There was something to be said for working at a small, family-owned establishment like the Benbow Restaurant and Inn. The hours were flexible, the staff small and friendly, and the crowds were a good size. Jim had heard horror stories about the dinner rush at chain restaurants that his friends had worked at over the years, but even on a Friday night the crowd at the Benbow was manageable at worst. Regulars filled most of the tables, along with some families of tourists and the occasional single diner. So, overall, Jim was expecting a calm night. He was even hoping to finish up some his homework from his online classes early so he could spend the rest of the weekend with his best friend without worrying about any extra work.
But no. Said best friend had to burst in through the back door at half past eight with a wide grin and a spark in her blue eyes that usually meant trouble.
"Jim!" Ariel called out, ignoring Silver's fond chuckle as she ducked her head through the kitchen pass-through so she could lean into the dining room, waving wildly. Sighing, Jim set the entrees in front of the family he was serving with an apologetic smile before turning and giving the young woman a stern look. She wasn't phased by his expression (which Jim knew for a fact could scare most of his mother's part-time staff members into terrified compliance) and continued to wave harder, motioning for him to join her.
Jim rolled his eyes and silently began counting to ten. He smiled at the family again, who had all started in on their meals, and dismissed himself with a polite "Enjoy your food." He ignored the knowing smiles of the regular customers as he passed, focusing only on the redhead whose smile was growing brighter with every step closer to her.
"What in the actual hell are you doing, Ar," Jim hissed as soon as he was out of earshot, trying his best to sound pissed. It was hard to stay mad at Ariel Syreina on normal days, but after being separated by thousands of miles for the past three months, it was exceptionally difficult. The heady relief of being able to be in the same room as her again was still throwing him off, and he wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to find the floor until she left again in two months.
"It's a Friday," Ariel said with an impish grin. She rested her weight on her forearms, leaning closer to Jim's frowning face. Skype had never done a very good job at relaying the exact, endless blue of Ariel's eyes, and Jim had to fight not to get lost in them as she came closer.
"Very astute."
"It's a Friday and the whole gang is back in town for the first time in a year, Jim."
"Again, very well done. You are a regular Sherlock."
Ariel sighed, glaring as a grin began to grow on Jim's lips. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked flatly, and Jim nodded.
"It's nice to be able to see your reactions in person again when I'm being wholly uncooperative and frustrating. I missed that satisfied feeling of knowing I've done my job well," he responded with a wide grin, leaning against the wall with one hip. "Now, what are you trying to get at?"
Ariel reached through the pass-through and hit the heel of her hand gently against Jim's forehead. "I was trying to say that we should all go out tonight!" she said with a wide grin. "Milo's plane came in this morning, so everyone is back in Marceline! Aladdin suggested heading to the Springs and hitting one of the clubs down there, and I thought now would be a good time to catch up before we all get swept up into whatever summer plans our families have." Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth, and Jim silently cursed everything. "You in?" she asked hopefully.
"Sorry, Ar," Jim said, frowning. "I told my mom I'd help out tonight. It's just me and Ben, and you know what he's like when he has to take the whole floor by himself." The smile dropped from Ariel's face, and Jim's stomach followed. "I have the whole weekend free, though! We can catch up then!"
Ariel's head was shaking before he even finished speaking. "Jasmine's dad wants to take her to visit some family in Agrabah so she has to spend the whole day renewing her travel papers and packing, and Jane has counsellor training at the zoo all weekend," she explained. "Besides, I think Aladdin would mutiny if he was forced to sit through our annual Star Wars marathon."
"Well, fuck Aladdin, frankly."
"If I'd known you were trying, I would have set you two up ages ago."
Jim's spluttered reply was cut off by Silver's loud snort of laughter, and both young adults turned to look at the cook where he stood over the range. "Ah, Ms. Ariel, I always forget how much I missed ya' until yer back," he said with a crooked grin, and Ariel smiled sunnily back in response. "Now, Jimbo, why don't ya just go with yer friends? It ain't a big crowd tonight, we can handle ourselves."
"We've got sixteen tables full right now," Jim said with a frown, nudging Ariel gently to the side with his shoulder so he could talk to the cook through the pass-through. "You know Ben's limit is ten."
"Can't your mom help?" Ariel asked, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"She worked the morning rush and had to cover for Mrs. Potts this afternoon, she's probably dead to the world right now," Jim replied. He tried not to focus on how he could feel his best friend's warm breath on his ear and neck, and failed miserably. Silver shot him a knowing look, and Jim's lip pulled up in a silent snarl of warning.
Ariel sighed, letting her head fall so her temple was resting against his cheek. "So that's a no, then." Jim opened his mouth to offer his apologies, but there was a loud "Pardon me!" from one of his tables, and he sighed.
"Duty calls," he said, setting the tray down by the wall and patting Ariel's hand. "I'll be back, 'kay?"
"M'kay," she said gently in response, and Jim could feel her eyes on his back like a physical weight as he left. It wasn't like he didn't want to see all of his friends from high school, especially since they had all taken off after graduation to different parts of the country while he stayed in Marceline. It was hard to keep in contact with all of them between shifts at the inn and his own classes at the community college - hell, Jim hadn't had an actual conversation with Jasmine since she left last summer - and he was eager to see them all. But his responsibilities to his family came first, and he couldn't just leave mid-shift. Jim nodded at Ben as he passed the older man, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as he went to deal with the elderly couple that had called on him.
After giving all of his tables refills and making sure they all had everything they needed, Jim made his way back to the window where Ariel was still perched; tapping away quickly on her phone as she chewed on her bottom lip. "Stop that, you'll bite your lip off one of these days," he reprimanded gently, placing his thumb just under the curve of her lip and pulling down. He ignored her pout at him as he turned to check on Silver. "You doin' alright back here, Silver?"
"Doin' as fine as I always am when ya' ask me that, Jimbo," Silver said with a roll of his eyes. "I told ya, we can handle this. Go out! Be sociable for once, ya damn recluse."
"I'm not ditching half-way through the dinner rush," Jim said with a frown. "My mom would murder me. Also, not a recluse."
"When's the last time you went out?" Ariel asked, blue eyes peeking out from under long sweeps of red hair. Jim stayed silent, attempting to ignore the way heat flooded to his cheeks as Ariel's smirk grew the longer the quiet stretched on. "Impressive," she mocked with a grin.
"Forget Aladdin, fuck you, Ariel."
Her expression didn't change except to stick her tongue out, though Jim could have sworn her cheeks looked darker behind the hair that covered them. "Only after you take me out for that moonlit dinner you promised me, handsome" she said with a wink.
"I'm not dignifying that with a response," Jim said dryly, picking up his tray again as Silver quickly plated the food he had finished cooking and handed it to the younger man to take to the table. "You can tell everyone they can come to the inn if they want to, I'm probably going to be here until clos-hey!"
Jim stumbled back as the tray full of food was taken from his hands. Fearing the worst - even though it had been years since Jim had dropped anything while on the clock - he spun to see what had happened and was met by the stern gaze of Amelia Doppler. Jim immediately snapped his heels together, standing at attention as his godmother looked him over with a critical eye. Her eyes softened when she looked to his left to see the young woman sitting in the kitchen, small mouth pulling into a smile.
"Ms. Syreina," she greeted, "I had heard you were back in town. How's your father doing?" She allowed Jim to take the tray back from her hands, but the look she gave him made it clear that he was not to move from his spot until she spoke to him.
"Very well, ma'am," Ariel responded with a smile. "How're the kids?"
"Missing their favorite babysitter, but faring well enough with your replacement," Amelia said, nodding her head towards an affronted-looking Jim.
"Excuse me!?"
Ariel's laughter bubbled out of her, and again, Jim was finding it hard to stay mad. "I'll be sure to come by and visit, then!"
"Good woman. Now," Amelia said, turning to regard Jim with a stern frown, "what is happening here?"
"Nothing, Cap'n," Jim said at the same time that Ariel chirped "I'm trying to sneak Jim away, but his pesky morals are getting in the way." Amelia hummed in thought as Jim shot Ariel an annoyed glare, to which the redhead just responded with a shrug.
"I see. Mr. Hawkins, deliver that food while I discuss a few things with Ms. Syreina, if you will," Amelia said, her tone leaving no room for arguments. Jim sighed through his nose before heading back onto the dining floor, giving Ariel one last Look and mouthing "Behave".
"Maybe," she mouthed back, grinning, and Jim's heart skipped several beats.
That was another downside to Ariel going to school in Miami instead of closer by, Jim found himself thinking as he delivered the food to the different tables. His tolerance to her more-endearing traits was totally shot, and it'd take him at least another week or two to try to build it back up.
Until then, he was stuck losing his breath every time she so much as looked in his general direction. When he had gone to pick her up from the airport the day before, he had nearly fallen over when he saw her again for the first time, waiting by the luggage pick-up and looking more impossibly beautiful than any one person had the right to. By the time he had rehinged his jaw and unstuck his tongue from the top of his mouth, she had already noticed him and was racing over to tackle him in a tight hug, her smile bright and blinding.
He hadn't seen her again since dropping her and her luggage off at her father's large manor, at least not until she showed up at the Benbow, and Jim silently cursed his weak will regarding everything Ariel. If his mother hadn't already turned in for the night, trusting her son and long-time employees to take care of themselves, he would have resorted to near begging if it meant spending the night with Ariel and his other friends.
But he couldn't, Jim reminded himself as he came back to where Amelia and Ariel had their heads bent together, he was just going to have to be an adult and suck it up.
"The idea of you two plotting together is blood-chilling," he said as he traded his tray for the busing bin, "just thought you should know."
"And the mere sight of you can produce the same effect," Ariel shot back dryly, and Jim laughed. When he looked back up, she was smiling at him in a way that made his heart feel heavy in his chest. He stared for a few moments, trying to get blood pumping through the sluggish organ again, when he felt the thing he had a hold on get taken from his grasp for the second time. This time, he was greeted by the sight of Ben hobbling away with the bucket, whistling a happy tune to himself as he started to collect the dirty dishes from the emptied tables.
"Ben, man, I've got it-" Jim called after him, arm outstretched towards the other waiter and eyebrows furrowed in worry, but Amelia's strong grip on his shoulder stopped him.
"Let him do his job, Jim," she said, and the use of his first name was enough to make him turn back and focus on her. "Now, I want you to finish up with your current tables, and when you're done, you are to clock out for the night." Jim's eyes flew open comically as Ariel and Silver both began to cheer in the kitchen.
"Wh- wait, what? I can't just leave-"
"You can, and will," Amelia said with a quirked eyebrow. "I admire your desire to stay and see your commitments through, but I'm sure your mother won't mind so long as someone else takes your spot." Jim was about to ask who, but Amelia was already pulling her short hair back from her face, and he felt his eyes go wider.
"Cap', I can't ask you to-"
"You're not asking, I'm telling," she said with a frown and a quirk of her eyebrow that meant their conversation was over. "I'll remind you that I have worked several shifts here-"
"While on maternity leave, which I'm still amazed didn't cause Delbert to have a heart attack."
"-And I am more than prepared to handle the last dredges of your dinner rush." His godmother's eyes softened, and she gripped his shoulder gently. "You deserve a break," Amelia said slowly, as if it were a difficult concept for Jim to grasp. "Your mother tells me your grades have been exemplary this past semester, and I know you've been putting in extra hours here whenever you can. Act like the twenty year-old you are for once and go enjoy an evening out with your friends."
"Here here!" Silver cheered, lifting his spatula in the air.
Jim's mouth worked silently against protests he couldn't find words for, eyebrows furrowed. His eyes darted to Ariel, who was still leaning eagerly through the pass-through to listen for the verdict, and she smiled at him hopefully. Her small, silent "Please" was all he needed to make up his mind, and he sighed.
"You're all awful, and I hate you," he said flatly. Amelia simply patted his shoulder with a pleased smirk and Ariel was practically vibrating with excitement. "It'll probably be another twenty minutes before I can go. Do you need to go home for anything, Ar?"
The redhead shook her head, holding up her trusted red messenger bag. "Got everything I need right here!" she chirped, beaming.
"Then I'm going to need you to get out of the kitchen, young lady," Amelia said firmly. "You have too much hair to be that close to where we prepare food."
"Aw, it's no problem, Cap'n," Silver reassured with an easy grin as Ariel sheepishly slid off the counter with a muttered apology. "I don't get near enough visitors back here in me humble kitchen."
"Which is probably for health reasons," Amelia said flatly. As the two of them began their familiar back-and-forth, Jim slid away to meet up with Ariel at the door between the kitchen and dining room. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet, smiling brightly, and Jim shook his head fondly.
"Yeah, yeah, you win this one," he said with a smirk, gently pushing her face away from him. She laughed giddily, ducking under his arm until she was pressed against his side, slinging her arm around his waist. Jim let his arm fall around her shoulders, allowing himself to squeeze her close for a heartbeat. Ariel hummed happily, smiling up at him.
"I missed you," she said easily, like she was telling him "The sky is blue" or "Water is wet". Jim's heart skipped several beats, and he was worried that with her head so close to his neck she'd be able to see his pulse jump.
"Missed you too, Ar," he murmured, smiling softly into her hair. They stood like that for several moments, two friends tucked into each other like two parts of a whole, and Jim felt the loss of her like an actual ache when he took a step back. "The key to the in-law suite is still hidden in the same spot," he told her, "if you want to wait up there. You can get ready in my bathroom, just be quiet. My mom should be sleeping."
"Oh man, I haven't seen your mom in ages," Ariel said. "Did I even get a chance to say hi when I was here that weekend for Spring Break?"
"I distinctly remember both of you griping because you kept missing each other by mere minutes," Jim said with a fond shake of his head. "But seriously, try not to wake her up. She's been up since five, and you two have all summer to catch up."
"Aye aye, Captain," Ariel said with a mock salute, grinning at him and bumping her hip against his before skipping out of the room. Jim watched her go, rubbing his jaw with his broad palm as he tried to smother the goofy grin he knew was on his face.
"Aww, it's always nice when Ariel visits," Ben said, his loud voice startling Jim so badly that he had to bite back a scream. "You two going on a date?"
"Ben!" Jim hissed, turning so that the older man could see his annoyed expression and read his lips. "We aren't dating!"
"Yet," Amelia called from the kitchen, Silver roaring with laughter.
"Seriously, Jimbo, ya've been pining after that girl since you were, what, fourteen?" he said with a mischievous grin.
"Fifteen, I believe," Amelia added, and Jim could feel his cheeks starting to burn.
"Too long, either way," Silver continued. He pointed his trusty spatula at the flustered young man, grinning. "You have two months to ask her out, boy'o, or we're doin' it for ya."
Jim's stomach dropped to his feet. "You wouldn't dare."
Silver's grin just grew wider.
Jim spent the rest of his shortened shift avoiding Ben's questions about his "girlfriend" and Amelia and Silver's knowing smirks. If the thought of Ariel and Amelia plotting together was blood-chilling, then those two were capable of making his blood stop in his veins altogether. The regular customers he was serving all seemed to find the situation very amusing, and even pinched his cheek with a coo about "young love" and left him an extra twenty dollars with his tip for his night out with Ariel.
His predicted twenty minutes ended up being closer to forty, but he still wasn't ready when Amelia shoved him out the back door, tips from the night clutched in his hand, and pointed him towards the garage and the apartment that sat over it. The Benbow Inn was actually an old family home that his mother had received from his paternal grandmother when she passed a year or two after Jim had been born. Having no need for a home that large and not wanting to the let the property go to waste, his mother had turned the four story manor into a small inn, the bottom floor into a restaurant, and the in-law suite that sat over the garage became the Hawkins' family abode. Jim tried not to think about how much more room there was in that small, two room apartment after his father left.
Shoving his tips in his back pocket, Jim quietly made his way up the stairs. Ariel had put the key back to where it was taped under the porch ledge, but thankfully, the door was still unlocked when he tried the handle. He walked in to find most of the lights in the kitchen on, and Ariel and his mother Sarah sitting at the small counter, both holding mugs and talking with smiles on their faces.
Jim's stomach felt like it had gotten yanked from where it was chilling out by his feet right to his throat.
"Oh, there you are Jim!" Sarah said with a smile, waving her son over to join them. "You didn't tell me Ariel was coming over tonight."
"I didn't know until she was already here," he said, trying not to let the dread show on his face. He'd been trying to keep his mom and Ariel from being left alone in the same room for a while now, and the sparkle in his mom's eyes told him that not only had his desperate plot been figured out, but it was a hopeless endeavor. "I thought you were sleeping?"
"I was, but this one woke me up when she was trying to raid our fridge," Sarah said, playfully tapping the back of Ariel's hand. The younger woman had the good sense to look sheepish, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"Sorry, I really did try to keep quiet," she said, and Jim sighed.
"It's fine," he groaned. "I guess Ariel told you what the plan is for the night?" he asked his mom, and Sarah nodded.
"Of course, and I'm fine with it, dear. Thank you for trying to stay, but Amelia is right! You need a break."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Jim muttered, shaking his head as he made his way towards the fridge. He grabbed a water bottle from the door, taking a long swig before wiping his chin with the back of his hand. "Anything else you need before I go get ready?"
Sarah tapped her bottom lip with her thumb, thinking. "I don't think so? Just text me when you get there safely and when you're heading home. Or if you end up staying with someone let me know, so I don't worry when I wake up and you're gone."
"If anyone's staying the night, it'd probably be me," Ariel said with a laugh. "Annual Star Wars marathon is tomorrow."
"That's tomorrow?" Sarah said with a bright smile. "Well, I'll be sure to leave some extra money for snacks on the counter for you two, then."
"Mom, you don't have-"
"Oh hush, I want to. Now, go take a shower, young man," his mother said dismissively, grinning playfully. "I want a few more minutes to catch up with my favorite child."
Jim threw his hands up in the air, groaning loudly. "Did I miss some memo or something!?" he asked, gesturing wildly. "Is it 'Make Fun of Jim' day and I forgot to mark my calendar?"
"Every day is 'Make Fun of Jim' day, dear," Sarah said with a grin while Ariel laughed.
"Every day but Thursdays and bank holidays," she added, and Jim stormed down the hallway while their laughter rang through the apartment, grumbling the whole way.
He showered and got dressed quickly, not wanting to leave Ariel alone with his mother for too long. Silver's threat of telling Ariel about Jim's feelings was not a new one where his mother was concerned. As much as his relationship with his mother had improved in the past several years he did not want Sarah Hawkins to be the one to start the whole "I've been in love with you since I was old enough to know what that feeling was" conversation.
Just… Just no.
Pulling on the closest thing he had to "club-appropriate apparel" - Jasmine's words, not his -, Jim stepped into the main room of the apartment braced for the worst. But his mother had apparently gone back to bed, and Ariel was left alone to relax into their old, worn-down couch. "I missed this couch," she said with a happy sigh when she saw him come in the room, and Jim smiled despite himself.
"More or less than you missed me?" he teased, grin slowly falling as Ariel actually took the time to think over her answer.
"Hmm…"
"You're awful," Jim groaned, letting himself fall over the arm of the couch so that he was laying on his back and his head was almost in his friend's lap. Ariel laughed, brushing some of his wet bangs out of the way so she could lean over and see his eyes.
"I missed you more, goofball," she said with a fond smile, and Jim grinned up at her in response. Her fingers twitched against his temple and Jim could have sworn her cheeks had gone pink again, but in the next moment she was looking up at the door and her hand was gone. "I texted Jas and Al to let them know we'd meet them by the bridge between the shopping and entertainment districts," she said, pushing her own bangs back. "That sound good to you?"
"Yeah, as long as Aladdin doesn't try to drag us into another one of those 'special, alternative' clubs again," Jim replied while pulling a face. "You're all lucky you're getting me out at all."
"Oh please, you like dancing." Ariel rolled her eyes and grinned, poking his chest.
"Dancing, sometimes," Jim shot back. "Crowds that big and that much noise? Almost never. But you've already managed to turn my whole family against me, so I guess there's no getting out of it." Ariel simply hummed back in response, tapping the end of his nose and smiling slyly. "Don't look at me like that, it's not becoming."
"I'm always becoming."
"... I'm not gonna touch that, and I just want you to imagine Aladdin's laughter instead," Jim said with a smirk, and was promptly shoved off the couch. "Ow!?"
"You earned that," Ariel responded with a roll of her eyes, grinning as she stood from the couch. "Now come on, we have to go pick up Jane and Milo."
"Oh god, you're not driving, are you!?"
"Watch it, Hawkins, the couch is looking more and more like my favorite."
Jim couldn't help himself. He was just so happy that she was back and that it was possible to annoy her enough that she would give him the look she was giving him now that laughter began to flow out of him from deep in his chest. Ariel was probably giving him a weird look and questioning his sanity, but as he curled up on his side and tried to muffle his laughter so as to not wake his mother again, he found he didn't care so much.
After what felt like several minutes of very therapeutic laughing, Jim rolled onto his back and looked up to see Ariel smiling brilliantly at him. Her hair fell in long curtains around her face, tickling his chest from where she leaned over him, and his heart made a pitiful thud.
"You're ridiculous," she said fondly, holding out her hand.
"After a decade of friendship, I had hoped you'd already figured that out," Jim responded with a shrug. Taking her hand, he let her pull him up to his feet again and threw his arm around her shoulder, laughing at her squeak of shock. "Come on, I'll drive," he said, nudging her shoulder with his own before letting her go so he could grab the keys to his beat-up Ford. Shoving his ID and the cash he had separated from his tips for the night into his back pocket, Jim turned to find Ariel still standing by the couch, hair covering her face.
"Ar, you okay?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing together in concern. Ariel seemed to jolt on the spot, turning to look at him with wide eyes and a big, nervous smile.
"Y-yeah, I'm great!" she said with a strained laugh. "Just, um, remembering I need to text my dad once we get in the car."
Jim winced in sympathy. "Yikes, that should be fun."
"Oh, loads."
Jim headed towards the door, stopping only to offer Ariel his hand with a crooked smile. "Come on, might as well get this over with," he said, and she huffed in playful annoyance, blowing some of her bangs out of her face.
"Be still my beating heart," she replied dryly. "You must make all the ladies swoon with that lovely attitude of yours." She tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow, pressing herself against his arm.
"Unfortunately for you," Jim said as they walked towards the door, "you happen to be the only lady that matters."
"I'm telling Jane and Jasmine you said that."
"You're one of three ladies that matter."
Ariel's laughter echoed in the apartment long after Jim had closed and locked the door after him, both young adults smiling widely and grateful for the dark that hid the way their cheeks were flushed with red.
I should really be working on something else, but this is what came out instead. I've shipped these two nerds fo s, but this is the first fic I'm posting for them!
This is going to be a four-part fic, with Jim and Ariel trading off POVs. I'm really excited to see if this gets any reception (to my Gajevy followers, sorry not sorry loves), and depending on how this one goes I may be posting a longer au when this is finished. I'm not sure when I'm going to update next, but hopefully a Vows update will come first lol.
Thanks to everyone who checked this out, and thank you in advance to anyone who chooses to review or like this fic! You guys are the best!
As an early 'Thank you', here's some extra headcanons about the Benbow and the staff that my roommate and I came up with!
- Ben is 34 in this au, and hard of hearing. He's partially deaf in both ears, and wears hearing aids most of the time in order to function at the restaurant. He keeps them turned down pretty low, especially when there's a large crowd or he'll get overwhelmed. All of the full-time employees and Jim know ASL.
- Sarah got full permission from her husband's family before converting the old family house to a business, and continued to receive their support after he left her and Jim when Jim was twelve. No one else wanted to bother with the upkeep, and Sarah had a hospitality degree that was collecting dust. They will all come stay regularly over the year to visit.
- Silver was hired as a part-time chef when Jim was ten, and became the full-time chef when the other head chef quit when Sarah had to cut hours when her husband left. Silver has a prison record, and when Sarah hired him despite that (after making sure he was safe for Jim to be around), she managed to get herself a burly, sun ray of a bodyguard for her family. Silver never hesitates to defend the Hawkins family, Jim in particular, and has practically adopted them all at this point.
- Amelia is the vice-principle at Jim's old high school, and they only realized that after Delbert had already introduced them. The nickname 'Captain' came about the first time they met at a family picnic and the two were teamed up for volleyball. They totally crushed Delbert and Sarah. It was a bloodbath.
- There's a running bet on when and how Jim and Ariel are going to get together among the staff and regular patrons. has a small fortune invested in the two of them hooking up this summer.
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