Finding Home Again - A Trollhunters story

Chapter Eighteen - The beginnings of...

Please vote, read Forgotten Memories, and enjoy. Many thanks to my wonderful older brother for giving me some great examples of what growing brotherly bonds look like.
Luv ya!

In the nightmare, Jim couldn't move. He was trapped. He was falling, down, down, down in the Darklands. The darkness felt suffocating and Jim's body trembled.

Suddenly, he was standing with Enrique in his arms, but the baby vaporised, making Jim grope the empty air desperately. Footsteps came towards Jim, and he tried to move but he was paralysed.

The Green Knight appeared in front of him, and raised his sword, eyes glinting hauntingly from under his helmet. The blade swept toward him. Jim's heart leaped, and he hadn't even realised that he'd screamed before hands shook his shoulders.

He gasped, snapping awake. Douxie stood leaning over him, his face dark. "You okay?"

Jim ran his hands through his messy hair. "Yeah, I should be fine." Douxie's eyebrows raised a tad bit, but he didn't respond.

Douxie sighed, and sat next to Jim. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Leaning his back on the wall, Jim shrugged. "Not really."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes,"

Douxie narrowed his eyes, but Jim obviously didn't look ready to talk about it, so he just shrugged. "Can I stay?"

"Uh, sure. But I'm waking up early to make breakfast, so I might wake you up." Jim shifted to make room for his friend. He knew why Douxie was doing this, and he was actually relieved. Jim wasn't sure he'd be able to fall back asleep without a comforting prescence.

"Challenge accepted."

Douxie woke to someone shifting. Someone's head on his shoulder. He snapped his eyes open and looked around, panicking for a second, before he realised where he was.

It looked like the sun was starting to rise, from the dim light coming through the window. A few hours until he had to get up. His eyes drifted closed again, and he fell asleep fast.

It felt like he had blinked, and suddenly the sun was shining in from the window and the smell of pancakes was pervading his sleep. Douxie stumbled out of the bed, lured by the delicious smell, but someone cleared his throat.

Archie sat on the desk looking at him. "Do your morning ablutions, Douxie."

"Ugh," Douxie said, frowning. "Fine." He grabbed his clothes from last night that he'd left in the guest bedroom and took them into the bathroom, where he changed and brushed his teeth and brushed his hair free of knots. Jim had been gone when he had woken up for the third time, and he was probably the one making the pancakes.

He slipped on his skull necklace, ring, and bracelets.

Was there anything else he could do? Hmm, Douxie thought. I wish I had my eyeliner. Welp. He ambled down the stairs and said good moring to Barbara and Jim. Jim smiled widely from in the kitchen, flipping another pancake.

Douxie sat with Archie at the table, groggily rubbing his eyes.

Barbara came out from the kitchen with plates, forks, and knives. "Here, I can help with that!" Douxie said, standing up.

"Thanks. I'll grab water glasses," she replied, already prancing back into the kitchen where Jim lifted a pancake and placed it onto the large plate on the counter, which already had been stacked high.