Accusing, Denying - Flower Husbands Book 2

Chapter 1: Pen and Paper

!!TW/CW: Asphyxiation, Swearing, Passing Out, Mentioned Death!!

. . .

Jimmy couldn't believe it. Scott was dead. Scott, his first and only love, was dead.

He didn't know how to react.

He'd been heading to another meeting with Marjorie and Arli when the owl had found him.

He'd been confused, at first, as to why he'd received an owl message. Surely Scott could message him if it was something important?

Or maybe - his pulse rose - Scott was trying to be romantic? Maybe this was a cute gesture, or an invite to another date in Rivendell?

He smiled brightly, almost tearing the paper as he unrolled it. His tail thumped happily against the muddy path.

To Whom It May Concern

Interesting. Certainly not what Jimmy would call romantic, but he could get used to it, he supposed.

That next sentence destroyed him. It was possibly the least romantic thing he could ever read. He almost glanced around, as if it could have been some elaborate prank.

But... High Elf Sage.

He felt the tears before he'd even realised he was crying. The paper fluttered to the ground as his hand shot under his mask to cover his mouth. Suddenly, he was on the floor, heaving gut-wrenching sobs into the dirt.

His mask made it harder to breathe. He barely managed to tear it off before the next wave of anguish wracked through his body.

His tail, for once, laid limp and unmoving.

He wasn't sure how long he was crumpled there before someone found him. It felt like an eternity of basking in the news alone. Webbed hands pulled at his shoulders. He heard someone calling his name.

He pulled his head off the floor, still crying, to look up at Marjorie's worried expression. Arli stood behind her, hands and tail wrapped over her pregnant stomach.

Cerrano was there, too.

"Honey, what's the matter?" Marjorie asked.

When Jimmy didn't offer a response, she tried again. "Jimmy, dear, can you hear me-"

"S-Scott," he choked.

Arli frowned. "Did he... break up with you?"

A gasp behind him alerted him to Cerrano's having read the letter. "Mr. Scott is dead."

"Oh! Oh, Jimmy!" Arli cried, dropping to her knees and coddling him as close to her as she could. "No, no, baby! I'm so s-sorry!"

And they were all crying. Mourning together the sudden loss of a friend and lover.

They still hadn't moved when Fwhip crashed into the grass just twenty minutes later. "Jimmy!" He ran over, wiping his eyes, a sour look on his face. "Jimmy!" He fell beside them. "Jimmy-"

Jimmy flung himself over Fwhip's shoulders. "He's dead! He's fucking dead, Fwhip! He- he promised he wouldn't hurt me! He promised he wouldn't break my- my heart! He's a liar!"

"I know, Jimmy!" Fwhip offered, rubbing his hand down Jimmy's back.

"He's stupid and I hate him!"

"No you don't."

Jimmy didn't respond. In his heart, he knew Fwhip was right. In his head, he knew he was protecting himself. He clenched his teeth, abandoning his words and crying into Fwhip's chest.