Chapter Text
Jim did it.
Two-hundred-fifty-one.
It took two-hundred-fifty-one times to make it right. He memorized every little event, meticulously calculated, and saved everybody.
The price was small. So infinitesimal he didn’t even bother considering it.
The price was his previous relationship with everybody. It didn’t matter–Jim firmly told himself. It didn’t matter if they disliked him, like Toby, or straight up hated him, like Blinky.
They were alive. He would never have to go back.
He had gotten his peace at last, but at what cost?
Jim slowly made his way up to the bluff, where Claire and him nearly shared their first kiss, before she realized Angor had the horngazel.
Angor. Jim also saved him. Everyone was living happily, except for Jim–
(It doesn’t matter. He doesn’t matter.)
Jim watched the sun rise happily. Trollmarket wasn’t destroyed, nobody had to relocate.
His smile faded as he remembered his last conversation with Tobes.
“What, you thought we were like those people in cartoons? Who never drift apart, who stay friends forever?” Toby laughed humorously. “This is the real world, Jim.”
“I know, Tobes. I just thought…” Jim trailed off, before standing up abruptly. “It was the two of us at the beginning, but I guess it won’t be the two of us at the end, will it.” He walked out, but at the door, he said, “I’m glad you lived. I hope you’re happy. No one died.” He said listlessly, before walking out.
Toby was his friend, always. Even if Toby didn’t like Jim.
Blinky and Jim never became father and son, but that was fine. At least he was alive.
Jim started sobbing. At least he wasn’t a pile of rubble–
Like static, he rigidly stuffed that thought in the back of his head.
Life went on, like always. Jim’s friends–no, his family, lived.
That was all that mattered, even if Jim wasn’t in the picture anymore.
Other than his mom, no one here really liked him, did they?
HE DIDN’T CARE, THEY WERE ALIVE–
Jim never told them. His thoughts screeched to a halt as they shifted in a new direction.
He never told them he time travelled. For some reason, that made them more likely to survive.
He took out his amulet. The reforged amulet was worn down and rusty, with the blue light permanently green from the amount of resets that happened.
“Thank you.” He whispered to the amulet, which thrummed comfortingly. He was glad it came with him.
It was his only lifeline to the past, to remember what his life was like before he inflicted torture on himself for the sake of his friends.
I really lived up to ‘for the good of all’, didn’t I? Jim laughed tonelessly. He had saved them all, helped them all, suffered for them all.
For the good of them all.
He left the bluff an hour later, once he ran out of tears.
School was… apathetic was the best word.
No one really cared, anymore, about who Jim Lake was, his well being, or if he even existed.
There was no one to sit with at school, no one required his participation… halfway through the day, Jim just gave up and walked out during recess.
Dinners with Strickler and Barbara were awkward and stilted, since Mom loved him, and Strickler didn’t.
At least he wasn’t trying to kill Jim.
At least he was alive, and didn’t die fighting the ice titan, or at any point after or before that.
So, he just skipped dinner today, and went to Trollmarket.
Before, he would’ve gone to Blinky, but Blinky really didn’t like him, so…
He just went to the waterfall and listened to the water crash below him. AAARRRGGHH would be willing to listen, but he knew the krubera didn’t consider him a friend, he was just the nicest member of Team Trollhunters, along with being the most neutral.
The only other neutral person was Draal, who lived with Nomura.
But he didn’t want to bother them, especially since the latter lightly disliked him.
“Maybe I should leave. See if I can help anyone else.” Jim said to his amulet. Over the years, it had become more and more sentient, to the point where when Jim talked to it, it would thrum out answers.
It thrummed thoughtfully, before humming in agreement.
“Yeah? You want to help more people?” Jim said, smiling sadly. “That would be nice. We’re not needed here, not anymore.”
He stood up. “Where to?”
His amulet thrummed in a pattern Jim recognized as morse code.
‘N…J… N…J… N… J…’
“New Jersey?” The amulet thrummed at that.
“Sure, why not.” Jim said. The only one that would miss him was his mom, after all.
“You want to take a vacation to New Jersey?” Barbara sounded concerned over the phone.
“Think of it as time abroad.” Jim explained.
“What brought this on?”
Being neglected by everyone in town– “Wanderlust.” Jim said. “I’ll call every evening. Besides, you and Mr. Strickler need some space anyway.”
“You’re eighteen now, but… I can’t help but worry.”
“Don’t worry Mom, nothing will happen. I’ll come back,” One day.
“Okay, I’ll inform the others–”
“No!” Jim said. “No, they’re perfectly fine-” safe, “-where they are. I don’t want anyone to know, for now.”
“What about Toby?” Barbara said worriedly. “Jim, have you two been fighting?”
“Everything has been perfectly fine!” Jim exclaimed. “No… I just want it to be a… surprise! Yeah, a birthday surprise.”
“You want Toby’s birthday present to be you leaving Arcadia?”
He might throw a party, who knows. Jim thought, “N-no!” He chuckled, “I’ll be back for his birthday.”
“His birthday is in two weeks, so you better be back, mister.” Barbara said amusedly. “Jim, you know you can talk to me, right?” She said, changing the subject. “About anything?”
“Of course, Mom.” Jim smiled, even as he started crying slightly. “Well, the train isn’t going to wait for me! I should get going.” He lied. He wasn’t taking the train, he was walking by himself.
“O-okay. Be safe, alright?”
“Bye, Mom!” Jim said, before hanging up. He looked at the reforged amulet. “Gosh, what am I doing?”
It thrummed in a way Jim took as a shrug.
“Well, I hope they enjoy me leaving.” Despite what he said to Barbara, he didn’t intend to go to Toby’s birthday.
He wouldn’t be welcome.
He left Trollmarket shortly after packing supplies and set off to New Jersey.