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thedo0zyslider · 10 months

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Decay Made From Living Hands - 9k Words Scott is a necromancer, and has gone through his fair share of loss. He but he has the power to reverse that loss, and who could blame him for taking it?

this fic was started long before the milo reveal, and by the time that happened i had too much planned to feel comfy abandoning it. hope you enjoy regardless!! think of it as a fun little fh au <3

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Necromancy was a taboo topic in the world of witches, plain and simple. Death was supposed to be the natural end of life, an end everything that dared to call itself “alive” faced eventually. You weren’t supposed to come back from the dead in any way. Once your timer ran out you were done, and coming back was supposed to be impossible. And necromancy defied all of that. It challenged the idea of life everyone was taught from birth, the idea everyone knew the moment they took their first of many limited breaths. Nature Witches especially tended to have a strong disdain for it, it went against their whole making new life thing after all. And just nature in general.

Scott, rather unfortunately if you asked him, had been given the curse of being a necromancer. And he found out at the ripe old age of sixteen. It was the second worst day of his life if you asked him.

Before that event, Scott had had a pretty good life. He’d lived with his parents and sibling in a small town. It was a small rural community in the middle of nowhere, so education on magic was limited. Scott didn’t grow up knowing anything about witches, just that they were rare, and certain types of magic were rarer than others. Witches themselves were seen as taboo, and Scott knew that if he or his older brother Xornorth had even an ounce of magic they would be kicked out. Xornorth shared their parents' views on magic, Scott remembered him unfriending someone who did become a witch when they were younger.

Over time the views on magic changed to be more positive, a supreme witch was even appointed. Though she had been appointed at quite an old age, it was speculated she’d die in Scott’s lifetime, despite witches living longer than the average person. People in his town eventually opened up about magical abilities. Though opinions in small rural towns tended to be hard to sway, kicking them out had been outlawed. The residents of his hometown had to learn to live with unwanted magic.

Scott himself had never thought witches were wrong, he thought it was quite cool actually. To be able to summon things from his hands, to be able to fight and be powerful sounded so cool to him. As a little boy he often daydreamed about getting powers of his own. He thought he would want nature powers, or something ice related. He always felt this weird pull towards ice and nature, specifically deers and stags. This was just a phase though, and as he grew into his teenage years magic faded into the background of his life.

Scott did get what he dreamed of as a child, just never how he wanted it.

It had been his sixteenth birthday when it happened. There had been a dead rabbit, the poor creature had wandered into a trap set up by Scott's parents. Scott didn’t remember what creature the trap was for, he just knew it wasn’t supposed to be for rabbits. Maybe it was for foxes. His mother had told him to dispose of the animal, not wanting to touch the corpse. Father and Xornorth were grocery shopping in town, so it was up to a reluctant Scott to deal with the situation. He wished he could bully Xornorth into doing it. That would’ve been funny, because his sibling hated this type of stuff with a passion.

Scott never minded dead things. It disturbed him a bit, and he didn’t enjoy removing animal corpses. But in the end he was ultimately undisturbed, able to move on with his day. Other kids told him it was weird, but Scott just chalked it up to living on a farm.

He bent down in front of the corpse, gently opening the trap and removing it from around the deceased rabbit's neck. He touched the body, moving it over slightly, he’d already dug a hole a few feet away to bury it in. Scott thought that maybe the smell of dead rabbit would lure whatever animal the trap was for over. Before he’d even picked it up off the ground, the rabbit started to twitch .

Scott flinched, dropping the animal back onto the grass. He felt weird, like something was flowing through him and into the rabbit. The teen watched in horror as the rabbit stood, ears twitching as it looked around. The injury that had killed the creature remained, blood staining its neck and upper chest. Scott moved back, screaming. A rabbit, that was absolutely dead before, had just started moving .

His scream did startle the reanimated creature, and it looked at him, eyes still glazed over like they had been in death. The creature turned tail, running away from him like any other rabbit would. Scott stared after it in horror.

It took him a few minutes to calm down, and realize that he’d brought the rabbit back to life. Scott had magic, his childhood dream had come true. He was a witch, a necromantic witch. Scott covered up the hole again, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was a necromancer.

__________________________________

Over the next few years Scott did magic secretly. Coming out as a witch would be bad, but telling his family he was a necromancer would get him disowned. He stole whatever books about magic he could, though it hardly helped. Books on necromancy were hard to find. Scott did try to apply some techniques from the books to his magic, but most of the time they failed.

He ended up learning most of his magic through trial and error, which included a lot of dead rabbits. A lot. If Scott didn’t mind corpses before, he was numb to them now. He practiced whenever he was alone, or late at night when his whole little town fell asleep. Scott’s life had become dedicated to his powers. He lived and breathed his craft with pride.

Scott didn’t remember how he got kicked out, exactly. He was pretty sure his brain was blocking the event out, as it was pretty traumatic in and of itself. He had been eighteen, and he knew Xornorth had found him doing a ritual. He’d forgotten what ritual exactly, all he knew was that he mastered it afterwards. And of course, his brother had told their parents. There was arguing, screaming, and Scott thought he got hit. Again he didn’t remember, he just knew at some point his cheek had started stinging. It didn’t matter though, as in the morning Scott was gone. At only eighteen he’d packed his bags and left home, disowned by his hometown and never to see his family again. He was kicked out successfully just because he wielded death magic, despite this type of prejudice being illegal now. It’d only taken him two years to get found out, the necromancer was clearly not the best secret keeper.

He’d traveled for about a month, putting as much distance from his family as he could. This also meant he had to stop practicing magic for a month, which put his progress behind majorly. On the bright side he did manage to get his hands on proper necromancy books, which improved his skills greatly.

Doing proper necromancy seemed to have some side effects, Scott noticed. For one his eyes, which had been a nice blue, turned green. It was a bright, piercing green. He thought his eyes glowed now too, but he couldn’t be sure. People he ran into on his travels said they were pretty, but startling.

His hair also started turning black, for some reason. Scott had always wanted to dye his hair, but not like that. Black streaks had started appearing in his gold locks, gradually spreading until he had solid black hair. It looked kinda cool, Scott had to admit, especially right before all the gold disappeared. It looked like he’d dyed streaks of yellow into naturally black hair.

He ended up settling on the outskirts of a bigger town, it was less rural than his hometown. Scott quite liked it there. Sure, he’d gotten some weird looks, but people had been generally friendly. He took up residence in an abandoned wood house, wanting to meet the challenge of fixing it.

It was a simple day when Scott’s life was altered forever, a day like any other, nothing suspicious about it. He’d entered the town that day, needing some supplies to renovate the house with. The necromancer had been doing most of it by himself, scavenging what he could from what remained of the original building. But eventually he had to go and buy new wood, even if he was scared to enter the town.

He’d gotten the food fairly quickly, trying not to be too picky with that he got. Scott could always spruce up the house in a different way later, no pun intended. Scott’s eye had been caught by a potions store, and he’d made a beeline for it once he finished getting the necessities. The necromancer hadn’t had potions for a while, so it was high time to get some more.

The store was quite nice when he walked in, he had to admit. There were some decorative plants and crystals hanging from the wall, some of them even emitting light. Behind the desk there was a man with blonde hair, not much older than the necromancer himself, who Scott gave a friendly wave too as he entered. The man waved back with a smile, one that was positively beaming.

Scott looked around for longer than he expected too honestly, becoming a little entranced with the potions and other magic items on the shelves. He wanted to buy everything he could get his hands on, but sadly he was too poor for that. So Scott only grabbed about three, maybe four, and made sure he could afford them. He felt the blonde man’s eyes on him the whole time, and everytime he glanced over he was greeted with that beaming smile once more.

“Is that all?” The blonde asked when Scott got to the counter, his voice just as friendly as his smiles were.

“Yep!” Scott said. The smile he gave couldn't be as beaming as the other man’s was, but it was certainly a good attempt. And as he expected, Scott was greeted with that wonderful look again.

Once he had paid for his items, the man glanced at the wood he’d still been carrying this whole time. “Do you need any help with that?” The blonde asked, definitely seeing his grip on the items begin to loosen a little as he stared at it.

“No, no. It’s fine!” The necromancer smiled, desperately trying not to drop all his wood right then and there. “Well I insist!” The blonde said, moving from behind the counter. Before Scott knew what was happening the materials were being lifted from his hands, and the man was carrying them out of the quaint little potion store. He blinked in surprise, newly bought potions secure in his hold, and followed the kind stranger out into the street.

“Are you sure you can just…leave?” He asked, keeping pace with the man. He had to be very strong, to lift all that stuff with such ease, and Scott was definitely not staring at his muscles. Not at all.

“I’m only working there temporarily, and I’m the only one there this week.” The blonde explained, glancing over his shoulder at Scott. It was then the necromancer realized the other was a fair bit taller than him, and he had to look up a little to fully meet his gaze. “Besides, you’re the first customer we’ve had in like, three days. People don’t buy that much magic stuff here anymore.”

Scott nodded, realizing that he probably also needed to take the lead. The blonde let him do so, even as he padded his way a little uncertainty back towards his house; still being a little unfamiliar with this town. “Anymore?” Scott asked, hearing the man’s footsteps fall into place behind him.

“There used to be more witches ‘n stuff here, but they’ve all left to go get stronger or something.” The blond explained, both of them now walking besides each other. They reached the edge of the town quickly, Scott having to pass through a good bit of woods to reach his house. He felt more comfortable talking about the magic stuff now that they were out here actually, considering his… type of magic.

“I’m guessing you’re a witch?” The blonde asked, an eyebrow raised curiously. Scott nodded in conformation, but didn’t say anything on what kind of magic he practiced. The other didn’t press, thankfully.

“You never told me your name, by the way.” Scott said once they were a little further out, a good amount of trees now between them and the rest of the town. They were following an old trail to Scott’s equally old house, and he was constantly worried about the guy beside him tripping on some old root or something. The necromancer is well aware of them, because he’s tripped on this exact path far more times than he can count. Clearing it up is another thing on his to do list.

“It’s Jimmy.” The blonde smiled, and it was nice to know just how exactly that beautiful look belonged to.

“Scott.” The necromancer responded, and Jimmy just hummed in response as he continued to follow his new witch friend. They were friends now, because if they weren’t Scott knew he’d keep showing up at that shop until they were.

“How far away do you live, man?” Jimmy asked a moment later, and Scott let out an amused giggle.

“Not much farther~!” He said, right as they came in sight of his little cottage, still a work in progress, but as nice looking as it could be. They stopped a few feet in front of that, the witch watching the other’s reaction to it a little curiously. Jimmy just blinked a few times, moving to drop the wood by Scott’s front door.

“I see why you needed the stuff now.” He muttered, eyes scanning over the house. Scott said nothing, just opened the door, going to put his newly obtained potions away. Jimmy stood outside for a moment, a little hesitant, but Scott smiled at him. It was an offer to come inside, and the blonde took it as soon as he saw the look on the necromancer’s face.

Jimmy ended up staying still sundown, helping Scott fix up some broken floorboards and stuff like that. The two grew closer in that time, making casual small talk and telling the other man small details about their lives. By the end Jimmy hadn’t learned what magic Scott practiced, or anything about his past really, but he did leave with a promise to see him again; and maybe a new discount at his temporary job.

______________________________

The two ended up seeing each other frequently after that, Scott making many visits to that little shop. He scavenged any potion, any vaguely magic related thing he could, now being able to focus more on continuing his studies. Jimmy also popped by his house sometimes, helping him fix it up even more. At this point half of the work had been done by the blonde, and Scott was very grateful. It saved him a lot of time, and gave him a secure home much faster.

Sometimes Jimmy came over to be helpful, but ended up just chatting with the witch and getting nothing done. Those were Scott’s favorite days, loving how he could just sit and talk to someone and truly be himself for the first time in a while. Jimmy had even brought over freshly baked goods on occasion, apparently being really good at making sweets.

He was expecting one of those days, until Jimmy was late. He usually arrived in the late morning, sometimes midday, and now it was almost mid afternoon. It’s possible the blonde had just gotten unexpectedly busy, but he’d promised to show, and Jimmy said he always made sure that he could actually come over before making a promise. He also just didn’t break promises, like ever, not in their few months of friendship, so sue Scott for being a little worried.

The necromancer set off down the path, and soon found his friend. Jimmy was sweating when he found him, crouched on the ground and doing….something to the trail to Scott's house.

“Jimmy dear?” He called, the last part slipping out unconsciously. “What exactly are you…doing?” His tone was puzzled, and his equally as confused gaze was surely burning into the blonde’s back.

Jimmy jumped at the sound of his voice, clearly having been very engrossed in whatever he was doing. “Oh! Hi Scott!” He exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. He wore a somewhat see-through white tank top, one stained with dirt and sweat. Mmm, he was definitely not looking at Jimmy’s muscles again, not at all. Nope. Never.

“You kinda always complain about the path,” Jimmy rubbed the back of his head with a hand as he explained, flushing bright red with every word. “So I thought I would fix it up, and uh, show you it once I was done….”

Scott blinked, brain processing all those words. “Oh..” He muttered, note quite sure what to say. He smiled soon enough, seeing that Jimmy was a bit apprehensive of his reaction, for some reason. Like the witch would react horrible to such a kind deed.

“That’s….really sweet!” Scott said softly, and was sure his own cheeks were dusted with a shade of their own red. Jimmy flushed further though, the color now extending to the tips of his ears.

“Thanks…” The blonde muttered, and watched as Scott sat on the ground next to where he stood. Jimmy was dumbfounded, until the witch patted the spot where he’d been previously sitting. The man sat down slowly, and the two started to fix up the path together. They worked for hours, until the sun was almost gone from the sky. Both of them were a complete mess afterwards, but neither of them minded.

Scott stood, well aware that monsters would be gathering in the surrounding woods soon enough. They’d managed to finish the whole path actually, thanks to Jimmy having started at basically the crack of dawn that morning.

“We should go back, it’s getting too dark.” He muttered, getting to his feet. Jimmy followed his lead, brown eyes searing through him. The blonde could probably feel the witch’s anxiety coming off him in waves.

“Is it safe for me to go home? With all the mobs and stuff?” He muttered, shifting closer to Scott, enough that they brushed against each other. He could feel his own fear reflected, and felt bad for probably making his friends' nerves worse.

“I wouldn’t risk it, come on.” Scott said, taking Jimmy’s hand without a second thought. Despite their burning limbs, the two basically ran back down the path, and he was extra glad they’d spent all day clearing it out. The door was slammed shut once they reached the house.

“Is anyone gonna worry over you?” Scott asked, turning on the lights in the main room.

“Nah, I live alone.” Jimmy responded, watching as Scott closed the blinds and double checked that door was locked. The witch just hummed in response, taking off his overshirt, which he probably should’ve taken off earlier, but whatever. The blonde watched him still, shuffling his weight awkwardly.

“Make yourself at home!” Scott smiled, nodding his head towards the dining table. Jimmy just nodded, and moved to take a seat.

“Are you hungry?” The witch asked, setting his overshirt down wherever. He was moving to the kitchen before Jimmy even answered, wanting to make his first guest comfortable. Especially if it was Jimmy.

“Yeah.” The blonde said, eyes following Scott like a curious cat. “Whaddya have?”

“Let’s see..” Scott hummed, opening his cabinets. He didn’t have much, admittedly, but hopeful what he could find was enough to feed two people. “Steak and potatoes?” He asked, having to shuffle through his kitchen for about five minutes before finding something he felt was good enough.

“That sounds good!” Jimmy smiled. “But can I get a change of clothes first? These are kinda dirty.” He sounded a bit sheepish for asking, while Scott was mentally slapping himself. How could he have forgotten that!?

“Of course, of course!” He said, Jimmy following the necromancer as he rushed towards his bedroom. There was a hand on his shoulder, causing Scott to stiffen a bit. He glanced behind him, only to see Jimmy’s kind smile beaming down onto him.

“Take it easy, man.” The blonde’s tone was soft, comforting even. “You don’t need to be the perfect host. You need to change too, so how about you do that, and all get cleaned up while you make dinner? Okay?”

Scott looked at him, blinking a few times. The two hadn’t done much…touching at all in their months of friendship, so he wasn’t expecting the other to steady him like that. They were close too, not enough to be intimate, but too close to be anything casual. Jimmy had ended up absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against Scott’s shoulder, an action of further comfort. The necromancer, upon finding he was a little too choked up for words, just nodded; his face a light shade of pink.

“Good!” Jimmy gave him that beaming smile again, and removed his hand from Scott’s shoulder. The witch did as he was told, changing into his favorite pair of pajamas and setting his current clothes aside to be washed later. He shuffled through his drawers for a second, looking for some larger, baggier clothes for Jimmy, keeping in mind that the man was a few inches taller than him; and that he had a bit more muscles as well.

He opened the door once he found like, probably the largest pair of clothes he owned, and handed them to Jimmy. The blonde smiled at him again, which made Scott’s heart melt a little, by the way, before going to clean himself up. The witch moved back to his kitchen, putting extra care into the meal as he made it. This was going to be the best damn steak and potatoes everyone's ever had, mark his words.

Scott was chopping the vegetables when there was a presence behind him, and Jimmy’s voice was behind him once more. “Mind if I help?” The blonde asked, his breathe just an inch away from falling on Scott’s neck. He tried not to jump too much despite how startled he was, well aware he had a knife in his hands.

“Can you make these into potato slices?” He muttered, hand brushing Jimmy’s as he gave him the knife. They were close now, and he was sure his cheeks were pink again, the other’s chest brushing against his back. Jimmy confirmed that he could, and let Scott slip away to go start on the steak.

He took occasional glances at Jimmy as they made their dinner together, and during their small conversation around mouthfuls of it. Scott always found his eyes wandering back to the other, thought lingering on how the blonde looked in his clothes. He hoped his staring wasn’t too obvious, and that those weird looks from Jimmy might be something similar.

Eventually though, it was getting far too late, and both of them were tired from the hard days work on the path. Scott had offered to sleep on the couch, knowing how comfortable it was for sleeping. But Jimmy was persistent, saying that he wouldn’t have either of them sleep horribly that night. So now here they were, both friends laying in Scott’s bed, just a little awkwardly.

He felt Jimmy turn to face him, back to the wall. Scott, who was laying on his side, looked over, and was met with wide brown eyes staring back.

“What?” He muttered, being quiet in the darkness.

“Your eyes are really pretty.” Jimmy muttered, the low light hiding how he blushed. It hid Scott’s as well, and he just blinked his so-called pretty eyes in surprise as the blonde continued speaking. “They almost glow in the dark.”

“Thanks…” The witch responded, sounding a little breathless even to his own ears. Jimmy gave that beaming smile again, and Scott’s insides lit up like a lightbulb with some kind of fuzzy feeling.

They fell asleep soon after, Scott eventually turning over as well. He ended up curled up next to Jimmy as he slept, head resting on the other man's board chest. Jimmy’s chin rested on Scott’s head, arms wrapped around the smaller and their legs tangled together. It was a little embarrassing when they woke up to be sure, both if their faces flushed beet red, but it was something they could laugh off in the end; the experience having given Scott the best rest he had in ages.

Jimmy left after breakfast the next morning, Scott’s clothes still on his back. He knew he probably wouldn’t be getting those back, and a big part of him didn’t mind. That same part of him also wished to see Jimmy again, and soon. Like within the week soon, and Scott would get his wish a million times over.

______________________________

Him and Jimmy end up becoming close, very close, over the next two years that Scott lives in that town. Once his house is done being built Jimmy’s visits don’t decrease in frequency, and he comes over maybe more often then he did when he was helping Scott with renovations. They’d spent plenty of more nights crashing at the other’s house, to the point where they basically lived there. Scott lived at Jimmy’s house almost as much as he lived at his own.

Jimmy leaves that little potion shop eventually, but Scott keeps going to it anyways, still benefiting from this discount the blonde gave him. Eventually Jimmy lands a permanent position at a bakery, and has a chance to really hone his craft for baking. Scott was glad to see him thriving because of it, and was always flattered by the pastries he was brought, his home never free from an onslaught of sweet treats.

The necromancer was surprised he’d kept all the magic stuff hidden for so long, his one and only friend just getting the occasional glance at his spellbooks, stuff he couldn’t possibly understand. Jimmy could also show up randomly, and Scott had to hurry and hide all his necromancy stuff before the blonde saw.

He didn’t think Jimmy would judge him, because Jimmy wasn’t that type of person. But he couldn’t be sure, the rejection of his family and hometown still leaving a strong sting in his heart. Scott didn’t want to lose Jimmy either, so he kept that part of himself metaphorically locked up.

That was until one day when he was over, Jimmy finally asked what type of magic Scott practiced. They were sitting in the witch’s house, at his dining table when it happened, and he couldn’t stop his whole body from going absolutely rigid at the question.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Jimmy says it hurriedly, being able to read Scott like a book. The witch just shakes his head no, and readies himself to tell the truth for the first time in years.

“I do…I do necromancy.” It’s easier to admit than Scott thinks it is, but maybe that's because he’s telling it to Jimmy. Maybe it’s because he can distract himself with the thoughts of that man's vibrant, beaming smile, and the warm and fuzzy feeling it gave him every single day.

“Oh.” Is all the blonde says at first, and fear of what he’s going to say next hijacks Scott’s brain. It’s killed as soon as Jimmy opens his mouth again, and Scott has never felt so much relief wash over him. “That’s cool!”

“You’re not….weirded out by it?” The witch feels how his shoulders sag as the relief almost drowns him, and can hear the fear in his voice. Jimmy fixes him with that smile again, and Scott wants to do something really really stupid in that moment.

“Why would I be? It’s just as unusual as the nature witches making life or whatever they do.” That’s a perspective Scott’s never heard before, and it's a refreshing one.

“Well…” Scott begins, trying not to sound too hopeful. “I’m doing a ritual tonight, if you want to watch?”

Jimmy accepts the offer almost instantly, and Scott gives his own beaming smile.

The ritual is a success, Scott having resurrected a rabbit. He hadn’t tried to do that since he first discovered his magic, and it felt great to do on purpose this time. To have control over that power. Jimmy has questions abound, and Scott lets himself ramble. He rambles and answers his friends' questions for hours, showing Jimmy all his necromancy spells and all the other materials needed for them and the potions and everything. It’s so nice, to finally be able to talk freely about this, to have someone listen and not reject him and actually care about something so important to him.

Because Scott performs his rituals at night Jimmy ends up staying over again, and maybe, after they finish the magic talk, they have a drink or two. Nothing too much, just enough to make the world feel fuzzy for an hour or two. Scott doesn’t think they slept at all that night, continuing to talk once the small amount of alcohol left their systems. It didn’t matter though, because they were having fun, and they never did stuff like this. It felt a little celebratory, if Scott had to be honest, but that was an appropriate he supposed.

“Hey,” Jimmy asked, sleepiness creeping into his tone. The two now sat on Scott’s bed, leaning against each other. The witch made a questioning little noise in response. His breath still smelled faintly of the drinks from earlier, but he was probably sober, considering that Scott felt more like his normal self than he had an hour ago. And he’d been able to tell he was much more of a light weight than Jimmy was, even with only one drink.

“Why’d you keep the necromancy a secret for so long?” The blonde murmured, head resting against Scott’s.

The witch decided it was probably fine to tell Jimmy about that, considering everything. The decision was an unconscious one too, Scott not even thinking about it before he started speaking. “My family wasn’t very…accepting of it. They kicked me out, actually.” He kept his tone light, not wanting to ruin the mood too much.

Jimmy however, did not think that was a mood lightener, and shuffled till he was facing Scott. Before he knew what was happening arms were wrapping around him, and Jimmy was hugging him as tight as he could. The necromancer just blinked, before leaning into the embrace. It felt nice, to finally acknowledge how much that action had hurt. He’d been ignoring it, ignoring the sting best he could, trying to focus on his new life. The better life he’d been trying to build.

“That’s not okay, Scott.” Jimmy muttered into his shoulder, Scott just wrapped his arms around the other as well. “That’s really, really not okay.”

“I know.” Scott said quietly, burying his head against Jimmy and trying really hard not to cry and ruin his friend's nice shirt. “And I’m never going back.”

“Good.” The blonde muttered. “Good.” They moved out of the embrace after that, Scott wiping away the wetness starting to form in his eyes.

“I still miss them though, only sometimes.” He admitted, looking at the bed in almost shame.

“Yeah, I get that.” Jimmy’s response surprised him, and the witch looked at him curiously. Jimmy met his gaze, the eyebrow that was being raised at him, and just smiled that wonderful smile for the millionth time.

“Not gonna see my family again either, probably.” He explained, breaking Scott’s gaze for a moment. “Wasn’t born a guy, ya know?”

“Oh..” Scott said, understanding instantly, feeling a light bulb go off in his head at the words. It wasn’t the exact same thing, but he could empathize with rejection Jimmy had faced due to that expression of himself. In response he shuffled closer, grabbing Jimmy’s hand in his, and laid them down to get some sleep. They’d been up for far too long. They’d done enough feelings talk, and it was time for some rest.

They fell asleep in the same bed again, tangled together like they usually were, and Scott was very content in the moment. Everything felt a little perfect right then, he had to admit.

It gets better the next morning, somehow, when Jimmy’s getting ready to leave. The morning had been slow, almost domestic as they woke up and ate breakfast. But eventually the latter did have to depart, and Scott was going to see him off at the door.

They have their first kiss then, as Scott goes to tell him goodbye. The two of them are standing close in the doorway, once again far too close to be anything friendly. Scott isn’t even sure how it happens, but suddenly he’s giving into the urge to do something incredibly stupid. He’s leaning in, hand cupping Jimmy’s cheek, and watching the blonde carefully; just in case he was going too far. To his delight Jimmy went to meet him in the middle, his own hand going to grip the back of the witch’s head gently.

It’s a nice feeling, kissing Jimmy is. It’s sweet and tastes like the cookies he always bakes, and the other’s lips are nice against his own. There’s no sparks, no fireworks that all the romance books describe. It feels electric though, but not overbearingly, like a current running gently into a lamp. It feels right too, like the most right thing in the world.

They pulled away slowly, faces flushed pink. Jimmy smiled at him, promising to see him again soon as he always did, and headed back home. Scott watched him go, definitely a little lovestruck, and felt like he was floating.

______________________________

Eventually, Jimmy moves in, and they start dating not long after. He said there was no sense in living in the town if he was just going to be at Scott’s everyday, and knew his partner would prefer to stay in the woods. He hadn’t even let Scott offer to move out of the house he’d worked so hard to build, just showed up one day with all his stuff to announce that he was moving in. And Scott had let him with ease.

They dated for about five years, and it was great, it was the best time of Scott’s life. Everyday was a dream with Jimmy, and he wouldn't have it any other way. They’d even adopted a cat, Norman, a scrappy little stray that his boyfriend had found, and couldn’t bear to leave and die.

It was perfect, everything was perfect, and Scott knew he wanted to marry that man one day. He was already planning on buying rings.

It was perfect, until one day, late afternoon, Jimmy said he would be going into town for something. Scott had told him not too, worried about him taking too long, and night falling before he could return. It was also going to rain, and if that started before the sun set all the monsters would be appearing hours before they normally did; fueled by the darkness caused by the storm clouds.

“It’ll be fine!” Jimmy had laughed, placing a teasing kiss to Scott’s neck. The necromancer just laughed, placing a kiss to Jimmy’s lips, before watching his boyfriend head out. He was still worried, but he believed what the blonde had said. It would be fine, probably. Hopefully.

It was not fine. The rain had started, just as Scott expected. At sundown he’d had enough, his anxiety going haywire. The witch grabbed a staff he had, one he only used rarely, and headed out. He threw on his pointed witch’s hat as well, another thing he didn’t normally wear, to shield his head from the rain.

It didn’t take him long to find Jimmy, not long at all. He found his boyfriend quickly, laying on the ground, bleeding, and surrounded by monsters. Whatever he’d gotten from the town was laying in the dirt around him, but Scott barely saw the items in the panic that rushed over him. He’d gotten there fast it seemed, so maybe he could save him. Just maybe.

“Jimmy!” He screamed, and thrust himself into fighting off the remaining monsters. I didn’t take long, Scott blinded by rage and not caring how injured he got. There were arrows in his side from skeletons but he didn’t care , only caring that he could save the man laying on the ground behind him.

Jimmy died in his arms, head resting in Scott's lap. “Sorry petal…” He muttered, snuggling his bleeding head into Scott’s lap. The necromancer was frantic, pressing his hands against any wounds he could, trying to apply pressure and fruitlessly trying to stop his lover from losing more blood. “You were right..” Jimmy tried to laugh, his voice weak, but it came out as a gasping breath instead, air leaving his lungs rapidly.

“No!” Scott hissed, feeling his eyes begin to prick with tears. “You’re gonna be fine, I’ll get you home, and it’s gonna be okay…”

“Jimmy?” He whispered, seeing how the other’s eyes glazed over. But everything was happening too fast for him to do anything, he had been too late. It was no use, there was no pulse. He was gone. Jimmy was gone. And Scott hadn’t done anything to stop it and it was his fault and Jimmy was gone.

Scott screamed. It was a scream full of grief, one that shook the trees around him. It was loud, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the town could hear it. But Scott didn’t care. He screamed and sobbed until he physically couldn’t until his throat was raw and he wouldn’t be able to speak for days afterwards. He yelled his grief into the world, into the storm, and cried more tears than he ever had, even more than he had when he was kicked out.

The necromancer carried Jimmy’s body back slowly, only being able to remember how strong the blonde had been, and how he couldn’t even carry Jimmy, but his partner would’ve been able to carry him with ease. He buries Jimmy in their backyard, grave marked by a poppy. That had been his favorite flower, the one Scott ended up growing the most in his garden.

He went back to retrieve Jimmy’s dropped stuff the next day, and didn’t know what happened to it after that. Norman the cat passed away as well within the week, presumably from a broken heart, and was buried next to his owner. Jimmy had loved that cat to death, so it only felt right to put the little guy next to him.

He didn’t enter the town once more, though he marked it on a map. He would go back one day, because he was going to bring Jimmy back. He was going to use his powers for something good for once.

______________________________

Now, Scott felt as dead as his lover. The blackness had covered half of his arms, and was beginning to creep its way up his neck. That part was a little concerning, but only when he remembered his heart was supposed to be beating. Or that he should be able to feel it beating more.

Another cat, a beautiful black and white one, ended up drawn to him for whatever reason. He ended up naming her Elle, feeding her whenever she poked her head around his new place. She stayed with him for the rest of her life, becoming a familiar of sorts he supposed. She was even there for the biggest part of his journey, and Scott felt her piercing eyes watching over him more than he physically saw her. But it was comforting, to know something was watching him, especially with what he was about to endure.

His chance to get Jimmy back can’t be a more perfect one really, a perfect chance to harness all the power he’d been gaining since that fateful day. There was a competition, one to choose the new supreme witch, and Scott was very surprised when he received an invitation. He was very cut off from basically off of witch society, and had to wonder how they’d even found his address.

The necromancer, now a more powerful one than he had been when it happened, took the letter out of his mailbox, reading it in the morning light. He looked back at the old, gross shack he’d been living in, a house he hadn’t even tried to patch up, and knew he was going. Resurrecting a whole entire person was hard, very hard, and it was even harder to make them not a zombie. Even the most skilled necromancer would struggle to do it successfully, but with all the power that came with being the supreme, Scott just knew he could do it.

He was one of the first people to arrive at the competition site, and didn’t stick around too long. He got introduced, got his tour, then headed off to make his own house in the nearby spruce forest. Scott didn’t have time for friends or anything, all he had time for was getting stronger, was winning this competition, was getting his lover back.

The necromancer meets all the other witches, taking notes on all of them, accessing how powerful they are and they’re potential. There were eight of them, and maybe only half posed a problem to Scott as it was. The biggest threat seemed to be The Storm Witch Shelby, but she was friendly, she got along with Scott. They’d even formed some kind of tentative friendship, and Shelby swore up and down she knew someone just like him. He said she didn’t, because there was no else out there just like him. Necromancers were rare, and he was sure most of them weren’t trying to resurrect their dead boyfriend. He’s a little fond of Lauren as well, having this need to protect her. She isn’t a threat, but the girl’s clearly out of her depth, and Scott can’t help but pity her. The old him would’ve liked to be friends with her, with all of these people, but the old him is dead; and Scott has no more time for friends.

The only person he met that he really cared about was Cleo, well they were the only one he said he cared about, because he was acting all heartless or something like that. They were a time witch, a zombied one at that, and Scott couldn’t help but wonder how she’d ended up that way. Though he was a little wary, well aware that she could take his win from him if they ever became enemies, though he strongly doubted that would happen.

Cleo seemed to get him, relating to the whole dead thing. They talked at least once a week, or whenever the zombie decided to show up at his house. She did that a lot, randomly, when she was bored, and didn’t feel like progressing her own magic. It was the only time Scott ever took a break, when Cleo was around, and he had to suspect that’s why they dropped by so much, to get him to take a break.

But he couldn’t afford many breaks, not anymore, not when he had a mission to complete.

The decay got worse too, the land around him dying every time he performed a spell. In the old days, Scott would’ve felt bad, but now he didn’t care. Now he just kept trudging along, forever in this uphill battle to get stronger, to resurrect more zombies, to make them more human with each spell. To win .

He has many encounters along the journey, the journey to his victory, and the one that sticks out the most is one with more of his fellow witches than Scott was comfortable being around. The Water Witch, Pris, a woman who Scott had had many bad encounters with, had invited a handful of them over for.... something . He couldn't remember exactly what it was, and didn’t care too. It was probably a coven thing if he thought about, or some sort of other cavity other witches took part in. All he knew was that it had ended abruptly, whatever was going on with Pris putting the stupid thing at a premature halt.

The one thing that stood out to Scott was the start of it, when all of them had gathered at the meeting place. Pris was nowhere in sight, so her guests had been forced to wait while they waited for her to show up.

The first witch Scott laid eyes on was Tiff, the nature witch. She waved kindly to him, and the necromancer waved back. Under any other circumstance he would’ve already talked to her, his interest in all types of magic overtaking him, and asked her so many questions about how her’s worked, and how her powers differed from his. He’d always wanted to know, and regretted a bit that he didn’t have the time to learn anymore.

The next one he sees is Cleo, who’s at his side immediately. He doesn’t pay her much mind, very accustomed to her presence by now, and only gives her a nod of acknowledgement. They nod back, and Scott’s eyes flick over to the last guest.

And oh, it's Joey, The FireFrost WItch. Scott had had a few encounters with the man before, and all of them had been terribly unpleasant. The two men didn’t mesh well, and Scott was fine with that. Some people just didn’t get along. If Joey didn’t start anything, Scott would never have to see him and could go on with his life as normal.

Unfortunately, Joey was going to start something. He knew it as soon as he saw the look Joey was giving him, one riddled with disgust.

“What’s that thing doing here?” The blonde said loudly, glaring dangers into Scott. Cleo stiffened beside him, the necromancer able to feel her wrath already. Tiff just turned her head, eyes already wide with shock and horror at the other witch’s words.

Scott feels his blood run cold at the term, and stares at Joey with what he’s sure is pure, undisguised hate . The words send memories tumbling through his head of rejection, of the night he got kicked out. Of what his mother called him that day, of how the villagers, people he grew up with and cared about, treated him as he left their town, his old home, for good. He thought of the sting of his father’s insults, how his beloved brother had looked at him with such disgust. It took everything Scott had to not throw a punch at him, or even worse, use a spell.

Cleo’s voice cuts through the fog in his brain, their arm being hooked around Scott’s shoulder. He doesn’t even notice how he leans into the touch, having been deprived of human contact for so long. “Because he’s my best friend.” The zombie’s voice is firm, and the look she’s giving Joey almost rivals Scott’s own.

“Yeah!” The necromancer agrees, managing to keep his voice neutral and not spit venom at the annoying man in front of him. “We’re besties, got a problem with that?” Joey just scoffs.

Tiff pulls him away, more violently than the dead witch would expect from her, and berates her friend until Pris shows up. Joey doesn’t even look remorseful by the end of it, and Scott knows at that moment that he never wants to see the blonde’s stupid face again.

______________________________

After that day it seems like his friendship with Cleo is secure, a certain thing. And for the most part it is, until they decide to start arguing with him.

Throwing himself into getting stronger isn’t healthy , it’s not good for him. She says stuff like that, because they’re friends, because she cares for him. Those are the reasons Cleo gives, but to Scott’s brain it makes no sense. If they really cared they would let him do this in peace, nit give warnings of how they’ve seen other necromancers do the same thing only to fail. How Jimmy probably won’t come back fully human or something stupid like that.

"What if Jimmy doesn't want to come back?" They ask one day, and it’s the first and only time Scott ever slams a door in their face.

He ignores everything Cleo says and gets stronger. He gets as strong as he can, using every tool at his disposal. Scott gets strong enough to win . Some would call it losing himself, the man just calls it success.

He’s not human by the end of the competition, not even sure he has a strand or morality left. Scott has curses placed on all his enemies, using them when the final battle comes around. He’s obtained demon horns in his search for power, the things being small and barely visible through his thick black hair. He becomes a lich too, a week before the final showdown is set to happen. It’s his final move, the last thing he needs to do to reach maximum power. He even gets some llama thing that makes him spit rainbows. It's more funny than useful, but it’s also more powerful, so Scott won’t complain about it much.

He teams up with people during the final fight. Cleo is his ally, as he predicted they would be, and they’re a damn good one at that. The zombie keeps freezing time, holding their opponents back. Without that power Scott was sure their team would have risked losing the fight at multiple points. But because of it they stay in the game, and Scott inches even closer to his victory.

With them Cleo brings Eloise, The Illusionary Witch. Scott never had much chance to meet her, but she's good, and makes it through a good portion of the battle before being eliminated. Lauren is also with them, the three having saved the poor girl from the opposing side. Joey and Pris had been absolutely tormenting the poor girl, and the rest of them joining the fight had only made it fair, in Scott’s humble opinion.

Tiff had also been on the other side, but she hadn’t done much tormenting, and was taken out easily. Everyone was taken out eventually, until it was just Scott and Shelby. He was right in the end, The Storm Witch had been a threat.

It didn’t matter though, because Scott won. He won, and he was supreme, and he could finally bring his beloved back. He could finally do what he’d been trying to do for five whole years. Before Scott knows it he’s back at their old house, memories choking him as he prepares the ritual over Jimmy’s grave; careful that he won’t accidentally bring Norman back as well.

There’s a catch though, that Scott has to give up his magic to do it. Back when he was a teenager, back when he thought magic was the coolest thing in the world, Scott would’ve never given it up for anything. But now he’s older, has seen the burden that comes with these powers, and is almost excited to get rid of them, to be normal again.

This was never for the power, never. It was always for Jimmy, whos far more important than any spell he’d ever read.

So Scott gives it all up, and his body shakes as the magic leaves him. He doesn’t know if he’s human again, but he does know that he has no more powers, is no longer the supreme, and there is a body not sitting on the grass in front of him.

And Cleo was right, Scott knows it as soon as he looks at Jimmy. He looks human, yes, but you can tell that he was dead. His pale skin has a greenish hue to it, his hair no longer the vibrant gold that it used to be. His eyes, his beautiful brown eyes are blue now, and Scott can’t help but long for the old ones. Those wide brown, baby cow-like eyes that would stare back at him, not these blue, more bird-like ones.

“Scott?” Jimmy asks, and he has to hold back a wince. Even his voice is wrong.

“Hi petal.” The former witch whispers, and before he knows it they’re hugging, they’re holding onto each other like their lives depend on it. Before he knows it he’s crying into Jimmy’s shoulder, five years of repressed grief rearing its ugly head. Jimmy just rubs his back comfortingly, like he used to do when Scott cried. But even that is different, because Scott can’t just have what he wants, which makes him cry even harder.

When they pull away Jimmy’s gaze is immediately drawn to Scott’s hands, hands that are now entirely black. He holds them in his own decayed ones, a look of pure horror on his face, and Scott’s heart sinks down into the pit of his stomach.

“I did it all for you…” Scott muttered, eyes fixed on the ground. The blonde’s next words break him, just as he knew they would.

“I would never want you too. Oh, petal….” His voice is broken, heart broken, and Scott can’t take it. The nickname even sounds wrong on the zombied man's tongue, and Scott knows this isn’t the man he fell in love with. That word could have never sounded wrong coming out of his boyfriend's mouth.

Jimmy places a hand on Scott’s heart, one that still beats as weak as it did before he gave up his magic, and places a hand over his mouth, muffling a strangled sound. This isn’t the Scott Jimmy fell in love with either. The Scott he fell in love with was a witch, and was proud of it. That Scott loved his magic, even it caused him headache, that Scott would’ve never let their beloved home fall into shambles. And that Scott is as dead as the man before the new one.

He knows he could fall in love with this person again, because at his core he is still Jimmy. But something would always be off, there would always be a nagging sense that this was wrong. Jimmy is dead, and no matter how hard necromancers try, that is the one thing in life that is supposed to be final.

Like other witches before him, Scott’s spell still was not strong enough, and eventually Jimmy was gone again, no longer reanimated. He returned to the dirt below, buried again, and Scott planted more poppies around the grave. He moved back into the house, that same black and white cat following him even here.

His heart would always ache with grief for his lover, that was something Scott was sure of. But now he knows there is nothing he can do. He has no magic, no powers, and even when he had them all his attempts were futile. It feels like he wasted the past five years, and now has to figure out where to go from there. Since Scott was sixteen he dedicated his whole life to being a witch, and now was lost without those powers.

Jimmy had told him to never visit his family again, but he would try. Just once. He missed his sibling a great deal, and had a somewhat foolish hope that they could one day reconnect. He might even try to find Jimmy’s family as well, informing them of their son's death after so many years. Jimmy had a rocky relationship with his parents when he passed, but was still close with his sister and her husband; sending letters to them regularly. Scott would like to get to know them, the two sounding lovely from what his partner had said. Maybe he could finally have someone to share that grief with as well.

But before he does all that he goes back to see his fellow witches. He finds Eloise, gives her the crown of the supreme. He tells her to give it to Shelby. That little Storm Witch had told him how hard she worked to get there once, and then she came second place. He’d like her to be supreme. He tells Eloise to visit sometime as well, maybe bring the others with her for tea? To make up for lost time.

Cleo finds him rather quickly, because of course she does, and she shows up once a week like that old routine. The zombie is no longer a zombie, and has a whole story to tell about that. It’s very interesting, interesting that she’s also powerless as well now, and they bond over the fact greatly. They were right, back when Joey insulted him. They are best friends, he was just too stupid to realize it all those months ago. It’s a peaceful life, a quiet life. Scott likes it, likes it alot. Even if he can’t share it with Jimmy, he’ll make the best out of what he’s been given.

#ron.writing #jimmy solidarity #ron.fic #scott smajor #flower husbands #wcsmp #witchcraft smp #wcsmp scott #zombiecleo #joey graceffa #prismarina #ihascupquake #shubble #soupforeloise #laurenzside #wcsmpshipping #wcsmp cleo #most of them arent very major just mentioned here n there

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