Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Gem knew about the borrower in old house she rented.

She just had never seen them.

Gem hadn’t known about them at first, of course.

Not when she first had chosen the old building, old enough and far enough from anything central that she could afford it with the inheritance from her grandmother.

It had creaking doors and old wood that almost swayed in strong winds. Even the heaters there were old, and at least one needed to be on at all times, lest the house become freezing.

Living there had taken some getting used to.

Maybe that’s why she hadn’t noticed much of the all strange things there going on there at first.

The building was small, all things considered, but with so many creeks and crevices that she hadn’t paid much attention to the things going missing.

In the beginning at least.

There was too much to be unpacked and too many things to do at the start. A sock here and there was bound to disappear in the chaos.

But then odd things kept happening.

Gem would lose things she was sure she put in the right spot, only for some of them to appear again somewhere else, almost like it was magic.

Once or twice, Gem was being a little forgetful, sure, but by the fifteenth time, she was pretty sure something was going on.

It was drawers open that Gem was sure she had closed, the things moved, even if nothing seemed to missing.

Nothing she noticed at least.

Bits of her food kept disappearing too.

Not much, but just enough.

Just enough that Gem started questioning what was happening.

Just enough that one late night, she sat down in front of her PC and started searching through reddit.

The rest of the night, Gem fell into a rabbit hole of strange occurrences and missing things and near encounters.

In the end, Gem was pretty sure she had a borrower living with her.

Which would be pretty crazy, but after a couple of months of living in an old house where things just kept happening, it started to look like the best explanation.

Not that she was ever going to mention that to another living person.

It was one thing to think your house is haunted. When you started talking about the person living in your walls, however, people might start to look at you a little weird.

To say the least.

Surprisingly, Gem found that she didn’t mind the thought all that much.

The house got lonely at times, almost eerily so, the thought that she wasn’t alone was somewhat comforting.

Even if she never saw her little roommate.

Besides, the borrower never took things that she really missed or minded.

It must be hard, having to only live off what others didn’t miss.

Surely there were times the borrower went hungry because Gem didn’t leave anything behind they could eat.

Maybe that was why Gem found herself putting some cookies on a plate, before placing them on the living room table, a night before bed.

She always lost things during the night after all. Gem assumed that’s when the borrower came out of their hiding place.

If they were nocturnal or just hiding during the day, she didn’t know.

She had left a handwritten note along with the food too.

It said:

I know you are there. I don’t mind. Feel free to take anything you need.

It wasn’t the longest note in the world, and with how small Gem had written the letters, the paper looked tiny compared to the cookies accompanying it.

Still, Gem hoped the note would calm the borrower when they realized they had been discovered.

They were trying their best to hide after all.

Silently, Gem hoped it would make their life a little easier too. Knowing they didn’t have to be so careful anymore.

The table was the lowest table she had too. She didn’t know if that would make a difference, but she hoped so.

The next morning, the cookies were gone, but the note was still there.

Gem smiled to herself as she put the dish in the dishwasher.

It seemed her offering had been accepted after all.

After that Gem made a habit of leaving out food before she went to bed.

She continued with the notes too, writing everything from how her day had been, to warning her parents might come over, or that she was going to be vacuuming the next day.

She never saw the borrower.

Still, every time the food was gone and the note left, so Gem knew her secret roommate got them.

It was nice, knowing there was somebody else reading her words.

It made the days feel less lonely.

So she continued.

The notes got longer after a while too, becoming rambly and long rather than the short ones she had written in the beginning.

She wrote about her particularly disastrous cooking as she left half a slice of the pizza Gem had had to order instead.

About the trip the lasagna had been, as she left a particularly stable piece for her roommate to enjoy.

When she left to go home, she told the borrower about it, making sure to leave plenty of non-perishables for when she would be gone.

Gem never got a reply, not that she was expecting one, but after a while, things she had lost started appearing on the table besides the plate.

The keys she had dropped behind the couch, and then subsequently forgotten about, left besides a note about how school was going.

A beloved pin she had put down somewhere and then completely lost, besides a note with a warning about people potentially coming over.

Every time there was nothing indicating how they got there, they had simply appeared during the night.

Once, she even found a beautiful piece of jewelry that she for sure didn’t own.

Gem had almost gotten teary eyed when she had seen the gift.

The note the night before, she had rambled about how her friends had forgotten her birthday, and how she was feeling a little down because of it.

It must have belonged to the previous owner, a lady up in her years, who had passed not too long ago.

The gesture was kind.

It was exactly the kind of jewelry she liked too. Just a little too gaudy to be considered elegant, but not enough that Gem felt she couldn’t wear it.

The only thing slightly different from her usual jewels was that it was more expensive.

So it would be considered bold rather than gaudy or childlike.

It made Gem feel infinitely better, knowing that at least somebody was there for her.

The next night she left candy as well as the regular food, along with a grateful note.

Gem had never seen her roommate.

That didn’t really matter, though.

Because they read her notes and ate her food and left her things she had lost.

Because, if the number of notes and the gifts had anything to say, they knew her.

And to be loved is to be known.

Chapter Text

Pearl has been alone for as long as she could remember.

Maybe she had had parents taking care of her once, but now all she could remember of them were flashes or stories.

Usually about the risks of getting spotted.

Maybe that’s what happened the time they didn’t get back, that they were spotted. Pearl doesn’t know.

Can’t remember if she has ever known.

Loneliness will do that to you. Scramble up all your memories with all your longing until you no longer can be certain of what is real and what is not.

So she doesn’t know if the loving head pats and warm hugs were ever real, or if she dreamed them up.

It doesn’t really matter.

Not anymore. For she is alone, truly alone, and nobody is coming to save her.

That used to scare her, the certainty of it.

It made her shiver in the night, trying to wrap her hands around herself looking for warmth she couldn’t provide.

She was always so cold.

Borrowers were smaller than humans, so therefore they got cold quicker, so the house would always be a few degrees lower than she would have liked.

Her dad had told her that, sitting around the night’s catch, smiling at her mom.

Or maybe her mom, absentmindedly answering a child’s question, getting ready to go borrow for the night.

Maybe Pearl herself had realized it, after countless days sitting shivering in the winter, while the old lady who owned the house was unbothered.

The memory was all blurry.

She couldn’t remember if her mom had green eyes, or blue or what the color of her dads hair was.

It didn’t matter. Pearl managed on her own.

Borrowers were few and far between, and even if they weren’t, chances were low they could even get to a little house in the middle of nowhere.

There would be no reason for them to even want to.

Humans were a threat, the horror stories ringing in Pearl ears, still clear after all this time, even if she couldn’t remember who had told them.

The old lady living there certainly wouldn’t be kind if she learnt somebody had been living in her house and stealing from her.

Best case scenario, Pearl would be kicked out, killed by the ruthless elements on her way to safety.

Pearl doubted she would get that lucky.

Which left nobody.

Nobody was coming to save her.

That was ok, Pearl could save herself.

And she did. With careful maneuvers and deliberate movements, she borrowed what she needed, took only what wouldn’t be missed.

The old lady never knew that somebody was there.

It didn’t matter that sometimes Pearl had to skip meal when it was too dangerous to borrow, or that her heart ached for somebody else, anybody, so she wouldn’t be all alone.

During her last year, the old woman started getting a forgetful, leaving drawer of food open, forgetting to even lock the door sometimes.

Borrowing became easier than ever, sometimes Pearl even forgot she needed to be careful.

Maybe that was why the new human had noticed her.

Maybe she had gotten sloppy after so long, not taking the necessary precautions.

Pearl had gotten lucky. The human had moved in a couple of weeks after the woman had died.

Any longer and Pearl didn’t know what she would have done.

There was barely food left, and the house had been freezing ever since it lost its occupant.

She didn’t know if she would have frozen to death before she starved to death instead.

Pearl tried not to think about it.

Gem was her name, Pearl heard from all the voices talking, probably her parents helping her unpack.

Then they were gone, and Gem was alone.

She was a student, Pearl learnt, even if she did most of her classes online.

She didn’t have a pet either. Which meant Pearl would live another day, so that was good.

All in all, she seemed good-natured and quiet. At least when there were people around.

That didn’t matter all that much, Gem would never see Pearl after all, let alone meet her.

Still, there was little else to do during the day than observe. It wasn’t like Pearl could try to borrow while the human was still awake.

So Pearl did her usual routine.

Wait until it got dark and the human was sleeping; borrow food and other things she needed to survive and not get caught.

It worked well for a couple of months.

Then, one night, Pearl spotted something unusual. A plate with some cookies on one of the tables.

Gem usually put away everything she used, so that was a rare find. Pearl likely couldn’t risk taking any of them, but maybe there were some crumbs that wouldn’t be missed.

It had been harder to find food ever since the old lady had died.

She shot her hook at the table, scaling it quickly in curiosity.

Getting closer to it, Pearl saw that the plate did indeed have some cookies on them. Chocolate ones at that.

She looked closer.

Chocolate cookies, a plate and-

And a note.

Pearl froze. Why would there be a note there?

Surely Gem had no need for a note. It was quite small too. What could even be written on it?

Now suddenly feeling very exposed, Pearl looked around the room slightly panicked.

Nothing.

There were no sudden movements or sounds. Gem was still asleep.

Pearl crept forward, trying her best to stay hidden. Even if she knew that nobody was really there.

There was no way she would be taking such a risk if she wasn’t certain it was safe.

The note was short, far enough away from the food that it wasn’t obscured. It said:

I know you are there. I don’t mind. Feel free to take anything you need.

Panic.

Pure unadulterated panic was coursing through Pearls’ veins.

No.

No!

No, no, no.

That wasn’t true. It couldn’t be.

Pearl was moving before she even registered the thought. Running away from the note, towards her grappling hook, her only escape from the suddenly deadly areal.

Every second, she expected giant hands to come and grab her.

For the heat of a humans hands be the last thing she remembered before it all went dark, forever.

Nothing happened.

It was kind of anti-climactic really.

Still, Pearl spent minutes getting her breathing under control after getting to safety in the wall.

She didn’t stop shaking even then.

Because Gem knew.

Knew about her and about borrowers and Pearl was going to die.

The jump might not seem entirely logical, but it rang true regardless.

Pearl had heard enough stories about the cruelty of humans. It wouldn’t be hard for Gem to hide all the food away at night, to force Pearl to borrow in the day or starve.

Or to poison what she could get to, killing her swiftly rather than slowly.

Or even just to get a cat. That surely would be the death of Pearl, she didn’t stand a chance against something like that hunting her. Playing with her.

Pearl didn’t want to die.

She had fought too hard to survive, to make it, even when everything in her bones had screamed for her to give up.

Had fought through sickness and hunger and broken bones. This couldn’t be the thing that killed her.

She refused.

The shaking didn’t stop. Nor did the tears she felt dripping down her chin.

She was crying, Pearl realized numbly.

She was going to die, and she was crying like a little child, waiting for mommy to hold her close and tell her everything would be alright.

Oh, how Pearl wanted somebody there now, by her side, telling her what she needed to do.

There was nobody coming. Pearl was going to have to save herself. Again.

Travelling the wall to Gems bedroom, Pearl lay a plan of sorts.

If Gem was awake, hide. Hide and hope to never be found. The human was looking for her, and she could never find her.

If not, then.

Then Pearl would return to the table. Figure out her next move.

What it all meant.

But first, she had to be certain it was safe.

The climb went quicker than Pearl remembered, but maybe that was the adrenaline still pumping in her veins.

Then she got to one of the lookout spots in the wall, too high up to function as any kind of entrance or exit, but for observation, it worked great.

Pearl looked down into the bedroom, it was probably a little small given human standards, but for her it looked gigantic.

Gem was still in her bed.

Pearl breathed out a sigh of relief. Gem was still asleep; the cookies weren’t a ploy to trap her after all.

Still, Pearl stayed and watched for a couple of minutes, making sure Gem really was sleeping.

Gem turned in her bed a couple of times, muttering to herself, but otherwise she seemed to be knocked out.

Pearl made her way back to the living room.

Now that she was certain Gem didn’t pose a threat, Pearl needed to figure out what her next move was going to be.

The plate felt ominously big when she walked up to it for the second time, Pearl feeling like the whole world suddenly was out to get her.

She read the note again.

The panic climbing her throat at Gems neat handwriting saying; I know you are there. didn’t subside the second time she read the words either.

Being known about was deadly for a borrower. It was only one step away from being caught.

Now, Pearl was the most vulnerable she had ever been since her parents left.

The thought wasn’t a nice one.

Ok, time to analyze it. What did Gem mean?

Well, that she knew about Pearl, easy enough to figure that one out.

Next sentence. I don’t mind.

Ok, sure, whatever you say human. Next-

Pearl sighed. She was going to have to figure out what that meant, didn’t she.

Why couldn’t life ever be easy?

Ok, time to do some analyzing.

Gem said she didn’t mind. A thing humans never both say and mean, because nobody likes thieves living in their walls.

That, both the old lady and the stories of humans had in common.

Humans never like borrowers.

But Gem had written it, and she was still asleep, with no sign of a trap anywhere. There wasn’t even any cameras that Pearl had to avoid.

So, humans were never that tolerant. What about Gem?

Would she be any different?

Pearl thought back at what she knew about Gem, how she behaved around other humans. Kind was the first adjective to come to mind.

Gentle would be another.

How humans behaved around each other didn’t have to impact how they acted around borrowers, but surely it meant Gem wouldn’t be outright cruel, right?

Pearl hadn’t seen any kind of vial being applied when Gem put the cookies out of their packaging, or any time later for that matter.

She didn’t seem like the kind to use poison, either.

Maybe the cookies would be safe to eat after all.

Besides, why would she waste her favorite cookies on that? Pearl knew for certain Gem had some old cookies from when her parents left that she hadn’t even touched.

Maybe the cookies weren’t a trap, just this once.

Perhaps they were a test to see if borrowers truly existed, or maybe even something to lose instead of random food going missing.

Pearl didn’t know.

Her stomach rumbled. The aching hunger she had been feeling during the day was setting in for full now.

Borrowing was hard with somebody as organized as Gem. This was the most she had seen of food in weeks.

Maybe just one cookie?

She would leave right after, of course.

But then she would be full and finally have energy to deal with the sudden complications the human had created.

She grabbed one of the smaller ones with both hands and started eating.

The cookie tasted amazing, the chocolate melted in her mouth, and it wasn’t even stale like anything Pearl had gotten her hands on in the past.

Pearl didn’t think it tasted weird either, even if she had no way to know for sure. Chocolate was a rare treat, after all.

While she was eating, Pearl read the rest of the note.

Feel free to take anything you need. it said.

Pearl didn’t believe it.

That was fine though, she had been that good a borrower up until now, she just needed to be more careful, and Gem would have no idea things were going missing.

In the end, Pearl ended up eating almost two cookies, grabbing the rest for later, hiding them away in her house in the wall for safety.

When everything was over, Pearl collapsed into her bed.

She was exhausted by the shock and terror the night had brought her.

Before she truly fell asleep, Pearl wondered what it could all mean. And what was going to happen now.

Then she was out as a light.

Chapter Text

The notes continue to appear, along with food.

Pearl hadn’t known what to do with that fact at first. It felt overwhelming after so long being hidden and alone.

Still, she continued to eat the food and read the notes.

It wasn’t like she was going to waste good food like that.

Gem always left way too much food. Pearl was barely able to eat about half of it, and after the first couple of weeks she stopped bringing the rest with her.

Why would she, when she knew there would be food there regardless?

The food was good too, often being what Gem had eaten for dinner that day, only now cold.

Pearl shook her head fondly at the amount of food not decreasing, even when it became clear Pearl wasn’t able to eat all of it.

Secretly, she was grateful.

It meant she didn’t have to worry about Gem miscalculating and Pearl suddenly going hungry because of it.

The notes were nice too.

After so long of nobody talking to her, even the small comments and warnings felt good, like she was finally being seen. Even if that was all an illusion.

Gem had nice handwriting.

She even wrote smaller just for Pearl.

The warnings were kind too. Even if Gem sometimes overestimated what Pearl would consider a threat and thus be scared of.

Sure, warnings about other people were always appreciated, even if Pearl would never venture outside the walls during the day anyways.

Getting warned about the vacuum on the other hand…

Did Gem think she was a particularly jumpy cat?

Really, what had been going thru Gems head when she wrote that?

Then, the notes became longer. Ramblyer, friendlier.

Pearl started watching Gem during the day more too, no longer with disinterest, just trying to pass the time, instead intense, worrying, almost protective, even if Pearl had no way to protect her new-

What were they? Pearl didn’t know.

And she started longing.

At first it was subtle, easy to brush off and move on from, but as the days turned into weeks and Gem joked with Pearl via the notes, it became stronger.

It had been so long since she had had anyone.

Pearl had resigned herself to that loneliness. To the fact that she would be alone until she died.

But here was Gem, giving her food and letters and jokes and friendship and everything she had ever wanted.

Even as Pearl never wrote back. Couldn’t find it in herself to do so. Didn’t know what she would even write.

Thank you? I miss you? Your smile is lovely? I liked your joke?

She didn’t have a life like Gem, filled with adventures and laughs. Pearl just hid in the walls and watched weeks become months become years.

Nothing she could write wouldn’t be anything but depressing.

Besides, borrowers weren’t meant to be seen by humans. Pearl knew that much.

Just because she had started accepting food didn’t mean she would ever let herself get seen by Gem.

It didn’t stop her from wanting to, though.

Didn’t stop her from falling asleep, shivering, dreaming about how warm Gem was.

How gentle she would be, if she ever found Pearl. How kind.

How soft. How nice.

And then Pearl would feel cold and lonely and ignore the tears rolling down her face.

Humans were dangerous.

Even if Gem was nice now, what was to say she wouldn’t change if she finally saw Pearl? When she finally had Pearl in her hands?

Pearl knew that she must be oh so fascinating for a human, so little and frail.

What was to say that Gem wasn’t luring her now? Simply playing the long game instead of scaring her away forever.

But Pearl kept longing.

Kept wondering.

Maybe that’s why she started giving Gem gifts.

As a way to connect to somebody else. To still the longing inside her heart.

Gem was so kind. She deserved somebody looking out for her.

The keys had been impulsive, a fluke in judgement. Done in longing for what couldn’t ever be, it was stupid really.

But Gem had been looking for them the last couple of days and Pearl had found them and, and she was oh so lonely.

The note the next day had been so kind, so filled with gentle words and grateful smiles that Pearl had cried.

Cried because for a moment, she got to be somebody in another life. Cried because Gem had called her kind and good.

Cried because she could practically hear Gems voice.

Because it felt like they were talking like friends, even as Pearl never said a word.

Then it was the pin, done because Gem was feeling a little under the weather and Pearl longed for her words again.

For them to envelop her, hug her, even when Gem couldn’t.

It had been worth it too, for her friend’s kind words and silly jokes.

Were they friends?

Could you ever be friend with somebody you never had spoken to, somebody that never even had seen you?

Gem never pushed why she didn’t see Pearl. Never asked for a letter back. Just talked and smiled and left food and was there.

How much Pearl wished she could give those things regardless.

Wished it wasn’t dangerous to join one of Gems cooking charades. Wished they could watch movies together.

Wished they could be friends. Real friends.

The jewelry wasn’t any real step up either.

Pearl didn’t need it; it was too heavy and old to do her any good. It had just fallen into a crack one day and stayed there.

And Gem was feeling so sad, because her friends had flaked on her.

It wasn’t fair that such a kindhearted and good person should have to feel that way.

Transporting it had almost taken the entire night, the sun had even risen before Pearl had gotten it to its destination.

Still, seeing it laying against the plate, shining in the morning sun made the whole trip worth it.

Gems next letter had tearstains.

They had dried since she had written it, of course, but to Pearl they were clear as day. Night vision really came in handy sometimes.

The letter was longer too, filled with teary smiles and grateful words.

Reading it made Pearl feel so seen, so loved.

It made her feel like she mattered.

Like if she died tomorrow there was somebody that would morn her.

She hadn’t felt like that in a long time.

Pearl wanted to grab it, to bring it home with her, to read it every time she felt sad or bad or wrong.

Wanted to break her own rule of never intervening with anything other than the food.

(She had already broken that anyways. With the gifts filled with longing and love.)

She didn’t.

Didn’t want to risk it.

Didn’t want Gem to see just how desperate she was getting for human interaction.

Didn’t want to take her friends vulnerable words and steal them, keep them like they were hers to do so with. Pearl didn’t want to be a thief.

Not towards Gem, who was so nice, who was her friend.

So she didn’t.

And the days continued on.

With Gems kind notes, with food left by a friend and with isolation, even from her only friend.

Pearl never broke the isolation. Never showed herself to Gem.

No matter how much she wanted to.

Chapter Text

Pearl had been watching Gem attempt to bake some fancy cookies.

The day had been a good one, with Pearl sitting and snacking on some of the goods from the night before, listening to the music Gem had put on and watching her move around the kitchen.

Gem was chatting to herself, and Pearl was listening to the noise.

If Pearl closed her eyes, she could almost imagine Gem was talking to her, filling the silence while Pearl was just hanging out.

It was a nice thought.

It even helped fill the longing a little bit, just being there while Gem talked. Helped Pearl feel like she was not alone in this world.

Gem did that a lot. Even if she didn’t realize it.

Pearl had been sitting there, leaning against the frame of the wall when it suddenly gave.

The house was old, and it wasn’t the first time pieces of it broke, but this specific spot was high up on the wall, sitting right below an old clock.

Before Pearl knew what had happened, she was sent tumbling down.

Plummeting to her untimely demise.

She screamed.

It wouldn’t really do her any good, but the panic that ceased her wasn’t exactly all that logical.

Pearl was going to die.

Falling onto the cold, hard floor, she was going to die.

At least her death would be a quick one.

There were worse ways to die. More painful ones. Slower ones.

The thought didn’t help all that much. Shocker.

At least now it didn’t matter if Gem heard her or not. It’s hard to do much against a dead borrower, regardless of intention.

Maybe Gem would bury her somewhere nice. Pearl hoped so.

Not that it would matter terribly much. She was going to be very dead by then anyways.

Pearl nearly got knocked out as she hit something warm and soft.

Blinking a couple of times, she drew in a pained breath.

Pearl wasn’t dead.

And last time she checked, the ground wasn’t soft, and it was certainly not this soft.

Which meant-

Gem had caught her. And Pearl was currently lying in her hand.

Pearl froze.

Gem had her. She was both spotted and caught.

For a borrower, she was possibly in the worst situation imaginable. Gem could do whatever she wanted to her now.

Could even kill her if she wanted to.

It would be so easy for her as well, all she had to do was close her hands and squeeze, Pearl would have no way to escape.

Then the heat hit her.

Pearl was always cold, always shivering. Nothing to be done about it.

Now that Pearl could feel the heat of Gems hand seeping into her body, it left her feeling almost boneless.

“Are you ok?” Gem asked, voice loud above Pearl.

Pearl didn’t answer.

Didn’t think she could.

Not with the way her body felt like it was on fire, burning from the first physical contact she had had with a person in years.

Humans were so warm, the sensation was overwhelming in a way Pearl hadn’t expected in all her time dreaming of somebody else touching her.

She felt like crying. If it was from relief or pain, Pearl didn’t know. Couldn’t distinguish between the two at the moment.

The ground under her started moving. Lifting her higher up in the air.

Pearl rolled with the motion, no energy left to do anything else.

She felt like a ragdoll, just being tossed wherever the hand went, no ability to change it, to fight it in any capasity.

So that was how a borrower felt when faced with a human. Pearl supposed it made sense, with how big humans were in comparison.

Closing her eyes for a fleeting moment, Pearl let herself get lost in the motions of it. She let herself forget about the dangerous and deadly situation she was in and just existed.

Let the heat sink into her skin as she was finally warm for the first time in years.

Cherishing what would probably be the last human touch she was ever going to feel in her life. Whether it was going to be short now or not.

When she opened them again, Gems green eyes staring right at her was the only thing she could see.

The fear hit Pearl with the force of a tsunami.

Gem must have lifted her while Pearls’ whole body had been burning up like she had a vicious fever.

This had been the subject of many a nightmare, being held like this, being studied like she was nothing but a curious phenomenon.

Pearl knew what happened with curious phenomena after all. The outcome was never good, let’s just say it that way.

“Hello?” the voice was booming above her, as Gems eyes continued to borrow into her, leaving her frozen in panic.

Pearl had always known she was the kind to freeze, rather than fight or flee, but to have her body so viscerally stop working was terrifying.

She wondered what Gem would do with her now.

Now that she finally had the borrower she had been leaving food out for, for months now.

Would her death be a quick on, or would she wither away as Gem put her in a box or aquarium and then simply forgot about her.

Pearl hoped dearly it would be the first one.

Death by hunger was one of the worst ways she could imagine dying from, at least the cold would be relatively quick in comparison.

It sounded like a living nightmare.

Your body slowly atrophying, as each day became more tiring than the last. Feeling your breaths become short and ragged.

The gnawing hunger every waking moment, following you like a curse.

All that, before then finally giving up and just waiting for death to come and take you. Even when you knew that it could be weeks before salvation finally came.

Pearl had narrowly avoided that fate once before, and she never wanted to experience anything like it again.

She’d rather be dissected than that.

Which said something, when Pearl had clear as day seen the butterflies hanging on one of the walls of the living room.

It was gone now, but when the old lady had been living there, she saw them every time Pearl was out borrowing.

Beautiful creatures, killed and their corpses hanged up for the amusement of their catcher.

The thought had always left her feeling a little nauseous.

Especially since she knew she could one day join them if she was particularly unlucky.

Gems mouth moved again, the loud noise washing over Pearl as she saw Gems teeth up close for the first time.

They were white and relatively straight, but that wasn’t was Pearl was thinking of. No, all she could see was how big they were in comparison.

How strong and sturdy.

Built for snapping bones of those less lucky.

Pearl closed her eyes again, trying to ignore the thoughts filling her head.

Gem wouldn’t.

She would be appalled by the thought, so there was no reason to get panicked over nothing. Especially when Pearl had real problems to worry about at the moment.

Pearl discarded the thought, even as the panic didn’t stop making her heart hammer in her chest.

The ground started moving again and Pearl opened her eyes to see what was happening.

What reason could Gem have for moving her again?

A finger entered Pearls peripheral vision, but before Pearl had time to react, it was pressing down on her chest.

Pearl couldn’t breathe.

The panic made it worse as she rapidly attempted to catch her breath, even as nothing made its way into her lungs.

Her heartbeat was through the roof, and Pearl swore she could feel as her body began to give in to the pressure.

Ribs slowly caving in against the force of something much stronger than Pearl herself.

She was stuck, more trapped than ever.

Now she could no longer even fling herself to the floor, and she was entirely at Gems mercy.

Pearl started crying softly.

She couldn’t help it, couldn’t stop the sudden spout of despair and pain making their way into her until all she could feel was that all too familiar hopelessness.

This was going to be the end.

Pearl was going to die here, trapped and utterly alone, not a single friendly face there to see before she went.

Her breathing picked up, now choked with sobs as tears were running freely down her face.

She was feeling more lightheaded by the second as the breaths became faster and less and less air made its way into her lungs.

Dark spots started appearing as Pearl started truly hyperventilating.

Her body was tingling numbly as the world seemed to start spinning, even as she was laying down on an unmoving hand.

Pearls body didn’t feel real as the feeling got more and more intense.

The weight let up, Pearl noted numbly somewhere far away. It didn’t really change the way everything was going more out of focus by the second.

Then, everything went dark.

Chapter Text

Gems day had been an unremarkable one before the borrower abruptly fell straight into it. Quite literally.

Wasn’t that always how it went?

It was the quiet before the storm after all, the ocean drawing back right before the tsunami hit.

So, it should have come as no big surprise that her first meeting with the borrower would have similar vibes.

Gem had been attempting to make pumpkin cookies.

Like she was an exceptionally pretentious old lady or something. At least she wasn’t the person who had first invented the recipe.

The whole project was going exceptionally poorly.

It seemed like pumpkins and cookies weren’t all that compatible after all. Who would have thought?

Gem had just put down the batter to ponder her choices in life when a sudden scream interrupted the soft music playing in the background.

On pure instinct, Gem hands reached out, trying to grab whatever was falling and screaming.

Something hit her hands with a soft thud, with the screaming suddenly stopping.

It looked like Gem had caught something at least.

Now what that something was, that was the real question. Things falling out of Gems wall while screaming didn’t exactly happen on the regular.

Not that Gem was complaining about that or anything.

The less excitement around mortal danger, the better. Even when that danger wasn’t directly hers.

Moving her hands closer to her chest, Gem looked at what she had caught.

Laying there, unmoving, was a small person.

She had what looked like old, homemade clothes and she fit into the palm of Gems hand.

Oh.

This must be the borrower that had been living in the house alongside Gem.

She looked younger than Gem had expected, more along the lines her own age, rather than anything much older.

“Are you ok?” Gem asked, voice worried.

A fall like that had to hurt quite a lot, even if Gem had caught her. Gem just hoped that she wasn’t seriously hurt or anything.

No reply.

The borrower just laid there, not giving any signs of life.

She was a little cold, Gem noticed.

The winter had been setting in for full lately, maybe this was the sign that Gem had to start properly heating the house.

It wouldn’t do with her little friend freezing after all.

Gently moving her hands towards her face, Gem looked at the little borrower for any sign of life.

She didn’t think the fall had been in any way lethal, but what did she know about borrower biology.

Maybe they was particularly susceptible to falls or something.

Not that it felt particularly likely with how small she was in a world where falls like that must be a quite likely occurrence, but still.

It never hurt to be extra careful.

Especially when it came to something this important.

The borrower just moved with the gentle motions, seeming more like a ragdoll than somebody conscious at the moment.

Had the fall knocked her out?

That could potentially make things a little difficult.

Holding the borrower up to Gems eyes, she tried looking closer for any wounds or limbs twisted in unnatural angles.

With great relief, Gem noted that none of it was present on the borrower’s body.

Maybe she would be fine after all.

“Hello?” Gem tried again, seeing if the borrower would respond.

Once again, nothing.

Her eyes were open, but Gem wasn’t certain that meant borrower was all that present. She didn’t look like she had heard Gem at least.

Rather, she looked like her mind was somewhere far away. Like she wasn’t really comprehending any of the things currently happening.

Gem couldn’t blame her.

Falling to your death was sure to be traumatic.

Even if somebody had caught you before you hit the floor. Gem would certainly understand if the borrower was a little shook up from the whole incident.

Gem was at a loss for what to do.

She never planned to actually meet the borrower, none the less prevent her from falling to her death.

“I’m just going to check if you are any hurt, ok?” she said, deciding that she would at least check if the borrower was breathing.

That way, she wasn’t just carrying a corpse around because she didn’t know any better.

Gently shifting Pearl to mostly her right hand, Gem moved her finger until she was gently pushing down on the borrowers chest, trying to get either a pulse or some semblance of movement.

She was careful not to push too hard, not wanting to risk injuring her new friend.

At first Gem was unsure what she was feeling, but after a while, there was clearly a heartbeat under the layers of clothing.

It was frantic, beating with a speed that would have left Gem feeling more than a little dizzy.

Maybe an elevated heartbeat was normal for borrowers, they were much smaller after all. Mice had a heartbeat 10 times faster than a human after all.

The borrower she was currently holding was certainly smaller than a mouse too, so maybe the conclusion wasn’t that outlandish.

Still, this surely couldn’t be healthy or particularly comfortable.

That was when she heard the crying.

It was quiet at first, barely noticeable with how gentle it was.

Then, it got louder.

The borrower started sobbing more and more, tears running freely down her face.

Oh, Gem thought to herself. Maybe her friend had gotten worse hurt than she had originally thought.

Then, her breath started getting more and more rapid and it was clear the borrower had started hyperventilating.

Gem removed her finger, pretty certain that an extra weight pushing down on your chest while you felt like you couldn’t breathe might not be the best idea, to say the least.

The hyperventilating didn’t stop.

Gem hadn’t really expected it too, but she still felt helpless while the person she had spent hours on hours writing to was sobbing in her hands, and there wasn’t a single thing she could do to help.

Then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

The borrower stopped shaking too. Gem hadn’t noticed it beforehand, but when she lay there now still, the lack of the movement became very noticeable.

She tried shaking her hands slightly to see if she got any reaction.

Nothing.

It seemed like the borrower had passed out.

Probably from the panic of it all.

The thought wasn’t exactly a nice one. At least her friend was no longer suffering.

Gem took what she could get.

That probably meant Gem would get some time to prepare for the conversation that was sure to follow.

At least she would get some questions answered.

Like whether the borrower enjoyed her food, or how life in the walls really was. And whether Gem was actually being a nice roommate.

You know, the important stuff.

But first, she needed somewhere comfortable to lay her friend while she was recovering.

After rummaging through her bedroom for something that fit the bill, Gem returned to the living room with a small blanket and a little pillow she had once made for a little doll house.

It was a good think Gem was horrible at throwing things away. Who could have predicted that she would ever get some use out of either of the items.

After putting the blanket on the living room table, as well as messing a little with it, Gem got a shape she was happy with and put the pillow into her impromptu bed/cocoon.

Then, she gently picked the borrower up from where she had put her on the table and put her into the cocoon.

Messing a little more with it, she got the blanket to cover the borrowers’ body, while still not weighing on her or restricting her movement.

She didn’t even stir.

Maybe in addition to panicking, the borrower was a little tired.

The nights had been getting colder; Gem couldn’t imagine that would help with sleep. Not to mention the fact that her friend was always out at night.

That had to mess up ones circadian rhythm.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, Gem decided that this would probably take some time and hesitantly went back to the baking.

When the borrower woke up, at least Gem would have some cookies for them both to snack on while they talked.

The borrower didn’t even stir at any point during the cooking, as far as Gem knew at least.

Then, before she knew it, the cookies were in the oven, and it was back to watching the passed out borrower and waiting for her to wake up.

At least the tea she had fixed herself was nice.

Picking a book from one of the shelves, Gem got comfy. It seemed like this was going to take some time.