Hi, this is my first story, cross-posted on AO3. It's a little drabble in an AU I created. If you guys like this and the others I'll post, I might make the main series.
"Did you ever tell him?"
Kanjigar raised his head to give the boy across from him a quizzical look. "Tell who what?"
Jim shifted on his barrel and brought his leg up to hug it close to his chest. His curious blue eyes met the Trollhunter's golden hazel, "Your son, Draal? Did you ever tell him that you're proud of him?"
He stared at the human child without any real expression on his face, causing Jim to flush with embarrassment. The boy knew that mentioning Kanjigar's family in anyway that he didn't start himself was a sure-fire way of getting him to shut down real quick. He back tracked quickly, stumbling over his words, "I mean, you always say-not always but, like, a lot, about how much he means to you and, um, stuff, and-"
"Peace, James Lake," the Trollhunter sighed. He sat back against the wall and closed his eyes. (Sometimes he could still see his beautiful son as such a small whelp, so eager to play with his often-gone father-) "No," his eyes opened to gaze out at the boy (so young, why so young, he was going to die-) and felt his heart clench. "I do not believe that I have ever told him how-proud-he makes me. He is my one joy in this world."
And only because Kanjigar was watching Jim was he able to catch the wistful expression that passed over him. Even though he managed to wipe his face clean (too young to have to know how to do that) it's still there in the tension of his body and the tightness around his eyes.
"Well," Kanjigar adds on, as if a thought had suddenly occurred to him (but this was his boy, precious child of light-) and he felt the need to share it, "not my only joy, anymore."
And because Kanjigar was watching (as he always was, ever watchful, darkness creeps-), he was hit full in the face with the light of Jim's true smile.
(And it was just for him, held next to Draal, his beloved sons.)
"And I'm so proud of you."
