#borrower grian

 The kid pointed behind him and, as if summoned, an older woman rounded the corner. “There you are. What have I told you about running off?” The woman said, scolding her child.

 “But doll!” The child said, pointing up toward Grian. Jimmy let out a sigh as he realized the child hadn’t seemed to understand what Jimmy had said. He couldn’t exactly blame him though. He was only a child.

 The mother looked to where her son was pointing and seemed to finally notice Jimmy standing there. And a moment later, her eyes went to Grian. “What about the doll?” She asked, looking back at her son.

 Grian let out a small noise that Jimmy only picked up because he was close to his ear. Jimmy himself tensed and couldn’t help but take a small step back. It was one thing for the kid to call Grian a doll, he didn’t know any better. But this fully grown woman should know a borrower when she sees one.

 “I want to see it!” The kid demanded and the lady met eyes with Jimmy. She looked frustrated and unbothered all at the same time.

 “Well? Are you going to let him see it?” The woman asked and Jimmy balked at the nerve of her.

 “Excuse me?” Jimmy asked, his eyes wide. The woman narrowed his eyes at him.

 “He’s just going to continue to make a fuss unless you let him see. I’ll make sure he gives it right back.” The woman said, clearly unbothered with what she was saying and the implications.

 Jimmy swallowed the lump forming in his throat. “He isn’t a doll.” Jimmy emphasized, all but glaring at her as he said it.

 The woman waved her hand and Jimmy’s jaw almost dropped at her audacity. “Yeah, yeah, but surely he’s used to being held? My son only wants him for a moment.” She said and wow, just…wow. She clearly didn’t see anything wrong with what she was saying and Jimmy realized more than ever that he needed to get out of there.

 “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Jimmy said and took another step back. He then turned around and started to walk away but as he did, he felt a presence close in on him.

 “Jimmy!” Grian yelled and Jimmy turned back around quickly, just in time to see the woman reach for Grian on his shoulder. He jerked away from her and reached up to grab Grian himself, confining him in a firm but gentle grasp and bringing him off his shoulder and close to his chest instead. He stared at the woman with wide eyes.

 “What the hell is wrong with you?” Jimmy asked and the woman had the nerve to look upset at his reaction. The woman started rattling on about how much of a jerk he was being but Jimmy was barely listening. There were a million other things he wanted to say to this woman but he knew none of them would get through to her. She clearly didn’t see borrowers as people and nothing Jimmy did or said would change her mind.

 Jimmy rolled his eyes as the woman went on and simply turned around and left. He could hear the woman screaming at him to get back there and the kid crying on the floor because he didn’t get what he wanted. He felt a bit sorry for that kid, growing up with a mother like that.

 He ignored the woman and left the store entirely. He’d have to come back later to get what he had actually come for, but for now, he just needed to get Grian home.

 He didn’t relax until he was back in his car. He let out a small sigh and opened his hands up to check on Grian. “Are you okay?” Jimmy asked and he watched as some tension left Grian’s shoulders as he realized they were back in the car.

 “Yeah, I’m fine.” Grian said, though his answer was a bit short and he was carefully looking away from Jimmy. Jimmy frowned.

 “Don’t listen to her. People like that are just…jerks. And dumb.” Jimmy said lamely but that seemed to be enough to get Grian to crack a bit of a smile.

 “Yeah, they are dumb, aren’t they?” Grian asked, looking up at Jimmy finally.

 Jimmy smiled. “Very dumb. Now come on, let’s get home and away from all these dumb people.”

 Grian hummed. “Actually, I want Mcdonalds.”

 Jimmy blinked. “But…I was gonna make my green bean casserole tonight.”

 Grian grinned and there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. “I just got called a doll and a random woman almost grabbed me to give to her kid. I think I deserve it.” Grian said, not at all trying to hide the fact that he was very much using this whole situation to get what he wanted.

 Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh. At least he knew Grian was okay.

 “Alright, alright, we can get McDonalds.” Jimmy said and Grian cheered. Jimmy set him down in the cupholder, which has since been turned into a miniature seat for Grian, complete with padding and everything, and started up the car.

 Jimmy still felt bitter toward the woman and everyone who saw Grian and borrowers in general as she did. But, for now, he pushed that to the back of his mind as he pulled out of the parking lot and towards the nearest Mcdonalds.

 Scar was the human who owned the apartment Grian lived in the walls of. Of course, Scar didn’t know about Grian, but though Scar lived alone, Grian found him more than once talking to himself or his cat out loud. It was nice to listen to sometimes and gave Grian a sense of companionship, like he wasn’t actually alone. It helped, however sad that was.

 But then Scar had up and left. He had taken his cat with him too and he was just…gone. Grian panicked a bit when he noticed but soon calmed himself down enough to realize that since all of Scar’s things were still in the apartment it was more than likely he hadn’t moved out. He was probably just going on a trip or something. Which was still weird since he hadn’t heard Scar mention anything like that but it could have just been one of the things Scar didn’t bother to mention out loud to himself. 

 All that being said, he had to be back soon, right? A trip only lasted so long, after all.

 A week passed though and the loneliness was hitting Grian even harder than normal. His usual routine of combatting the loneliness by watching Scar was interrupted by the fact that Scar still wasn’t back. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the empty hollow feeling filling up his chest the more days passed.

 Because of all this, Grian had been going a lot slower while out borrowing. Not only did he feel like he just didn’t have the energy to go any faster but there was also no real reason for him to. After all, Scar was gone. There was no reason for him to rush, since there was no fear of him being seen.

 But as he was taking his time borrowing from up on the kitchen counter, he only barely registered the sound of the door unlocking. But he did jump and freeze as the door swung itself open.

 Now, he had time. Plenty of time. The kitchen was not visible from the front door and his entrance back into the walls was only a few feet away. If Grian had been in a better headspace, the run there would be nothing and he’d be long gone before Scar even walked fully into the apartment.

 But the thing was, Grian wasn’t in a good headspace.

 “Ah, home sweet home!” Scar let out as the door closed behind him. Scar’s voice sent a pang right to Grian’s heart. And a low meow sent a similar, if smaller, pang. “I know Jellie, I’ll let you out of there in just a second.” Scar said and Grian could just picture the soft smile on the human’s face. The soft smile that he reserved especially for Jellie.

 The soft smile that Grian desperately, dangerously, wished could be directed at him.

 Even if the idea of such a thing would mean he was caught.

 Grian needed to leave. He still had time. If he just moved himself he’d be out of there with nothing to worry about. He just. Had. To. Move!

 He didn’t. Scar rounded the corner, hands full with the cat carrier. Scar’s eyes didn’t dart to him right away, it was a slow, painful thing where Scar’s eyes swept over everything in his apartment, ending at the kitchen and finally, finally settling onto Grian.

 Scar’s eyes widened and Grian didn’t dare to breathe. But being looked at for the first time in a year was turning his legs to jelly rather quickly.

 “Um…hello there?” Scar spoke, spoke to him. Grian felt choked up.

 “...Hi.” He managed to get out, even if his voice was a bit raspy due to not using it for so long.

 Scar still looked shocked, and confused, but a small smile was also twitching at the edges of his lips and Grian felt his heart elate at the thought.

 Yes, he wasn’t supposed to be seen.

 But being seen was all Grian ever wanted. To have someone see him, talk to him, know him. And he hadn’t even realized it until he was without it for the first time.

 And though Scar was a human, Grian didn’t really care. Because Scar was seeing him and spoke with him and so far things were okay.

 He had left a dim light on, since he hadn’t wanted to leave Grian in the dark. So as he entered, he could already see that Grian was in the same exact spot he had been in when Joel had left that morning. In the glass terrarium that Joel had cleaned out and lined with blankets, Grian was in the very back corner and facing the wall.

 Joel bit his lip and moved closer. “Did you seriously stay in the same spot all day?” Joel asked, trying to put his usual bite into it. He was only semi-successful.

 Joel watched as Grian tensed and then slowly turned his head just enough so he could glare at Joel. “It’s not like there's a lot for me to do in here…” Grian said, trailing off a bit at the end. Joel could admit that was fair but he decided to change the topic.

 “W-Well, I’m back now so we can do something…and I have some food for you too.” Joel said and carefully lifted the top of the terrarium off, putting the lid off to the side and placing the food and water inside. He left the lid off as he took a seat on his bed and watched Grian. Maybe a bit too intensely.

 Grian’s head turned a bit more, his upper body going with him as he tried to look at what Joel had brought and put down directly behind him. He simply stared at it for a good minute before he spoke again. “...How much longer is this going to go on, Joel?”

 Joel swallowed the forming lump in his throat. “I-I don’t--”

 Grian cut him off and glared at him. “You can’t just pretend that this is normal. I don’t want to be here and you know I don’t want to be here.” Grian’s eyes turned sad and he looked away from Joel’s gaze. “I just…want to be let go.”

 “I can’t.” Joel said as his immediate answer. His instinctive answer. “Having to borrow and scavenge is no way to live. You were barely even surviving! I’m-I’m helping you. Can’t you see that?” This was not the first time they’d had this conversation. And, Joel feared, nor would it be the last.

 “You’re selfish, Joel. Because I was perfectly fine on my own. And I was free.” Grian didn’t meet his eyes again. He just turned back towards the wall, completely ignoring the food and water Joel had brought for him. “...It’s not on me that you're just scared of being alone again.”

 Joel tensed and Grian froze and that just made Joel feel even worse. Joel stood abruptly and this time Grian couldn’t help but snap his gaze toward him, the look in his eyes going straight to Joel’s heart. Joel looked away. “...’M not gonna hurt you.” Joel said quietly, and he sounded so much like a broken record at this point.

 Joel walked toward his bedroom door, not looking at Grian as he hung back for a second. “Just…please eat this time. I’ll try and find something for you to do.” Joel said and then headed out to the living room to do exactly that.

 He was doing the right thing. Grian hadn’t been fine living how he had been. And the cage, the terrarium, was only temporary. Just until Grian could see how good this all was and stopped…and stopped trying to run.

 Joel shook his head. He was doing this for Grian. Grian would thank him later, once he realized just how much better Joel was to him than his previous life in the walls.

 Joel was doing the right thing. He had to be.

 “Are you sure?” At Grian’s nod, Scar bit his lip. “Well, maybe they're like us?” Scar tried, wanting to give the benefit of the doubt. But his already uneasy smile dropped when Grian shook his head.

 “He was in a cage.” Grian said, his voice cracking a little. 

 Scar winced. “Oh. Yeah, that’s not good.”

 “That’s not the only thing though.” Grian continued, fidgeting with his sweater.

 “What do you mean?” Scar asked, wondering what else there could be. Grian looked him in the eyes, his expression pained. It sent Scar’s heart plummeting.

 “I think…I think I know him.” Grian admitted. He hadn’t gotten much of a good look at the borrower himself but…well, Grian would recognize that green streak anywhere.

 “You…know him? Like, he’s a friend of yours?” At Scar’s question, Grian simply nodded. A friend of Grian’s…Grian had never mentioned any friends before. He was very secretive like that. So for one of them to be here…

 “What did the human who has him look like? Where were they?” Scar asked, expression serious. 

 Grian blinked and tried to think about the brief moment he saw. “The human was wearing a black suit…and had slicked black hair…and he was over in the far corner, in a section that wasn’t very crowded.” Scar nodded along to Grian’s description. He then brought Grian close to himself, hiding him while Scar looked around the corner, trying to see where Grian described.

 …There. Grian had been right. In the back corner, in the VIP section, sat a man wearing a fancy black suit and a smug smile. On his right, in plain view, was a cage with a borrower trapped inside. The thought made Scar’s blood boil. Borrowers were people too, he couldn’t imagine ever putting Grian in a cage like that.

 Scar needed a plan.

 He backed back into the corner and looked down at Grian. “Do you trust me?”

 Grian was taken by surprise. “Wha- I mean, I…” Grian took a deep breath and sat straight up, looking Scar in the eyes, determined. “Of course I do.” He didn’t think he trusted anyone more.

 Scar smiled at that, touched. Hopefully, his plan didn’t ruin that. “Then follow my lead.”

***

 A quick bribe to the bouncer let him into the VIP section of the casino easily. He played the part of walking around, checking out the games, trying to look like he belonged.

 It wasn’t very hard, honestly.

 He casually passed by the man with the borrower, his eyes honing in on the little guy naturally. He stopped, gaining the man’s attention. “Pardon me, but I’ve got to say that is quite the catch you’ve got there.” Scar said, voice as smooth as honey.

 The man huffed but Scar could see the ghost of a vicious grin on his face. “Move along buddy, I don’t think you can afford a game with me.” He laid a hand on top of the cage and he saw the borrower inside flinch. “Especially not with this as the prize.”

 “Hey!” A voice suddenly shouted, startling Scar briefly out of his act. He looked down to see it was the borrower who had spoken. “I’m not some prize to be won!”

 “Shut it!” The man hisses, banging his hand against the cage and making the borrower inside fall over. Scar contained his own flinch, remaining stoic. But he almost broke seeing the borrower cowering after all that.

 “Actually,” Scar started, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to do. “I think I can. Afford it, that is.” Scar reached into his pocket, his hand wrapping around Grian, firm but gentle. He felt Grian squirm against his fingers, tiny hands trying to push at them. He bit the inside of his cheek, carefully letting one of his fingers run along his back, trying to settle him. Thankfully, Grian seemed to get the message and he was still by the time Scar pulled him out.

 At the sight of another borrower, the man’s eyes went wide.

 “So, you’ve managed to catch one yourself.” The man said, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. 

 “Yep. And I would love to add that little one to my collection.” He pointed at the other borrower, who glared at him. “Of course, if you end up winning, I suppose you’d be adding another tiny to your prize pool.”

 Scar could see the other man thinking it over. Looking between the borrower he had trapped and Grian. Finally, he motioned for Scar to have a seat across from him. Scar grinned and took it.

 “We’re playing this the right way though, so prizes in the center.” The man said, tapping on the cage. Scar frowned at that but not enough to put the other man off. He was loath to let Grian out of his grasp but he didn’t want to push his luck.

 “Alright by me.” Scar said with a fake but convincing smile. He glanced down at Grian, who glanced back up at him. He gave a tiny, subtle nod and Scar let out a breath.

 The cage was pushed to the center of the table and the man opened the cage, making sure the borrower still inside couldn’t escape. Scar reached in and placed Grian inside as well and the cage was shut and locked once more. Immediately both borrowers huddled together and Scar could just make out faint whispers. Hopefully Grian was explaining everything to him.

 The cards were passed out by the dealer and Scar took a peek at his hand. Not bad, all things considered. But definitely on the lower end of his chance to win. No matter, he wasn’t a scammer at heart for nothing. With quick hands, as Scar saw no one looking at him, he slipped one of the cards into his sleeve and replaced it in less than a second.

 It had taken him a lot of practice but it had all been worth it when Scar took note that no one had noticed. Perfect.

 The cards were revealed and the dealer announced Scar as the winner.

 The man sneered at him as Scar stood from his seat and reached for the cage in the center. “Well, my good man, it seems I’m adding this little one to my collection after all. Sorry about that, but all's fair in love and war and all that.” Scar said with a wink, grabbing the handle of the cage.

 Unfortunately, they weren’t out of the woods yet as the man’s hand went over his own to keep him from taking his prize. “Double or nothing.” The man growled out, practically spitting in Scar’s face. Scar used his free hand to wipe it away, glaring at the man. He tried to reign in his anger to a normal amount but it was starting to get difficult. 

 “Sorry but no. I’d like to just take my prize and go now.” With that said, Scar slapped the other man’s hand away and brought the cage close to himself. 

 The other man looked like he wanted to jump him but thankfully, security had already been called. Scar sent a thankful look to the dealer, who nodded and went back to work. Scar watched in glee as the man was taken away and escorted out of the building for making a scene and not abiding by the rules.

 “And that’s how it’s done.” Scar said to himself, proud his plan had worked.

 Scar slipped out of the VIP section into a secluded back corner of the casino, trying very hard to hide what was inside the cage. He didn’t need anymore people seeing the borrowers, after all. He found an empty table and took a seat.

 Once he was sure no one was around, he placed the cage onto the table and unlocked the door. “I swear Scar, you’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days.” Grian said as he walked out of the cage, the other borrower not far behind but a lot more hesitant.

 “It worked though! And you never had anything to worry about.” He pulled up an ace from his sleeve, showing it off with a wink. “I always come prepared.”

 Grian rolled his eyes and then seemed to remember they weren’t alone. He moved out of the way, giving Scar a better view of his friend. The other borrower seemed to be a bit shorter than Grian, which he hadn’t thought was possible. He also had a distinct green streak in his hair and Scar wondered if he had dyed it or not. And if so, how?

 “Scar, this is Joel. Joel, Scar.” Grian introduced and Scar did his best to bow from a seated position. 

 “Nice to meet you, Mr. Joel.” Scar said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

 Joel still seemed unsure but he gave a little wave before quickly putting his hand back down. “Grian said you were trustworthy so…I believe him. And you did save me so…” He looked at Grian.

 “I told him as much as I could when I got into the cage.” He smiled at Joel. “Don’t worry, Scar would never hurt us or keep us trapped.”

 Scar nodded in total agreement. “Yeah, we’ll get you back home…or wherever it is you need to go.”

 Joel nodded. “...Thanks.”

 Scar grinned. He knew it would take a while for Joel to warm up to him and to the idea that Scar, despite being a human, wasn’t planning on keeping or harming them. After all, it had taken Grian a bit of time to get to that point too. But either way, Scar was more than willing to help. After all…

 Gem shushed him gently and Grian frowned. “Just trust me on this Grian, please.” Gem all but pleaded with him. Before Grian could answer her in turn, he was once again pulled along as Gem pulled them out from underneath the couch.

 Grian blinked. This was wrong. “Gem, we shouldn’t be here.” He whispered, glancing around the room. 

 “Trust me.” She said again and Grian was getting tired of Gem not saying anything else. She then turned toward the expanse of the room and did the one thing Grian absolutely was not expecting. She yelled. “Impulse! Skizz!”

 Suddenly, the floor below them started to shake, in the way that it did when humans were walking. Grian’s eyes widened as two humans rounded the corner. He felt frozen for only a moment before he tugged on Gem’s hand and tried to run back toward the couch. Back toward the safety of the walls.

 But Gem didn’t budge, her hand only tightening its hold around his and now Grian was really starting to question everything. 

 “Hey Gem…oh, is that Grian?” The one wearing a yellow I on his shirt said. Grian’s mind went blank, more than it had been lately. The humans’ knew their names. The humans’ knew their names. He turned to Gem but she didn’t seem surprised by this at all.

 Grian’s eyes widened even more when Gem answered back. “Yeah, he’s feeling a lot better but he’s still a bit out of it. I figured now would be a good time for you guys to check on him though.” Gem said. At her words, the two humans kneeled down, so close they could reach out and grab them. Grian continued to pull on Gem’s hand, trying to pull them to safety, but she stayed firm.

 The other human, the one with scars all over his arms, furrowed his brows. “Uh, Gemstone, he looks…terrified.”

 Gem bit her lip and in turn squeezed Grian’s hand even tighter. “I…didn’t exactly tell him about all of this.” Gem admitted.

 “Well no wonder then.” The same human said, wincing.

 “He wouldn’t have come if I did say anything. This was the only way. We need to make sure he’s going to be okay.” Gem said and then turned to Grian. He noticed the bit of guilt in her eyes but it was outshined by her determination and worry. “Grian, I promise you, they’re good. Okay? They were the ones who gave me the medicine that helped you.”

 It took Grian a moment to connect all the dots, to follow along with their conversation. But when he did, he was horrified. “You…you’ve spoken to them before? You revealed yourself?”

 Gem hesitated for only a moment before nodding. “I did it for you. I couldn’t just sit back and watch you die. Not when there was another option.”

 “The other option is death for both of us! Or-Or becoming some humans’ pets.” Grian exclaimed, not understanding how Gem could do this. “Did you even stop to think that there are two of them and two of us? They’ve got one for each of them now!” Grian threw his hands up, though since Gem was still holding on to one, he ended up lifting her hand up as well.

 Gem glared at him. “I would rather become a pet then have to sit back and watch you die!” She pulled their arms back down, tears filling her eyes. “I can’t lose you, Grian. If that meant sacrificing myself so you could have medicine then I was prepared to hand myself over.”

 A throat being cleared pulled their attention away from each other and up toward the humans. There was definitely a mix of emotions going through the two of them. A mix of feeling awkward and sad and horrified were the ones Grian could make out. Which confused him.

 “Hey now, uh, none of that is going to happen.” The one wearing the yellow I said, putting his hands up. “You’re not going to be…our-our pets.” He winced as he said it, sounding awkward.

 “Yeah! We really do just want to help.” The other one chimed in.

 Gem felt her cheeks heat up, forgetting for a moment that they were there. “I-I know that.” She turned back to Grian. “I do know. I’ve been coming back the last couple of days while you’ve been recovering to keep them updated and talk with them.” Her eyes softened. “They’re good. I promise.”

 Grian didn’t even know what to do with the information that Gem had been talking with these humans for multiple days now. It went against everything they were ever taught as borrowers. He still felt like running away and cowering in fear. But the earnest look in Gem’s eyes made him pause.

 “I…I don’t know…” Grian said, closing his eyes and hanging his head. He really was at a loss for what to do.

 “Maybe it would be better if we introduced ourselves?” One of them said and Grian opened his eyes and looked up to meet the human’s. The human smiled. “I’m Skizz. And this is my buddy Impulse.” He wrapped a hand around Impulse’s shoulder, giving him a side hug. “Gemstone here came to us a few days ago and asked for our help and we couldn’t just not.”

 “Why?” Grian asked, speaking to them for the first time.

 “Because we’re not the kind of people to turn someone away in need.” Impulse explained, eyes soft.

 Grian still didn’t fully trust them. “Or because you wanted the chance to grab the both of us.”

 Impulse tilted his head. “Well, if that was the case. Why haven’t we done it already?”

 Grian blinked, not expecting that. “What?”

 “We could just grab you right now, you couldn’t stop us.” Impulse shrugged but his face revealed his true emotions. He didn’t like what he was saying but he knew he needed to say it. “So why haven’t we done it already?”

 Grian…didn’t know what to say to that. His head hurt and not just from whatever remained of his sickness. It was true though. They were here, out in the open. There was nothing stopping the two humans from grabbing them and trapping them. But they…weren’t. And Grian had a feeling, that if he managed to get out of Gem’s grip and run back to the walls, they wouldn’t stop him then either.

 “See?” Gem said and Grian focused back on her. “They had a lot of opportunities to grab even just me. But they never even reached toward me. Not even the first time I showed myself.” She grabbed Grian’s other hand and fully turned him toward her. “So please, let them look you over? Just so we know the medicine is working.”

 Grian searched Gem’s eyes before hanging his head and sighing. “...Fine.”

 “Thank you.” Gem said, eyes shining.

 “Great!” Skizz said, smiling. “We should probably move this to the table then.” Gem nodded and then both humans stood up. Grian tried not to look, turning away. He noticed Gem doing the same. It seemed, despite her trust in them, it was still hard getting rid of certain fears.

 The two humans started to head toward the couch so they could sit and Gem followed far behind, pulling Grian along to head over to the coffee table.

 But as they started to walk, the dizziness hit Grian again suddenly. He groaned and placed his free hand on his head, trying to stop the room from spinning. Gem stopped and looked at him in concern. “Grian? Are you okay?”

 He shook his head, not feeling up to lying right now. His mind had cleared when he had had that freak out over the humans knowing about him. But now that things had settled and Grian was calmer again, the fogginess and dizziness had seemed to come back tenfold.

 He was vaguely aware the humans had come back over, kneeling again to see what was happening. “Should we do this another time?” Skizz asked, looking at Grian in concern.

 Grian, surprisingly, was the one to shake his head. “We’ve already come this far.” He said, after taking a breath. “And-And I don’t want Gem to be as worried anymore. I just…I don’t think I can climb like this.”

 “Well…” Impulse started, biting his lip. “You don’t…have to?”

 Grian blinked, brain too foggy to process things well again. But Gem seemed to pick up on what Impulse meant. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

 “What?” Grian asked, wanting them to speak clearly.

 “I could pick you up?” Impulse said. “And then bring you over to the coffee table.”

 “Oh.” Grian said, now understanding. Gem looked just as nervous as Grian felt at that. But Grian was still thinking about it. “...Okay.”

 Gem’s eyes widened. “Whoa, are you sure?”

 Grian shrugged. He wasn’t really. “No, but you said you trusted them, right?” Gem nodded despite still looking nervous. “Then if I’m going through with this, which I want to for you, then I guess this is what we’ll have to do.”

 He took a few shaky steps forward, toward Impulse and Skizz, Gem finally releasing his hand. He stood tall despite the dizziness hitting him hard and nodded at them. Impulse blinked, not really expecting Grian to agree. “Oh, uh, okay. Right, let’s see…” Impulse sounded just as nervous as Grian felt, which actually put him at ease a bit.

 Impulse reached a hand out and Grian braced himself. But instead of being grabbed, Impulse placed his hand down, palm up, in front of Grian. Grian blinked at the offer. “Hop on whenever you’re ready.” Impulse said.

 Grian stared at the hand for a good few moments before taking in a deep breath and stepping on. It felt weird. The surface was firm, squishy, and soft all at the same time. He made his way to the middle but didn’t really want to stay standing, so he plopped himself down into a seated position.

 When Impulse was sure Grian was secure, he slowly lifted his hand up, standing as he did so. Grian closed his eyes at the feeling, only opening them again when Impulse stopped moving up. “You okay?” He asked and Grian nodded.

 “Uh, did you want a lift too?” He heard Skizz ask Gem.

 “No, but thank you Skizz.” Gem answered, still sounding nervous.

 Impulse went over and sat down on the couch and then carefully lowered his hand and placed it on the coffee table. Despite the ride not being that bad, Grian still wasted no time in getting off the hand.

 Skizz took a seat next to Impulse and Gem was not far behind, coming up and over the edge of the coffee table only a few minutes after Grian was set down.

 As Impulse and Skizz set up, which included opening up google on their phones and searching some things, Gem came up next to him and gently bumped him with her arm. He looked over at her and she smiled. “Thank you for letting them do this.”

 “Yeah, yeah.” Grian said, though he sent her a small smile. “Next time though, please tell me what’s going on ahead of time. I don’t think my heart can take another surprise like this.”

 Gem hummed and grinned. “No promises.”

 Grian snorted but he had expected that. He knew they still had a lot to talk about once they were back in the walls. But for now, Grian decided to put his trust in Gem and these humans. After all, it was thanks to the three of them that he was here in the first place.

 He leaned against Gem and closed his eyes as he waited to be checked over.