Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She’s late. Her bus has left, she’s stuck in a random city where she has no idea whether she can take the subway safety or not. This is the worst day she had since she was just that small 18-year-old trying to win a dance competition. She would almost prefer that over this however, one was anxiety the other was fear. Fear against everything around her and the world feels so much larger when you’ve seen the very depths of the slums to the height of the rich apartment buildings across the street from your middle-class apartment. The world feels a lot bigger when you publish a book and hear someone in Africa read it and sent you an email, only to have your publisher say you didn’t need to spend time … Pearl coughs.

She needs to not think of these things, she needs to buy another bus ticket for a later bus. And check the email she’s slowly integrated into the Internet’s forums about her book.

The bus bench is cold when she sits, and she breathes life into her hands using the warmth of her breath and the heated casing around her phone. The snow soaks into her shoes, her hair, her jacket, and she shivers. It’s not a good time to be stuck outside, but she chose this. She won’t complain.

While caught up in checking her email, someone sits beside her. They’re tall, really tall from what Pearl can tell, and she feels her breath leave her in a whoosh. Curling into her corner of the bench, she hunches over her phone and reads what people have been sending her, smiling softly as she feels warmer just from the presence of other people in her small world.

Then the person that is sitting just down the bench from them pulls out a book. It has the image Amethyst carefully illustrated for her, the details curling around the edge of the spine and onto the back to give the book a “full feeling”. At least, that’s how Amethyst had described it when Pearl was sitting next to her and pointing out how the publishers wanted a front image, not a back one. Personally, Pearl didn’t want an image. She thought the blandness of the color blue would be enough to confuse people into reading.

Pearl sits up a little more and glances at the person, taking in their Afro, that makes them seem even taller than what Pearl had perceived before, and their combat boots. Should she say hi?

Shit, the person notices, “Hi there, you need something?”

Pearl opens and closes her mouth for a few seconds, “Not at all, I’m Pearl by the way.”

The person nods, “Garnet,” Then they hold out their hand and Pearl feels obligated to take it, “I use she/her pronouns.”

Pearl is confused, she’s never really had someone say that to her before, “Um, same?”

Garnet nods, then she turns back to the book, glancing as Pearl leans over to see the spot she’s at.

Oh it’s the plants. Pearl giggles, then scrunches up her nose as she remembers the part that comes after.

“Have you read this book?” Garnet closes the book, looking at Pearl from behind shades so Pearl isn’t sure what her expression might be. She feels she’d like to describe it in words.

“Well, not really,” Which is only a partial lie, Pearl has read parts of her book over and over, never quite actually reading the entire book.

“Why the face?”

Pearl opens and closes her mouth a few more times, “I was reading over your shoulder.”

Only a partial lie. A little white lie.

Garnet nods, then opens the book and waits. Pearl is confused at first, but then she realizes Garnet is inviting her to read more over her shoulder. She gladly pulls a little closer to her, settling in to peek under the shades of her glasses and sees kindness that is unprecedented.

Garnet turns the page, and Pearl glances between the part in the book and the expression on Garnet’s face. Both are very telling, now that she can see the eyes beneath the glass.

The book has moved forward, to the part after the plants, and Garnet looks horrified. Pearl smirks, restraining a giggle, only to laugh full out when Garnet reads and relaxes a little more only to tense up again.

“What’s so funny?” Garnet is smiling however, and Pearl feels like she is welcome in expressing her ideas.

“Your reactions. You get really into books right?” Pearl is relaxed, almost touching Garnet she leans in so close.

“Maybe,” But Garnet is still smiling, “That your bus?”

It’s blue, with a white stripe down the side, “No, mine’s the purple one.”

“You’re going to Boston?” Garnet seems incredulous.

“Erm,” Pearl pulls at the cuff of her jacket sleeve, “Yes?”

Garnet nods, “I’m heading there myself. Want to read with along the way?”

More opening and closing her mouth, Pearl thinks she looks like a fish… heck, Garnet must think she looks like a fish… but… she really wants to see how Garnet reacts to the fish, “That sounds interesting.”

Shit.

“Cool, I’ll get us seats in the back,” Garnet resumes reading, and Pearl’s eyes widen as she reads the next part Garnet is about to read.

Chapter Text

They arrived in Boston too soon for Pearl, who had enjoyed the mellifluous voice Garnet had. Garnet, who had decided halfway through the bus ride when everyone else had gotten off to read out loud, was a wonderful human being. She was an excellent reader. And when they were done reading Pearl’s book (not finished in total, but almost), Garnet had made her laugh to the point of tears with witty jokes and funny faces.

Pearl’s apartment was a block away, a ten minute walk at most, but as Pearl got off… it felt miles away. The feeling of home that was usually pulling her in was pushing her away. She always WROTE about adventure but she had never felt the need to run off to far corners of the world. She’d never felt the need to turn and say “Hey, wanna come?” to someone she’d just met before. She didn’t react to strangers positively. 

Garnet was watching her get off… and perhaps she had the same thought. As Pearl turned to say goodbye, to let the anxiety settle she had waited a few seconds, Garnet had come up behind her with a smile. 

“Let me walk you home?”

Pearl was frozen, but she felt the smile and warmth from Garnet. It radiated, and she smiled in return. Then… the reminder of the day came in and suddenly she felt exhausted. She’d been talking to Garnet for a while, and she had really enjoyed her presence… was it worth her alone time?

Suddenly home’s pushing away reversed and it was pulling her in again. Maybe that had just been a fleeting moment, a brief look into the world of the people who interacted normally and didn’t feel exhaustion just by stepping out of their front door and seeing the large world around them.

It had felt nice, that was for sure, but that wasn’t her.

“If you’d like,” Just to her door maybe.