Of Ice And Poppies - An EmpiresSMP Flower Husbands Fanfic

Chapter Three

Jimmy, humiliated, vanished into the crowd to pretend that none of that had happened.  Oh, god, that was horrible, he thought.  What if Scott hated him and Lizzie now and he had ruined everything!? But there was just something about the elf that made it impossible not to be a complete fool around him.  Maybe it was that he was imposing and tall and exceedingly beautiful, and it just made Jimmy feel weak and idiotic in comparison, or something... He sighed.  Why was he such a moron!?

He left the ballroom and entered the courtyard, thinking.  He sat down in the grass, looking around.  It was dark, but there were lanterns.  Now, here's the thing- their castle was underwater.  The courtyard was domed in, like the rest of the palace, and so any plants in it were kept safely temperature controlled.  Jimmy approached one tank- his favorite flower.  A poppy.

He frowned at it thoughtfully.  What was it about this one that had him so... Entranced?

"What is it about you..?" He asked aloud, unsure if he was asking about the poppy or Scott.  What about the poppy- something from land- had taken Jimmy by such emotion? What about Scott, someone he had spoken with now once, made him act so stupid..?

"What is it about who?" A voice asked.  Scottish.  A Scottish voice asked.  He turned around, staring at the source.  Prince Scott.

"Ah- h- hello, Prince Scott.  Don't mind me, I'm just.. Thinking," he chuckled, glancing back at the flower.  Hm...

"Are you alright? I didn't mean to tease you back there.  It's just my natural response," Scott said quietly, stiffly.  Jimmy hesitated.

"It's alright.  I embarrassed myself," he replied finally.  Scott droned softly for a moment, nodding.

"You like flowers?" He guessed, gaze trailing to the poppy.  Jimmy smiled weakly with a nod.

"Yeah.  Mostly poppies, though.  I don't care so much for the others." He placed a hand to the glass.  This.. Felt right.  Somehow.  He and Scott, being here, talking.  He didn't know why.  There was some sense of broken nostalgia, a yearning for something he already had.  Or maybe something he didn't have anymore?  He wasn't quite sure.

"I love poppies," Scott murmured agreement.  "Always have.  I'm not sure why, but.. I don't know." He shrugged lightly.  Jimmy paused, looking up at him.

"Yeah.  Yeah, I get that.  It's the same for me.  Something just feels different about them, y'know? Something feels..." He trailed off, not having the words to explain his emotions.  Why he had so many emotions attached to a flower that held little to no genuine reason to be significant.

"Right?" Scott queried.  Jimmy glanced over, surprised.

"Yeah, something feels right," he said.  It was a simple word, but it captured how he felt about it.  Just... Right.

This feels right.

A chill went down his spine as an image flashed in his mind that made absolutely no sense to him.  He and Scott, in a field of poppies, laughing and smiling together.  Except they were both human.  Very human.  Scott's eyes widened slightly- real Scott, that is.

"What the hell..?" He whispered.  "What was that..?" Jimmy blinked, surprised.

"You saw it too?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I did," Scott confirmed.  "But what... That isn't possible.  That never happened." Jimmy nodded.

"I know," he assured him.  "We've never even met before." But doubt hung over him, and he could see his own feelings reflected in Scott's cyan gaze.  It had seemed so real.. The picture.  So familiar and safe...

No matter.  "Weird," he remarked wisely.

"So weird," Scott mumbled, recomposing his royal dignity.  Jimmy shrugged dumbly.

"Whatever.. Must be magic," he joked.  Magic wasn't unheard of at all in the Empires, but he didn't use it, and he was pretty certain Scott didn't either.

"Hm.. I'll ask Gem, then," he said seriously.  Jimmy chuckled.

"I see no reason not to," he figured.  "Would she know what to do?" Scott thought for a moment.

"I'm sure she would know something.  Or maybe Duke Sausage would.  He's done some magic.  In fact, their whole family dabbles in it.  Prince fWhip knows some as well.  But I figure that Gem knows the most about it- she is a wizard, after all," he reasoned, adjusting his cape.  Jimmy sighed, looking down.

"How do you intend to contact me in order to update me on her answer?" He inquired, trying to sound as sophisticated as Scott.  The elven prince smiled.

"I can visit, if I'm welcome." Jimmy nodded eagerly before he could stop himself.

"Please! Yes! Yes, you can visit, though it's quite the journey, so I can prepare you a room and it'll just be ready for you whenever you arrive with information," he rambled, eyes lighting up.  Scott laughed to himself, putting a hand on Jimmy's shoulder.  He felt his face warm up.

"Relax," Scott murmured soothingly, putting his other hand beneath Jimmy's chin and tilting it up to make eye contact.  "I'm not worried.  Though it might be good to have a room for Gem, in case she wants to see you." Jimmy stilled, heart fluttering.

"R- right.  Yeah, I'll get right on that," he said nervously, not breaking eye contact.  "I'll do that soon.  After the party."

"Whenever you get the chance.  There's no rush," Scott said simply.  "Now, speaking of the party, we ought to get back there." Jimmy exhaled.

"Mhm.  Yeah, that's right, I'm sure Lizzie wants me to be present." He slowly broke the skin-to-skin contact between himself and the prince, turning away.  Scott cleared his throat.

"Right.  Sorry," he mumbled.  "That was uncalled for of me." Jimmy looked back at him, shaking his head.

"No, no, no, it's fine, it's fine!" He reassured him.  "I just- obviously have to go back to Lizzie- y'know." Scott glanced down, and Jimmy could have sworn he saw his face redden ever so slightly.

"Of course," he said smoothly.  "Of course," he repeated.  Jimmy nodded and walked back to the ballroom, looking around for his sister.

Oh, boy, that was awkward.