Work Text:
Grian doesn’t usually ask pearl to come around at night, it’s a rare occurrence, so whenever the moth hybrid gets a text from the avian asking if she could come, she’s there in minutes.
That was how pearl found herself at grians doorstep, at 2am, in the pooring rain, holding leftover lasagna and a thermos of tea, waiting too be let in.
The door opened, and grian stood in the doorway, he looked like he had been crying, Which wasn’t an unusual sight for pearl too see, but was still concerning enough.
“Hey.. sorry for asking you too come so late, I didn’t want to be alone” he murmured, looking a bit ashamed, his eyes met pearls, and she smiled comfortably “I hope you didn’t get too wet.?”
“It’s alright, i had an umbrella,” she replied, gesturing to the now folded umbrella she had discarded by the door “plus, I was up anyway, and I live close. Uhm.. I brought lasagna? I can heat it up if you’d like, I assumed you weren’t in a state too feed yourself”
Grian cringed slightly at the statement, even though he knew it was true. “Uh, yeah, thanks.”
About 20 minutes later, pearl and grian where sitting on the couch, plates of re-heated lasagna on their laps “so..” pearl started, knowing she would have to tread lightly to get a proper answer. “Do you wanna talk about what’s been upsetting you?”
“Uhm.. kinda, I guess, I feel like I should say it but- but I don’t like talking about it.” He replied lamely, he knew as well as anyone that the best way to feel better was talking about your problems, that most definitely didn’t mean he liked it. But then again, he had asked her to come over at two in the morning, so he probably owed her an explanation.
“I.. I dunno, I’ve been thinking loads about, you know, what happened in highschool, and like-“ he sighed, not knowing how to phrase it at all. “It’s just been on my mind loads I guess”
“Yeah I get that, is there anything that’s been particularly bothering you?” Pearl asked, she knew there was, grian wouldn’t have called her over if there wasn’t, there was definitely something specific he wanted to say, it was just whether or not he was going to be able to find the words -or the courage- to say it.
“I just.. I dunno, it’s so dumb-“ he started, but pearl cut across him “it’s not dumb, keep going, but nothing about any of this is dumb.”
“Ugh, yes, yes okay, it’s not dumb, but, well.” He hesitated, looking away “I just, he was like a year younger then me.. and I was definitely stronger, I- I could have pushed him off, but I just froze.. and then I’m thinking, well shit, if I really couldn’t stop someone younger and weaker then me from doing that.. then it’s more of a reflection of me then anything else, and that just shows how shit and weak of a person I am-“ he was rambling now “I should have fought, i said no a thousand times, but I should have been louder, I should have pushed him away or told someone instead of just letting it happen again and again and I-.. now I feel disgusting, and I’m so so gross and dirty because of something I could have stop-ped..” grains voice cracked horribly at the end, he was crying silently, tears running down his face.
“Gri.. it was not your fault, I promise, you shouldn’t blame yourself for what he did, he had pressured you and told you he’d get you in trouble if you told anyone, even if he didn’t, you are not to blame for anything, it’s not your fault, I promise.. also your not gross, but I get what you mean” pearl said, she wasn’t sure what to say too help, she had assumed that grian knew this, wasn’t it what was hammered into every victims head, the good old ‘it’s not your fault’ was quoted at everything, so why was grian having such a hard time believing it?
“Do you.. want a hug?” The moth hybrid asked, grain hesitated before answering “yeah.. thanks”
Pearl placed her plate of lasagna to the side, grians was long forgotten on the floor by their feet. The girl pulled him into a hug, he was stiff for half a second, before melting into it, burrowing his head in the crook of her neck, his hair tickling her chin. Pearl whispered quiet, comforting words into his ears as he cried quietly into her hoodie, she didn’t mind at all.
When he next spoke, he was barely louder then the rain outside “and.. and since I could’ve so easily stoped it.. it just makes me think.. did I want it? Deep down did I somehow want it, and- and why on earth would I want something that left me feeling so disgusting.”
Pearl didn’t know what to respond to that, she hesitated, thinking about what would be the best response to such a scenario “you didn’t want it gri, you know you didn’t, and it’s not your fault, your mind is just trying to connect the dots and coming to conclusions.. do you want to watch a movie? It can take your mind off it?” Is what She decided on, it was probably the cowardly option, but while pearl had had similar experiences, and usually understood what grain was going through, she was shit at comforting people, so this can of worms was probably best left here.
“Yeah.. yeah I think I do.” The shorter avian replied, sniffing and shifting positions, so he was cuddled up to pearls side.
They spent the rest of the night -or I guess morning- watching shit soap box tv and eating the now room temperature lasagna, it was nice, or it was just another shit, temporary distraction, either way, grian was happy in that moment, sitting with his sister, it was all okay.