Summary: Continuation of To Catch a Trollhunter Part One. Jim's life relies on Steve. Who knew someone could change and for the better.
Characters: Jim, Claire, Toby, Steve, Eli
Rating: K
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If someone were to walk up to Steve and tell him that everything he believed in was false and that he'd care for James Lake Jr. he would laugh in their face, spit on them and simply call them crazy. Why would he care for Jim Lake when throughout the span of time that he knew him, he called the boy a loser, pummeled his best friend with dodgeballs, and even threatened to fight him? Obviously, his care for Jim was barely even thought of.
Even after he and Eli -- which is another shocking piece of information, he and Eli -- had discovered Jim's secret and that Claire and Toby were in on it too, it went from seeing two nerds and a smart, popular female, to three fearless superheroes. But back to being said, even after he was starting to get in on this Trollhunting thing, being a part of the Creepslayerz, he hadn't thought he wouldn't be bullying Jim and Toby as much and find no spark of worry for them.
Until now.
Steve ran through the trees, branches scratching his face but he didn't care. He had been wearing his Creepslayerz get-up at the time, not minding the grime, or rips the clothing may obtain, but what stained his shirt, something he did in fact mind, was the splotches of blood.
Blood that was not his.
What was even more heart-racing was the fact that a pair of metal legs and arms were swinging limply as he ran. His face was dripping in sweat as he heard the heavy stomps of trolls following him.
Steve and Eli had promised they would help Jim find that creep after they ruined the mission because they had tackled him down in the middle of the street with a net and concussed him. Which, if anything, they were too far deep into the secret to back down anyway because of it.
That was definitely Eli's fault.
However, when they got into contact with Claire which started with her asking about his whereabouts, Steve and Eli responded, explaining everything. There had been some chewing out from both Claire and Toby, followed by another voice the two boys didn't recongine but didn't question, but they expected for both of them to grow angery at the situation. Those two had Jim's back as if the world was ending.
And who knew, it had the possibility to end.
Steve was slightly jealous that Jim was so cared for, something that Steve never really had, however, he paid no mind once the duo got there, telling someone else to wait in the backyard before quietly rushing into the house worry written all over their faces.
That was until Jim had woken up wanting to fight even against their wishes.
The boy was stubborn, Steve had to give him that. No matter how many times he and Claire had argued about a simple fight or not, Jim never gave up once. Even in his state, it shocked Steve that no matter what, Jim was going.
And did he make sure of it.
Jim ended up winning the argument but with his head damaged, Toby ended up babying him till they reached the woods. After nearly toppling over due to dizziness, Claire had threatened to portal him home which caused another fight and Jim had stayed, again, somehow getting through Claire and continuing to fight for he was the Trollhunter and perfectly capable too.
But this time, the stubborn idiot was wrong, he had gotten dizzy once again as his adrenaline was running low. The boy was wearing thin on energy and already struggling to breathe and was taken out very gruesomely.
And Steve, well, he was the only one around. Perfect.
Now, he held Jim in his arms, worry transforming his face as he continued to run. There were a couple of grunts from the Trollhunter as he was gently and on accident, tossed around but luckily Jim was awake.
His forehead was caked in blood and the only protection he had was, in fact, the armor and if he fell asleep, one, there was a big chance that he'd never wake up and two, the armor would vanish. This was upsetting because they had spent a hard amount of time just to try and clear the first cut on his forehead, but this time, it reopened and it was way larger in size than it had been before.
"Hold on Jim, we'll lose them," Steve muttered and silently cursed to himself. When Toby had filled in on the situation that Trolls couldn't be in the sun and Steve began to realize that is was dissipating quickly, he mentally swore. No, they wouldn't, the sun had set which had started the attack and it seemed like every minute, the Gumm-Gumms had nearly caught up to them.
If this moment wasn't so serious, I'd laugh at them for such an idiotic name. His mind wandered for a second.
Jim groaned, whimpering as he rolled his head against Steve's shoulder. Claire, Eli, and Toby have all been separated, the trolls splitting as well which didn't comfort Steve but he knew that there weren't as many trolls chasing them as he thought and perhaps he would run into the Trollhunters.
A sword whizzed past the pair, startling Steve. They were close and Jim was starting to get heavy with the armor. Steve shuttered, this was his fault. Jim was near to losing the battle of remaining awake, he had no way of reaching anyone for the matter because running for his life seemed more important than fumbling with a phone, and he had nothing but a stick to defend himself with.
Looking back, Steve's panic grew higher. There was no way to outrun them, somehow they had cut more distance between the two and he didn't know how much longer he could last before they were caught. However, as determination flooded through him, his eyes narrowed, and looked back at the Trolls. No matter what he chose, he'd still have to fight and the time was now, it was something he couldn't back down from.
Like Eli had warned him countless amount of times, it was too late to back out.
Steve quickly dashed to the right, laying Jim against a thick tree before arming himself with the stick he had been managing to keep a hold on during the chase. "Hold on Jim, I'm going to show these buttsnacks that they messed with the wrong man!"
Jim groaned, blinking his eyes quickly as he tried to regain focus. He had taken one look at Steve before glancing behind the blonde brute. In a flash, his arm reached for his thigh blades before he weakly tossed them at a troll, managing a strike and instantly turning the beast to stone.
Steve was shocked, and clearly, his face didn't plan on hiding it. However, there was no time to react over something like this and somehow make sure that he and Jim made this out alive and it was nothing easy especially since the Trollhunter, the only one who can really kill them, could barely keep his eyes open.
If anything, Steve could at least say he had one form of a weapon. Hit a stick hard enough, it could do a decent amount of damage, as long as it was thick enough. Luckily, the one that Steve was dragging around was a decent one, so he hadn't failed just yet.
His eyes set on the four trolls cornering him, the fire burning within him raged. He let out a loud battle cry, his eyes forming into a glare.
And then he swung.
----
Damn it, Jim. Claire cursed, jumping through another portal. She had been trying to track her idiotic friend who decided to run off with a head injury. Sadly, she hadn't found him after leaping in and out of portals so he had to be on the move. She had got distracted and cornered by numerous trolls, letting the Trollhunter escape her line of sight.
They had been close to the location of the spy, chasing him down like a pack of wolves. The victory was cut short when trolls swarmed them the moment they set foot in the woods as if they were purposely lead here.
They had chased the spy until he hid in a small cave, with no chance of escaping them. So, the win was believable until numerous groups of Gumm-Gumms seemd to arrive. Thankfully Toby and Eli had kept moving in the direction of the cave while the rest were held back.
The last time Claire had checked if Jim was still okay, he had been slicing at them, managing a few hits but his footing was becoming unstable. Then she had looked away when a Gumm-gumm nearly took her head off. She was so distracted that she hadn't noticed Steve jumping in, only for Jim to be knocked to his feet and not get back up. Next thing she knew, the pair was gone in a flash and so were half of the trolls that cornered them.
Her head became dizzy after her tenth portal jump, she ended up against a thick rock as she caught her breath, the staff laying beside her. She was getting better with the staff but the amount of emotion that she poured into it had drained her. Her arms ached from the fight, muscles burning until it all became numb.
You need to find Jim and Steve. Her mind reminded her, her focus back on her friend and the state she had seen him in.
With a heavy breath, she pushed herself up to the ground. She couldn't stop now, she had to find her friends and help them. She should have put up a better argument when Jim fought to stay. No matter what she said, he never backed down. It was as if she was having a one-sided conversation. He was a hopeless cause sometimes.
Opening one more portal, she winced and hopped through, her mind echoing one name repeatedly and she'd be damned if she couldn't find him.
---
Steve didn't know how long he had been swinging helplessly with the stick. He wasn't even paying close attention, his mind filled with rage as he stood in front of Jim, hitting the trolls who had dared to advance. Granted, he wasn't armed properly but he managed to dodge the blows.
The trolls moved slowly, their pace was lacking and Steve knew they were losing energy, if that was posbbile, or they were just stupid. He knew he would pass out any second but he refused too, he had to keep fighting so then when Jim was better, he could use this against him. That was until his stick had been chopped, their swords slicing through it like warm butter.
He let out a gasp as his eyes looked at the stick which was barely three inches. "Oh no," he mumbled. Deciding there was nothing else but to accept his fate, he ran toward the limp Trollhunter, which had been the focus of a certain guard who rose his weapon, ready to take the blow. Steve leaped to the ground, his body quickly covering Jim's, and his eyes squeezing shut, waiting for the blow to take his and Jim's life.
Yet, the blow never came, instead furious grunts were heard, loud thuds met Steve's ears and his body tensed. As the noises went silent, he hesitantly opened his eyes, turning to meet a raging Claire who was letting out heavy breaths, her eyes narrowed at the swords and unconscious Trolls.
Steve couldn't hide the fact that he shivered when Claire's piercing gaze met him. He had never seen this side of her. He hasn't seen any of them like this! He had felt like he was inside a dream, yet, no matter how many times he pinched himself in order to wake up from this haunting dream, he could only feel the pain, the exhaustion, the shock, and he could hear his headache as he kept thinking.
All proof that this wasn't some idea from his twisted imagination.
The girl stomped over, gently pushing Steve away as her eyes softened, her hands lifting to hold Jim's face, his blue eyes fluttering open and a weak smile formed on his lips. He mumbled a small inaudible "Claire," and she instantly reached for him. Her body shook as Steve stood to the side.
Claire's anger had vanished at the sight of him, only to raise once he was feeling better. She had barely made it, finding Steve giving up. She knew if Steve was the only one on his feet, kicking trolls in their gronk nuts, then Jim was definitely out of commission and it worried her.
Her tight grip on Jim was proof that she had been so close.
Her head turned towards Steve, the bully no longer had a tough stance, instead, his back was slouched, his hand holding his leg that seemed to be bruised and swollen. He had fought hard and she couldn't even be mad at the boy which was shocking, to say the least.
Glancing at Jim who had gone completely slack, her panic arose. His eyes were closed, the amulet ticking as if it was warning them. Acting quickly, she commanded Steve to grab Jim. Despite Steve's injuries, he had lifted the Trollhunter off the ground, cradling him close.
Opening a portal, Claire turned to Steve, "When you get to Trollmarket, ask for Blinky and Vendel, they will know what to do. Don't get distracted by what you see." She said simply, Steve nodding with a small gulp.
"Where will you be?" He asked, stepping up to the black hole, nervous.
"I'm going to find Eli and Toby. Just make sure you guys are looked at, and Steve. Thank you, for saving him." She said, gently shoving Steve into the portal and letting it close. Steve screamed as his body moved to the other side, standing in a whole new scenery as Claire's words echoed in his head.
Thank you, for saving him.
Steve felt a warmth spred through him and glanced down at Jim, the armor vanishing out of view and revealing his normal clothes.
"Don't worry Jim, you're okay." Steve smiled, no longer ignoring the feelings he felt. He didn't care about his reputation anymore. Just the injured boy. That was until a four-eyed troll had raced toward him, calling out frantically.
Saying Steve was nervous was an understatement.
---
When Jim opened his eyes, he didn't know what to expect. His body was lying still on a slab of rock, countless blankets beneath him and draped over him. It was a few seconds before pain shot through his head, his teeth clenching and his hands fisting the blanket. His mind wandered into thoughts of why his head hurt so bad and where was he.
He tried to move his head, only for the room to begin spinning and making his nauseous worse. With a soft whimper, he kicked his legs, trying to stand or sit but his body ignored his commands and continued to lay there helplessly.
Jim finally gave up on standing, staring at the ceiling above him and recognizing it instantly. He was in Trollmarket. Suddenly, a wave of memories flooded his mind but everything was blurred, even the figure that had covered him and another holding him close.
His eyes widened as in the direction of the entrance was the sound of frantic feet, his teeth played with his lip as he tried to turn his head, this time succeeding. His eyes landed on his friends who nearly stumbled over their feet. Blinky had reached his bedside first, one of his hands gently feeling Jim's forehead.
"Master Jim, how do you feel?" Blinky asked, his voice soft and comforting.
Jim let out a deep breath, "My head hurts." Blinky let out a laugh.
"You are concussed, my boy. You need to take it easy. We have to postpone your training for a few days." Before Jim could argue, Toby had pushed Blinky aside, an excited smile on his face.
"We found the troll spy Jimbo! We caught him for you, Eli screamed the whole time and I was awesome with my Warhammer!"
"I did not!" Eli whined. His voice startled Jim which Toby had noticed right away.
"Don't worry Jimbo, they won't tell. Steve was the one who brought you here." Jim turned his gaze to Steve who was using a set of crutches, the bully's face held no emotion but once he had met Jim's gaze, his tough facade faltered.
Jim smiled, mumbling a small thank you before Eli's excitement poured out. "This place is so cool! I can't believe Trolls really exist, I was right. Don't worry I won't say anything but this is amazing, and you--" As his ranting continued, Jim ended up drowning him out.
He liked Eli, he was glad the boy liked it, but the constant excited talking was beginning to become too much for him.
Thankfully, the feeling of a hand on his arm had regained his attention. His eyes met Claire who wore a smile. He knew she was worried but he also knew he was in deep trouble with her. He could tell she was ready to scream at him when he didn't have a killer headache.
Jim smiled as Eli's voice was heard again, the team surrounding him as they took turns sharing stories from the fight. While the information was a little hard to get use to, he couldn't help but smile. Steve had bragged about how he saved Jim's life, which Jim figured would happen, but glad it was a teasing manner instead of an insulting one. Thankfully Steve was still the same, ignorant self, however, he could tell easily that Steve cared, even if the bully didn't admit it.
It was strange to see Steve act so different now, changing for the better, but Jim would get use to it. His head pounded but with his friends surrounding him as Eli even climbed onto Aaarrrgghh's back, he felt at peace.
His team just got a little bigger.