Out Of The Birdcage • Limited Life Fanfic

.°• Chapter 9: The Neighbour •°.

"Hey, Martyn. Feeling a bit sleepy there, are you?" Pearl grabbed a tuft of Martyn's blonde hair and pulled it back, making his head lift briefly. Jimmy saw a flash of lifeless eyes before Pearl let his head thud again.

Grian looked up in awe, running his hand through his hair. "Pearl, thank god" He panted. That fight must've drained him. Jimmy couldn't remember how long ago it was since Grian actually ate.

"You're lucky I was just passing by" Pearl pushed her scarlet hood back slightly, and, upon making eye contact with Jimmy, flashed a smile at him.

That smile was too happy, too kind for Jimmy to actually believe. But, at this rate, he had nothing to lose. There was no lightning, meaning Martyn would be back, and he would be angry.

"Martyn's going to be looking for you. If you stay at my base you'll be- he won't be able to figure out where you are"

Jimmy heard that, heard what she was about to say. If you stay at my base, you'll be safe. But Pearl knew there wasn't really a safe. There wasn't a safe anywhere, really. Scar must be having a real cosy time, wherever he was. Nobody had heard from him in ages.

"Thank you, but, why?" Grian's voice was faint.

"Big B's dead" Pearl began, on a very simple note, "We were the Nosy Neighbours, but, you know, he's not really been around anymore, and now I'm just one Nosy Neighbour" She laughed slightly, but her voice wavered a bit. It was uneasy, pained. She had to clear her throat to get herself started again, "Martyn and Scott have the upper hand on a lot of people, and, I don't know, in regards to me saving you, you know, we could have an alliance? Then I won't just be one Nosy Neighbour anymore"

Grian opened his mouth to speak, but collapsed. Pearl turned him around to see the gaping wound on his shoulder.

"Woah, woah, Grian. Steady, steady- Hey Jimmy, can you pass me Grian's sword on the floor over there?"

Pass her his sword? What was she going to do, pry the wound open? He couldn't let her do that, no, that's Grian. That's his best friend Grian, no, she can't, she couldn't-

"Nevermind, I got it" Pearl said cheerfully, registering Jimmy's stunned silence. She dragged his sword over with her foot, snatching it in her hand as soon as it was close enough and slashed.

Jimmy's mouth was dry. He couldn't scream.

Pearl held up a piece of fabric from her jacket, the edges jagged from where the sword cut. Jimmy let out a deep breath. Not a piece of his best friend's back then. She wrapped it around his shoulder, triple knotting it once she was done. She turned Grian over again and tried to shake him awake.

It took a couple minutes before he was up and running. He hadn't lost an astonishing amount of blood, it was just a bit, and that paired with exhaustion isn't the best combination. He only stumbled a bit now as he spoke, "We can't thank you enough, Pearl"

"No, no, it's fine. Come on, let's go to my base where they can't find you both"

Maybe they were actually safe?

The moon shone through their window. Jimmy lay flat on his bed, looking up at nothing in particular. He actually felt safe, for once. Pearl was the perfect person to ally with. And they could all sleep, knowing they'd never hurt eachother.

"Psssst, Tim" Grian whispered, rolling over to face Jimmy.

A little smile formed on Jimmy's face as he rolled over and spoke in an equally quiet tone, "Yeah?"

"What do you think it'll be like, you know, when this all starts again. Do you think we'll remember this time?"

Jimmy pondered this silently, wanting to give Grian an answer he'd like. He didn't think he remembered much from the last one, but he definitely remembered the first. He didn't know quite what it was, but he only remembered certain things, significant or not to him. Maybe they could do something differently this time, so that they could remember everything? "I don't know" He said softly, wanting to sound more optimistic than he felt, "But I hope we will". He did. He really did. He didn't believe any of his previous lives could ever be as good as this one.

Grian smiled slightly, "You know, sometimes, when we're fighting, I see Joel fighting with us. Like some kind of ghost. I like to pretend it's really him"

Jimmy nodded, the corners of his mouth upturned. He found a lot of comfort in this, even if it was just a fantasy. It felt good to think Joel was with them, even it wasn't real. He let a few moments pass before speaking again. "Maybe it is him" He said, more to himself than to Grian, "Maybe he's still with us, somehow. Maybe he's looking after us"

Jimmy could hear quiet laughing from Grian, "He would tell us to stop being soppy right now and get us to plan our next shenanigan"

Jimmy laughed a little. He was right, Joel would want them to be trouble, cause mischief. He glanced at Pearl, who was still asleep, and then back at Grian. "Alright then, what's next?"

The laughing stopped. Grian looked away, sighing. "I don't know, Tim. There's not going to be a next for me"

Jimmy's heart sank. Surely, not so soon? He- he had time, right?

"There is a next" He said, raising his head slightly, "You'll get a new life, just like the rest of us. A whole fresh start"

"And then- And then we'll see Joel?"

"And then we'll see Joel, yes" Jimmy lay his head back on his pillow again, taking a deep breath. He was sure, no- he was certain that they'd see Joel the next time they were reborn. He had to believe it. And, looking at Grian, he knew that that's the only thing some people were running on. A fresh start. Seeing the ones they watched die alive and well again.

"You know, next time, we could be worst enemies. You could be allied with Martyn for all we know"

Jimmy snorted a little, "Martyn?"

Grian grinned, "Seriously, you could be!"

"Anyway" Jimmy put his hands behind his head, "We could be worst enemies, but I doubt it. You'll always be my best friend, no matter what"

They both smiled to themselves for a bit, before Grian spoke once again.

"I love you, Tim"

He said it. For the first time. Usually, he'd watch Jimmy and Joel tell eachother that they loved eachother and he'd call it weird. But for the first time, he said it back. Warmth flooded his heart. It's something he'd been waiting to hear for so long. He smiled through his tears and whispered, "I love you too".

Lightning crackled, and Grian went limp.

Grian has ran out of time.

Tears began to flow faster. He let out a whimper and brought himself to his feet, looking at his best friend lying there. He was gone forever, he could never speak to him again. His mouth quivered as he brushed the tears away with the sleeve of his leather jacket. Jimmy turned around as Pearl stirred in her sleep, not wanting to worry her. But every time he tried to stop crying, he saw Grian, and then it all started flooding out again.

"Hey Jimmy, why are you up so early?" Pearl stretched a bit in bed.

Jimmy looked at Pearl briefly with foggy eyes and let out a hoarse whisper, "Grian's gone"

"He's... gone?" She sat up straight, and glanced over at Grian's bed. He was limp. Empty. Lifeless.

"Oh no..."

Jimmy nodded his head slightly, unable to contain his grief any longer. He took a step towards Grian, as if he hoped, prayed, believed he could get up again, but, deep down, he knew it couldn't happen. He felt like his soul had been ripped out of his chest. He turned around slowly to face Pearl.

"He's gone"

"Awh, Jimmy" Pearl opened her arms wide sympathetically.

Jimmy allowed himself to walk into Pearl's embrace and sob onto her shoulder. He began bawling, everything that had happened pulling him apart like a single thread. He was unravelling.

Word count: 1398