Archive of Our Own

Pearl wrote the statement on a post-it and handed it over to her best friend. Sausage stuffed his sandwich in his mouth so he could take the note, then proceeded to choke as he read. I, Pearl Ese Moon, agree to marry Michael James Sausich if neither of us are married by age 30.  

“Ay, you think I can’t find someone who will marry me?” He said once he was done coughing; once he was done drawing all the attention of the dining hall. 

Pearl rolled her eyes. “Nah, that’s not what I’m saying, Saus. I’m saying I won’t find someone. I heard Grian and Mumbo were making the same pact. I just don’t want to be 30 and not married once Joel and Lizzie tie the knot and Jimmy finally figures his shit out and decides whether he loves Scott or Tango more.”

The 20 year old looked reluctantly between his best friend, their friends in the distance approaching, and the pen on the table. “Fuck it, you’re right.”

“I always am.”

“Whatever. Wither twins incoming,” He prepped a napkin ball to throw at fWhip. “Bombs away!”

“Hey, watch it.” The red headed man whined. “I don’t need your mustard stains on me, jackass!”

* * *

Pearl and Sausage forgot about their pact as the months passed by and they lost themselves in their studies. Pointless competitions over who could get better grades on their blueprints. It all faded away from them. It faded away as Jimmy and Scott moved in together, then broke up. Fighting about Jimmy’s risky behavior and tendency to get into accidents. It faded away as fWhip exploded one of the labs at his internship. It faded away as Sausage began to see his grades slipping. It faded away as Gem transferred schools with one year left. It faded away as Pearl’s brother and his friends crashed in on Empire University’s keg crawl. It faded away as they took their trips into End City. It faded away as Scott had his yearly holiday feast. 

It faded away until graduation weekend and Pearl watched Joel drop to one knee in front of Lizzie. It faded away until Lizzie asked her and the other girls to be her bridesmaid. It faded until her brother said he was moving in with Scar. It faded until it didn’t. 

Sausage was moving back to Mythland to live with his parents until he had enough money to get a place of his own, but Pearl couldn’t stomach going back to Gilded Helianthia. She escaped the farm lands that she had been trapped in her entire childhood. She had made friends in college. Her brother was off traveling with Mumbo, his home base was in Hermit City though. Pearl talked to Gem about moving in with a family friend Gem lovingly referred to as Uncle Impulse, though Pearl didn’t really know why the man had the name until she moved into the house in Hermit City. Or should she call it one third forge, one third soup kitchen, one third house. Uncle Impulse was a blacksmith, an engineer, and an overall good samaritan who loved a little bit of a pet project. And it just so happened that the newly graduated women were just that. 

Being taken care of by friends and being separated did not make Pearl and Sausage any less of best friends, however, it did make the deal a little bit null in void at the moment. Sausage was talking to a few guys, one specific guy from Stratos who used to go to Empire with them, but he didn’t really run in their crowd. He was a friend of Joel’s though, so he seemed like a good enough guy.

Pearl wasn’t looking for someone, she never really wanted that sort of thing out of life. She was good with friends. Her pact was Sausage was just so she wouldn’t be lonely in old age or subject to being forgotten. She didn’t want to wither away in some nursing home. She wanted to be around someone who loved her, platonically. That was who Sausage was. 

Gem and Pearl spent their days in Hermit City getting used to it all. When they were in college, they would take trips into End City cause it only was an hour drive, but living in a city was different. They didn’t understand how so many people could live in End City and they only knew so many. Pearl would go ages without seeing her brother when he was in town and he technically only lived a few blocks away. Pearl spent most nights doing research for her new job, botanical and natural architecture. Integrating plants and nature into building. Impulse and his engineering buddies always called what she was doing alien or solar punk; deep down it wasn’t very punk, but more of a sentimentality to her upbringing in Gilded Helianthia. 

She worked her ass off at the job to get her promotion. She spent blood, sweat, and tears. Her and Gem moved out of Impulse’s house when he sold it to move to Pulse Valley across the country that he and his buddy, BDubs, were planning on restoring with a non-profit to create affordable housing and jobs. 

For a time she moved in with Scott, but they started to fight more than they talked. It was bad for both of them. He was bitter about his breakup, even after all these years and Pearl was friends with Tango, even helping him get a great job with the Heart Foundation. That never sat right with Scott. 

“Will you tell Tilly to shut up?” Scott stormed out of his room to see what the dog was barking at at 5 AM. “The neighbors will file a complaint again. I don’t really want to deal with Martyn right now.”

“You’re just worried he’ll bring up Jimmy.” Pearl groaned. “I’m writing an email, I’ll take her out in a minute.”

He grabbed the leash off the wall and began to prepare the dog for her walk. “You need to go to a doctor to deal with your circadian rhythm.”

“I’m just a night owl.”

“When do you have time to hang out with your friends?”

Pearl stared at her email, cursor blinking mockingly. She couldn’t remember the last time she heard from Gem, who was out on an exploration in one of the country's largest forests. She’d go days without talking to her brother. fWhip went off the radar years ago after a fight with Jimmy because something Sausage had said at graduation. Sausage reached out once a week to gush or rant about his boyfriend. Pearl couldn’t admit all of that to Scott. 

She looked up, “We have a few hours of cross over. Okay, um, thanks for putting her leash on.”

When Scott left for work, Pearl didn’t go to sleep like she normally did. She began packing her things, ignoring Tilly’s extremely loud barking. She packed all of her things in five hours and called Tango and Mr. Skizzleman to help her move out. 

She moved in with her childhood friend, Big B, until the apartment burned down. She slept on her brother’s couch for a few weeks until Mumbo took pity on her and convinced her there was room in his apartment. Joel and Lizzie were his neighbors and apparently he was renting the place from BDubs, which meant Pearl moving in meant the lovely man lowered the rent a little because she was basically family at this point. 

* * *

Pearl found little joy left in her life. She hadn’t seen Sausage in almost two years. She found that the world had little joy without him in it. She couldn’t recall his laughter naturally anymore, having to spend hours on her days off just to find videos of parties from college to hear it. He hadn’t called, or texted, or even posted online. For a few months, she was worried and thought he had died. She called Gem, but Gem hadn’t heard from him in twice as long. She would’ve called his parents but he never gave their numbers and she had only met them twice. She settled for checking his tagged posts. He was alive. He was alive. That was all that mattered. 

In the meantime, she found meaning in Mumbo. The way he made her lunch. The way he insisted they took walks after dinner, holding Tilly’s leash. The way he got the plates from the top shelf. The way he laid on the floor after a long shift at work, covering the entire rug like a starfish beached on a rock. Or how he’d turn the music up and dance off beat. If he was feeling really energetic (and didn’t mind annoying the people below them), he’d take out the DDR, boasting about how many times he beat Pearl in the last month.

The pair sat on the couch, watching The Hunger Games, when a knock cut over the movie. Mumbo began to untangle himself after being interlocked for so long. He made his way to the door and opened it skeptically, eye on the baseball bat by the door.

“Oh, um, I’m sorry I must have the wrong apartment,” a husk of Suasage’s voice hit Pearl in the chest from her spot on the couch.

She got up and made her way to the door, not yet seen by her best friend. Mumbo stood with the door mostly closed. He stood protectively in front of it. Mumbo and Sausage had met so she was not sure what was happening. She wanted to weasel her way past Mumbo’s arm and into the hall, but she paused. 

“Sausage?” Mumbo asked, even though he knew it was him. 

He laughed, anxiously. “I haven’t been called that in so long. Oh, Mumbo… Sorry, do you still go by Mumbo or are you just Matthew now or did you go back to M.J. Sorry… I– I think I’m at the wrong apartment.”

This was her cue, she squeezed past and landed in front of her best friend. “No, you have the right place.”

“Pearlescent!” Sausage pulled her immediately into a hug that made his hands white.

Mumbo stood in the doorway, hand on the door, so tight he might break it. Pearl stood back and blinked at him. He looked older than he had been last time she saw him. His hands were shaking as if he were nervous, but there was no anxiety behind his eyes. She couldn’t exactly read his eyes like she used to. He was there though. In front of her for the first time in so long. She wanted to believe that was the only thing that mattered. She couldn’t ignore it though. The bloodshot eyes. The swaying. And the unignorable smell of alcohol. She wanted him being there to be the only thing that mattered. 

Pearl looked up at Mumbo, searching for steadiness or an answer. He moved aside, signaling that they move out of the hallway and into their home. Mumbo walked deeper into the apartment as Pearl led Sausage into the kitchen. 

“So, is he your boyfriend?”

Pearl rolled her eyes, used to the question at this point. “You know boyfriends aren’t my thing. But we are partners if you need to label it.”

“So, what we were supposed to be?”

“I guess.” She shrugged, getting him a glass of water without even asking. “So, why are you here, Sausage?”

“Can’t a guy miss his best friend?”

“Yes, he can. That normally inspires a phone call, not a drunken drop in.”

He glared at her. “I’m not drunk.”

“Sure thing,” She said, eyeing the pain relievers and bandages Mumbo had brought back from the bathroom. “Your legs are pretty cut up.”

“Oh, yeah…” He looked down as if noticing them for the first time. “The sidewalk was crowded and some jerk basically pushed me into a bush.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Mumbo leaned in front of the man and assessed the cuts, pouring water onto a clean dish towel. “Can I clean them up for you?”

Sausage looked at Pearl, then his legs, then back at Mumbo. Pearl took her cue and grabbed the towel. Mumbo stepped back, leaning awkwardly on the counter, watching them. The thing he hated most was feeling out of place in his own home. 

“So what do you do for a living, Mumbo?”

Correct that, he hated being interrogated in his own home. “Computer engineering.”

“Nice.” Sausage said, trying to not grimace or slur his words. “How’d you reconnect with Pearl?”

Pearl sat on the floor, staring at the cuts and the bandages. She knew she had told him that she was staying with her brother for a little while… Had he stopped reaching out around that point? Had she not moved in with Mumbo yet?

“Through Grian?”

“How is that pesky brother of yours?” Before she could answer, he turned back toward Mumbo. “Didn’t you and him have a marriage pact like me and Pearl?”

He blinked; he hadn’t thought of that silly thing once since they made it five years ago. “Well, Grian and Scar got married so that’s null and void.”

“Oh, that sucks, sorry.”

Pearl looked up in horror. “Dude, not cool.”

“What?”

Mumbo managed a laugh. “It was a worst case scenario type pact. I don’t think we made ours as early as you guys. I think ours was set for forty.”

“Yeah, thirty is ticking closer and closer.” 

Pearl looked down at the bloody rag on their kitchen floor. “Why are you here, Sausage? Honestly this time. I don’t want your bullshit now.”

“Okay. Alright.” He put his hands on his knees, steadying himself in the chair. “I… Well, my… I lost my job in Mythland and my parents kicked me out. So I’ve been couch popping for a bit, kinda like you were. Except I had no way of getting to the city until now.”

“How’d you get here?”

He shrugged, not looking her in the eyes. 

“How the hell did you get here? How’d you get my address? What is going on? Why are you drunk at my doorstep?” She was shouting now, loud enough that Mumbo heard Joel and Lizzie stirring on the other side of the hall. 

Sausage stood up, feeling accused. “What the hell! Why are you yelling at me!?”

“Cause you went AWOL for two years…”

“Fine!” He was still standing aggressively, making Mumbo stand closer to Pearl. “I got here by hitchhiking. I got your address by calling Fitz. And I’ve been drunk everyday since we fucking graduated, sorry it took you this long to fucking notice.”

“You need help, Sausage.” 

There was no accusation in her voice. There wasn’t even judgment. Pearl Moon’s voice was laced with concern and confusion. She looked at the hollow shape of her best friend and felt just as hollow. She moved to hug him, but he stepped back. 

“I need to go. This was a bad idea.”

“No, don’t go. How about you couch hop one last time? You can sleep in the guest room… We can talk more in the morning. I’ll make breakfast burritos.”

“Are you sure?” He looked past Pearl at Mumbo.

Mumbo nodded, mumbling something about making sure the guest room had sheets and towels. The room had been Pearl’s when she first moved in, before she and Mumbo were what they are now, back when it was simply just roommates. In those two years, Pearl realized how much she liked being close to someone. There was nothing more to it. She just liked being close. She couldn’t tell if she just was not used to the emptiness of being alone. She had her own room when she lived at Scott’s, they had never gotten as close. He also kinda hated her from the beginning. But she had always shared a room with Grian growing up and a dorm or room with Gem. She found comfort in Mumbo’s snoring or how she would wake up and his arm would be over her, trapping her in bed for longer. There was comfort in closeness. 

When Pearl woke up and slunk into the kitchen, she saw the guest room door was open. She peaked in, expecting a sleepy Sausage, but was met with an empty bed. The room looked as if no one had been there, except for the note left on the pillows. 

Dear Pearl, 

Thank you for your kindness and acceptance. I couldn’t sleep and I took your words, while brief, to heart. I do need help. I called my parents. I’m checking myself into Sanctuary. I just don’t want to disappoint you. I think that’s why I hid it all for so long. I don’t want to disappoint you but I do. I know it. I did it by showing up to your door. I did it without you knowing it. I am sorry, I drank the last three cans of Xornoth you had in the fridge, that one was always my weakness. I had gotten up to get water… I think those are what made me really realize I fucked up. I hope you and Mumbo are happy.

Love,

Micheal

* * *

Pearl quit her job, well she tried to. After years of slowly making her way up the ranks, she was bored of it. She wanted something different. Something unlike it. Her bosses wouldn’t let her fully quit, so officially speaking she was on sabbatical. She was on sabbatical from her fancy architecture job to work at a recycling plant. The excuse her bosses made was that it was research on sustainability, which was part of their whole shtick. 

Mumbo supported the whole thing. His job paid enough that they didn’t have to worry about suffering in the slightest. Pearl couldn’t help but feel like the world’s biggest asshole for the first six months. When she hit a year and got to partner up with Gem for some ocean conservation project, she felt like it was actually worth it. It was all worth it.

“So, Sausage is out of rehab.” Gem said, sitting with her feet in the water. 

Pearl dropped her recycling bin, recomposing herself. “Good for him.”

“Are you really happy with all this, Pearl?”

“What do you mean?” She said, looking at her best friend with that annoyed glare. “You aren’t asking if I’m happy in my relationship, are you? Cause I’d have some choice words about that.”

“No, no. I love Mumbo, he’s great. Just with growing up. We’re almost 27.” 

Pearl shook her head. “What’s this about? Are you okay?”

“I just feel like I never see anyone anymore. I miss everyone. I think we should do something. Like a trip or something.”

“I know Uncle Impulse and BDubs have a beach house, I think it would be fun.” Gem’s voice trailed off for a moment before it returned. “You, me, your brother. You could bring Mumbo and he could bring Scar. You’d get to see Mr. Skizzleman again and I think Tango lives out there now for his job so maybe we can ask him to take off and hang out.”

“Okay, make the group chat.”

Gem squealed and scrambled for her phone to get to work. The planning began and it didn’t end until there were a herd of cars parked in the Magic Mountain ’s driveway four months later. The beach house sat on the tallest part of the island and looked out on it all. Pearl thought it was a wonder how she had no idea Uncle Impulse even had a beach house. 

Mumbo patted her knee before getting out of their car. Pearl slid out of her seat and listened to the waves hitting the sand in the distance. Impulse began to help unload the car and Pearl shouldered her backpack. 

She had been ignoring the texts from Sausage since he got out of rehab. She was still angry at the way he left. She was still angry and she didn’t want him to feel anger, not directly at least. 

“Pearly Pop!” Mr. Skizzleman hopped off the front porch and wrapped her in a hug. “Introduce me to this boy of yours.”

Mumbo stood to the side, awkwardly, looking extra gangly with a suitcase in each hand. “I’d offer a hand to shake normally, sir.”

“No worries. You want me to take one of these?” 

Mumbo looked at the man who was nearly equal to him in stature but twice his size in strength. “Oh, um, I–”

“Mumbo, give the man the bag,” Pearl laughed. “Is Gemi here yet?”

“No, I think she was driving up with Impy.” The older man started walking up the stairs. “G-Man and Sir Scar are here though. Tango is definitely here, he’s trying to upgrade the TV. BDubs is at the grocery store.”

“Nice,” Pearl reached into her backpack as she entered the house, quickly trying to remove her shoes without having to bend over and untie them. “We brought bagels.”

“Saint Pearl!” Tango shouted, hearing his friend’s voice across the house. 

She didn’t realize how much she had missed Tango. He had moved out of the city soon after she moved out of Scott’s apartment. Jimmy and him found a nice ranch with not too much land. She took a moment to hug her friend, embracing his warmth. 

“How are you liking my job, man?” He said, elbowing Mumbo. “The company treating you alright.”

Before working in the engineering department of the Heart Foundation, Tango had worked for a sister company to the one Pearl had dedicated her entire career to. He grew bored with it. He liked to say that his quitting was what got Pearl and Mumbo to be close again, even though he knew that wasn’t the truth. 

“They gave me the whole two weeks off for this trip. I only have to do some schematics, which I can do once everyone’s in bed.”

“Night owl, this one?”

Pearl laughed at the observation, while Mumbo blushed; Tango and Skizz eyed each other and smiled, before Tango continued. “Looks like Pearlie finally met her match!”

“You act as if I haven’t known Mumbo most of my life now.”

“Well,” Tango sighed. “I just like to see you happy. By the way, Jimmy and BigB both give their best wishes. We just got a new goat and Jim didn’t want to leave her alone. BigB had to hold down the helm at work since Skizz and I are both here.”

“I told the poor guy we could shut down for the vacation, get a well deserved break.” Skizz shook his head. “He’s been spending too much time in the archives… The basement of our building is genuinely so creepy.”

“Who’s talking about creepy?” Gem called out from the driveway. 

Impulse jogged up to the door and glared at his best friend. “Close the damn door, you are letting all the cold air out and it’s hot as a grandma’s armpit out here.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Okay, I see how it is,” Gem rolled her eyes, giving a hug to Pearl and Mumbo. “No one answers my questions. What’s creepy? Do we get to go on another ghost hunt?”

She heard Scar yell from the second floor. “Fuck no!”

“Is my sister down there, purposefully ignoring me?” Grian’s voice followed shortly afterward.

Pearl rolled her eyes. “It’s not ignoring, dipshit. We have been waiting for the elevator. Is the door closed all the way?”

“I know how to use an elevator, Pearl Ese Moon!” Scar mocked. 

Pearl matched his tone. “Sure thing, Samuel Good!”

* * *

Pearl lay on the beach, letting the heat soak into her skin. Her brother was perched on a tree near the house, playing with a drone Impulse kept at the house. BDubs had set up the traction pads the first day of the trip and now Scar was rolling slowly down the beach, parking next to Pearl. 

“Does Mumbo still wear suits every day?” He asked, looking over his shoulder to the man on the balcony making phone calls.

Pearl giggled. “He sure does. I had to buy him beach clothes and he still insisted on bringing like four suits. Our room is full of clothes.”

“God save you,” He muttered. “Your brother tried to bring sweaters. When I tried telling him that sweaters weren’t beach wear, he pulled out a fisherman sweater. I had to explain that those were for deep sea fishing.”

“If he has a heat stroke, that's on him. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen either of those men in shorts.”

“Maybe that’s why they are best friends.”

“Their shared hatred for casual clothes?” Pearl cackled.

Pearl looked down the beach at an extremely recognizable head of green hair and a less recognizable head of white hair walking toward them. 

“Is that who I think it is?” Pearl whispered.

Simultaneously, Grian fell out of the tree and shouted, “Joel Smalls, what the hell are you doing here?”

Joel clearly flushed and looked at the dune, then the beach chairs, then the deck. The entire beach house was crawling with people he knew. Gem ran from the steps and tackled her old friend in her usual hug. 

“I knew I forgot people in this planning. Fuck, I’m so sorry, Joel. Well at least you are here… I really miss you and Lizz– Um, who is this?”

“Etho?” Mumbo shouted from the deck. “What are you doing here, mate?”

The name rang familiar. She had worked with Etho a handful of times. He had been a freelancer up until Mumbo convinced him to take a full-time contract. Both men seemed a little on edge and Pearl watched closely. 

“This is my… my partner, Etho.” Joel explained shortly. 

Nearly everyone that cared about the matter was on the beach now. Tango looked up at his brother-in-law in confusion. Joel met his gaze and seemed even more startled. 

“No, no,” He quickly said, then scrunched his face. “Yes, but not like what you’re thinking. Lizzie knows. Um, long story short we’ve been in an open marriage since like day one. Etho lives with us.”

“How the hell did we not know about this?” Pearl finally interjected. 

Etho shrugged. “You two have such weird schedules. I leave for work so early and Mumbo is always running late.”

“Hey.”

“Why are you wearing a suit at the beach, mate?” Joel asked.

Grian looked between his friends. “You should know by now that he’s just like this.”

“Whatever,” Gem interrupted. “Is Lizzie at the beach?”

“No, she’s at home. We couldn’t all leave.”

“Why?” Pearl moved to get her water, missing the extremely awkward exchange between Gem and Joel. 

While Gem forgot to invite Joel, that didn’t mean the woman was fully out of the loop about his life. Etho moved to stand in the shade. Gem followed him. Grian looked at the two backing away from the situation and decided whatever answer was coming was going to make his sister volatile. He slowly rolled Scar a little ways up the traction pads, still within earshot, but not wingspan. 

“She’s with the baby.”

Mumbo furrowed his eyebrows. “Bullshit, we would know if you guys had a baby. We share a hallway. You complain when we play DDR too late at night.”

“You guys had already left for the trip when he arrived.”

“Arrived?” Pearl raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking like he was delivered by a stork.”

Etho laughed. “It’s almost like he was.”

“The fuck’s that supposed to mean?!” Mumbo threw his arms in the air. 

Pearl looked at Joel, a horrible thought crossing her mind, “He? What’s the baby’s name?”

“Hermes…”

“Say–” She balled her fist. “Say his full name…”

“We are working on getting it changed to ours. Pearl–”

She blinked, then turned toward the ocean. Mumbo reached out his hand to rest it on her shoulder but she shrugged it off and took off at a rapid pace for the waves. Gem looked at the woman as she dove under the water. Mumbo couldn’t go after her, still dressed in his suit. Grian took his sweater off and started heading toward the water. He slowly made his way to his sister, wading in the cold water, trying to not complain about it. 

“Pearl, please don’t go any further out, I can’t touch the ground.”

She spit out some salt water, “That’s cause you’re short. Are you even wearing swim trunks?”

“No, I’m in my khakis. I hate it but I love you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why did you follow me out here?”

“Like I said, I love you. You’re upset,” He paused. “Why are you upset about Joel and Lizzie having a kid?”

“He’s Sausage’s kid.”

“How do you know?” Grian kicked his feet, struggling to stay above the water. 

Pearl looked out to the horizon. “Cause that’s the name we always talked about. If we had a kid, he really liked the mythos of it.”

“You don’t want kids though. You said they would mess up your whole thing you had going on.” 

“I don’t. You’re right. But we were young and drunk and in college. Mom thought I was going to marry him. Dad asked once on a call when we were gonna give him grandkids. When Dad hung up, Sausage went on this whole rant about how he wouldn’t name any of our kids boring names like he was. He had called them our kids. He hadn’t even asked me. He kinda just thought that was what it was gonna be like.”

Grian turned away at the mention of their parents. “Well, fuck him and fuck Mom and Dad.”

“Have you heard from them recently?”

“Not since my wedding they refused to come to.” He bit his lip. “You?”

She scoffed. “Mom somehow found out I moved in with Mumbo. She wrote me a letter and had it sent to my job. Said I was doing a good job ‘curing him of his impure thoughts’ and asked when we were getting married and that she couldn’t support us living together before we were married.”

“God, I hate them.”

“Yeah, I told my office to turn away any mail sent by her. Mumbo goes through all of the mail without return addresses.”

“I’m glad you two found each other.”

“Yeah, yeah. Everyone  wants to take credit for us getting together.’

He laughed. “That’s not what I was trying to do. I’m your older brother, can’t I be proud.”

“Oh, we’re doing that again, are we?” Pearl tackled him under the water, quickly coming up for air. “We’re twins, dipshit!”

“Why are you drowning my husband?” Scar called out from the shore, having rolled his wheelchair to the every end of the traction pads, where the water lapped lightly over his toes. 

Mumbo stood next to Scar with his hand over his forehead blocking out the sun. “Pearl, behind you!”

“Hey, unfair. You both are too damn tall!” Grian complained as he jumped on his twins shoulders and all she did was stand up, exposing them both to the breeze. 

Scar laughed. “Don’t be bitter, babe! Cause if I were standing, I’d be up there with them.”

“It isn’t far!”

“Life isn’t fair,” Mumbo chuckled. “Now come back to shore. I have towels for both of you.”

“See, he’s too good.”

Pearl smiled to herself. “He’s perfect.”

* * *

Pearl stared at the eight month old sleeping in Etho’s arms. He looked too much like Sausage’s baby pictures. 

“So, you and Joel were the godparents?” She turned to Lizzie.

Lizzie moved her head in a yes-no swirl. “We were put in as legal guardians. When Sausage got arrested for drunk driving with him in the car, they gave him to us. If Sausage signs some paperwork, he’ll never have to worry about Hermes again.”

“And you want him to sign the papers?”

Joel handed her a glass of water. Mumbo sat awkwardly on their neighbors’ couch, which was far too short for him.

“It will make things a little easier. We can complete the legal loopholes that allow Etho to also take care of him and not in a ‘oh, I’m his parents’ friend kinda way.’” Joel put his hand on his partner’s shoulder, looking at the baby. “But the lawyers are saying that having him do paperwork while he’s actively in rehab won’t seem too good to a lawyer.”

“Right…”

Pearl thought back to the last time Saus went to rehab. According to Gem, he had been in and out for years. His parents and sponsor were talking about long term, intensive stuff but he couldn’t afford that right now. Every time he got out he got drunk again. It seemed like all his will power that he built up in rehab crumbled when he left those doors. Pearl noted to herself that he had always been better with highly structured systems; he nearly failed their senior year due to sudden free will given by professors for their senior thesis and project. She had been filled in that Hermes was conceived during one of the short periods when Saus was out of rehab for a few months, just beginning his newest bender. Hermes was then born a few days after Sausage got out of rehab again. The plan was to be around sometimes, but then the mom gave up her rights. Saus thought about going to his parents’ and asking for help, but he felt like a failure. He had gone to Joel, Lizzie, and Etho instead. Pearl wondered to herself if she had looked at any of his texts to her, if he was asking her for something similar. 

She looked down at her watch. “I have a meeting. So we have to go.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to hold him?” Lizzie asked as the couple stood up. 

Mumbo looked carefully at everyone’s faces. “We really do have to go. Sorry.”

Once they were in the comfort of their own apartment, Pearl relaxed, grabbing a beer out of the fridge. Mumbo took a deep breath and stole a sip. 

“Their entire apartment now smells like baby throw up.” 

Pearl shuttered. “I know we love this apartment. But what would you think about moving?”

“Just cause of Hermes?”

“No… No. I’m thinking about going back to work and well, X said there is an opening in End City.” She scratched her shoulder through her hoodie. “We wouldn’t even have to live in the city. We could find a townhouse out in the suburbs. You can get a whole shed for your inventions and not have to stuff them in the guest room anymore.”

Mumbo sat down at the kitchen table. “I’d need to see if I could transfer to the End City office. It would be nice to be closer to everyone again. I’ll be honest, the cities felt a lot more empty. Living in the suburbs wouldn’t be too bad, it would be good for the dogs.”

“We’d be right between the beach and Pulse Valley. Grian and Scar’s house is right on the outskirts of the city.”

“Pearl, what if I quit?”

“You do hate working there since management changed…” She wrapped her arms around him. “We could call Impy and see if he knows anyone hiring in either city.”

“Okay, I’ll call him on my lunch break tomorrow. Don’t take the job just yet, but tell X you’re considering it.”

“Alright.” She hugged him. “Thanks for not letting me get trapped.”

“Sure thing...” He raised an eyebrow but didn’t have time to question it because she really did have a meeting to run to. She threw on her sneakers and ran out of the apartment to catch the metro.

* * *

Mailbox, Matchbox, and Tilly ran around the backyard, jumping over each other. Pearl stood over the grill while Mumbo went around handing out burgers to all of their guests. All their friends had spent the day helping them move into their house, so the only proper response was to feed them. 

“This yard is absolutely great for them.” Gem smiled. “And you’re closer to my base of operations now.”

“When’s the next time you go out to sea?”

She thought for a second. “Not until the spring. I’ll be in the lab doing research all fall and winter. So you will never have a free weekend again.”

“Have you talked to your brother recently?”

“Not really, just briefly last month. I know Saus is probably going to stay with him for a while when he’s out of rehab this go around.”

“Is that really a good idea?”

“It’s not our problem anymore. He told me his arson charges got dropped, so at least he won’t be going to jail.”

Pearl scoffed. “I think that would kill your mother.”

“She still sees him as her little baby. It’s wild, cause apparently I am the world’s biggest disappointment.”

“Well, you’ll never disappoint me.”

“Glad to hear,” Gem took a bite of her burger. “Have you and Mumbo talked about the civil partnership paperwork since the beach?”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“I was taking a shit and you two are not quiet with your discussions.”

Pearl rolled her eyes. “We have. It just doesn’t feel that urgent. Maybe. I don’t think we’ll get married, I don’t need that. I really only wanted it for my parents.”

“Yeah, it would be good in case of emergencies but I can’t see why else.”

“Exactly,” Pearl pointed with the big, metal spatula. “If we do anything, you’ll be one of the first to know.”

Skizz waved from across the yard. “Pearlo Pop! Are you and G doing anything for your 27th birthday?”

“Nah.”

“Let us throw you two a party!”

“Why do they get a party?” Gem whined. 

Uncle Impulse laughed. “I’ve thrown you fifteen out of your twenty-seven birthday parties. Don’t whine at your big age.”

“Whatever!”

Grian looked at his sister. “You guys don’t have to do that.”

“G-Man, it would be our honor. Please, let us celebrate you. We’ve loved getting to know you two over the past few years.”

Pearl tried not to blush or cry, however, her cheeks were already red from the grill and her eyes were wet from the smoke. 

* * *

“Did you hear that Etho left Joel and Lizzie?” Mumbo sat at the kitchen table while Pearl fed the dogs. “He went and got hitched to someone else in Vegas of all places.”

Pearl blinked. “What the hell?”

“Yeah, right before their three year anniversary.”

Glancing over at the calendar on the wall, Pearl smiled. “Happy anniversary, by the way.”

“You too,” Mumbo blushed. “I can’t believe it’s been five years.”

Pearl found herself not dreading the fact that it had been five years. When she was with Sausage in whatever their relationship was back then, the three years of college they were sort of promised to each other and not trying to meet other people, Pearl found herself hating it. Maybe it was the fact that that was when Sausage’s problem started. Maybe it was the fact that they were never meant for each other. Maybe it was the fact that she felt like she had to be with him. She never felt like she had to be with Mumbo, it just felt right. She didn’t worry if he was passed out on the couch or if he was dead. She didn’t worry when he was running late home from work. She never worried about miscommunication. She never worried. 

Mumbo laughed. “Can you believe that we thought we would be married to other people ten years ago?”

“Don’t remind me.”

It was the year. She was turning 30 in three months. She and Gem planned a girls trip. Mumbo was going to have a dinner party a week later. 

Mumbo stared at the calendar now. “Do I need to drive you to your doctor’s appointment?”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I have the day off. I was going to take the dogs to the P A R K but we can do that together afterward.”

* * *

“Yes, fWhip, I understand the charges got dropped.” Pearl rolled her eyes while she was on the phone with her best friend’s twin. “Are you coming to the Christmas party or not?”

Mumbo heard an enthusiastic ‘yes’ on the other side of the line before Pearl hung up. “Why are we inviting Fitz Wither into our home?”

“Mumbo…” Pearl leaned on his chair, giving him a disapproving look.

He stood up and crossed his arms. “He set a fire in Grian and I’s sophomore dorm.”

“And he’s grown since then.”

“Has he?” Mumbo raised an eyebrow. “He was charged for three accounts of arson in Grimland.” He saw Pearl start a defense, so he cut her off. “I don’t care if the charges got dropped.”

“He’s Gem’s brother. She hasn’t spent the holidays with him since college…”

“Is he bringing Micheal with him?”

“No, Sausage isn’t coming. And in five years, I’ve never seen you so jealous. Get a grip on yourself, Matthew.”

His real name grounded him. Pearl was here in their house. He had no reason to be jealous of a man neither of them had seen in three years. Tilly nipped at his ankles and he knelt down to pet her. Pearl walked over and put a hand on his shoulder; like instinct, he rested his cheek on her hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Pearl shrugged. “Don’t apologize for your feelings. I’ll make sure he’s on his best behavior. No fires in our house.”

* * *

Tilly, Mailbox, and Matchbox ran around in the snowy yard. Pearl was running through the list of things she would need to buy before the party. She only had a few more days and she wanted to get it all done before the holiday rush. People would be leaving the city to visit their families and that meant they would cut through End suburbs. She was never the biggest fan of winter. They only really got snow once growing up in Gilded Helianthia. Grian had made her go out and make snow angels like they had seen in the movies. She hated it. It felt like her bones were becoming ice and that the moment she went back inside they would melt and she would be a puddle on the floor. 

Mumbo wrapped his arms around her, noticing her chattering teeth. He glanced down the list, then at his partner. 

“Why are we getting brussel sprouts? I don’t know any good recipes.”

She bumped his arm with her cheek. “Gem said she has a good honey roasted brussel sprout recipe. I trust her.”

“Sounds good to me,” He laughed. “You need the vitamin C. I don’t think I’ve seen you eat an orange all season. I’m surprised I haven’t had to take you to the hospital cause you got scurvy.”

She pushed him away. “Says the vampire.”

“Hey, I’m not that pale. Also, the sun is vitamin D!”

She rolled her eyes, running out to meet the dogs in the center of the yard. Slowly the pair fell into fits of laughter as snowballs to the back were exchanged and the dogs started choosing sides. Mumbo cried fatal betrayal as Matchbox, the youngest of the three, was his only ally. As he fell into a pile of snow, all the dogs ran over to eagerly lick his face; slowly, trudging through a now muddy and boot-printed yard, Pearl fell on top of him, enhancing the dog-pile by ten fold. 

* * *

The house was warm; between the Christmas lights, the fireplace, the cooking, and the amount of people split between the living room and the kitchen. Gem sat on the counter, talking to her brother about how much oil he was putting on the pan. Their brussel sprouts were the last thing to be cooked. In the other room, Jimmy and Grian were arguing about what color lights looked best on the tree. 

Pearl walked into the room, Mailbox on her heels. “Grant Ian Moon! If you don’t put that remote control down right now, I will throw you into the snow.”

“Do it anyway!” Scar laughed, rolling over to his husband and yoinking the remote away, setting them back to their original setting with a cheerful wink at his sister-in-law. 

Mumbo took the remote from Scar and put it on the highest shelf they had. He looked out the window at Tango and Joel smoking out on the porch. He stepped out into the air, seeing his breath mix with their smoke. 

“Sorry, man.” Tango looked embarrassed down at his cigarette. “Are we too close to the house?”

Mumbo shook his head, looking equally embarrassed. “Could I bum one off you?”

Joel raised an eyebrow. “You smoke?”

“Not since college; Pearl hates the things, but there are too many damn people in my house right now.” 

Tango shrugged and took the back out of his jacket pocket. Pearl caught Mumbo’s eye through the slim window. He knew this would be an argument later. He knew they needed one, a real one, not just a few lines about jealousy. They were normally so good with communication but he felt like she wasn’t saying something. 

* * *

As everyone left for the night, Pearl pulled Tango to the side, poking him in the chest. “If he starts smoking again, Taylor, I will blame you.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mumbo rolled his eyes, muttering. “Don’t blame him, I asked for one. I’m not a child and he isn’t some bad influence, Pearl.”

Once everyone was out the door, Pearl was left with the smell of sweat and burnt honey. The house was a mess and she didn’t want to deal with it right now. 

“Why are you getting all different recently?” Pearl asked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall. 

“What?” Mumbo’s face fell into a deep frown.

“Jealousy and odd comments and smoking. What’s going on? Are you mad at me?”

He reached for her hands and she planted her fingers in his palms. “I’ve been worried you’ve been mad at me. You’ve been so worked up recently with the party and your birthday coming up. You’ve seemed off since our anniversary.”

Pearl began to tear up, resting her head on his chest. He caressed her hair, whispering soothing words. 

“What’s wrong?” His forehead rested against hers now.

She laughed to herself, still crying, breaking up her words. “This is gonna sound weird. I think we need to discuss it a lot– I thought I didn’t want to– I thought I would only ever– to please my parents– We haven’t talk about it in years– Beach– I–”

“Pearl…” He pulled away to meet her eyes.

She smiled, warily. “Will you marry me?”

“That’s it? You’ve been all worked up for the past two months because you were worried about bringing up marriage again.”

“It’s just this is a weird year to bring it up…”

Mumbo face palmed. “Shit, yeah. Did that make you think we couldn’t? Because of him?”

“Not exactly but yeah. I felt guilty because everything is going so good and he’s just been struggling since before we even graduated. That shouldn’t stop me though!” She paused, expectantly. “So?”

“Of fucking course!”

* * *

Mumbo was walking the dogs as Pearl began to clean the house. It didn’t feel as though anything changed in the few hours between the end of the party and the morning. Mumbo had jokingly pulled a old twist tie off one of the ornaments on the tree, making a rather uncomfortable, temporary ring for her. 

She was singing Christmas carols, preparing to make a simmer pot to get rid of the smell of sweat, cigarettes, and burnt brussel sprouts, when there was a heavy knock on the door. It wasn’t locked and if it was, Mumbo had his keys. She turned the shimmer pot on and walked to the door, expecting to see one of her friends who had forgotten any number of items when they left last night. She had already found Uncle Impulse’s sunglasses and her brother’s sweater.

“What did you forge–” She opened the door and immediately felt the cold air cross her knees, she forgot she was in her pajama shorts. 

Sausage smiled. “Hey, can I come in?”

“What are you doing here?” She said, not moving.

He scooted into the house, not waiting for the invitation. “Saw Hermes was here last night. Seemed like the little guy had fun.”

“You haven’t seen the kid in almost two years.” Pearl rolled her eyes, closing the door with annoyance. “Why are you here?”

“Your birthday is in two weeks, right?” 

She crossed her arms. “Three weeks. Why are you here?”

“Well, we’ll both be thirty–”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what I’m gonna say.”

Pearl began to walk toward the kitchen and Sausage followed. “I said no, Micheal.”

“Oh, I see how it is. Contracts mean nothing nowadays.”

“The contract is void,” She groaned, turning the heat on the stove up slightly. “I am with Mumbo.”

“You and Matthew aren’t married. The contract said ‘married’.”

Pearl looked down at her hand, hidden by her sleep shirt’s long sleeves. “We’re getting married. Either way it wouldn’t matter. You and I aren’t friends anymore.”

With that, Sausage grabbed the nearest bottle off the counter and took a swig. “Gah, that shit’s awful.”

“Yeah, cause it's a day old ale that BDub’s brought from a random forest brewery.” She tried to grab it but failed as the man swerved. “Please, Micheal.”

He gestured with the bottle, letting a little spill out onto the counter, mixing with some spilled oil from the night before. Pearl didn’t see it as it was happening but her arm began to grow up and sting as she yelled at Sausage to leave. He looked on in horror, unable to form the words to warn her. 

“Pearl…”

“What do you want?”

“You’re on fire!” He finally shouted. 

She looked at the flames licking up her sleeve, catching her hair. The pain finally registered and she let out a horrified scream. The entire back of the stove and cabinets were on fire. Sausage searched for the fire extinguisher as Pearl dropped to the ground, trying to put the fire on herself out. Her arm and neck were already badly burned. She was trying to protect the rest of her body. She felt the pain creep up to her ear and cheek and down her leg. Suddenly the pain stopped spreading and Pearl stopped. Sausage had found the fire extinguisher between the Christmas tree and fireplace. 

Sausage sat on the ground next to Pearl, both breathing in the smoke still in the air. The fire alarm blaring. He held her hand as she waved in and out of consciousness. It hurt and it didn’t. She knew it had to be bad. It had to be really bad because he wasn’t looking at her with his big doe eyes like he usually did. He was holding her hand, then he wasn’t. She heard the door open and close as the sound of sirens approached. She heard Mumbo shouting on the outside of the house because he wasn’t let in. The dogs were barking like crazy. When the fire fighters found her, calling the EMTs in, she heard Mumbo’s cries. 

Someone said something about worrying about her being in and out of consciousness. The other said something about dehydration. Mumbo was on the phone with Grian, getting him to go to the hospital while he figured out what to do with the dogs. He brushed her remaining hair out of her eyes. 

* * *

Mumbo stood in the cold, bright hospital waiting room with Grian and Gem. Joel had come and picked up the dogs as Mumbo rushed off to the hospital. Mumbo, tall and gangly, stood completely still in the middle of the room, staring at the clock. 

“So, did you give the doorbell footage to the police?”

Mumbo looked down to Grian. “Um, yeah. They are looking for him now.”

“I just can’t believe he would leave her like that.” Gem looked at her hands. “Maybe I can. You said he was holding a bottle in his hands as he left. God, I’m gonna be sick.”

“I couldn’t give two shits about him,” Grian leaned back in his chair, knees bouncing. “When is someone going to tell us what is happening…”

* * *

Scar rolled into the waiting room around three with Uncle Impulse and Tango. Tango sat next Gem and explained to Mumbo that Skizz was trying to pull some strings to figure out why no one was able to see her yet. Mumbo had never fully understood the Heart Foundation's jurisdiction or domain of care, but he would never turn away a connection in a moment like this. Gem fell into her Uncle’s hug like it was water. 

* * *

A doctor stood in front of the entire group, looking for the faces he was meant to talk to. Mumbo and Grian quickly stood up and followed him to the side. Scar watched carefully as the hopeful look on his husband’s face fell. Mumbo leaned against the nearest chair, looking like he was about to faint. Impulse and Skizz rushed over, moving him into the seat. Gem stood up and ran out of the room, tears rushing down her cheeks. Tango sat with his head in his hands, choking out sobs. Grian stood catatonic in front of the doctor as he explained his sister’s organ failure. 

Mumbo looked down at the sudden alert on Pearl’s phone, which a firefighter had retrieved for him before he left. I’m sorry I left. Impulse quickly took the phone out of the man’s hand and shoved it in his jacket pocket.

“We will deal with that later.”

“I– We– We just got engaged…” He sputtered out. “After you all left. I– Oh, God!”

Tears rolled down Grian’s cheeks silently. The doctor told him and Mumbo that they could go see her and talk to the hospital about next steps. Grian put on his brave face for his sister and went to say the first of his many goodbyes. 

* * *

An unhealthy goodbye. A somber soul. Sausage stood at the foot of the grave, bouncing on his heels. To anyone else this wouldn’t have been a special day. To anyone else this was just Pearl’s grave. Mumbo stopped by once a week. Grian more sporadically now five months down the line. According to fWhip, Gem hadn’t been there since the actual funeral. Everyone was a mess in the wake of Pearl Moon’s death. But one fact was made clear to Sausage, he was not welcome at the funeral or the viewing or the burial. He wasn’t even sure he was welcome here at all, but it was his birthday… his thirtieth birthday. 

“I am so sorry all this happened.” He murmured, kneeling down in front of the headstone, placing down a bouquet of sunflowers.

The shining flowers sat on the sullen ground, a painful reminder of how out of touch he was with the woman in the last years of her life. How much she had grown to hate the hearth of her hometown, so much more than the days of her youth. There was no way in hell she would want their bounty on her grave. She was no longer a sunflower. She was meant to be in the rolling hills of the Mounds. She was meant to laugh in the backyard, playing with her dogs. She was meant to be walking down the aisle. She was meant to be sitting alongside her twin, waiting for him to have a kid so she’d be an aunt. She was meant to be on a boat with her best friend. She was meant to be alive… and he took that away from her.

Slowly, Micheal Sausich walked out of the cemetery. He got into his car, screeching out of the parking lot. He couldn’t blame it being awfully stormy. He couldn’t say the sun was in his eyes. He couldn’t even blame tears because there weren’t any there. He was just going too fast. He was going too fast in the winding roads of the Mounds. The dirt kicked up as he went off the road. 

His funeral was a simple one. No bells or whistles. Just a shit ton of sunflowers. fWhip stood alone in the back of the church, wondering how the Hell they ended up like this. Lizzie and Joel held Hermes closer. Gem sat at port, looking at the latest email from her brother, which for months she had ignored. The world stood still. fWhip waited for his taxi. Joel held Hermes’ hand. Lizzie pulled the car up. The world stood still. Gem answered her phone. Grian packed a bag. The world stood still. Jimmy checked his fire alarms again and again and again. Impulse polished a simple plaque. The world stood still. The world stood still. The world–