The ground beneath you was uneven, damp with moss and littered with the scent of mischief. You crashed, catching your balance with a small grunt. Dust clung to you cardigan, cream wool sliding off your shoulder in soft waves and you immediately shook it free. You smoothed your flare jeans, annoyed and baffled. And then your voice, sharp as frost and soft as velvet, cut through the air. “Sarah.” You didn’t yell. You didn’t need to.

Sarah peeked out from behind Hoggle, who immediately tried to leave. She winced at your tone, measured with disappointment. “It was just a few minutes- Toby wouldn’t stop crying-”

“Oh, and that’s your cue to wish him away?” you replied, brushing your hair out of your face. Your eyes glittered with restrained anger. “You were exasperated for five minutes. Five. I deal with that daily. I always handle him, and suddenly because you were inconvenienced, you decide to call upon the Goblin King?!” Sarah crossed her arms but stayed quiet. She could feel the weight of your glare, could see the silent panic etched under your frustration. You weren’t just mad, you were worried. For Toby. For her. For all of it. “Do you even know what he does to children?” you asked, softer now. “Because I do. I remember when you were a baby. I went through the same damn thing.” Behind you, Hoggle shifted awkwardly.

And far, far away, in the glittering, impossible spires of his castle, Jareth cradled a fussy baby in his arms. The goblins danced wildly around them to the rising beat of Magic Dance, but his mind had begun to drift, something tugging at his senses. He turned toward his orb, cradling it gently, and peered through.

And then, he froze. There you were. You. His girlboss. His fiancée. His secret, his softness. The one person who truly knew him, dusted in labyrinth grime and fury, scolding her sister like the elegant fed up girl she was

“...She’s here,” Jareth whispered, stunned, Toby, whose tiny arms had been grasping at his long hair, let out a delighted squeal and immediately smushed his face into Jareth’s chest. Jareth instinctively patted his back, bouncing lightly.

“Oh, you sweet creature,” Jareth murmured. “She’s come to scold the whole realm, hasn’t she?” Without waiting, Jareth spun on his heel and practically glided through the castle, cape flaring. He needed to see you.

Back in the twisting stones of the Labyrinth, you crossed your arms, cardigan slouching lower down your arms, but your face softened. “Sarah,” you said with a deep sigh, “do you even understand what you’ve done?”

“I didn’t mean to-” Sarah started, but then stopped. “Wait. You… you said you went through this before?” You turned your gaze from her, biting your lip. You weren’t supposed to say that. Not yet. Not ever. And certainly not to Sarah, who still didn’t know that her teenage obsession was your fiancé.

Your thoughts spiraled briefly, to moonlit corridors, whispered promises, and vows sealed in shadow. You missed him. Your malewife. Your impossible, ridiculous, dramatic goblin king. Suddenly, a soft rustle blew through the labyrinth walls. Sarah stiffened. You turned And then, he appeared,

Jareth didn’t bother with flair this time. He all but slid down the stones on his knees like a man possessed. His arms wrapped tightly around your thighs as his head pressed against your waist, burying his face in your cardigan like a cat with separation anxiety. “Oh, gods, I missed you,” he mumbled, voice muffled. You blinked down at him, startled, heat rising in your cheeks.

“I’ve been bottle-feeding your brother, dancing with goblins, and apparently I’m now Toby’s mom” he groaned dramatically, not letting go. “But none of it matters now. You’re here. My fierce, perfect, cardigan-wrapped wrath angel.” You reached out and touched Jareth’s face, finally allowing yourself to smile. And Jareth? He looked up at you with glittering eyes and with all the energy in the universe, stood just long enough to kiss you full on the lips, one hand at your cheek, the other bracing your back