs.

“Come on. Gods, it’s like I’m two hundred again but the cute cod boy won’t take my flowers,” they groan.

“Take your flower?” you giggle. “Didn’t I already do that years ago?”

The tension breaks.

You watch as they’re taken by surprise at your comment, blushing, and then, only then, do you move to take the poppies from their hands.

“Jimmy! You can’t just make comments like that!” they sputter. “Warn a guy first!”

“That’s payback for all the times you did that to me,” you say, laughing. “Now, did you want to talk or just stand there in the middle of the forest looking flustered?”

They look at you and their expression morphs into something more resolute.

“Let’s go talk then.”

You open the door flap to the hideout and wave your arm to let Scott in.

“After you,” you say. They walk in and you follow behind them, watching them take in your favorite place for the first time again.

“Wow! This is all still here?” they ask. “After all this time?”

“Never had the heart to change anything,” you admit, the words having more weight than you meant them to as you move to sit on the floor. 

“I’m sorry,” Scott says, taking a seat next to you.

“What for?” you ask, looking at them.

“For… For everything,” they say. “For leaving without at least waking you up to say goodbye. For not coming back when I had the chance.” They pause. “I’m sorry for leaving you behind.”

One look at their face gives you the impression that they truly are sorry. You can’t help but feel sorry for them.

“It’s okay,” you try to say, but they frown at you.

“It’s not okay, Jimmy. I shouldn’t have left you, not like that. I should have explained what was going on.”

“Could you tell me now?”

Scott takes a deep breath.

“Okay. So, I’m the second born child of the Smajor family, the royal family of Rivendell. Or, I was. Now I’m the only one, the last surviving Smajor, as far as I know.”

“Why?” You’re invested in this, partially because it’s new information and partially because it’s Scott .

“The morning I left, I’d just gotten word that my brother, the one who would have ruled Rivendell anyway, had killed our parents and disappeared, so I had to take over as king,” they explain. “I wish I’d had the guts to tell you then, but I was scared.”

“I understand,” you say solemnly. Scott had gone through a lot and it was weighing on them.

“And it had to be quick. I was rushed into a name ceremony before being crowned king, because gods forbid they have to change the ruler’s name halfway through their rule,” they say, rolling their eyes.

“And you chose Scott? As your name?” you ask, even though the answer is obvious. “Why?”

“Because of you,” they say, looking at you softly.

You are confused.

“But why?”

“Do you not remember when we first met?” they ask. “I refused to give you flowers until we’d talked for a bit and I freaked out over names and you suggested a couple. ‘Scott’ was one of them, and I knew it was the one but was waiting for the right time.” They give out a sad chuckle. “If only we knew.”

“It’s not your fault, Scott,” you say. “How could you have known? You’re here now, and that’s what matters.” 

You take their hand in yours. They don’t pull it away, so you take that as a good sign to continue. You turn it over, inspecting it. They hold out their other hand for you to take as well. They’re slightly weathered, aged a little in the hundred years since you last saw them. There’s a scar running across one of their palms and you trace over it lightly. Reverently.

“What happened?” you ask.

“Picked a fight with a rose bush,” Scott says. “It won.” They chuckle.

“Oh.” You thought it was going to be some epic tale, but it’s not, and you laugh, too. “I expected you to have some grand tale about fighting a dragon or something.”

“A dragon fight? Me? With these hands?” They turn their hands, showing off their delicacy. “Not a chance,” they scoff. “I am offended you could think something like that!”

You know they don’t mean anything by it, but it almost hurts.

“How was I supposed to know? You could have changed in the last hundred years,” you say defensively. Scott sobers up at the thought and you can see a glimpse of exhaustion on their face. “You- you look tired, worn out almost,” you say, taking in their face with awe. “Not that you don’t look good or anything. You’ve changed, but in a good way.”

They sigh.

“It’s hard running a kingdom by yourself,” they say. “Very difficult. And I was never meant to be king anyway. I had no idea how to go about things.”

“Would it have been easier if I’d been there the whole time?” you ask.

“That would have helped, yes.” They nod.

“You know, you could have sent for me,” you reply. “You didn’t have to go through all that alone.”

Realization dawns on their face and it is priceless to watch.

“I- I could have,” they say in wonder. “I could have written. The thought crossed my mind a couple times over the years, but I didn’t know if you’d- if I was going to be separating you from-”

“Nope,” you say quickly, knowing where that thought was headed.

“No?”

“No.” You shake your head. “There’s no one else. I never- I made a promise.”

“What? To whom?”

“Stay here.”

You get up and rifle through a barrel off to the side, against one of the walls, and return with a box. You bend down and hand it to them. They open the lid and pull out a tear-stained piece of paper. It is well-loved and worn around the edges. Creases run across the paper where you’d folded it up to carry with you before deciding to keep it safe and secure in the box.

They look at the paper in awe.

“Jimmy, this is…” They look up at you. You nod. “You kept this?” Another nod. “All this time?”

“‘I’ll see you in the future when we’re older,’” you quote. “I made that promise to you a hundred years ago whether you know it or not, and it’s kept me going when things got tough.”

“Oh, Jimmy…”

“I knew I’d see you again. I held on to that hope.”

Scott stands so you can be face to face. You swear you can see tears in their eyes, and you’re sure yours are wet as well. A hand reaches out and then you’re being pulled into a hug. Familiar arms hold you tight as familiar wings wrap around you as well and you could just melt. It’s all you’ve wanted for the longest time and you finally have it.

“I’m so, so sorry,” Scott mutters. “I never meant to take so long.”

You hug them tight as if you never want to let go.

“It’s okay. You’re here now,” you respond softly. Something wet hits your shoulder and you realize that Scott’s crying. “Hey. Hey, what’s wrong?”

You pull back a little so you can see their face and wipe a tear from their cheek with your thumb.

“You put your life on pause for me without even knowing if we’d ever meet again,” they say sadly. “You could have found someone else to marry and been happy this whole time.”

They don’t understand. There has never been anyone else. No other options. It has only been them. They’re the only one you’ve ever wanted to be with. No one else has ever caught your eye, not like Scott always has. You’ve never moved on because you’ve never wanted to.

“I couldn’t. Not really,” you admit.

“Why? You could have anyone you wanted.”

“Because none of them are you,” you say. “It’s always been you. From the beginning. Only you.”

They smile softly.

You remember something. Something you were going to do a long time ago.

“Scott?”

“Yes?”

“All those years ago, I wanted to ask you a question but I never got the chance,” you start, extremely nervous. 

“Okay…”

“Gosh, it sounds so childish now that I think about it.”

It really does.

But it needs to be done.

“Go on,” Scott says expectantly, still holding you close.

“Um, would you, perhaps, want to- oh, gosh this sounds so weird,” you say, interrupting yourself.

“Jimmy, just get on with it,” Scott urges gently. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Would you like to enter into a courtship?" you say really quickly, as if the words will harm you if you keep them in any longer. "With me?”

“You- you really want to…?”

You nod.

“More than anything.”

“I’d like that.”

You’re not sure who moves first, but, suddenly, you’re kissing them for the first time in a century.

It feels like the first time.

It feels like the last time.

It feels like everything in between.

When you part to catch your breath, your cheeks are wet with tears. 

Tears of joy.

You wipe them away with a smile.

“Wait a minute,” Scott says. “Now that we’re both rulers, don’t we have to have official papers drawn up or something? What about courting rituals? And we’re not even officially allies yet. What do we do about that?”

“I’ll have my advisors look into it tomorrow,” you reply. “Just, please, kiss me again.”