Work Text:
joel has a very big problem.
see, they’re all still figuring out how their new hybrid traits affect them. joel almost walked off several cliffs before he’d become more acclimated to his new vision—although it was entertaining to watch grian bump into four consecutive trees that one time. they all found out that piglins shut down in cold climates after they walked from a plains into a snowy tundra and both jimmy and scar passed out in the snow (joel and grian screamed at each other for about two minutes before realising they weren’t dead).
but joel’s current issue is not falling off cliffs or smashing into trees or passing out into snow. no, his problem is far dumber than that.
another piglin trait, it seems, is to be fiercely protective of who they consider to be in their pack. apparently, joel is part of jimmy’s pack, and it’s honestly embarrassing how happy this makes him. shut up.
the issue is.. well, jimmy is a fairly touchy person. even before the whole- hybrid overhaul thing, it was fairly normal for jimmy to be nudging joel’s shoulder with his own, or pulling him into one-armed hugs. but now, jimmy seems to always be holding his hand, or resting his chin on joel’s head (no, he’s not short, jimmy is just stupidly tall), or leaning against him.
and joel-
it’s gonna sound stupid. in fact, it’s going to sound extremely stupid, because it is extremely stupid and joel cannot believe he even has this problem. you’re not allowed to laugh though, even though it is so dumb.
joel.. really likes it. which is a huge problem! because now he knows what it’s like to be held in such a casually affectionate way, he wants it all the time. and it’s so stupid because- imagine that being a problem; that you’re enjoying yourself too much. but it is—it’s a massive problem, because-
it- okay, this is probably dumber. no, not probably; definitely. it is definitely, 100% more stupid and dumb than any problem joel has had before.
but. joel can’t, exactly, figure out how to… say that he likes it. sure, literally speaking he could go up to jimmy and be like “hey jim it makes me very happy when you hug me please do it more”, but mentally? no, absolutely not. he would never recover. even if jimmy did respond positively, joel would be too embarrassed to show his face ever again.
what’s worse is that he has to pretend he’s indifferent to it every time jimmy hugs him. because- well, what if jimmy notices? he can’t know- no, he can never know. joel thinks he might have to disappear into powdered snow, never to be seen again, if jimmy ever knew.
you see his problem? there’s layers of stupidity involved, but it is very much still a problem—however dumb.
which leads him to right now. it’s been a fairly long day of underground exploration, including (but not limited to): falling into a lush cave and accidentally startling an axolotl into biting him, having to rescue jimmy and grian from tumbling off several ledges because they forgot they no longer have wings, and trying to stop scar from jumping into lava, no you are not immune you will die-
all in all, it’s been fairly chaotic today, and joel is exhausted. right now, he wants nothing more than to curl up with jimmy, grian and scar and go to sleep. unfortunately, no one else seems at all tired, and unless joel wants to ask for it (which, let’s be clear, he does not), that wish is not coming to pass any time soon.
“I hope you know I was totally aware.” grian is insisting to an amused looking scar. “I was checking out the drop, I wasn’t about to try and fly.”
“g-man, joel had to drag you away because you were halfway off the ledge.” scar grins.
“I slipped!” grian exclaims. “what, you’re gonna blame a man for unsafe mining conditions?”
“did you slip that time you actually jumped off and scar had to grab you before you died?” jimmy teases.
“yes.” grian says unconvincingly. something mischievous glimmers in his eyes. “did you?”
jimmy shoves him and grian cackles. “shut up, I did it less than you.”
joel desperately tries to keep his eyes open, even as his body sways a little in an attempt to stay upright. he can hear grian and scar bickering about the logistics of loose gravel and that distinctly foreign warmth spreads across his chest. honestly, for the sake of everyone around them—including himself, for that matter—joel hopes they talk about their obvious feelings for each other soon. yes, joel wants them to talk about their feelings. he knows he’s a hypocrite. he also does not care.
“hey, dude, you okay?”
it takes a moment for joel to pinpoint the source of the voice, and even then, he has to blink a few times before jimmy’s worried face swims into focus. he can’t help grinning. “‘m fine.”
“you look like you’re about to keel over.” jimmy says and joel snorts. “go to bed.”
“i’m fine.” joel insists, shifting a little in hopes of waking himself up a bit. “you worry too much, jim.”
jimmy gives him a withering look, and joel’s smile turns sheepish. “yes, I worry too much. far more than you, who saved me from far too many ‘potential dangers’ to count today.”
“in my defence, you have died to glowberries before.” joel says.
jimmy tilts his head a little. “what’s up, dude?”
“nothing’s up.” joel says. he pauses, grins, opens his mouth-
“if you tell me ‘other than the sky’, I will hit you.” jimmy interrupts, but he’s smiling. “I mean- you don’t have to tell me if you don’t wanna, but I can tell something’s been wrong for a little while.”
joel’s smile falters and fades. “it’s just.. I don’t know. it’s too embarrassing to say.”
“that’s fine.” jimmy says, and joel can tell he means it. man, he really loves jimmy, huh? “just- please go to bed. I don’t want you sleeping upright.”
joel looks down. how does he tell jimmy that’s the problem? how does he explain he’d rather sleep upright, if it meant staying with them? how does he make all of that stop sounding so- dumb?
“oh,” jimmy says softly, and- really, people don’t give him enough credit for how smart he is. even if it is mortifying in this situation. “y’know, we can- we can fix that.”
joel looks up at him. he’s too tired to open his mouth, and so he just tilts his head in question. jimmy smiles.
“y’know, sniffer or not, you’re still essentially a dog.” he teases. joel tries to elbow him, and misses. “alright, come on:”
watching in confusion as jimmy stands up, it takes a joel a moment to realise he’s holding out his hand. joel takes it, and stand wobbily upright, swaying on the spot.
“guys, can you help me push the beds together?” jimmy addresses scar and grian.
“yeah, sure.” grian shrugs. “why?”
“joel is about to pass out and I don’t trust him to stay in bed if I leave.” jimmy grins.
joel starts to argue that he’s totally trustworthy and anyway, he’s fine- when he feels himself beginning to fall. jimmy grabs him before he can hit the floor, and holds him close.
“are you sure?” jimmy grins, but joel is far too focused on the incidental hug to think up a comeback.
now, normally, joel would put all his concentration into making it look like he doesn’t care either way about the physical affection he so desperately wants. unfortunately, all of his concentration amounts to not falling asleep whilst standing up right now. and so-
it- okay, it’s embarrassing. it’s very embarrassing. but also.. it’s really nice.
joel sinks into the hug, feels jimmy stumble a little before righting himself—surprised by the sudden weight of joel leaning against him. there’s a quiet laugh, a hand in joel’s hair, and maybe he doesn’t mind the embarrassment so much.
“aw, dude.” grian’s voice is quiet, but distinctly close. “why didn’t you say?”
even through the sleepy fog of his mind, joel knows what grian means. maybe it’s the soulbound, maybe it’s just obvious. “‘s embarrassing.” he mumbles.
there’s a twinge of something similar to regret, and joel recognises it as grian’s. he cracks open an eye and holds out his hand to grian, watching as he falters.
“well, c’mon.” joel says, managing a smile.
something shifts in grian’s expression, and warmth spreads through him as grian takes his hand and joins the hug. joel can’t tell where his warmth ends and grian’s begins. distantly, he thinks that might be his favourite thing about their surprise soulbound so far.
“aw, the bad boys-“ scar doesn’t even get to finish before grian grabs his hand and pulls him in as well. scar yelps a little in surprise, but laughs as he realises what’s happening.
“you’re not getting out of this.” grian tells him, fondness etched into every word.
“yeah, none of you are.” jimmy says, and joel doesn’t need a soulbound to feel the happiness radiating off him. “now, c’mon, joel is gonna fall asleep right here if we don’t get him to bed.”
“might set a.. a world record.” joel’s voice is almost inaudible, even to himself. “longest time.. slept upright.”
“am I gonna have to carry you?” jimmy says.
joel doesn’t respond, trying to figure out how to say yes without.. saying yes. in the end, it really doesn’t matter, as grian answers for him: “well, he definitely wants you to.”
“traitor.” joel murmurs, the accusation holding absolutely none of the conviction he wanted it to.
“do you want me to?” jimmy asks, and it’s a sign of how tired joel really is, because he nods without any pretence of aloofness. “okay, come on then.”
joel really doesn’t have to put any effort in other than not fall over in the brief moment where no one is holding him upright. he expected- well, he’s not sure what he expected in all honesty, but he's surprised nonetheless when jimmy hoists him into a bridal-style lift. he thinks he ought to be embarrassed by this, but joel feels nothing other than a warm fondness.
joel buries his face in jimmy's shirt, and honestly he might just fall asleep right now. "you smell nice." he mumbles absentmindedly. okay, that's definitely supposed to be embarrassing, joel knows this for certain. right now, however, it just seems like the average thing to say.
jimmy chuckles, holding him a little closer to his chest. “well, how kind.” he jokes softly.
“you do.” he hears grian say offhandedly.
“thank you? I think.” jimmy says, sounding fondly amused.
joel can hear scar laughing somewhere next to him. “do I smell nice?”
there’s a rush of an emotion caught between embarrassment and joy, which joel recognises as grian’s. “uh- yeah. you do.”
“mhm.” joel agrees, and scar laughs, sounding pleasantly surprised.
“why thank you!”
there’s an in-between period in which joel thinks he must have dozed off, because the next thing he knows, jimmy is whispering for him to wake up—which seems counterintuitive.
“why are you whispering if you want me to wake up?” joel asks, voice scratchy and quiet from sleep. it’s still dark out, and jimmy is still carrying him, so he can’t have been asleep long.
jimmy blinks. “that’s a good point.” joel snorts, and despite the low light, joel is fairly certain he can see jimmy roll his eyes. “oh shut up, it’s late.”
“so why am i being.. awaked?” joel asks. yeah, he should probably go back to sleep.
“to go to bed.” comes grian’s voice. “I don’t know why tim didn’t just put you in the bed, but-“
“he forgot.” scar mumbles from somewhere very close to grian.
“it’s late.” jimmy insists.
“‘s not that late.” joel grins, stumbling a little as jimmy puts him down. he can feel the withering look jimmy is undoubtedly giving him, even without turning to look. “shut up.”
“hey I didn’t- I didn’t say anything.” jimmy shrugs. joel elbows him and he laughs. “c’mon then.”
it’s so weird- okay, everything’s been weird tonight, but all of a sudden, joel feels this stab of anxiety as he watches jimmy untie his shoes and climb into bed. which- seriously, that’s very stupid. joel knows that, even in his sleep deprived state, he should not be scared of a bed, for goodness’ sake.
but it’s just- grian and scar are already half asleep, curled up together on one side of the extra-long bed, and jimmy seems right at home next to them. so why does joel feel so.. far away from it all?
maybe he’s just tired, but- well, why has he felt like this before?
“dude?”
joel startles, stumbling backwards a little as he sees jimmy stood in front of him. okay, he really needs to sleep.
“would it be easier if I helped you?” jimmy asks, and- honestly, how does he know everything? bloody psychic- wait, he’s not even soulbound to joel! how does he know everything?
“I don’t know why it’s even- a thing.” joel huffs. “‘s stupid.”
“you’re stupid.” jimmy nudges him, and joel can’t help smiling. “you kind of are though, dude you need sleep.”
“oi!” joel says, as quiet as he can whilst retaining the same level of indignation. he elbows jimmy, and scar gives a grunt from the bed.
“see, now you’ve hurt scar.” jimmy says. his expression is earnest, but there’s that teasing glimmer in his eyes.
“a necessary sacrifice.” joel says, leaning against jimmy as he feels himself beginning to sway again.
“joel, if you don’t get into bed right now i’m going to throw you into it.” jimmy says. joel eyes him warily—jimmy could (and would) stoop that low. he has, once before, and joel woke up with an awful cramp in his neck. he would rather not repeat that experience.
it takes a moment for joel to remember how to use words (he’s tired, okay. shut up), but when he does, he settles on, “you are meant to be helping me.”
jimmy grins. “well, throwing you into bed would definitely help-“
“you know what I meant.” joel complains.
something softens in jimmy’s expression, and joel can’t tell if he’s relieved or exasperated. y’know what, he can be both. “yeah, I do. c’mere.”
joel leans closer into jimmy as he wraps an arm around his shoulders, smiling embarrassingly softly as he feels jimmy’s tail wind around his wrist. jimmy waits as joel slides off his shoes (green tye-dye crocs, because he is the pinnacle of fashion) and lets him choose whether he wants to get into bed first or last. surprisingly enough, it’s somehow easier to get in first, and immensely reassuring as he feels the mattress sink a little as jimmy follows.
grian and scar are already fast asleep—joel gets the indication that grian is also struggling with the whole ‘asking for stuff’ thing, seeing as he was almost as tired as joel was—curled up together as if nothing else matters. seeing them like that used to make joel feel isolated; as if he was doing something wrong because he didn’t have someone like that himself. now, though.. it makes something glow warm in his chest. his idiots.
“see,” jimmy mumbles, already falling asleep. “not stupid.”
joel smiles, entirely unable to keep his eyes open any longer, and much less speak full sentences. he mumbles something that might be a protest, but may just as easily be a laugh, and burrows further into jimmy’s embrace, cheek squashed against his chest. jimmy buries his face amidst joel’s hair and furry ears, and joel can hear his heartbeat.
maybe, he thinks as he drifts off, asking might really be worth it.