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Jimmy couldn’t help but pace back and forth, trying to gain the courage to just ask . He had been thinking about this for a while now.
He wanted to go to class with Grian and Joel.
It wasn’t just a spur of the moment decision. He had been in many dorm rooms and even the communal kitchens and lobbies but he had never actually been to any of the classrooms or lecture halls within the college.
Mostly because they were in a completely different building to the dorms. The journey to get there by himself wouldn’t even be worth it. If he was still by himself, borrowing like normal, he wouldn’t even consider going over there.
But he was no longer by himself. Now, he had some friends, human friends, who provided him everything that he needed. He no longer needed to gauge if something was worth it or not. If he wanted to do it, he could.
Well, as long as Grian and Joel agreed. And he wasn’t sure how well they were going to take him asking to go to class with them. He understood the dangers and the risks that could come with being in a space with a lot of humans but at the same time he was so curious about the things Grian and Joel got up to when they weren’t in their dorm.
So he just needed to ask and probably make his case. But he could do that.
Right now, both Joel and Grian were actually in the middle of getting ready for class. Joel was stuffing some books and papers in his backpack and Grian was tying his shoes. They were about to leave and Jimmy still hadn’t asked them if he could go.
“U-Uh, guys?” Jimmy asked, and suddenly all the attention was on him. Welp, no backing out now. He took a deep breath. “I want to go with one of you to class.” He said rather than asked. He thought telling them what he wanted, rather than asking, would work itself out better for him.
Joel and Grian’s eyes were wide. They looked between the two of them and then back at Jimmy, trying to process his request. “I’m sorry, what?” Joel asked.
Jimmy huffed. “I want to go to class with one of you guys.” Jimmy repeated. “I’ve never been to any of the classrooms and I’ve always been curious about what you guys learn and get up to. I thought it would be…fun?”
Grian ran a hand down his face. “I don’t think that’s really a good idea Tim. What if something happened? Where would you even stay? Our backpacks are so full you’d probably be crushed before we even got to class.” The thought made them all shiver but Grian was better at hiding it.
“I was actually thinking about staying in a, uh, pocket.” Jimmy said a bit sheepishly. It was the first time he was suggesting something like this. But he would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about it before.
“A pocket?” Joel repeated, hand subconsciously finding the pockets he had in his jeans.
“Yeah, but not those kinds.” Jimmy said, pointing to where Joel’s hand was. Those kinds of pockets seemed much too stiff and uncomfortable. He would not like being shoved in one of those, that’s for sure. “I was actually thinking more along the lines of Grian’s hoodie pocket. The one on the front.” The hoodie in question was laying on the edge of Grian’s bed.
Grian lifted the red hoodie up and took a look at the pocket. He never really paid much attention to stuff like that but now he found himself thinking about how it would be having Jimmy in there. The thought was a bit weird. “I mean, you would probably have plenty of room in there but Jimmy, I still don’t think--”
“Come on ! Nothing is going to happen. I trust you guys to make sure I’m safe. Besides, if I’m in your hoodie pocket, it’ll be easy for you to keep an eye on me. Er, keep uh, a hand on me.” Jimmy said, trying to make his case and pleading just a little bit.
Grian and Joel’s chests warmed at the mention of trust. Jimmy trusted them to keep him safe, to the point he wanted to take the risk and go to class with them. Hearing it out loud was not only nice but it was also breaking their resolve. They exchanged another glance, in which Joel simply shrugged. Grian sighed.
“...Okay. We’ll try it out.” Grian finally said and Jimmy celebrated. “But if anything happens we are never doing this again.” Grian said, cutting Jimmy off. Jimmy just nodded, still grinning.
Grian sighed again and then put on his hoodie. He smoothed out the wrinkles and placed his hands in his pocket to make sure it was properly spaced. He then took his hands back out and reached over toward Jimmy.
Jimmy barely had to brace himself as Grian’s hand wrapped around him. The grip itself was solid but gentle, secure but not suffocating. It always amazed Jimmy how much control human’s hand in their hands. It was such a powerful tool and yet Grian and Joel used it in such gentle ways. Jimmy couldn’t help but flex his own hand subconsciously as Grian lifted him up and off the nightstand.
Grian paused for a moment, thinking. “Should I just…stick you in there?” Grian said with a wince. Neither of them had ever put Jimmy in a pocket before. He didn’t know what the protocol for this was.
Jimmy thought for a minute before shrugging. “Yeah, I guess.” He didn’t really see a better way to do it.
Grian nodded and lowered Jimmy down to where his pocket was. He hesitated for a moment before gently stuffing the hand that held Jimmy inside. From there, he carefully released the borrower and pulled his hand back a little but didn’t fully take his hand out. “There. How are you doing?”
“Yeah, and how does it feel?” Joel chimed in, crouching so that he was eye level with Grian’s hoodie pocket. He could just barely make out the tiny lump that he knew to be Jimmy.
Jimmy shifted a bit, getting into a more comfortable position. He sat up, using the solid wall behind him to lean against. The fabric was comfortable to be in and that, paired with Grian being so close, gave a nice warmth to the pocket as well. It was actually rather nice, which Jimmy hadn’t really been expecting. Tolerable, sure but not nice. He would even go so far as to say that he liked being in here.
“It’s good!” Jimmy said, raising his voice a bit more. He wasn’t sure how well they could hear him from amidst the layer of fabric. “It’s actually pretty comfortable in here.”
“Huh, really?” Joel asked, surprised Jimmy actually seemed to like it. “It’s not too stuffy in there or anything?”
“Nope!” Even with Grian’s hand inside the pocket with him, the two entrances into the pocket were giving him enough air for it to not be an issue.
“Well, I guess we’re actually doing this then.” Joel said, standing back up. Grian gave him a look.
“What’s this ‘we’ business, I’m the one who has him in my pocket.” Grian said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder before placing his other hand in his pocket as well. He looked down, unable to even see a sign of Jimmy from this angle. “It’s not too crowded with both my hands in right?”
Jimmy shook his head, then quickly realized they couldn’t see him. “Nope! It’s fine!” Maybe it was a little crowded but Jimmy didn’t mind. He was used to Grian or Joel’s hands being close. It actually gave him some comfort in this situation. Because despite being the one to want this, he was still nervous about it.
“Okay then, we’re leaving now so no more talking.” Grian said as he reached the door. “If you need anything, just hit my hand or something, okay?”
“Got it!” Jimmy said and then fell silent as he heard the door open.
As Grian and Joel walked down the hall, they were a bit tense. “This is weird.” Grian admitted.
Joel looked over at him with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah, I bet. I’m not even the one who has him and I’m nervous.”
Someone passed by them and they did their best to act normal. Once they were far enough away, Grian let out a breath. “I feel like he’s just out on full display despite the fact he’s hidden.” Grian reached out a finger and gently nudged Jimmy’s side, he was met with tiny hands trying to push it away. He smiled slightly. At least Jimmy was right in that regard. It did make him feel a bit better that he could make sure Jimmy was still there and okay.
“Although, if you think about it, it’s kind of weird in a different way too.” Joel brought up as they finally left the dorm building. The sky was overcast but thankfully there was no rain.
Grian looked at Joel confused. “What do you mean?”
Joel shrugged. “I don’t know, it’s just…this is the first time we’ve ever brought Jimmy out of the dorm room. It feels different. More…real, I guess. If that makes sense?” Joel ran a hand down his face. “Or not, maybe I’m just rambling cause I’m so nervous about this.”
Grian shook his head. “No, I think I get what you mean.” It was hard to put it into words. But taking Jimmy out of the dorm room made him feel more real. Like he really did exist outside of it. They both knew that already, of course, but actually experiencing it was another thing entirely.
A featherlight touch patted his finger and Grian couldn’t help but smile.
They made it to the biology building first, which is where Joel and Grian would part for now. Joel stepped back a bit. “Alright, I’ll see you both later. Don’t get into any trouble.” Joel said. He wasn’t sure how he was going to focus in his classes knowing Jimmy was out but he would have to get by. “I’ll meet you guys back at the dorm for lunch.”
“Sounds good. See you later.” Grian waved goodbye to Joel as he made his way to the next building over and then Grian entered the biology building.
As Grian entered his class, a wave of voices could be heard. Jimmy jumped slightly, not used to having so many loud voices around him at once. Sure, he had looked in on a college party or two in the past but that had been a long time ago. He had grown used to the quiet atmosphere of Grian and Joel’s dorm room.
He felt Grian sit down, the pocket getting just slightly more smushed in the process but still not too bad. Grian kept his hands in his pocket for now and Jimmy briefly wondered if he was going to forgo taking notes in order to keep his hands inside. Jimmy hoped not, he didn’t want to be responsible for Grian not getting the information of the class down.
A finger came up and nudged him in the side again. Jimmy put his hand on the fingertip, letting Grian know he was still there. It was nice to be worried about, if Jimmy was being honest. And every touch and nudge was Grian showing off that worry.
A few moments later, the class quieted down and only one voice spoke. Jimmy assumed that was the teacher getting on with the lesson for the day. So Jimmy sat back and did his best to listen.
Though, it became clear very quickly that Jimmy had no hope to understand what the heck the teacher was talking about. It was like that time he sat with Grian while he was studying. No words were making sense, not put together the way the teacher was saying them anyway. Jimmy slumped back, a bit defeated by the prospect that he wouldn’t be learning anything new today. Had there even been a point in coming out with Grian and Joel then?
He looked to his right, at one of Grian’s hand. The warmth he had felt when first being put into the pocket had only grown. But not to an overbearing degree. It felt nice. As a borrower, Jimmy was almost always cold. His small body couldn’t contain much heat like a human’s body could. So Jimmy liked to soak up any warmth he could. And in this pocket, next to Grian’s body and hands, he had never felt so warm and comfortable.
Maybe there was still a point in having come out here with his humans after all.
With the lecture now being background noise, Jimmy shifted closer to Grian’s right hand. In turn, Grian’s hand cupped around him, surrounding him in even more warmth. Jimmy let out a small sigh and before he knew it, he had closed his eyes and fallen into a peaceful sleep.