It was the end of the day and the sun was setting over Tumble Town. A group of people stood in the middle of the mesa, discussing their next move. They had been unable to find the Sheriff and they didn't know what to do now. "What if he actually found a way to fall into the void?" Sausage asked, panic rising once more. Gem tightened her grip on the man's hand, to help ground him.
"No," Scar said curtly," Is there anywhere we haven't looked yet?" Grian sighed, clearly frustrated. "There's all the other empires, but I trust the Emperors when they say he isn't there," fWhip said, sounding slightly accusing. Scar opened his mouth to protest, but decided not to when Scott stepped away from the group.
Tango joined the other in looking out over Tumble Town. "He's got to be somewhere," Scott muttered. Tango only nodded in agreement. The silence that formed got interrupted by a ping on all communicators, indicating a message in the general chat. They all grabbed their comms, desperate for news about Jimmy's whereabouts.
<Pixlriffs> You guess never guess what I found in my Catacombs
Grian let out a frustrated noise, making some others wince. "Nobody cares about some stupid artefact!" he shouted, as if Pix could hear him from all the way over there. Another ping.
<Pixlriffs> You really want to see this. Trust me ;)
"Okay, the winky face is really suspicious," Scar said. Sausage agreed. "For a guy with a Crypt, he normally isn't as... well, cryptic," fWhip mused. "Should we head over and see?" Gem asked curious. Most shrugged. Tango and Scott shared a look, hope blossoming in their chests. "It couldn't hurt," Scar said, looking at Grian who shrugged once again. "Well," Gem said, tapping her foot," Let's go!"
So, they made their way over to the massive bridge and towards the Catacombs that lay in Pix's realm. Once there, they found Pixlriffs sitting beneath the frog light tees in his Orchard. He was talking to somebody, who was wrapped in a blanket and nursing a cup of tea. Scott let out an audible gasp, making Pix and the other man look over.
Jimmy stood abruptly, losing the blanket in the process, as he took in the search party. "Uh...hi." As soon as he spoke, Scott and Tango raced towards him, both wrapping their arms around the blonde. Pix had quickly taken the cup from Jimmy's hand, chuckling softly. The sheriff tried to speak, but was interrupted by both men apologizing. Scott started to choke up, so he decided to let Tango speak up first.
"I am so sorry, Jim," he said," I promise to make more time for you." He buried his face in the other's chest. "I'm sorry I didn't visit, I didn't realise how lonely you'd get," he said, voice muffled," I promise to hang out more. We can even stay in the Ranch and have a calm evening with a movie or something." He dared look up, straight into Jimmy's eyes, as he saw his words register in the other's head. A warm smile appeared on Jimmy's face. "I would like that very much, my Rancher," he said softly. Tango smiled back as he felt Jimmy's hold on him tighten. He hugged back just as tight, before letting go.
Jimmy then concentrated on the other man in his arms. Scott stared silently at him, an almost afraid look on his face. "I'm sorry," he hiccupped," I should've made time for you." Jimmy's smile faltered, as his heart broke at the thought of their last encounter. "Oh, Scott," he muttered as he took the other's face in his hands," It's okay. You were busy."
Scott shook his head, as best as he could. "No," he said, taking a breath," I could never be to busy to spend time with you." A thumb over his cheek wiped the fallen tears away. "I would love for you to show me some more of the Crystal Caves," the Sheriff said, a small smile on his face. The cyanette nodded, placing a hand on Jimmy's. They shared a hug, before Scott let go and stepped away, making room for the next person.
It was Joel that stepped up, looking less like the overconfident self-proclaimed God he was and more like a nervous wreck. "Jimmy," he said, trying not to fidget under the other's gaze," I came to apologize." That earned him a surprised look. "I apologize for calling you a toy and not realising what my words did to you," Joel said earnest," Iii shall stop teasing you and I will tear down the walls."
A gasp left Jimmy's lips as he stared in shock at the God before him. "No! Don't do that!" he almost shouted. Now it was time for Joel to look shocked. "I mean- you put s much effort into that prank," Jimmy said, averting his eyes," it's impressive. It would be a shame to tear it all down..." Joel blinked. He grabbed the sheriff by the shoulders, making the other look startled into his eyes.
"Are you kidding?"
Jimmy shook his head.
"Oh."
They just stared at each other for a moment. Joel then pulled Jimmy in a bone crushing hug. "I don't deserve a friend like you," he muttered, as if he hadn't meant for those words to be heard. He then pulled back suddenly. "That is... if you want to be? Friends, I mean." Jimmy let out a laugh. "Of course!" he said," Best buds?" Joel beamed a smile.
"Best buds."
After clapping Jimmy on the shoulders, he made way for the next person, choosing to stand beside Pix who had silently been watching the interactions. As the two started up conversation, Gem marched towards the Sheriff. It had been some time since Jimmy felt that afraid, but as Gem stormed towards him with an angry look on her face, he was very afraid. She hit him on the arm, making him wince.
"Don't you ever do that again," she hissed," You had us all worried sick!" Jimmy rubbed his sore arm. "I won't!" he squeaked. Gem sighed, then pulled him into a hug. "I am genuinely happy to see you," she muttered. "I'm sorry for making you worry," Jimmy muttered back as he hugged her. As she released him, she gave him a small smile. Joel took a step back when she went to join the small group.
Jimmy chuckled, before noticing a pair of eyes staring intently at him. His eyes met Sausage's. as the other carefully stepped towards him, Jimmy fidgeted under his intense stare. "You had us really worried there," Sausage said," We thought you wanted to disappear into the void..."
Jimmy gulped as he noticed the shine in Sausage's eyes. He slowly pulled him into a hug, holding him tight. "I didn't mean for that to happen," he said softly," I just wanted to get away for a bit." Sausage took a shaky breath. "So, you didn't want to get away from me- from us?"
"No, oh Joel no, Sausage. I would never want to get away from you forever, you're my friend." Jimmy immediately protested. He felt the other start to relax in his hold, only now realising how stressed out he had made his friends. Pix had told him they'd been looking for him all day, they must be exhausted.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly. "You are forgiven," Sausage whispered back, tightening the hold. "Oof! Now there's the proper Sausage hug I know and love," Jimmy laughed breathlessly. The other pulled back a little to be able to look the Sheriff in the eyes. "Just know you are loved and cherished," he said, tone all serious. Jimmy smiled. "It's much appreciated."
Sausage hugged him quickly once more, placing a kiss on his cheek, before letting go. Jimmy watched him go with a sad smile. Before he could think to long about what he put his friends through, Scar stepped up, followed by Grian. "Then where did you go?" the avian asked, finger pointed accusingly at Jimmy's chest.
"What?"
Grian sighed frustrated. "If not to get away from us, then where and why did you go?" Jimmy's eyes shifted from Grian to Scar as his expression changed to one of guilt. "I-," he sighed," I did want to get away from all of you, from everyone to be honest. I was overwhelmed with all the extra people, I needed air."
He sighed again. "This morning, I felt awful. Everything was too loud and too bright. And when I went outside, to start work, I noticed the train Scar was working on." Said man gave him a surprised look. Jimmy averted his eyes, wrapping his arms around himself. "It just washed over me... There stood a train that I've always wanted in Tumble Town, a perfect build. It was everything I could never accomplish with my own builds and it made me feel so upset. I couldn't look at my own buildings any longer and I fled town."
He felt an arm wrap around him, looking up to meet Scar's gaze. "Jimmy, you know that's not true," he said, so matter-of-factly," You make great builds! It's why Tumble Town drew me in. Because I love what you've done with the place." Jimmy gave him a hopeful look. "Not just because you wanted to be a cowboy?" Scar laughed loudly.
"That too! And because of a certain Sheriff running around that I very much love and be around," Scar's cheeky smile faltered slightly as he continued," That's why I put so much effort into the train. I wanted it to be perfect for you. Had I known how it would've made you feel, I wouldn't ha-" Jimmy interrupted him with a shake of his head. "No, Scar, you couldn't have known," the blonde said, pulling him in for a quick hug.
Grian gave him a stern look. "Never do that again," the avian huffed. "Sorry to make you worried," Jimmy said once more," I knew Pix wouldn't ask questions and it's calm and quiet out here. I got lost in the Catacombs, it's like a maze down there..." Grian huffed, crossing his arms. "I wasn't worried," he said," I just... missed messing with you."
There was no missing the red hue on his cheeks and both Jimmy and Scar knew, judging by the look they shared. The Sheriff pulled Grian into a hug, laughing at the squawks of protest from the other. The avian in turn began to ruffle Jimmy's hair. The two laughed, before Scar pulled both into a tight hug. Both Grian and Jimmy's feet hang in the air with the power of Scar's hug. As Scar let go and he and Grian stepped away, Jimmy could hear the taller man mutter something about telling Grian he was capable of holding more than one person. He decided not to ask. Especially not with the way Grian smiled in response.
And then there was one.
One person left from the ragtag team of a search party. The only one who did not approach Jimmy, no matter how much he wanted to. The Sheriff looked at his former Deputy, standing a few feet away. He was twiddling his thumbs, a clear sign that he was anxious. It was clear to Jimmy, who knew him better than anyone, that fWhip was fighting himself. His head and heart were at odds, with no clear winner.
So, he stood frozen in place, not looking at Jimmy. All the others had run up to Jimmy, voicing their worries and reliefs. They now knew the Sheriff hadn't wished to drop off of the face of the earth, he simply needed space. Nothing bad had happened, he was fine. fWhip had been just as worried, and relieved. So why couldn't he run up to him? Why was he unable to face him, apologize as he intended to? The others all did and everything had been fine. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that nobody had betrayed him like he had. But Joel is his mortal enemy! Still, he had never betrayed Jimmy. But-
His thoughts got interrupted by a pair of arms wrapping around him. "I'm sorry," Jimmy said softly," For everything." fWhip couldn't help it. He cracked. The tears running over his cheeks left a wet patch in Jimmy's shirt, but the other didn't seem to notice. Or he didn't care as he held the sobbing goblin in his arms, a few tears dripping down his own cheeks. How could fWhip not know that all he needed was a proper apology and a hug?
"I'm sorry," he managed to choke out. He tried to steady his breathing as the sobs lessened. "I never meant to hurt you, it was just a joke." He felt Jimmy's hold tighten. "I was too much of a fool to see it as a joke. I felt so hurt, I overreacted." fWhip shook his head "No, I was the fool," he disagreed vocally," I should've realised it would get too much for you. I just didn't know you held a grudge..."
Jimmy chuckled dryly as he lessened his hold. "And I didn't expect you to be too stubborn to apologize," he said, using a hand to wipe away the tear streaks on the goblin's face. Their foreheads bumped together, eyes closed, as they simply took each other in. it had been a while since they had been so close, they both hoped to be so close once more.
"Let's jus say, you're both idiots," Pix said, interrupting their quiet moment. He offered them a small smile and a helping hand. They dusted themselves off as they got up, nodding to each other. They would be alright. Maybe not right away, but eventually. They joined the others, who started to softly cheer and share hugs amongst themselves, all talking about what a weird day it has been.
"So," Pix said, clapping in his hands and gaining everyone's attention," Who wants to see the Catacombs?" Most voiced their approval as Jimmy said 'not hanks!', which made some chuckle. Despite Jimmy's protest, they all followed the archaeologist down into the dark depths. As they descended the stairs, Pi spoke up once more.
"Did I mention I found Jimmy in here, sound asleep?"
Several laughs sounded as the Sheriff squawked in surprise. "I got lost!" he pleaded," then I decided to wait for you to find me and I took a nap. How was I supposed to know you would be gone the entire day?!" Grian dogged Jimmy's flailing arms as he rounded up on the other, making them freeze in their tracks.
"That's why you were gone the entire day? You fell asleep?!"
Jimmy started stuttering. "Yes! No?" He groaned and hid his face in his hands. Scar, who stood behind him, placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "It's okay to admit you are afraid in the dark, Jimmy," he said earnestly," Makes you look stronger when you face your fears."
Jimmy just gaped at him, uncertain if he heard him correctly. He must've heard correctly for Grian was positively wetting himself, he was laughing so hard. Tango joined them to link an arm with the Sheriff's. "That's enough," he chuckled as he dragged the blonde away," Leave him be, he's clearly still exhausted." Jimmy gasped and shot him a betrayed look as Scott joined him on the other side. "We'll keep an eye on you," the cyanette blinked," We wouldn't want you to get lost...again."
Jimmy started to colour a beautiful shade of red as more teasing remarks were tossed his way. Gem shook her head as she tried to get everybody to focus back on the tour Pix was giving them. The archaeologist simply shrugged at her exasperated sigh and continued to walk forward. Gem shrugged and joined him, not wanting to stray too far from the light. They left the bickering group behind, taking the torch, and the light, with them.
"Uhh guys," Joel said, sounding ever so intelligent," Why has it gotten so dark all of a sudden?" The group fell silent. And they stayed silent as they stood there. "Anybody here who's actually afraid of the dark?" Scar asked, humour in his voice. All no's could be heard. But when Joel lit up the room by shooting lightning between his finger tips, quite the opposite was clear.
Grian was clutching Scar's shirt in his grip as Tango and Scott had managed to wrap arms around each other, with Jimmy squished in the middle. Sausage had jumped into fWhip's arms, but the goblin quickly let go once they were visible, dropping the other man on the floor. They all sprang apart, blushes on their faces as all denied being afraid of the dark. Scar and Joel chuckled as they started to lead the way towards where they thought Gem and Pix had gone. They would hate to get lost in the Catacombs, especially with Jimmy whining about it. Even then they couldn't help but smile fondly at the blonde. He was hard not to love.
And love him, they did.