You had crashed with your motorcycle, faced bloodthirsty trolls, learned of another world beneath your feet and nearly gotten killed several times within the span of one evening and yet you still grew nervous by eating dinner with old friends.
To think that something so simple and normal would make you feel so anxious.
Honestly, it was just embarrassing.

"Do you need any help?" you asked the thin boy as you watched him bustle about the kitchen with skilled movements.

"Nah, I'm good," came his focused response, his knife gliding through a piece of meat and slicing it in half neatly.

Damn. I mean, you knew Jim was good in the kitchen but this was like watching a five-star cook work his magic in his widely known restaurant.
And all you could do was occasionally hand him a spoon, a different knife or a ladle while awkwardly standing on the sidelines with an amazed expression on your -still slightly cut up- face.

Although Jim had looked just as nervous as you in the beginning, he had begun to relax once his work in the kitchen started. Barbara, who was currently taking care of the dishes in the halfway parted room on the other side, had suggested you help him out a bit but it seemed like she only said that to get you to spend more time with each other because Jim certainly didn't need any help.

Plus you really couldn't do much with your left arm in a sling and all.

Not being able to help, the next twenty minutes passed quite slowly for you but even the greatest cooks finished preparing their meals at some point.

The dark-haired teen wiped some sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and then turned to you with an unsure smile, the knife which he had used to cut the meat in his other hand.
"Thanks for your help, (Y/n)."

You barely did anything though.

He got a shrug as a response from you and then a short look that met his eyes and made him fidget shyly.
Then you wondered how he could look so harmless with a stained knife in hand.

The red hair of Jim's mother came into view as she stuck her head through the opening in the wall that gave view onto the now well-laid table.
"Ohhhh, it smells so nice already, Jim!" she told her son with a smile and disappeared out of view, only to reappear by walking through the door on your left side, "isn't it nice to have (Y/n) here with us?"

She put a hand on your good shoulder and smiled at the lanky boy, who gave a nervous chuckle and a nod.
"Y-yeah, mom. It's.." his blue eyes flickered to the sides before they found yours, "very nice."

Standing like this for a few seconds, some in anticipation others in thought, you all jumped a bit when the oven suddenly gave off its typical ringing noise, telling you that the food inside was done and ready to be eaten.

Barbara shooed you toward the table and seated you at one of the ends before you could even say anything as Jim brought in the steak.
A delicious aroma spread from the medium cooked beef, immediately making your mouth water.

Man, you hadn't smelled anything this good in weeks.
And in comparison to Bular's heavy stench, this was utter paradise for your nose.

For some reason, thinking back on yesterday evening calmed you down. You survived a troll attack, why shouldn't you survive a family dinner?

The embarrassment from before turned into calmness and you soon began to ease up. Although it was barely visible to the two Lakes since all you changed was the stiff posture of your athletic body. At least, from the outside.

Once Jim had taken a seat too, you shortly chatted about something trivial before beginning to eat.

The tender meat nearly melted on your tongue and it tasted just as good as it smelled, if not even better. There was still a fresh note to it, making it juicy and delicious.
The way Jim had seasoned it only brought out the natural taste of the beef while putting a light accent that made it pleasant as well.
Not to mention that the side dishes fit very well by contrasting the meaty taste with a spicier one and then being softened by the sauce.

In other words, it was heavenly.

You couldn't help making a comment after finishing the first bite.
"Jesus, Jim, you're a god in the kitchen," you told the surprised boy and pointed your fork at him. His mother agreed with you immediately, making the thin teen smile sweetly and thank you for your compliments.

This kind of reminded you of the night when you had eaten cookies with Toby and his Nana. Just with fancier food and different people.
Otherwise it was pretty much the same.
Who knew food would be the one thing to patch up your friendships? This world surely was a funny place.

The rest of the dinner was spend in a comfortable atmosphere, the occasional chat and compliment toward Jim made everything appear like a regular family's evening. Something you hadn't experienced in years. Now that you thought about it, you had missed this casual type of life a lot more than you had told yourself.

Well, at least, mainly casual. Trolls and all that mythic stuff were still on your mind but it only added to the appeal. After all, who would want an utterly boring life? A little bit of adventure was always welcome.

Once the meat had been eaten and only some leftovers were still on the table, you helped Jim and Barbara clean up as best as you could by carrying the heavier things into the kitchen and cleaning the table with a towel afterwards.
Your left shoulder protested a bit but it wasn't all that bad.
Though Barbara banned you out of the kitchen afterwards, saying that it was 'her responsibility to make sure you got enough rest as your doctor'.
You appreciated the thought and followed her instructions by wandering from the kitchen into the open hallway, taking a look around the house.

It had been a while since you've last been here so you were curious.
Although everything still looked like you remembered it.
Even the picture of Jim's dad was still right there on the wall.
Stopping your steps to look at the portrait of the man with glasses in a military uniform, you thought about how Jim must've felt when he left. Although you had still been friends at that point, it was quite some time ago -about twelve years, if you remember correctly- so your memory was really wishy-washy on the topic.

Had he realized that his father wasn't going to come back immediately? Or did he only notice that when he got older? He had only been five years old then so it must've impacted him in some way.

You shook your head and sighed. No point in assuming anything about others for no reason.
Continuing on your walk through the house, you passed the shelf with old records and video tapes on it, your vision catching a glimpse of the Gun Robot movies.
It drew a chuckle from your lips as you remembered watching those together with Jim and Toby as kids.

"Pretty nostalgic, right?"
The sudden voice from behind you made you turn around and look at Jim, who was holding a plate and drying it with a towel while softly smiling at you.
He must've come to check up on you.
"Yeah, we used to watch those all the time," you answered him with a blank expression, though you could feel a smile threatening to show.

Jim put away the plate and the towel onto the low coffee table and strolled over to your side to take out one of the VHS and look at it thoughtfully.
"I still remember all those sleepovers. Maybe," he said, glancing up to you, "we could do it again sometime?"

Was he... inviting you to hang out with Toby and him outside of school?
Well, that had went faster than you thought it would.
Having believed that both boys would be harder to befriend again, this was quite the pleasant surprise.

Although you were glad, you didn't show him much of a reaction.
"Yeah, maybe," was all you said before taking another tape of the shelf.
This one seemed to be self made for there were the words 'Jim's fourth birthday' written on the back.
It was more than a decade ago so you barely remembered anything but the waterwar; and you still had the memory of it being an awesome birthday party. Jim's dad had still been there too.

The boy next to you glanced at the tape and quickly grew red once reading the title.
"Yeah, we're not watching that," said Jim as he took the tape from your hands and placed both back in the shelf.
You could understand why. After all it had been one of the hottest days in Arcadia and being the little kids you had been, you could still recall running around butt-naked while throwing waterballoons at each other.
Probably a highly awkward -but also highly amusing- thing to watch as teenagers.

The shorter boy then turned to look at you, a more sincere expression on his face.
"Thanks for coming over today, (Y/n). It's nice to spend time together again," he said to you as a smile formed on his lips.
He could be so adorable, you nearly smiled back.
"Mhm, it really is," you answered him and nodded in agreement, "you can thank Barbara for inviting me."

Jim gave a chuckle and nudged your good arm with his fist gently, "I can still thank you for accepting that invitation."
At that you could feel the corner of your lips tug upward. This boy was just too sweet for his own good.
You lifted your hand and let it pat the dark-haired boy on the head for a moment before walking past him, back into the kitchen to see if Barbara was already done.

Since you left, you missed the red blush that bloomed on the boy's cheeks.
It could've been embarrassment but it also could've been because he saw you smile again.

It seemed to you that Barbara was done with the kitchen since all she was doing was standing around, pretending to wash a clean pot with a dry towel.
Unsure if she was just tired or acting as if she hadn't been listening in on Jim and you, which you were pretty sure she did, you simply thanked her for the invitation again and then mentioned that you should probably leave.
The woman smiled and nodded, placing away the pot and accompanying you to the door, where Jim already was.

After getting dressed, you turned to the two Lakes and looked at them as the older one addressed you once more.
"If you should ever feel lonely, you can come here. Alright, (Y/n)?" The redhead said as she put her hands on Jim's shoulders, standing behind him a bit, and smiled at you warmly.
You nodded in answer, appreciating the offer very much but already knowing you weren't going to take it.
Or rather, thinking you wouldn't.

"See you later, Barbara," you opened the door and stepped out into the lush night, "till monday, Jimbo."
With a last wave from the two, you had closed the door and left the Lakes' home for good, strolling down the short pathway to the street.

What a nice evening this was. The air wasn't too cold or too hot, some stars were already showing and the sun had sunken to tint the sky with deep orange and red colors.

...

Oh.

The sun had sunken.

Feeling the same anxious feeling from before, you turned around and took a good look into the dark bushes and trees, trying to see if you could spot a pair of red eyes glowering at you.
There was nothing but the feeling didn't go away.
Kanjigar had specifically told you not to leave the house after sundown and here you were, disobeying orders before the first day even ended.

Your steps halted a few feet away from Jim's house and your mind raced.
What if Bular appeared again to end what he started? Would you reach your house in time? Could you even properly run with your contusion and concussion?
Oh, jeez.

Just as you were about to break into a sprint, did the door to Jim's house open again, throwing a yellowish light onto the darker streets.
Light steps sounded and you turned to see Jim heading your way.

"I thought maybe you'd like a companion for the way home?"
'Jim, you sweet sweet angel, I could kiss you right now'
Was what you would've said if you weren't such a closed off case. Probably better that you didn't say it either way.
"Thanks, Jimbo," you said to him instead and waited till he had caught up to you.
Maybe Bular wouldn't attack when there was another human around? And even if he still would, the younger boy's presence was incredibly calming.

Once Jim had reached you, you turned and began walking again, looking ahead and occasionally glancing around suspiciously.

The walk was silent but comfortable and you soon reached your own house, which stood just in the next street across from Jim and Toby's street.
The beige façade was glowing in the evening colors and for a moment you thought you saw a blue tint near the back of the house. But that must've been your imagination.
You were pretty tired already after all.

Jim followed you up to the porch and then halted, watching as you unlocked your door.
"Good night, (Y/n)," he said as you opened it and turned back around to face him.
"Thanks for walking me back. Good night, Jimbo," you responded while looking at him with a small smile.

Smiling seemed to grow more frequent with the lanky boy around.

He shifted in front of your door and then returned the smile before waving and watching you close the door. Once you were out of view, he stared at the door for a few more moments and then turned to walk back to his own home.

You let out a breath you didn't know you'd been holding when the door was closed and your shoulders slumped, a light stinging going through your left shoulder that made you wince.
Turning, you looked into the living room.
The house seemed so cold and empty in comparison to Jim's house now.
It nearly made you sad. But just nearly.

Uttering an 'Oh well', you moved your body to the bathroom on the first floor, that was just besides the kitchen.
This bathroom was larger than the one upstairs, containing a bathtub and the washing machine as well as the other necessary things like a toilet, a sink, a mirror and a small shelf in the corner of the room. It had a narrow window facing out to the backyard, although the glass was blurred so it was impossible to spy into or out of the bathroom.

Getting dressed proved to be one of the hardest tasks for you at the moment due to having to remove the sling, manoeuvre your left arm in such a manner that your shoulder wouldn't hurt while trying to get the (c/o/c) hoodie off of your body only to then get into a pajama shirt again and put the sling back on.
It took way too much time and effort and you ended up abandoning the pajama shirt altogether to stay in a simple (c/o/c) bra and shorts.
It was comfortable and helped against the warm temperatures too.

As you were now brushing your teeth, you didn't notice the movement that was visible outside of the narrow window at first.
You were too lost in thought and only realized that there was something -or someone- in your backyard when a small pebble hit the window's glass, nearly making you choke on the toothbrush, which you had jammed into the back of your throat on accident when the clack of stone against glass had caught you off guard.

Gagging and coughing into the sink until you could normally breathe again, you cleaned your foam covered face and stomped to the bathroom's window.
If this was Steve out to prank you with his oh so funny ideas, you wouldn't be able to guarantee for his safety any longer.

You quite literally swung the blurred window open, making a rather loud bang when it hit the side of the frame.
Your lungs were already filled with air, ready to be hollered out but it got caught in your throat when you were now suddenly face to face with Kanjigar.

It hadn't been a pebble that hit the glass. That had been one of his stony fingers, tapping on the window.

"Oh," he made, seeing your expression that was a mixture of anger and surprise, "I'm sorry, if I startled you, young human..." he trailed off, his yellow eyes observing you and what you were wearing. Or more precisely, the lack of what you were wearing.

It took you a moment to remember that you were practically in your underwear.

Judging by the curious look in his eyes, he hadn't had the chance to inspect the human body up close until now.
But you weren't just going to let someone stare at you in your underwear. Even if they belonged to a different species and probably didn't care if you wore layers of clothes or went in your birthday suit.

You shut the window with just as much force as you had opened it without saying a word to him.

A few moments passed, which the trollhunter used to gather himself again, and the window was reopened.
This time you had a large towel wrapped around your shoulders to cover your upper body completely.

"As I was just saying," Kanjigar picked up his words again, seemingly pretending that this kind of awkward moment hadn't happened at all -which was fine with you-,"I came here to make sure you haven't seen Bular."

You shook your head, ignoring the warmth on your face.
Why were you even embarrassed about him seeing your underwear? He was a troll, not a human and you were pretty sure troll's worked differently when it came to nudity and all that jazz.

Now that you thought about it ... How did they work?

No, no, you were getting distracted.

"Haven't seen a sign of him," you answered and leaned your good arm on the windowsill, glancing around the backyard and the forest behind the low fence.

The troll gave off a deep hum and rubbed his chin. You noticed that he wasn't wearing his armor this time.
"Bular is out for you so I believe it will be safest, if I guard your nest until he leaves you alone."

"So, that means you'll come by every night now?"

"If I can, yes."

That was pretty cool. Like having a supreme guard dog or something of the sort.
And it certainly made you feel much safer too.

Looking at him and trying to catch his gaze, which was moving around the backyard like yours had just a moment ago, you wrapped the blanket around you a tad tighter.
"Do you," you began, unsure whether you should ask or not, "do you think you can teach me more about trolls?"

The blue-skinned troll finally shifted his yellow eyes to meet your (e/c) eyes and it seemed like he was thinking about it for a few seconds.
You were pretty sure he was trying his best to keep you out of all this mythic stuff but it was a bit too late for that.
After all, you were already in neck deep.
Might as well know what would try to come and kill you every night now.

"Fine," the broad troll sighed out, seeing your pleading look. He believed humans called that 'the puppy eyes'.
"But only a little each night. You humans need sleep."

You couldn't help the grin that took over your lips as you nodded eagerly.
About time he continued his explanation.

Kanjigar took a seat in the soft grass of your backyard and you got comfortable on the windowsill.

Then, your first lesson on trollish lore began.

It was far from your last lesson and yet Kanjigar would never be able to finish teaching you completely.