Work Text:
They had done it. The world had been saved once again, the arcane order gone after it had terrorized them for more than a year. The group’s excitement was cut short, however, once they realized Toby was missing, and then they saw the smouldering remains of the taco truck a couple meters away. Jim had rushed over first, praying and hanging desperately onto the hope that nothing bad had happened to his best friend. The wreckage coming closer into view, those hopes dwindled exponentially each second. By the time he reached the pile of metal, he was breathing heavily, but that didn’t slow his searching. Rocks were turned over, some the boy even threw over his shoulder with much more force than necessary, but he didn’t stop. Not until he saw definite proof. Not until he was certain there was no way Toby had survived the crash, only then would he stop looking.
A soft gasp escaped Jim’s lips as he found something. A little dusty, but nonetheless an object that held sentimental value. Toby’s right shoe…
He clamped one hand over his mouth as he choked down a sob. With his other hand, he gently lifted the shoe up by the laces, looking at it as if it was priceless. To him, it probably was.
Claire was the first to reach her boyfriend. Upon seeing the footwear, she slowly crouched down and took it from the trollhunter’s grasp. Tears streaked her cheek as her body shivered. A final sob broke the dam as she saw that the sole was almost completely ripped off, and blood was splattered on the laces.
No one spoke as they went back home, too lost in their own thoughts and thinking about the tragedies that had befallen them.
Over the next couple of weeks, Jim was acting like a ghost. Never coming out of his room except for eating a quick snack in the kitchen, sometimes forgetting meals altogether. He said nothing, nor acknowledged anyone’s presence. He was frequently spacing out, and sleeping became a comfort as well as chore for him, as every time he drifted off to dreamland, all he could see were those bright green eyes he had looked into for more than a decade.
The others were adjusting better, but they hadn’t known Tobias as Jim had, and so every time he entered the room, it felt like walking on eggshells.
After a couple months, he was still plagued by the recurring nightmares, but managed to find a sort of normal life again. He went out with his girlfriend on dates, helped clean up the rest of the chaos the titans left, and of course went on patrols with his new amulet in case something else ambushed them. But still, he wasn’t himself.
Jim was skittish, much more than he was before. Anything unknown would give him a primal fear before he realized what it was. Every sound made him jump, especially when with his loved ones.
The bags underneath his eyes only grew with time, becoming more and more noticeable. On one day, eating with his parents at the café, he couldn’t take it anymore and rested his head on the table, closing his eyes momentarily.
He woke up mere seconds later, but the screams his mind created were enough to make him feel like it was irresponsible for him to do that.
He excused himself from the table, walking off in the distance, causing Barbara and Strickler to look at each other and silently decide to follow at a distance.
The forest had been his refuge when he changed . Even after Merlin’s self-proclaimed ‘permanent’ potion wore off, courtesy of one angry green knight, Jim still enjoyed the comfort the place brought him.
The boy couldn’t jump on trees and run around as quickly as the wind, but a nice stroll beneath the leaves gave him the air he lacked.
Suddenly, a tree branch cracked behind a boulder in the meadow. Sensitive to loud noises even after becoming a human again, Jim stopped, rolled and crouched.
Whatever the creature was, it was obviously aware that it had compromised its position with that sound.
Trying to sneak around, its steps were quieter, but the trollhunter still heard them clearly.
It was strange though.
They were bipedal, that was certain, but their legs made different noises. One had a metal thud to it, the other felt fleshy. The mismatch was palpable, as with each stride the rhythm changed.
The being wobbled, and fell down. A groan escaped from them as they got back up.
Jim now realized this thing was still adjusting, that it meant no harm. He poked his head out of the tall grass, but what he saw made him freeze up.
Before he could react, he was tackled to the ground by the one he was observing, his breath hitching. He looked into the boy’s bright green-and-yellow eyes. “Tobes, you’re-”
“I’m alive Jim, I’m okay.” His best friend responded as he held Jim in a tight hug.
“I thought I lost you.” The trollhunter cried. Then he looked over the short redhead for injuries. Instead, he saw a lot of metal parts and pieces. “What happened?”
“Ugh, I have no idea.” Toby grimaced, looking at his robotic right arm. “I saw a white light, thought it was the end, then I woke up back here like this. Whoever patched me up, they did an awesome-sauce job, I can see so many new colours,” he rambled a bit, whipping his head around to look at the world.
Jim started crying again, but lighter this time, and he wiped his eyes. “Come on, let’s go back home.”
