Work Text:
When Scott ran, he headed for a part of the mountains so isolated and inaccessible that it’s possible he might actually be the first person who has ever stood on this peak. It’s the only way he can be completely sure that he won’t hurt anyone else while he’s out of control.
So there should be absolutely no reason why somebody is knocking at the door of his tower.
At first, he decides to ignore it and remain curled up in the meager little nest he made for himself. He’s burning with curiosity and kind of indignant - didn’t everyone get the hint that he doesn’t want to be found? - but he can’t risk getting too close to whoever that is. It’s not safe.
They don’t leave, though. Every minute or two, another round of knocking echoes off the icy walls, loud and insistent. It’s starting to look like they plan to stay out there until Scott answers or they freeze to death without his help, whichever comes first.
He hides his head under the blankets and grumbles for a while, but the knocking still doesn’t stop, so he finally gets up and stomps over to the door to open it just a crack.
Outside, wrapped in so many layers he looks more like a marshmallow than a fish, is Jimmy.
Scott’s defensive bravado fades immediately and he shrinks back, almost hiding behind the door. “You can’t be here.”
“I am here, so I’m pretty sure I can.” Jimmy moves to push the door open farther, but stops when Scott flinches.
“No, I mean you should leave. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Then don’t.”
“It’s not that simple, I can’t control it. Didn’t you hear what I did to Gem?”
“Who hasn’t? FWhip’s on a warpath about it, and you know he’s not subtle. He’s convinced you did it on purpose, or at least he says he is, but I can’t believe that you would. I think he’s looking for an excuse to get in a fight, as usual.”
“He isn’t really wrong. I didn’t mean to hurt her, but it’s my fault I didn’t do a better job controlling my powers. I could have stopped that from happening if I tried harder.”
Jimmy tilts his head. “You just said you can’t control it, and now you’re saying you can. Which is it?” He sounds curious, not accusing, like he just honestly wants to know the answer.
“I can’t, but I should be able to,” Scott says, wringing his hands together. He’s shaking a bit; is that emotion, or the permanent chill he can’t seem to shake? How close is he to another outburst? “It’s just so hard. Whenever I feel too much, it comes bursting out of me no matter how much I try to stop it.”
“That’s okay. We can just stay calm, then, and I’ll be fine.”
“You say that like it’s easy!” Scott can see frost forming on his gloves where they touch each other, and he retreats a few more steps from the door, terrified that it might spread.
Jimmy, once again proving that he has absolutely no sense of self-preservation, takes the opportunity to push inside and let the door shut behind him. “It’s not easy. I know it’s not, but you can do it. I believe in you.”
“Okay, sure! Let me just stop having feelings, simple as that. Why in the world didn’t I think of that earlier?” The whole tower shifts and crackles in response to Scott’s distress. He’s so cold his hands and feet are going numb.
“That’s not what I’m saying. Trying not to be scared is probably making things worse, so let yourself feel it. Just don’t let that be the only thing you’re focusing on.” Jimmy is using his Codfather voice, the same one he uses to soothe scared children. And damn him, it’s working.
Scott doesn’t know what he means, though. He’s scared of hurting Jimmy, and feeling that fear only makes it more likely to come true, which makes him more scared. It just keeps feeding itself, around and around, and he doesn’t understand how he’s supposed to stop thinking about it. “What else is there to focus on?”
“There’s me. You’ve told me before that I’m pretty distracting.” Jimmy tilts his head and smiles, silly and toothy and completely unafraid.
He really is an idiot.
“I’m already focusing on you,” Scott snaps. “I’m focusing on how I’m going to freeze you to death because I can’t control these stupid powers and you’re too dumb to understand what it means when someone tells you to leave them alone!”
He feels bad as soon as he says it, but not enough to take it back. He’ll say worse if it makes Jimmy leave. It doesn’t matter if Jimmy hates him after this, as long as he’s alive to do so; Scott would rather have Jimmy never speak to him again than be responsible for hurting him.
Jimmy doesn’t take offense, though. He just holds out his hands like he’s soothing a frightened animal. “No, that’s still focusing on your fear. Think about something happier. What about our date? Do you remember that? We ate that cake, and you drowned for me. You were beautiful.” Jimmy’s tone takes on a dreamy cast. “There are some who’d interpret that as a proposal, you know.”
“I feel like that would be moving a bit fast for a first date.”
“Yeah, I know you didn’t mean it that way, but I can’t help it. What codling hasn’t daydreamed about holding a handsome boy under the water like that?”
“Are we talking about murder or love confessions here?” Scott asks, even though he knows the answer. It’s something to focus on.
“It can be both. What good is a love you won’t die for?” That’s Jimmy all over: sweet and sappy and very creepy. Scott should maybe be more concerned about the fact that that’s exactly his type.
“You don’t have to go proving that willingness right now, though,” Scott says. “There’s devotion, and then there’s sacrificing yourself for no good reason.”
“You’re going to explain the concept of sacrifice to me?” the Codfather asks, warmly amused, and yes, it is a little silly when he puts it that way.
“You know what I mean. How does letting me turn you into an icicle prove anything?”
“It proves I love you, but that’s not going to happen,” Jimmy says with complete confidence.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Easy. I trust you.”
Jimmy takes a small step forward, and Scott realizes for the first time that he’s been inching closer this whole time, so slowly it didn’t register as movement. He’s less than an arm’s length away now, so close that he must be able to feel the freezing cold radiating off of Scott.
“I trust you,” Jimmy repeats. “It’s already warmer in here, haven’t you noticed? You’re getting yourself under control.”
“No, I - it’s only temporary, it’s not safe. You should leave while you can.”
Jimmy shushes him. “It’s okay. Nice and calm, that’s it. You already had it. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ve got nothing to fear.”
No pressure or anything, Scott thinks sarcastically, but he does his best not to get too caught on the idea. He is warmer. It’s not much, and it still feels like he’s swallowed a chunk of ice, but there’s a painful tingling in the tips of his fingers where feeling is returning.
It means he can just barely feel it when Jimmy takes hold of his hand and brings it up to his mouth to press a gentle kiss against the palm.
There’s no warmth where Jimmy touches him; their gloves are too thick for any body heat to leak through. He can tell the kiss is happening by sight more easily than by feel. Even so, Scott imagines that this is what it might feel like to hold the sun in his hands.
“See?” Jimmy says softly. “Perfectly safe.”
And for that one moment, Scott believes him.