Beach or Mountains

Chapter 4: Red Flowers

Sorry, this chapter is kinda short. Enjoy anyway :)

Warnings: None

Scott honestly could have sat there with Jimmy leaning against him all evening. After they had eaten all the cakes and idly talked for a while, Jimmy had fallen into a light doze, slumped in his lap. He was absentmindedly toying with Jimmy's hair when Jimmy's stomach growled, rousing him. He looked slightly embarrassed at that, as well as having fallen asleep on Scott, but Scott just found it all highly amusing. He laughed and took Jimmy by the hand again, leading him through the other end of the cave, out onto a wooden overlook built on the side of the mountain. There was a table, set for two, with candles and red flowers all around. The most stunning thing about it though, was the view. You could see the stunning mountain landscape, and, off in the distance, the lights of Rivendell glowed softly against the setting sun. They took their seats, both still looking at the amazing view.

After eating a delicious dinner of steak and potatoes, the two of them sat talking and laughing for hours into the night. The moon rose directly in front of them, in a gap between two mountains, so they could see it perfectly. With a start, Scott realized the time was well past the tenth hour, and told this to Jimmy.

"Jimmy, it's already almost midnight! Where has the time gone?" He stood up, followed closely by Jimmy, who looked stricken. "I assume your advisors will be worrying."

"Let them worry." Even as he said it, he pulled out his rockets. He looked at Scott, who spoke with some hesitation.

"This was fun. I'd like to do this again, if you want..." Scott looked up, seeing Jimmy smile again.

"Absolutely," he said. "How about- can you meet me in the Cod Empire in a few days? I know of a nice place- I mean, you don't have to-" Scott held up a hand, silencing his rambling.

"I'd love to!" Scott felt his heart lift. He hadn't realized it earlier, but he really did enjoy the Codfather's company. He knew, even now, that he would be counting down the hours before they met again. Jimmy looked extremely relieved.

"I'll see you in a few days," He told Scott. He turned to leave. Scott blurted out, "Jimmy!" Jimmy turned. Scott moved quickly over to him, pulling a poppy out of his crown. He put the poppy behind Jimmy's ear, tucking his hair back. "I'll see you then," he said, feeling his face heat slightly. Jimmy's face was nearly impossible to read in the flickering candlelight, but Scott could have sworn that he saw Jimmy smile.

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On the elytra flight home, Jimmy kept one hand to the dried poppy in his hair. He took a longer route than usual, giving himself time to think. What can I tell my advisors? He wondered. I don't want to lie to them, but I need to make it seem like it was purely diplomatic. He found himself thinking about whether it was or not. I don't think it was just diplomatic, but I'm not sure. He began to wonder whether he was reading into the situation too much. He probably doesn't. He's that flirty with everyone, isn't he? But, he realized, he wasn't very flirty. He was actually quite sweet. Jimmy pondered over this for several more minutes, until the Cod Empire came into view.

When he landed in front of his house, the first thing he saw was one of his advisors waiting on his front porch. Dreading the coming conversation, he walked up the steps to his house.

"Where were you? We've been looking for you for several hours!" The advisor railed. Jimmy rolled his eyes.

"I was out at Rivendell, for the King's celebration of our alliance." It wasn't a lie. He had technically been at Rivendell to celebrate. The advisor, however, raised an eyebrow, looking at the poppy in his hair.

"Some celebration."