A/N: Just a little 'having fun' story to laugh. There will be two short chapters. (probablyxD)
Enjoy it ;)
Jim yawned awkwardly, stretching his tired arms into the air, as he and Tobes strode through the trollmarket. The young trollhunter had been through an ordeal of a training session with Blinky, which he never had before in this severity. And of course, he was tired beyond comprehension right now. If it wasn't for Tobes, who held him up right, he would probably just slam onto the ground, falling asleep right then and there.
„Owww...everything hurts..." he groaned, using Tobes shoulder to steady himself.
„After almost being crushed by one of the platforms and nearly sliced by the sharp blades, I'd say that, too..." Toby said, with a sympathetic look on his face, patting his best friends shoulder. Though he couldn't resist to grin.
„I think I'll feel that tomorrow." Jim grumbled and yawned again, when his eyes suddenly fall upon something on the ground near them.
Curiosity struck him at once and he leaped forward, all tiredness almost vanished.
„Tobes, look!" he bent down. But just before he could grab it, Toby jerked him back at his turtleneck with a little to much force that left him stumbling backwards and into the nearest wall.
„What the hell?" Jim exclaimed, slightly annoyed and definitely confused.
„Dude! Don't just touch something that's on the ground!" the chubby teen snapped exasperated, waving his hands dramatically in the air.
„Tobes, I'm way beyond that age by now." Jim grunted, crossing his arms. „It could be cursed, for all we know!" Toby imitated the gesture of crossing his arms and squinting at his friend.
The young trollhunter just let out an amused snort. „And I thought I'm the paranoide one." he shook his head in amusement, shrugging of Toby's concerns and leaning back down to grab the shining little object. Viewing it closer, it was a plain, small ring with a shining green gem in it.
„It's beautiful." Jim whispered in a low, admiring voice, looking at the ring from all angles.
„You think Claire would like it?" without a second thought...or Toby trying to stop him, he slipped the ring on his index finger. It fitted perfectly.
„You really should take it off again, Jim. It is definitely cursed." Toby really seemed uneased with this, stepping back a few steps.
„Oh, come on, Tobes. What could possibly go wrong?" since he never knew what happened with the cursed box, Bagdwella had given them to deliver - which Jim had passed on to Toby and Claire - he wasn't really aware of the severe consequences of a cursed object. For him, it was just a plain ring, which he would love to show to Claire.
Toby looked at his best friend, agape.
„Seriously? You just happen to find a ring in Trollmarket oh, and 'surprise' it fits a human hand?" Toby gestured to his own small, chubby fingers, what made Jim snort again.
„Not all Trolls have large hands. It's fine. Trust me." Jim put an asureing hand on his friends shoulder, right before he turned around, making his way back to the entrance of trollmarket.
„Hmpf. Don't say I didn't warn you." the stoud teen almost grumbled in annoyance, but followed Jim anyways.
As they had descended the crystal staircase, reaching the top, Jim waited on the last crystal for Tobes to open the portal which lead unter the Arcadia Oaks main bridge.
But suddenly, a loud cracking noise tensed the boy up. He looked down to his feet, just to see the crack in the crystal right beneath him. The same moment, he lost the ground underneath. With a terrified yelp, Jim leaped forward as his balance was thrown of by the crumbling piece of crystal underneath his feet and clinged on to the edge, his feet now dangling dangerously into the deep below. Toby screamed in horror and surprise at the same time, but nevertheless flung his chubby body forward, grabbing Jim's wrists not a second to soon. „Hold on! I've got ya!" Toby almost yelled, strained with the effort to pull his best friend from certain doom and onto the save perimeters of the solid stone ground. Jim, lying flat on his stomach, while Toby was on his back, they both huffed in exhaustion.
„You almost hit rock bottom...literally!" barked Toby, not really sounding mad but there was the faint sound of fear in his voice.
„Thanks...Tobes..." Jim still panted slightly when he pushed himself off the ground to look at the crystal, that was now missing a huge chunk on the side.
„Well...that happened." he mumbled.
He heard his friend snort in disbelief. „THIS does not just happen!" he yapped furiously, pointing feverishly to the ring on Jim's hand.
„Those crystal don't break with a noodle like you on top!"
Jim raised his eyebrows.
„I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or not." he almost chuckled in amusement of Toby's exaggerated reaction.
Back to his feet, Jim dusted of his pants and blue sweater, before he turned to look at Toby. „Come on, it was just a coincidence." the teen grabbed the Hornganzle and finished the portal.
Soon after, they were on the way back home.
„I told you, it's cursed. Just take the damn thing off already." insisted Toby all the while they were walking side by side, until the taller one turned to his friend, his back, towards the empty street.
„And I told you it's not." Jim let out a sigh. He still was pretty sure it was just a coincident, tho' it actually got him thinking a little. Besides, it wasn't like he didn't wanted to take the ring off. Honestly. He just couldn't. He already tried while Toby wasn't looking, but the ring won't come off. It was stuck on his finger, which...on second thought...wasn't a good sign, was it?
The next moment suddenly happened so fast, none of them could've reacted to it in time.
Out of nowhere, a tire came flying towards them with great speed and with a loud 'thud', it hit Jim in the back of his head. The sheer forced smashed him face first right into the thorn bushes next to the sidewalk, leaving him almost stunted in shock. He wasn't even able to scream in surprise with the impact, but instead with the pain that followed after. He could feel the branches leaving scratches and the thornes piercing through the soft skin of his face.
Where the heck did that came from?
Toby hissed, a mixture of concern and actual amusement all the same. „Uhhg. That looked like it hurts." he flinched, tho' it wasn't really meant serious as he chuckled slightly.
„You think?" growled Jim, definitely not amused at all and especially not with the malicious joy Toby's having.
„Help me out!"
With a little effort, the smaller teen pulled his friend out of the bushes, but couldn't stop himself from almost toppling over with laughter, seeing Jim's face, thornes still stuck in some places. He looked like he hugged a hedgehog way to close.
Trying to calm himself down, Toby stifle his laughter and without hesitation, he picked one of the thornes and pulled it out. Jim flinched. „Ow!" The thrones were just deep enough that it would hurt, but not bleed when pulled out, but Toby somehow seemed satisfied about it anyways. Probably a payback for not listening to him about the ring.
„Nope...still not cursed. Just an accident." Jim muttered, flinching again as Toby picked another thorne. Tho' the flying tire does seemed odd, even for their standards.
„If you say so." and another one leaving him flinch, a quiet whine left Jim's throat.
In the end, Toby removed 6 thorns from Jim's skin.
„My face feels sore..." the teen mumbled, rubbing his skin gently.
„Seriously. Where the hell came that tire from?" Jim looked around. As he listened carefully, he could hear a siren in the neighborhood. Maybe a car accident down the street?
The boy sighed and both started moving again.
It wasn't to long, until they finally reached home. Tho' Jim protested against it, Toby insisted upon accompany him inside the house, just to make sure.
The second they opened the front door, Barbara shot at them, gleaming with concern and anger because her son was way too late. But right before she could breath in the air she would need to shout at them, she halted her breath, finally realizing the bruises and scratches on Jim's face.
„Honey!" she leaped forward, taking his face between her hands, examine him carefully. All her fury vanished in an instant as her motherly instinct of protection kicked in. „What happened?" she looked terrified, worried, to say the least and she glanced at Toby for a moment, before Jim could explain. This might be the first time, since he started being the trollhunter, that he didn't had to lie, why he was hurt.
„I got hit by a flying tire and got knocked into a thorn bush." tho' as he said it, he noticed, it sounded as unbelievable as fighting trolls. Slight embarrassment flooded over his already red face and he found his feet suddenly being much more interesting.
Barbara looked aghast, obviously confused.
„A flying tire?"
She shook her head in disbelief, nevertheless worried. „Sit down, I'll get the disinfectant." with that, she turned around and ran up the stairs, while Jim found his place on the large couch, Toby standing in front of him, smirking wildly.
„You still think it's not cursed?" he crossed his arms. It was obvious that he enjoyed being right with the ring.
„Yes, I do. It was just an...accident." although, he wasn't so sure himself anymore.
„Seriously. Just take it off." Toby demanded, much more serious now.
„I...can't. It won't come off." Jim lifted his hand, showing the ring. Toby's look was getting stern.
Without a warning, he grabbed Jim's hand and tried pulling the ring off of the finger.
Of course it didn't budge.
Toby grunted unamused. „I'll get that thing off of ya, don't you worry."
The next thing Jim knew, was Toby almost ripping out his arm, when he tried to pull with both hands now. Jim yelped in pain as his friend yanked at the ring, which only resolutes in yanking HIM off the couch and stretching his muscles, bones and skin to an extent where it really started to hurt.
„Come on, come on! Almost!" Toby said through gritted teeth and without another thought he lifted his foot into Jim's face (without actually noticing it) to keep him on the couch, tearing further at the ring.
The taller teen yelled in surprise and pain, more than just a little confused what the heck Toby was doing, waving his free arm in the direction of the other teen. „S-stop it! Stop!" he gasped.
Finally noticing his doings, Toby stopped in his motion, laughing nervously, as he retreated his foot from Jim's face. „Ehehehe...sorry." he laughed awkwardly and rubbing the back of his head, while Jim rubbed his now even more sore muzzle, shooting a glance at his friend.
In the corner of his eye, Jim saw his mother rushing down the stairs and she came to a halt in front of him. A confused look appeared on her face, as she realized the red shoe print on her son's face.
„Wh...How?" she knew it must be Toby's, but the reason escaped her obviously.
Toby laughed nervously and backed away to the front door again.
„He-he-he, well, I'm off. See ya tomorrow Jimbo. Good night, Dr. L." and he was gone.
Barbara looked her son up who just waved a hand.
„Don't ask."
Happy to hear your thoughts on this one :D