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litteral-sunshine-ao3 · 1 year

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Three times' the charm - zit+ranchers

original fic by me on ao3

Soulmates.

That's what Grian had told Jimmy would be added in this season of the life games. A person who you would be bound to, your very soul linking with theirs, sharing pain and health quite literally.

When they all met up at spawn to begin the series, Jimmy had seen Tango, of course. Obviously he hadn't missed the flutter in his chest or the way he couldn't quite tear his eyes away from the man. Grian had explained to them that, for as long as you didn't know who your soulmate is, you would physically feel drawn towards them. But Jimmy hadn't connected the dots back then, because everyone was at spawn at the time, so it would be only natural for him to feel the effects of the bond.

Besides, according to Grian, the code he used for the soulmate bond chose another player based on a variety of conditions and not at random. One of the conditions was an already existing attraction towards another player, as well as your own sexuality among other things. Jimmy hadn't actually met Tango before, so there was no way he had any "pre-existing" attraction towards him.

Also Jimmy wasn't gay. He wasn't attracted to men in any way.

That's why, when Jimmy abruptly died and found himself face to face with Tango at spawn some time later, he didn't say a thing. He just stared at Tango as the man apologized profusely and explained that there had been a creeper, but Jimmy could hardly pay attention. He just stared at Tango because he wasn't into men and he wasn't attracted to Tango at all.

Well... Okay, maybe he found Tango hot, but in his defense, he was just a conventionally attractive guy. Objectively speaking.

Nevertheless, Jimmy sighed, pulled Tango into a quick hug to show that he wasn't mad, and then the two set off to build themselves a home.

Once the first day was over, they had the beginning of their little ranch done and Jimmy lay awake in his bed, staring at the wooden ceiling. Tango had left in the early evening to talk with Impulse and hadn't returned yet. Jimmy wasn't particularly worried tho, the season had just started and it was way too early to go and kill people yet.

No, that wasn't the reason Impulse had asked Tango to visit him. Jimmy knew that, and he also knew why Tango went so eagerly.

They were dating. It wasn't really public, but it also wasn't particularly a secret. Jimmy had been told by Tango himself, in a side comment, earlier that day.

Tango had went off to see his boyfriend and Jimmy was left alone laying in his bed in their ranch and for a quick second, he felt something close to jealousy creeping up inside of him.

He shook the feeling rather quickly. There was no reason for him to be Jealous, after all.

Tango was happy with Impulse and their boyfriend, Zedaph. The three of them were happy together, Jimmy knew that and he felt a warm feeling spreading through his body whenever he saw Tango and Impulse together or when they talked about Zedaph and Jimmy could see them relax and smile fondly at just the mention of their boyfriend. They were... cute together, the three of them.

And Jimmy was happy for them, really, he was. So there was absolutely no reason to feel jealous when Tango went to see his boyfriend. It was only natural that they wanted to see each other and Jimmy really couldn't blame Tango for looking forward to it so much.

Yeah, he wasn't jealous at all. Maybe Jimmy felt... Lonely? The ranch was quite big after all and it felt weird to be alone in it.

That must be it. Jimmy felt lonely.

Clinging on to that thought, Jimmy fell into a restless sleep. When he woke up the next morning, the sun had just begun to set outside. The soft morning light fell through the windows of the ranch and Jimmy groaned. He didn't want to be awake yet. Tango and him had nothing to do and his bed was comfortable, soft and he was cuddled up against something amazingly warm and cozy.

He was... cuddled up against-

Jimmy was suddenly wide awake, sitting up abruptly and looking around. There was another person next to him in the bed, messy blonde hair splayed out against his pillows, the morning light making the strands shine almost golden.

Tango. Tango was in Jimmy's bed.

Actually, Jimmy realized after a quick look around the room, Tango had moved his own bed and pushed it against Jimmy's so they would comfortably fit in it.

The realisation made Jimmy blush.

Tango moved on the bed, turning around in Jimmy's direction. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open. The bright red shone like a gem in the sunlight. Jimmy gulped as he took the other man in. Tango was- Tango was beautiful. Pretty, even. Jimmy had never in his life wanted to kiss someone as badly as he did now.

And that scared him, just a little.

Tango reached out to Jimmy with one hand and grumbled, his voice deep and gravelly from sleep. He sighed when his hand found Jimmy's, tugging his hand to get him to lay down again. "You're warm." Tango mumbled out, sleepy eyes staring into Jimmy's. "C'mon, let's sleep a bit longer. It's too early to do anything." Jimmy sighed, but let Tango tug him down and laid back down next to him. Tango hummed happily and immediately pulled Jimmy closer, resting his head against Jimmy's chest and wrapped an arm around Jimmy's waist to hold him close.

Hesitantly, Jimmy moved one hand to gently lay on Tangos head. After another content hum from Tango, Jimmy kept his hand there to play with Tangos hair and brush through it softly.

It felt... weirdly domestic. Jimmy smiled when Tango started to snore lightly, evidently having fallen back to sleep. This was nice, Jimmy found. This was good, he could get used to this. Just for a little while, until the series was over. Even if it felt a little romantic, that didn't mean he was actually in love with Tango and it's not like Jimmy would do anything stupid like kissing a man who already has two boyfriends.

If you'd ask Jimmy's friends if he was stupid, most of them would chuckle and fondly agree. He was known for making dumb decisions and being the first to respawn in any world ever.

But Jimmy didn't think he would ever be making decisions this high on the stupidity scale.

Tango was currently pinned against the wall of the ranch, held firmly in place by a hand on his chest. Jimmy's hand on his chest. He used his other hand to stabilise himself against the building as he leaned in and pressed his lips roughly against Tangos. Tango sighed into the kiss and arched up so he could deepen the kiss better. One of Tangos hands found its way into Jimmy's hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

Jimmy didn't know how they ended up here. He remembered that Tango had explained a few basic rules in his relationship with his boyfriends, specifically in regards to "having fun" with people outside of their throuple. Tango had assured Jimmy with a smile that if he wanted to take the lore of this series into a romantic direction, they absolutely could do that, that Jimmy was allowed to hold his hand and touch and kiss. Jimmy also remembered briefly thinking how lucky of a guy he was to be allowed this, only to blush and remind himself that he was still very much straight.

Now, he was breathing heavily as he grabbed Tangos hand and pulled him inside their home, kissing him again as soon as the door was closed.

They never did anything past heavy make out sessions, but they did go there. Not just once or twice.

Tango was an amazing kisser, his naturally higher body heat made Jimmy sink into it that little bit more, made him feel a little helpless, like he was literally melting against him. Kissing Tango was addictive, at least to him. Whenever they started, Jimmy didn't want to stop.

The whole thing still scared Jimmy, even after Double Life had ended and he was back in the empires smp, sitting alone in his town. He thought maybe the soulbond had drastically enhanced the feelings he had for Tango, but he had to realize very soon that that wasn't the case. He missed Tango much much more than he had ever missed anyone. He longed to be in his arms again, to wake up with him, to kiss him any chance he got.

The weirdest thing about it all was that Jimmy didn't know why he had such a hard time accepting his own feelings. He was almost sure he was in love with Tango. But something in the back of his mind screamed at him that he must be wrong about it.

If he was completely honest, it probably had something to do with the people that raised him. They'd always had a very extreme view on the lgbtq community and Jimmy was beyond glad that he hadn't adopted their worldview. But apparently, it had still affected him enough that he struggled with the thought that he himself could be gay.

Even tho, if he really sat down to think about it, it made sense. He'd never been interested in women, not romantically anyway. Jimmy sighed and stared upwards into the clear skies over Tumble Town. He wanted to talk to someone about this. And there was only one person he could think of that he was comfortable with talking about it.

Jimmy secured his elytra, double checked he had enough rockets to make his trip and set off towards the colorful meadow that housed Chromia.

Chromias King, Scott, was a friend to Tumble Town and its Sheriff, even if they teased each other a lot. Jimmy had known Scott for a long time already, they'd been friends for years and Jimmy trusted him. He was also the only really openly gay man that Jimmy knew.

Jimmy landed in Chromia just past noon and immediately set out to find Scott. He ended up finding him resting by the flower fields near Chromias windmill. Scott looked up at the sound of boots heavy against the soft grass.

He smiled at Jimmy and greeted him with a quick hug. "Sheriff! It's been a while since you've been all the way out here, what can I do for you today?" Jimmy chuckled and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "I uh- I need your help, I think?" Scott raised an eyebrow. "You think?" Jimmy nodded. He looked at Scott and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure if he was ready for this talk, but he needed to get his thoughts out of his head.

"Scott I think I'm gay."

Scott looked at him for a long second before bursting out laughing. "Jimmy we were literally married last season, you only realised that now?" He asked, amusement heavy in his voice. Jimmy sighed and put a hand on Scott's shoulder. "I mean it, Scott. I'm not talking about the Codfather or the Sheriff. I'm- I'm gay. Just me." Scotts smile faltered. "Oh you're being serious." Jimmy nodded. Scott gently took Jimmy's hand. "Alright, you look like you need to talk. How about we go to Chromias tavern, sit down and have a chat?" Jimmy nodded again. "I'd love that, thank you Scott."

The tavern was nice and just as bright and colorful as the rest of Chromia. Scott poured them both a glass of juice and smiled at Jimmy when he had settled into his seat. "So, you're gay." The statement made Jimmy take in a breath. "I am. I think I am. I-" he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "You know how Tango was my soulmate in Double Life?" Scott hummed an affirmative. "I did something stupid. Like, really really dumb." Scott snorted. "What else is knew?" Jimmy chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, looking at Scott so he could see his reaction to his next reply. "Tango and I made out. A lot."

Scott choked on his juice.

Once he had his breathing under control again, he stared at Jimmy. "He- oh my stars Jimmy, that man has a boyfriend-" Jimmy smiled. "Two actually. They're beautiful." Scotts gaze turned to genuine disbelief. "Beautiful? You- wait. You said you made out a lot. Define a lot, please?" Jimmy sighed and uncrossed his arms. "Well, I can't give you a definite number of course, but you know... We were making out a lot when we were alone in the ranch. Which we were often, so..." Jimmy trailed off, nervously staring down at his hands. "Oh wow okay. So it was like- genuinely something that happened a lot." Jimmy nodded. "And I enjoyed it, I enjoyed it a lot Scott. Tango is... He's a great kisser. And attractive." Scott whistled slowly.

He leveled Jimmy with a calculating gaze. "You still think about him, don't you?" Jimmy gulped, but nodded. "I miss him a lot. I know we weren't like... actually dating, but Tango talked to his boyfriends and they were okay with us... playing into the romantic aspect of the lore." Jimmy started playing with his fingers. "Which, by the way, we didn't- Tango didn't cheat on his partners or anything, in case you were thinking that. They both knew what we were doing and they were fine with it." Scott nodded. "Well that's good. But you still miss him? How do you feel about his boyfriends?" Jimmy blinked. He hadn't expected that question. "His... His boyfriends?"

Scott nodded seriously. "Yeah. You said they're beautiful. Are you in love with them too?" Jimmy's head was spinning. Was he? He wasn't even entirely sure if he was in love with Tango or if he had just kick-started his gay awakening. "I'm not sure. I... I don't even know if I really love Tango, you know? I miss kissing him, but I don't know if that's because of him or because he's the only man I've ever kissed. Does that even make sense?" Scott smiled softly at him. "It does make sense. I'm very proud of you for telling me, by the way. I know that takes a lot of trust and, well, I get the feeling that you've got quite a lot to talk about." He reached over the table to take Jimmy's hand in his own. "We've got all the time in the world right now. I'm here to listen, if you want to talk."

And talk Jimmy did. They sat together for hours, deep into the night, long enough that Jimmy ended up staying in one of the guestrooms in the tavern.

By the time Jimmy was back in Tumble Town his mind had cleared a little bit. He was sure now that he was gay and that he had romantic feelings for Tango. He had no idea what to do with that information tho. It's not like he'd meet Tango again soon, not to mention that, well, he was in a relationship already and Jimmy wasn't in love with his boyfriends- and even if he was, there's no guarantee that they would reciprocate.

The whole situation seemed rather hopeless, so Jimmy tried not to think about it. To his surprise, that strategy worked exceptionally well for a few months.

But then, something happened that Jimmy wasn't quite prepared for.

He met Zedaph.

Pixlriffs was hosting a small redstone workshop, which wasn't out of the ordinary. He did it quite frequently, sharing new contraptions and uses for old ones he found with the redstone world. Jimmy himself wasn't all that interested in redstone at all, but the trip to the world where the workshop would be held was quite long and Pixl hadn't wanted to travel alone. No one else on the empires server had time to accompany him, so Jimmy had promised him he'd come along. It's not the first time they'd done this and even if Jimmy didn't understand redstone all that much, watching the machines be put together and come to life was impressive.

Zedaph was taking part in the workshop and unlike Jimmy, he was very much interested in whatever Pixlriffs was talking about. The longer Jimmy sat in Pixls lecture, the more Zedaph caught his attention. Something about the way that Zedaph was hunched over his notes, the way his soft hair framed his face so gracefully, the way his eyes held an unyielding focus and he scrunched his nose when he was trying particularly hard to pay attention was... cute.

Jimmy found Zedaph adorable. And that was something new to him.

Sure he'd finally accepted that he loved Tango, but hever thought of him as cute. Tango was attractive, yes, and in a way Zedaph was too, but it was... different somehow. Because Jimmy didn't want to press Zedaph roughly against a wall and passionately make out with him like he wanted with Tango, no, he felt an overwhelming urge to cradle Zedaphs face and kiss him slowly, softly, hold him gently and tell him over and over how pretty, how beautiful he was.

And right now, he would die to do just that and to get out of this lecture. Jimmy sighed softly and turned his gaze away from Zedaph to stare at his own very messy notes.

When lunch break rolled around, Pixl invited Jimmy to sit next to him while they ate. Just as Jimmy was about to take a bite into his sandwich, Pixl spoke up with an amused tone. "Did you know that your eyes actually become heart-shaped when you stare at some you love?" Jimmy stared at Pixl and slowly lowered his sandwich. "What are you talking about?" The other shrugged, still amused. "Maybe it's an avian thing? I don't know to be honest, but when you look at Zedaph like you did earlier, your pupils become heart-shaped, just a little." He suddenly pulled up a few image files and went though them quickly. "Oh I hope I have this still saved..." Pixl stopped at one file and pulled it up. "Aha! There we go. You can kind of see it in this picture, too. It's from Double Life."

The picture showed mainly Tango, standing in front of the ranch, a big straw hat sitting on his head. He was standing by their cow pen, in the brief moment when they had kept their cows outside, one hand stabilizing himself on the fence as he leaned against it casually. In the corner, a little in the background, stood Jimmy. Pixl zoomed in on his expression to show Jimmy what he was talking about and, sure enough-

His pupils were indeed shaped just a little bit heart-shaped. The bottom was slightly pointy and there was a small gap at the top of it. Jimmy sucked in a breath. "Oh wow that's- I didn't know I was THAT easy to read..." Pixl chuckled. "Yeah you're really obvious, actually." Jimmy blushed furiously now and hid his face in his hands. "Do you think Zedaph noticed earlier?" Pixl just shrugged. "Even if he did, I don't think he minds, you know? He was looking at you an awful lot too, in case you hadn't noticed."

And here's the thing: Jimmy hadn't noticed it before, but when the break was over and the workshop continued, he payed even closer attention to Zedaph and suddenly it became so painfully obvious.

Zedaph was looking at him, all the time. He would steal glances at him form time to time and once, he outright stared at Jimmy for a good minute. Not that he minded, of course. There are far worse things in the world than having the attention of a pretty sheep hybrid all on him and him alone.

When the workshop finally came to an end on the first day, Jimmy was quick to snap his notebook closed. He wanted to go over to Zedaph and talk to him, maybe ask him if he wanted to eat dinner with him, but before he could even get out of his chair, the man was already in front of his desk. Zedaph leaned over the desk slightly, hands firmly planted on it to stabilize himself as he leveled Jimmy with a calculating gaze. "You're Tangos rancher, aren't you?" He asked and he looked a little proud of himself, like he had solved a complicated puzzle. "You looked familiar but I didn't know why, couldn't figure it out. But you're- Tango talked about you a lot, you know?- Jimmy, was it?" Jimmy nodded slowly, still a little taken aback by Zedaph standing in front him so suddenly. "Yeah, I'm Jimmy. You're his boyfriend, Zedaph. He- Tango, he loves you a lot." Zedaph smiled brightly at him and straightened up again. "He does. I love him a lot, too."

Jimmy smiled back at him and stood up as well. "Uh I was wondering, Zedaph... I was gonna cook some dinner back at my room, but I think I have enough for two plates? I don't like eating alone all that much, so I was wondering if you'd maybe wanna... Come over for dinner?" Zedaphs smile seemed to grow even wider. "Oh I'd love to! Tango said you're very talented at cooking, there's no way I'm passing up an opportunity to see for myself if he's right."

Jimmy chuckled at his words, then the two of them made their way to Jimmy's room.

Cooking with Zedaph was fun, Jimmy found. The man was a scientist through and through and apparently felt the need to taste, test and analyse just about anything he touched.

Jimmy loved watching Zedaph taste all the different spices he had brought with him to determine which one would be the best fit for their tomato sauce.

In the end, they sat together at Jimmy's small table and ate the noodles they had cooked. Jimmy smiled at the pure delight on Zedaphs face when he got his first mouthful. He wouldn't stop praising the tomato sauce throughout the entire dinner, no matter how often Jimmy insisted that Zedaph helped him cook so he deserved credit as much as Jimmy himself.

After the dinner, they decided to watch a movie together. Zedaph had insisted on watching one of his childhood favorite disney movies, but Jimmy hadn't payed much attention. It was hard for him to, when Zedaph was cuddled up against him, hugging him form the side and resting his head against Jimmy's shoulder. Jimmy wrapped one arm around Zedaphs waist to keep him close, the other absentmindedly played with a loose string of the blanket they were sitting under. About halfway through the movie, Zedaph took Jimmy's hand in his own and gently interlaced their fingers. Not long after, he fell asleep right there on Jimmy's couch. Jimmy sighed contently and pressed a soft kiss to Zedaphs forehead before he fell asleep too.

The rest of the workshop went by in a flash, the only thing that Jimmy really remembered was Zedaph. Zedaph, who kept looking at him with softness and adoration, Zedaph who just loved to hug him, it seemed, Zedaph who's skin was littered in the most adorable freckles Jimmy had ever seen on anyone, ever.

Zedaph who had pressed a quick kiss to Jimmy's cheek when they had to bid goodbyes.

Yeah, Jimmy absolutely had not been prepared to meet Zedaph, at all.

When he got back to the empires server, Pixlriffs immediately went back to his museum for reasons that slipped Jimmy's mind immediately. He couldn't pay attention to him, even if he wanted to. Jimmy's mind was, simply put, a mess.

A mess of blonde hair, cute freckles, deep purple eyes and fleeting kisses on his cheek. He didn't go back to Tumble Town that day, but immediately made his way over to Chromia as quickly as he could.

Scott was sitting at the bar in his tavern, having a nice, calm chat with Owen, the bartender, when the doors to the building were suddenly pushed open with just a little too much force. He jumped a bit at the sudden loud noise, but turned around quickly to find the Sheriff close the doors behind himself, before he made his way over to Scott and plopped down on a barstool next to him with a heavy sigh. Scott chuckled slightly at his tired expression. "Rough workshop, huh?" He asked, a teasing tone to his voice. Jimmy sighed even more deeply and dropped his head onto his arms on the bar. "Scott, Scott he's so- oh deep void- he's so pretty." Scott laughed and gently patted his back. Jimmy turned his head to look at Scott and the king was only a little surprised at the helplessness and confusion he found in Jimmy's eyes. "I'm afraid you'll have to give me a little bit of context here, Sheriff."

Jimmy groaned and closed his eyes. "Zedaph." He simply said, before he sat almost upright again. "I met Zedaph, he's one of Tangos boyfriends and Scott- Scott." He turned fully in his chair, facing Scott and holding him at both shoulders. "He's so fucking pretty, you have no idea."

Scott shook his head in amusement and signaled Owen to make them both a drink. "This feels like Tango all over again, doesn't it? I wanna hear all about Zedaph, c'mon, tell me everything." And Jimmy did. Between the relief of finally talking freely about his feelings and Owens cocktails making his brain a little fuzzy and his tongue a little loose, he told Scott every little thing about Zedaph, about how cute he was and how badly Jimmy wanted to kiss him.

"Loving him is different than loving Tango. I want- I want to be soft with him, you know?" Jimmy said after the forth drink. "I wanna kiss every freckle on his face, wanna hold his hands and cuddle him, I wanna-" Jimmy took a stuttering breath in. "oh fuck I wanna date him." He groaned for the millionth time that evening and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I wanna be his boyfriend so badly, it's ridiculous."

Scott could only chuckle at his friend, patting his shoulder in an attempt to reassure and comfort him. He'd never seen Jimmy so worked up about anything, ever. Not even his little fights with Joel left him this frustrated.

They ended up talking for hours, just like last time, and Jimmy ended up staying the night again too.

Jimmy was still very confused about his feelings and the sheer overwhelming intensity of the love he felt for both Tango and Zedaph, when he returned to Tumble Town the next day. On his way home however, near Pix's bridge, he saw something... Odd.

Part of the mountain was ripped open to reveal a portal. It looked like a nether portal at first, but something about it seemed off, somehow. Maybe it was just his imagination, but Jimmy swore this portal had a more blueish tint to it compared to regular nether portals.

He shook the thought away before taking flight to go back home.

It was probably just a trick of light.

A couple of days later, his mind still wrapped around Zedaph and Tango, Jimmy found himself standing before the mysterious portal again. Someone on the server had tried sending messages over, but so far there hadn't been a reply. Jimmy sighed and was about to return to his empire, when the portal suddenly wooshed loudly. He turned around quickly to find a piece of paper laying on the ground. He picked it up nervously and unfolded it to read the note.

The handwriting was a little messy, but the message was clear nonetheless.

"New portal, who dis?"

Jimmy chuckled at the note and looked at the portal again with growing curiosity. If the portal was stable enough to teleport items, it might even be stable enough to teleport players. After a moment of consideration, Jimmy took if his hat and gently threw it into the portal. After a couple of seconds, a chicken fluttered through in response.

Jimmy stared at the animal in awe as it glucked, tilted its head in confusion and then set out to find some seeds to chew on.

So this portal could transport animals safely. Even if it was just a chicken. And there was definitely another player on the other side and, as chickens don't naturally spawn in the nether, it must be connected to some other place.

Jimmy considered his options for another second, but ultimately, his curiosity got the better of him. He opened the world chat of the server and typed a quick message before he squared his shoulders and stepped into to the purple swirls.

[Solidaritygaming]: We've got a chicken through the rift. There is definite sign of player activity on the other side.

[Solidaritygaming]: I'm going through.

[fWhip]: Jimmy don't go through that rift, we don't know what it is, it could be dangerous!

[Smajor experienced kinetic energy.]

[Smajor]: are you insane?! Jimmy I swear to the void if you die doing this I will never forgive you!

[Smallishbeans]: Jimmy why aren't you responding?

[Solidaritygaming left the server.]

[fWhip]: ...

[fWhip]: well, shit.

When the purple faded from his vision, Jimmy found himself in a cave. Copper pipes ran through the walls and Jimmy could clearly make out a couple of industrial-looking machines as well. There was a huge whole in the top at the end of it where someone could easily fly out.

Whatever world he ended up in apparently supported his hybrid code, Jimmy realized in a daze when he felt the weight of his bright yellow wings settle on his back. He ruffled his feathers, shaking them out after years of living on servers that didn't acknowledge their existence. He sighed.

Before he could take in more of his surrounding or orientate himself, he heared a strangely familiar voice behind him. "oh what in the-" he heard footsteps, then a loud gasp. "JIMMY?!"

He turned towards the sound of the voice, his breath catching in his throat when his eyes fell on small-ish brown wings, similar to those of a brawny owl. He would recognise those pesky feathers anywhere. "Grian?" Jimmy asked carefully, slowly meeting the others eyes.

It was him. He was standing in front of Grian in a cave, on a server he didn't know. For a second Jimmy thought the next life series had started, but it was way too quickly after the last for that and since Grian didn't really have any other projects or servers to be a part of, that must mean that Jimmy was-

"Oh my god! You just came through the rift!!" Grian jumped up and down excitedly, rushing towards Jimmy and pulling him into a tight hug. "Welcome to Hermitcraft, Jimmy!" Jimmy chuckled nervously and returned the hug. "I should've known it was you, with the chicken and all." He mumbled to himself. Grian laughed and punched his shoulder lightly. "I don't know what you're taking about, Tim, I have no connections to chickens whatsoever!" Jimmy laughed and shook his head. "Right, right, if course. Anyone could be under that costume, after all." Grian nodded with a fake serious expression. "Exactly!" They looked at each other, before they both trust out giggling.

Once they caught their breath, Grian smiled at Jimmy. "Man I'm actually kinda glad to see you. But what a surprise that was! Also, the wings- I never thought you were ACTUALLY a canary!" Jimmy smiled back at Grian. "Well curses don't come about to just anyone, do they?" Grian shook his head. "You're right, of course they don't. So, uh- what do we do now?" Jimmy looked back at the rift, then at Grian. "Maybe you should let Xisuma know that there is an interdimensional hole on his server? He might be... you know... concerned about that." Grian hummed. "Yeah, now that you said it out loud it is quite concerning, isn't it?"

Grian had just sent a private message to Xisuma, when they heard the sound of breaking glass. Jimmy's eyes widened, gaze glued to the rift- or rather, what used to be the rift. "Uh Grian?" Grians eyes were shot open just as wide. "If I don't turn around I won't know." Jimmy gulped. "Grian the portal is gone." Grian turned around slowly. "Oh god the portal is gone."

True enough, glaring blackness stared back at them were purple had been glowing before. They stared at each other, Jimmy was about to say something when suddenly, his communicator pinged. He pulled it out and opened the message, it was from fWhip.

[fWhip]: please tell me you're alive.

[fWhip]: I just arrived at the rift and it's broken

[Solidaritygaming]: I'm fine. The portal is linked to Hermitcraft, Grian found me.

[Solidaritygaming]: He just contacted Xisuma, but the rift is broken on this side too.

[fWhip]: oh thank god you're okay!

[fWhip]: calling X is a very good idea too. Make sure to give him my comm ID so we can get in touch and figure this out

[Solidaritygaming]: of course, will do! Take care over there, stay safe

[fWhip]: ...you did not just tell me to "stay safe" after jumping through an interdimensional portal

Jimmy chuckled at his comm and stored it away. Grian looked at him expectantly. "It was fWhip. Asking if I'm alive, since I didn't really give much a warning before going through the portal." He smiled at Grian sheepishly. Grian chuckled. "Well, it was a little stupid if you, I won't lie." Jimmy gasped in pretend offense. "I'm sorry?! It was you who made the thing in the first place!" Grian held his hands up defensively, a grin on his face. "I did no such thing, Grumbot made the rift, not me!" Jimmy stared at him for a long moment. "That- that really doesn't make it better, Grian. What kind of robot have you build that can just- rip interdimensional holes into existence??" Grian just shrugged. "He works in mysterious ways, I can't really understand most of it myself- oh that's X coming in for landing!"

Jimmy heard the sound of elytra wings for just another second before heavy boots crashed into the cave floor. He turned around to wave at Xisuma, who was speedwalking towards them. Before either of them could get a greeting in, X forced himself in between them and glared at Jimmy. The Sheriff took a couple steps back, which seemed to calm Xisuma down a little, as he now turned towards Grian and spoke quickly. "You said there was an interdimensional portal, but you said nothing about a player coming through!" Grian raised his hands apologetically. "I mean he got a message in chat when he came through and everything, I thought you'd seen it." Grian then cleared his throat and stepped out from behind his admin. "Besides, he's not hostile." X scoffed at Grians confidence. "You don't know that, he's been here for less than 15 minutes." Grian rolled his eyes. "So what? I know him, he's a friend of mine. Believe me X, Jimmy won't hurt a fly." Jimmy nodded enthusiastically at that. "He's right, I wouldn't. If it uh... Calms you? I was Tangos soulmate during Double Life and I'm about 99% sure I fell in love with him, so I have no intentions to harm the hermits or your server."

Deafening silence fell over the three men for a couple of painstakingly long seconds. Grian broke the silence with a wheezing laugh. "You- oh my stars you love Tango?!" Jimmy blushed furiously. "Well, yeah, I guess I do. What's so funny about that?" Xisuma chuckled as well, which finally broke the tension in the room. "I think it's cute. I should let you know tho that he's already taken." Jimmy smiled. "Oh I know. Sadly I didn't really get to meet Impulse on Double Life, but I ran into Zedaph by chance a couple weeks ago." He sighed at the memories. "He's really pretty. I love him so much, actually, my heart hurts just thinking about it." Grian let out a slow whistle, drawing Jimmy's attention to him.

"Oh you're down BAD bad, aren't you?"

Jimmy laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I am, I really am. But uh- I think we have more important things to talk about?" Grian looked like he wanted to argue, but Xisuma nodded. "You're right, we do. This portal doesn't look like it works anymore, which means you don't really have a safe way back home." Jimmy nodded. "About that... I don't know how much help I can be, but fWhip, the admin of the world on the other side, asked me to give you his comm ID so you can figure something out together." X visibly relaxed. "Oh that's wonderful! This will be much easier if we can work from both sides." Jimmy smiled and handed X his communicator so he could copy fWhips contact.

"Speaking about safety, let me just quickly whitelist you so the sever doesn't randomly kick you out." Xisuma typed something on his server settings, then handed Jimmy his comm back. "You should be able to see the local chat now."

[Solidaritygaming joined.]

[BdoubleO]: o/

[BdoubleO]: wait you're not supposed to be here

[Docm77]: well. there's something new on this server every day

[Grian]: my bad guys there's some interdimensional portal leakage going on in my base

[Grian]: btw... it might be best for everyone to not come visit me for a while

[Grian]: I don't know how stable the server is with a uh... interdimensional hole

[Docm77]: ...

[BdoubleO]: ...

[Cubfan]: ... How is that not even the most concerning thing I've heard him say?

[TangoTek joined.]

[TangoTek]: hello hello!

[BdoubleO] heya Tango! Don't go to Grians base for a bit, apparently he created a weird "interdimensional" portal

[TangoTek]: .... How concerning is it that I'm not even surprised?

[Grian]: oh come on guys, it's not that bad!

[Grian]: ohhhh Tango you should look at the sever list

[TangoTek]: that's absolutely not ominous at all

[TangoTek]: what- okay Grian what did you do, what kind of glitch is this?

[Grian]: no glitches involved, promise! There's one very real Solidaritygaming standing right in front of me right now!

[TangoTek]: you better not be joking

[TangoTek]: oh my god Jimmy is here

[TangoTek]: OH MY GOD JIMMY IS HERE AND HE'S ENTIRELY HUGGABLE!!

Jimmy smiled fondly at the chaos that erupted after that message. He looked over at Grian and Xisuma, who were talking to each other over a piece of code, sitting by the portal. They seemed to be in a call with fWhip.

[Solidaritygaming]: hello hermits :D

[Solidaritygaming]: @TangoTek I am entirely huggable indeed and very lonely, too :(

[BdoubleO]: hello Jimmy!

[TangoTek]: OH MY GOD YOU'RE REALLY HERE

[TangoTek]: I've got to show you everything!! You have to come over to the citadel right now!

[TangoTek]: I'm gonna give you the best cuddles of your life

[Solidaritygaming]: :D

[Solidaritygaming]: I'll ask Grian for directions, one moment

He pocketed his comm and walked over to the two men by the empty portal. "Uhm Xisuma?" The admin looked up at him. "Am I allowed to wander a bit? Tango invited me to his citadel and I'd really like to go." Grian gasped. "He invited you to his citadel?! He hasn't allowed me to come there! I'm pretty sure he hasn't even invited Impulse and Zedaph yet!" Xisuma shook his head fondly. "I don't think he has, no. Well, your code seems stable enough, so I don't see why I shouldn't let you go. You'll be stuck here for a while, so you should try to make yourself at home somewhere." Jimmy smiled brightly at him. "Oh thank you X! Thank you so much! Could you maybe tell me how to get to Tango's tho?"

Grian nodded and gave him a brief explanation of the nether hub. Jimmy thanked him and pulled out his comm once again.

[ZedaphPlays]: excuse you mr. tek how come this guy is allowed to see decked out before Impulse and I??

[ImpulseSV]: yeah, how come??

[Docm77]: an I oop-

[TangoTek]: simple, because he's my soulmate :)

[TangoTek]: and because I trust him that he won't look at the redstone and attempt to cheat at the game once it's finished

[BdoubleO]: hahahahahaha

[Docm77]: oof

[ImpulseSV]: :o

[ZedaphPlays]: :o

[Cubfan]: gottem lol

[Solidaritygaming]: omw now

[TangoTek]: awesome! You're coming through Grians portal, right? I'll meet you in the nether

Jimmy smiled fondly as he spread his wings and pushed himself off the ground. It had been years since he got to fly around without an elytra, he had missed the wind brushing through his feathers. He closed his eyes in bliss as he landed safely in Grians nether portal, allowing the purple swirls to pull him into the other realm.

Once he stepped out of the portal, Jimmy walked a couple of steps so he could be seen clearly to anyone flying by and decided to wait for Tango.

An idea suddenly popped into his head and he quickly fished out his communicator again.

{Solidaritygaming created a private group}

[Solidaritygaming added ImpulseSV; ZedaphPlays]

[Solidaritygaming named the group: "a spy at decked out?!"]

[Solidaritygaming]: alright boys tell me what to look out for

[Solidaritygaming]: and dumb it down for me please, I don't know anything about redstone ;-;

[Solidaritygaming]: I'm gonna make sure you guys win this thing

[ImpulseSV]: hahahahahaha

[ImpulseSV]: oh this is gonna be fun

[ZedaphPlays]: :o

[ZedaphPlays]: oh the betrayal! Tango has been keeping everything about the citadel a secret to us!

[ZedaphPlays] I can't wait to get some details!

[Solidaritygaming]: happy to help :D

[ImpulseSV]: be careful tho, Tango might not appreciate it if he finds out lol

[Solidaritygaming]: oh? What's the worst he would do?

[ZedpahPlays]: from experience and given how close you two are, he'd probably give you a proper tour of the dungeons down there

[ZedaphPlays]: and give you some punishment ;)

[Solidaritygaming]: ...

[ImpulseSV]: Zedaph! Not everyone is as open about these things as us hermits!

[ZedpahPlays]: oops sorry

[ZedpahPlays]: I guarantee you Tango wouldn't do anything without asking you first

[Solidaritygaming]: I thought I asked about the worst, not what sounds to be the best night of my entire life?

[ImpulseSV]: ... Zedaph we've gotta keep him.

The sound of elytra wings whooshing above his head made Jimmy pocket his comm quickly.

Only a second after, Tango landed in front of him with a bright smile. "JIMMY!!" He yelled, engulfing Jimmy in a tight hug. Jimmy smiled as well and hugged him back, snaking his arms around Tangos waist to hold him close. Tango lifted his head and almost surged forwards, smashing his lip onto Jimmy's in a rough kiss. Jimmy chuckled into his lips and pulled Tango closer by his hip, closing his eyes as Tango deepened the kiss.

They parted for air after a little while, both panting and out of breath. Jimmy's heart was racing when he properly took Tango in. He looked different now, with his thick black robe and black leather outfit, the heavy combat boots and most importantly-

"You're blue."

Tangos breath caught for a second, before he burst out laughing. "I am! What an observant man you are!" He grinned at Jimmy, sharp teeth glinting in the light of the portal close to them. Jimmy's eyes softened at the sight of that familiar grin. No matter how different Tango looked, he would always be Jimmy's rancher.

Jimmy couldn't resist the urge to steal another kiss from Tango, before he grabbed his hand and smiled at him. "I think you wanted to show me something?" Tango nodded excitedly and beamed up at Jimmy, his bright blue eyes twinkling with happiness. "Yeah! Off to the Deep Frost Citadel we go!"

The flight through the nether was relaxing, even if they didn't talk much. Just being next to Tango again made Jimmy feel safe and gave him a sense of home, a sense of belonging. He couldn't help but giggle when Tango pulled him into the portal to his base by the hands, grinning at him like a fool in love.

That was an accurate description, Jimmy supposed. They truly were fools in love, weren't they?

Impulse and Zedaph smiled softly as they watched Jimmy stumble out of the portal, falling into Tangos arms. Tango laughed as he wrapped his arms around Jimmy and kissed him softly, before he dragged him towards the impressive building of the Deep Frost Citadel.

Zedaph sighed. "He already looks like he belongs, doesn't he?" Impulse nodded next to him, reaching out to throw an arm around Zedaph and pull him close. "Yeah, Jimmy looks... At peace. Like he's coming home." He carefully watched Zedaph as the man laid his head to rest against Impulses shoulder. "Was it like this when I joined too?" He asked suddenly. Zedaph smiled fondly and nodded against Impulses shoulder. "I didn't know that love doesn't have to be monogamous back then and I was super confused. I thought I was supposed to feel jealousy, you know?" He sighed and looked up at his boyfriend. "But I didn't. All I felt was... warmth. Love. It was almost like I could feel how much Tango loved you, just by looking at him." Impulse hummed. "It really does feel that way for me now. Jimmy's quite beautiful. He looks so right there next to Tango, with Tango."

Zedaph nodded. "Yeah he does. And he's a bloody good cook, too and amazing at cuddles, let me tell you!" He chuckled. "It shocked me a little how quickly I fell for him." Impulse chuckled at that. "Maybe it's because he's so easy to love? I mean I haven't actually met him properly yet and even I'm in love with the guy." Zedaph smiled. "Maybe it is that, yeah. In any case, I'm glad he's here. He deserves to know just how much he's loved and this makes telling him a whole lot easier." Impulse hummed in agreement and placed a soft kiss to the top of Zedaphs hair.

"I think we should go back to my base for now, so we can coach Jimmy through his spying mission. It'll be a lot more comfortable than out here in the cold." Zedaph nodded. "Only if we watch Mulan and drink hot coco." Impulse smiled. "Of course."

The Deep Frost Citadel was huge. Jimmy had no doubt he would get lost in it immediately if Tango wasn't by his side. Tango had taken him to his storage first and searched through the chests until he found one of Zedpahs signature brown cardigans and slipped it over Jimmy's shoulders. "It's cold here, deep frost is a description as much as it is a name for this thing." He had explained. Now, they were walking hand in hand through the building. Zedpahs cardigan was big, heavy and it provided an excellent shield against the chilly air. Jimmy felt slightly bad that they had to cut slits in it for his wings, but Tango had assured him that Zedaph won't mind.

As they walked, Jimmy occasionally glanced at his comm to text Zedaph and Impulse, filling them in on whatever details they were curious about. When Tango explained a little bit of the redstone mechanics behind decked out, Jimmy was staring at the machinery in awe. Tango had chuckled and told Jimmy he was allowed to take a picture of he was so fascinated by it. Of course, Jimmy immediately took him up on the offer and send the picture into his spy group chat the second Tango was distracted enough not to notice.

Impulse and Zedaph had been nothing short of ecstatic at the picture, praising Jimmy high and low for being able to sneak such a nice shot.

The whole base tour had Jimmy grinning from ear to ear, partially because of the excitement of the spy mission, partially because he was overwhelmingly happy to be with Tango again after so long. They walked around for hours until they were at their starting point again. "So what now?" Jimmy asked, excited to spend more time with Tango. Tango smiled at him and put an arm around Jimmy's waist, gently guiding him back outside the citadel and towards the nether portal. "Now we go home and cuddle with Impulse and Zedaph to warm up from the ice cold dungeons we just spend several hours in." He looked a little sheepish as he added "It might surprise you, but I don't actually sleep in the citadel. It's mainly just for show and to house Decked Out, it's far too cold for me to sleep comfortably, so I've been sneaking into Impulses and Zedpahs bases to sleep." Jimmy chuckled. "I get why you would. I can't wait to actually meet Impulse, you and Zedaph have been telling me so much about him." Tango smiled and took his hand once they were through the portal. "He's an amazing person. I'm sure you'll love him, Jimmy." Jimmy smiled back at him. "With all that happened in Double Life, how much he trusted you and you trusted him, I'm sure you're right. I couldn't quite place my feelings back then, I thought I was jealous, but I think... I think what I really felt was love." Tango stopped in his tracks and stared at him. "Love?" Jimmy nodded.

"I fell for Impulse just as hard as I fell for you, back then."

The words rushed out of his mouth without him thinking about it. It was only Tango staring at him in disbelief, wonder and awe that made him realize how big of a statement that was. That Jimmy loved Tango was no secret anymore. That he had a thing for Zedaph, well, Jimmy had come to terms with it himself. But Impulse?

He hadn't even really thought about Impulse so far, but now that he did... He had felt an undeniable, deep trust towards Impulse, all the way back in Double Life. Even if that server was supposed to be about the exact opposite: pure survival instincts, betrayal, war, death. Jimmy had trusted Impulse back then, trusted him enough to let Tango waltz right into his base every other night without even a second thought about Tango possibly getting hurt. The idea hadn't even crossed his mind, if he was being honest. He had trusted Impulse with Tangos life, time and time again and, consequently, he had trusted him with his own life too.

And with the way that Tango was talking about Impulse, about their relationship and how good of a boyfriend he is, Jimmy fell for him a little bit more evey day, even if they hadn't actually talked to each other. Every time he'd seen Impulse and Tango together, he felt warm inside and a little sad, too. At first he thought he was feeling jealousy, but now it was obvious to him what he truly felt: he was in love with Impulse. He'd been sad because he wanted to share those soft, intimate moment with them both, not jealous at all.

He took Tangos hand in his own softly. "I love Impulse." Jimmy said, his voice cutting through the silence that had engulfed the nether hub. "I love Impulse, I love you and I love Zedaph. I love all of you deeply." He felt like an entire mountain was lifted off of his heart when he finally said it out loud. Tangos eyes were glistening with happy tears. "Remind me to show my elaborate thanks to Grian for bringin you here." He whispered, before he pulled Jimmy close and kissed him deeply. Jimmy sighed into the kiss, but broke it relatively quickly. "We should get to Impulses now, I'm sure they're waiting for us." Tango nodded quickly and wiped at his eyes before taking Jimmy's hand again. "We really should go, we've got quite a lot to discuss with you."

{Private messages Solidaritygaming - Smajor}

[Solidaritygaming]: Scott I think I girlbossed a bit too close to the sun

[Smajor]: damn. It's been like a month since you finally accepted that you're gay

[Smajor]: that's gotta be a new record

[Solidaritygaming]: so much happened in that month, it's actually insane to think about

[Solidaritygaming]: like, I had two major gay crisis, fell in love not once, not twice, but THREE times

[Solidaritygaming]: and now I have three boyfriends

[Smajor]: you have WHAT?!

[Solidaritygaming]: I'm actually dating team ZIT

[Solidaritygaming]: like, they love me and I get to kiss them and cuddle whenever

[Smajor]: damn. and you had to go and have three boyfriends?

[Smajor]: like jeez, save some for the rest of us Jimmy