#xelrik

Oh boy—sure! Let’s see here…

1. Xanthous and Elrik take as much time as they can to just enjoy the pleasantries of each other’s company because they enjoy the rare moments of peace they get. They just like to talk and chat about things they like, and they are always interested to hear what the other likes as well. It’s a great respite from the insanity that was their typical lives (busy doing things with the Fairy Council and being the Demon King/being forced to go out and do crazy things like hunt a bear/etc.).

2. Speaking of being the Demon King, Xanthous didn’t know how to be a king. But, luckily for him, Xanthous had Elrik… Who happened to be an elf prince. Elrik showed him ways to help manage the demons and give them the king they needed to quell their chaotic natures. Him and Xanthous worked together, and the demons kind of view them both as their rulers even if Elrik isn’t a demon.

3. Continuing off of that idea: Elrik gets what it’s like to be in an extra stressful position and kind of helps Xanthous manage his by giving some tips and tricks. I also like this headcanon because of how we see Xanthous acting in the Land of Stories series (he’s more serious, regal, and knows how to manage a group of people as well as himself). He acts like nobility and I like to think it was Elrik who gave him the confidence to treat himself like one. Our self-conscious boy goes through character growth—yeehaw!

4. Elrik teaches Xanthous how to track! This headcanon I specifically included because Xanthous manages to find the twins in the middle of the forest in book 3. Yes, I know he asked around and people said they saw Lester crash land in that area, but Hagetta’s Hut is hidden really well. Granted he probably had a bird’s eye view from flying, but I like to think he was able to track Hagetta lugging them back to her hut. She’s skilled in the ways of the Dwarf Forests, and I believe she would’ve erased her tracks as best she could so that it would be more difficult to find her. But Xanthous, having been taught by Elrik (who knows the northwest Dwarf Forests really well), was able to find them thanks to his techniques.

5. Elrik likes to surprise Xanthous with gifts. Whether it’s something he kind of picked up on the fly—like a pretty rock—or something he had worked on for a while, Xanthous always reacts with bashfulness and excessive gratitude towards him. Getting gifts was something Xanthous really only got to experience when he was older, so every gift means so much to him. Elrik knows this, so he gives him things to make him smile.

6. Xanthous is well versed in vegetarian cuisine simply because Elrik is a vegetarian. Xanthous also does his best to join him in eating vegetarian meals because he likes the importance and feel-good nature of sharing the meal with him. Elrik has reminded Xanthous about a million times that he doesn’t need to eat vegetarian just because he’s one, but Xanthous does it anyway. Because he loves him.

7. Xanthous and Elrik race (Xanthous flies and Elrik uses his sled and the jackalopes). It’s just a fun thing they do sometimes when they’re adults and Xanthous is back on the council (still have yet to figure out how that happens thanks Mr. Colfer sir) because it’s important to take a moment out of your busy schedule to have fun sometimes. These are more often than not initiated by Elrik, but on rare occasions Xanthous will remind himself that Elrik also has to be gently told to take a load off every now and again. After they’ve laughed, they talk about balancing work and fun to maintain a healthy mindset. Because they’re somewhat healthy adults (let me have this please).

8. Elrik gets to be SUPER tall. We see with Elvina that she’s like taller than the average person, and she’s Elrik’s younger sister, so it’s pretty safe to assume that Elrik got tall. And, since we know he like…spends most of his time in the forest doing what have you, we can also make the assumption that he’s a bit on the stronger side too.

Ergo: Xanthous gets picked up by him. Quite a bit. Assuming he’s there in the Land of Stories series and the twins just don’t get that he’s an elf because of the fact that he’s super tall and not like the typical elf so he didn’t get noticed, of course. But he totally picks Xanthous up to spin him around or just embrace him every so often.

Xanthous gets exasperated by this, but he loves his husband so he tolerates it (he secretly loves it).

9. Xanthous and Elrik did take some time to travel together when Xanthous rejoined the Fairy Council—without being on the run. They didn’t have to Jack and Goldilocks it, but they did spend a lot of time in the forest. It helped Xanthous reconnect with the surface world after ruling over the demons for a bit. Elrik is secretly very happy to be back on the surface amongst trees and in a cooler, less pressurized climate. It also makes Elrik happy when Xanthous enjoys something about the forest—makes him feel more attuned to him through a liking for nature.

10. Again, assuming Elrik is there during the Land of Stories, he playfully teases Xanthous about how he always seems to be paired up with Lampton. He suggests they’re work husbands after they get back from babysitting the twins. Xanthous has to spend a minimum of five minutes each time telling him that Lampton doesn’t even consider him a friend. Elrik always laughs at his reactions because he knows Lampton thinks pretty highly of Xanthous and it’s cute to see Xanthous pretending like Lampton isn’t his work husband.

P.S. I was a Xampton shipper back in middle school because I saw them constantly being paired together. Babysitting the twins, defending the Charming Kingdom, carrying Bo Peep—like come on guys. Come on.

11. Xanthous picks out Elrik’s outfits from now on because the checkered pattern was only good in moderation. Elrik looks so much better now. He’s very grateful.

Side note for this one: Elrik asked why Xanthous doesn’t dress him as dapper as he does, and Xanthous has to tell him about the whole “this is who I am on the inside” thing. Elrik got curious, Xanthous showed him what he meant, and Elrik asked if Xanthous could help him figure out how to dress like he wanted to dress. His outfit is a bit more practical, but it looks so much better. Xanthous is proud of Elrik for having the courage to come forth and ask him for some help in feeling comfortable in something—even if it’s just clothing. He likes that he trusts him enough to help.

12. Elrik affectionately calls Xanthous some fire-related pet names on occasion. Xanthous…sighs every single time, but he’d do anything for his husband so he endures it (he secretly thinks it’s very cute and tries to come up with forest-y pet names for him, but can never seem to come up with good ones).

13. Elrik has a problem with sleeping in the pitch black darkness of Xanthoue’s room or at low altitudes, so he’s grateful to have Xanthous there. He’s literally a nightlight and also very cuddle-able because of his warmth. When they get older, they actually don’t live in the Fairy Palace. They’ve got their own place somewhere in the Fairy Kingdom so that they can both be more comfortable. On occasions where Xanthous decides to reside at the palace because of business or something (he’s always got a room there because he considers it his second home), Elrik misses him so much that he just goes with him. Xanthous is actually really glad because he doesn’t like sleeping alone. Having Elrik there provides him security and lessens the chances of him having nightmares.

14: Xanthous tried out a gentle makeup look once and hated it, but Elrik found him and—because he had a younger sister—he was a little familiar with the topic of makeup. So he redoes it for him and teaches him how to do it. If you’ve read Goldilocks: Wanted Dead or Alive, you’ll see the art of Xanthous makes him have like constant cat eyes. This made me go “eyeliner???” Which then made me go “omg makeup. He’s got a bit of makeup on”. This probably isn’t true, but I wanted it to be so here we are. Boom headcanon.

15: They like to hold hands any chance they get. It’s a meaningful gesture, even if simple, and it makes them feel secure knowing that the other is right there and not going anywhere. They often just sit together and do their own thing, but one of their hands will be occupied holding the other’s. When they’re out and about for a casual stroll, their fingers will be locked together. It’s really just a small thing they do to make sure the other feels nice. They’re there to support each other, and they show it through small yet impactful things like hand holding.

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