Work Text:
Jimmy stood with his back to the door in his corner of Pearl's house. He watched the torch she had given him as the flame danced, sending moving shadows across the wall.
He jumped and turned around at the sound of the door opening, spinning around to see Pearl and her dog. Mailbox walked up to Jimmy, tongue hanging out of his mouth as he panted.
"You scared me, man!" Jimmy reached through his window and patted Mailbox on the head. The huge long-furred dog trotted over to the corner of Pearl's bed and curled up.
"Good." Pearl walked up to the window and held out a loaf of bread. "Brought you something."
Jimmy took the loaf in his hands and considered it for a moment, wondering if this was some jab at him for last season. He shrugged it off and took a bite of the bread. "You sure you don't mind me living here?"
"As long as you don't snore." Pearl gave him a teasing smile.
"I won't, I promise." Jimmy returned the smile and turned back around. He carefully wrapped up the rest of the bread in a piece of cloth and set it on a chest.
"Y'know, your wings could use some preening."
Jimmy turned to face Pearl in surprise as she studied his wings.
"I- yeah, haven't had time."
"You want some help with that?"
"Really?"
Pearl smiled and crossed her arms. "Whaddo you mean 'really'? I always did it for you back in Evo."
"I mean, it's just- I don't know, it's been a while since then. And we haven't exactly been close recently."
"Jimmy, you're my brother," Pearl ruffled Jimmy's hair, "we could be literally trying to kill each other and I'd still help you if you needed it."
Jimmy blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Same to you I guess."
Pearl laughed, and Jimmy felt unnerved as he noticed her unnaturally sharp canines. "You're a weirdo. Sit down." She gestured to her bed.
Jimmy followed her instructions, careful not to disturb Mailbox. He took off his jacket, revealing a solid white t-shirt similar to the one Pearl wore under her sweatshirt, and held it in his lap.
Pearl crawled onto the bed behind him and sat with her legs crossed. She took one of Jimmy's wings into her lap and began to gently sift through the golden feathers, carefully pulling dirt from the barbs and then putting them back into place.
Jimmy rested his head on his hand and leaned forward slightly. His wings were small, it wouldn't have taken him long to preen them himself, but it was nice to have someone to help get the hard to reach spots. And Pearl was especially good at it, efficient without pulling too hard and hurting his wings. Probably because she'd been doing it for Grian, he thought to himself.
Pearl finished the first wing and moved around to the other, quickly getting to work. She hadn't said a word since she started, but made funny cartoony noises and mumbled under her breath as she went. Jimmy closed his eyes.
"...I'm sorry, by the way."
Pearl paused. "What? What for?"
Jimmy lifted his head and sat up a little straighter, thinking for a moment. "I'm not sure. Just felt warranted."
"I don't think you've done anything wrong. I mean, there was last season, but I think we were both just being silly." Pearl tipped her head to the side and shrugged. "I guess I forgive you though."
Jimmy felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. There was, in fact, a reason he apologized, one that he would never tell Pearl. That he was sorry her wings were different, sorry he couldn't help teach her to fly, sorry he couldn't save her from the fate of her wings. Even if they were the same age, he felt he'd broken some sort of self-imposed obligation to protect her.
"Are you okay?"
Jimmy's mind was pulled back to his body. He sharply breathed in, realizing he had been crying.
"Did I pull too hard on one of your feathers? I'm sorry, I'm almost done-"
"No- no, I'm fine, I was just. Thinking."
Pearl finished on his wing and scooted up to sit next to him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"...No, not really."
"Okay."
Pearl reached her arm around Jimmy's shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug. Jimmy sniffled and rested his head on her shoulder.
They both knew it wasn't his fault. None of it was. He couldn't have magically made Pearl something other than a phoenix, and he couldn't have protected her, not on his own. But something still ached in Jimmy's chest, telling him he should've tried more. Maybe he could have changed something.
But Pearl was okay now. The wounds on her back he used to help bandage had long since healed into nothing more than scars. He'd been there for her. He was here now. And maybe that was all she needed.