A Path to a Different Happy Ending (Flower Husbands Empires Fic)

Chapter Thirteen: This Little Spot of Happiness

"Do you see it?"

"Yep. I see it."

"That's... definitely a thing, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. It's been there awhile."

"Really? When did you first notice it?"

"Meeting about the Crown - it being broken."

"Huh. A few weeks."

"Your brother-in-law and Scott are definitely not just friends." Pearl looked at Joel.

"This is going to be interesting to watch play out, isn't it?" He said.

"Oh, yeah."

~*~

"What do you think the others are doing right now?" Jimmy was sitting on one of the beds in the new living quarters.

"Probably trying to figure out a way to get out of here, preferably with a way in and out." Scott responded.

"We should probably do that. Or something else productive." Jimmy said, standing up.

"Nah, I really don't feel like it." Scott flopped down on one of the beds.

"Well, I'm going to!" Jimmy walked out of the building.

After Jimmy left, Scott turned his thoughts to the man from his dreams. He was sure they weren't dreams, and this man was real. He went through every memory he had of him.

Finding him in a cave...

Finding the flower forest place and choosing to live there...

Getting given a poppy...

Getting married...

Alliance with Grian and Scar...

The plans for the Battle of the Red Desert...

And... Nothing. Scott didn't know what happened in that battle. He knew he died once in the battle, and permanently shortly after, but what happened during it?

Hold on. There was a feeling at the edge of his mind... Something from in the battle... Sorrow. Heart-wrenching sorrow.

It was at that moment that Scott knew he had held his husband's corpse in his arms.

~*~

The ground was comfortable in the warm sun. His eyes were closed, but he knew there was someone lying next to him. Who, though? They were married, and he couldn't remember his face...

A shadow fell over him, breaking the spell.

"What are you doing, Jimmy? I thought you said you were going to do something productive!" Scott laughed.

"I am absorbing the sun. Some of us like to be warm!" Jimmy grumbled.

"And some of us can't be! I don't feel temperatures anymore! The thick cloak I wear - which is drying right now since someone decided to shove me into the ocean - is just for decoration."

"Just for- You wear that just because it looks nice?"

"Yep."

"That's hilarious."

~*~

"Look at them. This is hilarious." Lizzie smirked.

Pearl laughed. "It's nice to have this little spot of happiness with everything that's going on, isn't it?"

"Why did you have to remind me of that? I don't want to think about the demon whose existence I recently accepted!" Joel complained.

"Oh, did you?" Pearl said, somewhat surprised by this little revelation.

"Yeah. 'Else I wouldn't think that moving my people or helping build this was necessary."

"Good point, good point." Pearl nodded.

Lizzie suddenly laughed. "I think Jimmy's gonna try and kill Scott. I don't know what he did, but somebody looks angry!"

Pearl and Joel looked on and laughed.

~*~

It was dark out, but Jimmy couldn't sleep. There weren't any monsters nearby, and it wasn't too early, he just couldn't sleep. He decided to take a little walk, so he exited the house he had been staying in. The new residential lily pads had been connected by actual lily pads for ease of travel. Not everyone was going to be able to swim.

Jimmy jumped along the lily pads, aimlessly wandering, admiring the others' builds.

As he wandered near to the building Scott was staying in, it got a tiny bit colder, but he didn't notice.

He also didn't notice the ice forming on some of the lily pads until it was too late. His foot slid and he went splashing into the water, which was much colder here.

"Gah!" He pulled himself out of the water and onto Scott's lily pad. Wrong move. It was colder here. He had thought Scott had control over his powers!

"Jimmy? What are you doing?"

Jimmy turned around to see Scott standing just outside of his house. He glared at the elf.

"I was taking a walk, since I couldn't sleep, and there was ice on the lily pads around here! I wasn't expecting it, so I slipped." Jimmy huffed, annoyed. "It's also really cold here! Why?!"

"Oh, I think that's just a side effect of my presence for more than a day. Oops. Sorry. Let me get you something to warm up." Scott headed into his house.

Jimmy sat there, glaring at the water for a moment, then he heard footsteps approaching. He glanced over his shoulder.

Scott was approaching, carrying his cloak. "Here, this is dry now." He draped it around Jimmy's shoulders.

Jimmy gasped. "Oh, my gosh. This is so warm! Is that how people stand existing in Rivendell?"

Scott laughed. "It's made of RIvendell wool, the best of the best." He smiled.

"Um, this is mine now. I am never giving it back." Jimmy bundled himself into the cloak.

"I have more at home." Scott shrugged.

"You have more?!? Why haven't you shared this glory with other empires? Honestly, if you sold these, you'd probably be really rich. It's really comfortable."

Scott laughed. "You can keep it, if you want. I don't even actually need it."

"Really? I'm definitely going to." Jimmy said.

Scott laughed.

~*~

Before they headed to bed, Pearl, Joel, and Lizzie needed to make a decision.

"I think we need to head back tomorrow. We're kinda doing what I was earlier, pretending nothing's wrong." Joel said.

"Yeah. Tomorrow, in the morning, we'll tell the other two the Nether portal idea." Pearl said.

"Hopefully, it'll work." Lizzie said.

"It will." Pearl responded. "It has too."