Chapter Text
It was decreed from their conception that when the heir of the Cod Empire turned 18 they would marry the prince of Rivendell. Fathers shook hands while the heir was still in utero, promising them to a newborn boy.
They did not, however, plan for that heir to be born a boy.
Jimmy heard whispers growing up, advisors demanding his mother create a princess, and his mothers utter refusal. His father staying up late to discuss diplomatic matters. His older sister in the ocean empire being taken and sworn to a different kingdom, to a man he was head over heels in love with from minute one.
Jimmy envied Lizzie more than anything, she had met her fiancé as a teen and they fell immediately in love, no questions or worries. And when Lizzie came out as bi Jimmy was far more concerned with his own heterosexuality.
Jimmy had had crushes on girls, he knew what he liked, it always stung in his chest, looking at the girls he wanted knowing he would be carted away to marry someone else, his future had been set in stone from the moment he was conceived and he just had to face it, he was never gonna be in control of his own future.
He met the prince of Rivendell twice, once at a ball when they were ten, the elf prince had blue hair and bluer eyes, and the prettiest smile Jimmy had ever seen, and he stood by his father like true royalty, his tunic and furs fitting perfectly and his posture perfect.
Jimmy's clothes never fit, no matter how tailor made, he was always too long, too bony, he eventually gave up on the garb and wore a vest that let his swimmers arms feel free under a loose blouse.
He felt tiny next to the elf, despite being exactly his height, the elf prince grinned at him and called him “Fiancé” and Jimmy didn’t know what to say, it didn’t feel right.
The second time he met his future husband was at the Rivendell coronation.
The now king of Rivendell stood at an altar, kneeled in front of a priest of the stag god of Rivendell, he seemed colder when Jimmy greeted him. He was only 16 and his parents were dead, Jimmy hugged his father tighter that night.
The king of Rivendell was inhumanly tall, and his blue eyes had turned icy, he smiled occasionally but when he saw Jimmy he grimaced. Jimmy fixed his collar and bowed, getting looks from commoners.
“You don’t bow to your fiancé,” The elf scolded, Jimmy nodded and stood by him.
He was 15, the elf 16, and yet they seemed years apart.
The third time Jimmy met the Elf King, was at their wedding, he stood at the same altar his husband once bowed his head, being given a golden crown of antlers, and tried not to fiddle with his too tight tunic. The Elf King kissed his lips before he even knew the man’s name.
They slept in different beds, and Jimmy wished he could be at home in his cozy warm swamp instead of the ice cold tower as he stared at the ceiling.
Jimmy was halfway into sleep when a gentle knock at his door brought him back to awareness.
“‘Hey, fish boy, open the door before the guards come,” an obviously Scottish man whispered.
Jimmy opened the door, pulling an undertunic over his head. Before him stood the same icy blue eyes that he’d met at the altar earlier that day, followed by the same inhumanly tall man quickly opening the door and carefully shutting it, now inside.
“What do you want?” Jimmy asked.
“It’s kinda weird that they order us to sleep in different rooms,” the elf said, ignoring the question entirely to go sit on Jimmy’s bed and look over the walls.
“Are you asking to sleep with me? Because I should let you know now I’m str-”
“No no! I’m just saying, they have straight couples… you know… but you and I are being chaperoned with each other despite being married!”
“Are you asking me to-”
“No! You don’t listen, I want to get to know you! What’s the cod empire like? What’s your favourite colour? Are you a night or morning person? I’ve never spoken to you properly before.”
“Humid and slimy, lime green, and morning. You?”
“It’s cold here, I like cyan, and night.”
“Is that why you’re in my room at 3 am?”
“I’d say based on the light it’s closer to 5 but yeah basically, and also because the chaperones will be following us in the day.”
“Can’t I just tell them I’m straight and they’ll drop it?”
“Can’t, I tried once, they caught me having fun with a stable boy and now I’m stuck with chaperones until I can order them to fuck off.”
“Can’t you do that now? You’re literally the king.”
“My advisers basically own me until I’m 21, so hey when I’m 21 we can be alone together at reasonable hours at least?”
“Comforting. So you are gay?”
“Oh very, you can’t tell?” The elf flipped his hair pointedly.
“I’ve only ever met you three times and you were never this friendly.”
“The flamboyance comes with confidence, you won’t mind if I cheat on you right?”
“Only if you don’t mind me cheating on you,” Jimmy laughed, sitting next to his ‘Husband’
“Got a pretty salmon girl at home?” the elf asked teasingly.
Jimmy grimaced. “No, I have taste.”
The elf raised an eyebrow, clearly prompting Jimmy to go on.
"Well, Salmon are the worst so."
“I didn’t know there was a difference.”
“There is a big difference! Cods are superior in every way, and salmon are boring and smelly and they’re only red when they’re horny you know so like the only time you can actually recognize they’re a salmon is when they’re trying to-”
“You’re cute,” the elf giggled.
“Oh.” Jimmy went quiet, suddenly realising all over again that the pretty elf next to his was his husband and therefore could say things like that.
“Hey what’s your name?
“What?”
“We never told each other our names,” the elf said again.
“We were announced earli-”
“No no no, I don’t want someone else to tell me, in elven tradition names are the most important thing you can share, because your name is who you are, I just wanna know the man I married!”
“Oh, well…” Jimmy looked at the icy blue eyes and pretty smile of the man he’d never spoken to, who kissed him like a lover not 12 hours ago. “You can call me the codfather.”