#like I get that irl it'd be hecka inconvenient but like....snuggles ^^;

[nattikay]

@arcadia-trash @keepin-it-crispy @elizabethemerald yeah idk what the point of this fic even is but it’s got some Jlaire in it so ^^;

It was nice to be back in Arcadia, if only temporarily. New Trollmarket, while still much smaller and less intricate that its centuries-old predecessor, was established and thriving around the New Jersey Heartstone, and to celebrate the success of their quest Jim, Claire, and Blinky had gathered together in the newly-running Gyre station to visit the friends and family they’d left behind in California.

The trio were greeted with a plethora of hugs and shouts for joy as they reunited, Toby in particular talking a mile a minute, excitedly raving about everything they’d missed while on their journey and insisting that they had to come along and properly meet Krel tomorrow. Jim, Claire, and Blinky were already more-or-less familiar of the supernatural goings-on of their hometown over the past few months, of course, thanks to the ever-useful invention of cell phones and texting--but it was special to hear about it face-to-face.

These joyful greetings were short-lived, however, as the time was late--they’d decided to travel at night just to make sure Jim and Blinky would be safe from the sun. And so they all soon found themselves saying goodnight and heading their separate ways--Claire with her family, Jim with his mother, and Blinky with Toby, Aarrrgh, and Dictatious--with promises to come together to hang out for real the next morning with a celebratory breakfast.

“We can do it at my house,”  Jim offered, tusks protruding from his toothy grin. “Food’s on me.”

“Can’t wait!” called Toby, waving over his shoulder as he and Blinky made their way over towards the Domzalski home.

“See you then,” added Claire, pulling Jim down for a quick kiss on the cheek before heading off to her own street.

Jim smiled and waved back, watching a moment as his girlfriend, best friend, and essentially-adopted-father walked off in different directions before turning back into his own house.

“Mom?” he called, not seeing Barbara in the front room where she’d been just minutes before.

“I’m here,” she responded, walking in with a pile of blankets and a pillow, which she promptly handed to Jim with an apologetic look.

“I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m afraid you’re gonna have to sleep on the couch...see, with Walt and I somehow getting roped into looking after all the changeling familiars, well, we needed space to put them all and well, with you not here--”

“It’s ok, Mom, I understand,” said Jim, mildly disappointed but not surprised. As much as he’d miss his old room, he couldn’t really fault her reasoning given the circumstances. Besides, a couch would still be way more comfortable than the forest floors and hard stone caves he’d slept on during the exodus to New Jersey.

“Thank you,” said Barbara with a hint of relief. “It’s getting pretty late, you go on and get some sleep. I love you,” she added, moving in to hug her son one more time, which he gladly returned. 

“Love you too, Mom. Goodnight.” 

Barbara grinned appreciatively as she headed back up the stairs, leaving Jim to set up the pillows and blankets as comfortably as he could on the couch. He drew the blinds (didn’t want to wake up to a burned stone shoulder or something if the sun rose before he woke up, after all), placed the pillows and set the blankets. That doesn’t look too bad, he thought as he examined his handiwork. Satisfied, he went to brush his teeth, change his clothes, and turn out the lights before crawling under the blankets and closing his eyes.

It was decidedly more comfortable than a cold stone cave, and yet...yet...

“Uuugggh. Why can’t I fall asleep?!” Jim growled to himself as he adjusted his position for what felt like the fiftieth time.

It’s not that he wasn’t tired...well, it wasn’t like the Gyre journey had been particularly long or exhausting or anything, but he was the...normal amount of tired, he supposed. The same that he was every night.

Was it maybe his horns getting in the way? ...nah, he’d gotten used to sleeping around those months ago, there’s no reason it should suddenly start bothering him now.

Perhaps it was the strangeness of sleeping on the couch in his own home, now that his childhood room had been taken over by a bunch of babies? Maybe...but somehow he didn’t feel like that was quite the full story.

So what was it?

Groaning, Jim turned over once more and tried again to drift off into sleep.

.oOo.

The sun was shining through the blinds (though not directly enough to cause any harm) when Jim was roused the next morning by a cheerful voice wafting over from the door.

“--morning, Dr. L!”

“Hi, Toby! Come on in...you’re a bit early, I don’t think Jim’s even up yet, let alone making breakfast.”

“That’s ok!” said Toby, bounding into the front room as Jim sat up, rubbing his bleary eyes. He’d managed to get a little sleep that night, but none of it had been restful, and he was left feeling even more tired than he’d been before.

“Hey, dude!” Toby greeted his best friend excitedly. “Aarrrgh and Blinky’ll be coming through the sewers; while you were gone Aarrrgh connected that old hole Draal made in your basement to one in our house. But Nana and I are here now, so---oh man,” he broke off, noticing the bags under Jim’s eyes. “You alright dude? You look awful. Did you sleep ok?”

“I mean, not really,” said Jim, stifling a yawn. “But it’s ok. Happens to everyone, yeah? Let’s go get that breakfast party started,” He sat up and stretched before heading towards the kitchen, hair and scruff a mess and still in his pajamas.

“What do you think we should do, pancakes or waffles?” he called back over his shoulder.

“Oh, I’m totally feeling waffles!” said Toby.

“Waffles it is,” said Jim, gathering ingredients for the batter.

About five minutes later Blinky and Aarrrgh emerged from the basement, plopping down in the front room to chat amiably with Toby, Nana, Barbara, and Strickler (who, Jim noticed, was holding a babbling infant that he recognized as the changeling’s own former familiar).

In another ten, the food was ready.

“Alright, we got fresh waffles for whoever wants ‘em,” the half-troll called from the kitchen. “Along with whipped cream, syrup, and fruit, or for anyone who wants some more trollish toppings, some old sock bits and tin foil,”

“Alriiiiight!” exclaimed Toby, leaping up and helping himself as the adults followed closely behind.

“Can’t tell you how much I’ve missed the smell of your cooking, kiddo,” said Barbara, to which Jim shrugged, smiling.

Just then another knock sounded at the door. Strickler, being the closest, answered it and let the Nuñezes in.

“Sorry we’re a bit late,” apologized Ophelia, “It was a little hard to drag Claire out of bed this morning...she’s usually so good with mornings, but I guess she’s been busy with that quest...”

“Oh, you’re alright; in fact, you’re right on time,” assured Strickler, ushering them in. “The food has just been put out...”

Upon the invitation, Claire made a beeline for Jim, slipping her arm around her boyfriend in a comfortable side-hug.

“You’re looking professional this morning, Chef Jim,” she teased, eyeing his pajamas and messy mane. 

“Yeah, sorry about that,” shrugged Jim. “Honestly, I wasn’t even really up until Toby came over...didn’t sleep all that well last night,”

“You too, huh?” asked Claire, and sure enough when Jim glanced down she also had a bleary look in her eyes and while she had at least put on day clothes her hair, bound by its many clips, was slightly disheveled. 

You couldn’t sleep either?” he asked, surprised. “Not even in your own bed?”

“Apparently not. It was weird...it was like something wasn’t quite right, for some reason...but anyways,” Claire continued, shaking off the mystery, “Let’s try some of these waffles, they smell amazing!”

.oOo.

Once everyone had eaten, a few began to disperse. Nana Domzalski retreated to her house to check up on her cats; Ophelia and Javier returned to their daily schedule with little Enrique in tow. Stickler went upstairs to feed the familiars and Barbara insisted on washing the dishes (”You made the food for everyone and you did wonderfully, now you sit back and let me clean it up!” she’d told Jim when he offered to help). That left Jim, Claire, Toby, Blinky, and Aarrrgh in the front room while Toby excitedly showed off some of the new magic tricks he and Aarrrgh had perfected to Blinky.

Jim sat on his little couch-corner, the furnishing still covered in the ruffled blankets he’d slept under (or at least, tried to) last night. Claire was leaned into his side, watching Toby’s magic act as she lazily ran her fingers through Jim’s scruff. Jim wasn’t sure he could remember ever feeling so relaxed before. In fact, he felt like he was just about to drift off to--

“Hey, I think that’s what was missing,” said Claire suddenly.

“Huh?”

“Last night, when I had trouble sleeping. That’s what was missing.”

“...what was it?”

Claire snuggled in closer. 

“Your heartbeat,” she said simply. “I guess I’d gotten so used to sleeping to it in New Trollmarket and on the journey that suddenly not having it was just...off,”

Jim took a moment to absorb this statement, eyes slowly widening. Oh. Oh.

“Ooohhhh,” he said out loud. “...man, that makes so much sense now! You were missing my...my heartbeat and I guess I was missing...your scent...oh man,” he shook his head, followed by a yawn. “That explains a lot.”

“I know we have a lot to do today, or a least a lot Toby wants us to do,” droned Claire contentedly, voice growing drowsier by the word, “but now that we have...what was missing...maybe a quick nap first would be best,”

“...yeah,” Jim managed, smiling warmly as his eyes grew heavy. “Yeah, that’s a good idea...”

And the two drifted off into a very contented snooze.