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Pearl knew soulmates existed. Not in a “you’re born with a way to find them” kind of way; there were no marks, or special links, or anything like that. They existed in those quiet forms of love, a friend who always shows up when you need them, a shoulder to cry on, a fan in the crowds. A partner who drags you out to dance in the rain, or grabs your favourite food after a long day.
It was that sort of love, of belonging, that looked effortless, because the effort was a second thought to the action itself. And maybe there was some fate involved; two people destined to cross paths, to enter each other’s lives and never leave. Either way, Pearl had always thought it sounded lovely.
She met Gem when they happened to be on the same server at the same time. It was one in a million, with endless servers branching off from the Hub at any point, each one their own unique world, some bustling with entire communities, and some started by people who just wanted to create. The one they met on was a bit of both.
It started small, a warm drink shared in the morning before they got to building, long conversations about books, life, family, as they went. It was an easy friendship, a bright spot in her days.
They parted ways occasionally, each called away to their home worlds, or to visit friends. But no matter what, they stayed in contact. Pearl spent hours lounging around her builds, up in a tree or down by a stream, writing letters to send over the cross-server comms. And when she got one in return, she’d excuse herself from wherever she was, slipping away to a quiet corner to read her friend’s words.
Hermitcraft had been a big change.
They’d applied together on a dare, knowing their chances were slim, but their connections were there, the potential was there. They made a pact one night, curled together on Gem’s couch in one of her solo worlds. Their pinkies linked and heads bent together, they promised that neither of them would go without the other.
Pearl could remember the day they found out they got in, too. She’d been elbow deep in her storage room, organizing leftover materials from a recent project when Gem came crashing in. Her eyes were wild and bright and her smile so wide Pearl knew what had happened before she could even say a word.
They’d crashed into each other, hugging so tightly she could barely breath, but it didn’t matter. They’d made it, together .
Gem called for a celebratory sleep over, walking around Pearl’s home with a practiced ease as she pulled out blankets and pillows, creating a pile in the living room until there was barely any floor left uncovered.
They talked for hours , movies playing forgotten in the background. They planned, and they speculated, and they laughed. Of course there were some nerves, but Pearl wasn’t too worried. She wasn’t doing this alone, and if Gem was there, they’d be unstoppable.
They were holding hands as they approached the server portal, but even if they hadn’t been Pearl could have seen how much Gem was bouncing in anticipation. Xisuma, the admin, had asked them to come on early to make sure they were settled into the world, so they weren't facing all of the Hermits just yet. But first they had to actually join the world.
Pearl glanced over at Gem, her confidence soaring as Gem met her gaze with that bright smile of hers, squeezing her hand gently. Together, they stepped forward, the familiar tingle of the whitelist passing over them, and then they were in.
Xisuma met them on the other side, leading them to a nearby villager house to chat. Then they went to the world spawn, and watched as one by one, the rest of the Hermits joined around them. Gem nudged Pearl’s side as Grian approached. He greeted them both warmly, one of the few hermits they’d both talked to before. Gem never let go of her hand the entire time, even as they were introduced to the other Hermits, all of whom greeted them warmly.
They split up, promises not needing to even be spoken aloud that they would find each other later. It wasn't even a question. So Pearl went north, finding herself entangled in chaos and boats, already feeling so warm and full of life, wanting to remember every detail of her first day so she could share it with Gem.
Gem found her late in the evening, setting up the smallest of temporary bases to spend the night in. She dragged her by the sleeve of her hoodie, through the woods and into a clearing where Gem had already assembled a small home. Pearl could hardly even pretend to be surprised at that point.
They spent their first night excitedly telling each other stories of the other Hermits, snacking on whatever they could find and laughing until their sides ached. They didn’t have their usual pile of blankets and pillows, but they fell asleep side by side either way, pure exhaustion lulling them to sleep after a long day.
It was probably the first time in a while that they were on the same server and didn’t live side by side. It was strange, but so was Hermitcraft. Besides, they got horses, and once again it was only a few minutes to get between their bases. Pearl would know, she made the journey frequently.
Boatem was fun, it was silly and chaotic and everything she could have ever hoped of finding on Hermitcraft. But on certain nights, when exhaustion settled deep in her bones, or it all started to feel like too much, she always found her way to that stupid birch forest, where Gem would get one look at her and immediately go find her stash of tea, kettle already heating up and snacks pulled out before Pearl could even open her mouth.
It worked both ways of course, and more often than she bothered to count, she’d find Gem at her door, too tired to even go through it wrong like she loved to. Pearl would dig out her softest blankets, some snacks, and they’d go sit on top of her aquarium until one or both of them fell asleep.
In meetings, Gem would sit behind her, playing with and braiding her hair while one of the others talked about technical stuff, or mod updates, or whatever other less than exciting topic needed to be discussed. Pearl would lean back in her chair, and Gem would adjust her chair to be behind her, fingers combing gently through her hair before she began. If she caught a knot, Pearl would give a little hum, and Gem would pause, going back to the strand with a certain gentleness reserved for these moments.
She was still learning how to help with Gem’s curls properly, and Gem didn’t like other hands in her hair as much, but they had other things to pass the boredom too. Sometimes Pearl would move behind her, tracing shapes across her shoulders then pausing as she waited for Gem’s whispered guess, correct more often than not.
Pearl couldn’t remember when they’d started either of these habits—they’d existed long before Hermitcraft—but they were nice. One of those little silent acts of love she supposed people usually associated with soulmates.
The games were fun, unexpectedly intense. Grian had warned her when he invited her for Last Life, but she’d gone anyway. She had no regrets, as insane as the games had gone. But it still took her a few weeks to adjust to being back on Hermitcraft, to not being limited on lives, to be able to run, fly, and build without constantly looking over her shoulder.
Gem noticed, because of course she did. For a few weeks she was extra loud, always announcing herself when she came up behind Pearl, a long dramatic call of her name bringing a smile to her face. A friendly punch here and there that reminded her that contact wasn’t violence. Slowly, she settled back into Hermitcraft.
They’d gone into that season knowing it would be a shorter one, and yet Pearl couldn't help but feel an ache settle in her heart as she and the other Boatem members rushed around, gathering their remaining belongings they hadn’t already moved off world. It was always tender, to say goodbye to a server she’d lived on for so long, even if 8 months wasn’t all that long.
With a final look out the rocket windows, out over their bases with the train, and the hourglasses, and the chaos they’d called home, out over the forest to the peaks of Gem’s home, Pearl said a silent goodbye. Until the next one.
As fun as it had been hanging out with some of the other Hermits on their first season, Pearl knew she wasn’t the only of the two of them that missed their proximity. A silly visit to a mansion, and a bowl of soup shared over a dying campfire in the woods was enough for her, Gem, and Impulse to decide to live together for the season. Two long time friends and their— ironically shorter this season—big brother figure they’d picked up along the way.
While not much changed about their usual hang outs, now occasionally Impulse would join them, making weird faces and throwing popcorn at the screen as Gem pushed him playfully for wasting their snacks. He didn’t join them all the time, often visiting friends off-world when the server was less busy, but Pearl enjoyed the nights he did.
Double life was horrible.
She felt more alone than she had in years, everyone else paired up with someone to help them curb the loneliness that crept in being cut off from outside servers like this. But not her. No, her game soulmate had left her alone, and not even her best friend could reach her as she built herself a tower of isolation in the clouds.
Muscle memory remembered spars with Gem, playful taunts echoing in her ears that kept her from going insane. Scar helped a little, but he had his own game to worry about.
And yet, among all of that, she won. The stress of the game fading away as she was sent back to the Hub, the server closing as she and Scott died. Already she felt better, the mental weight of Red slipping away as cheers from their friends filled her ears. Some had come, like they had since the first one, to welcome them back to the Hub, to celebrate another successful game.
Her eyes found Gem immediately, who was watching her with a worried expression, biting gently at the corner of her lip as she met Pearl’s gaze. There was a silent question in her expression, like one look told her just how horrible this game had been for her. Pearl didn’t even hesitate, just simply taking the few steps over to the crowd and falling into Gem’s open arms.
She heard someone try to approach, Gem’s whispered words to them, then the footsteps moved away. Maybe it was the others coming to congratulate her on her win, or Scott coming to make sure she was ok. She didn’t particularly care, she just needed a moment right where she was.
It was tempting to say no when Grian asked her to play again. To refuse, and to spend the entire time her friends were gone just curled up next to Gem, trying not to remember the sting of the cold, the way the wind whistled past her tower, the second hand feeling of an explosion through a forged link.
But Gem had taken her hand in that sweet, gentle way, and told her she could do it. That she believed she could make the most of it, simply take the time to go play with friends. She’d won; there was no pressure for her to win again. Besides, Grian said this one was timed. She’d be back in a little over 3 weeks at most, and Gem would be right there waiting for her when she did.
So she’d gone, steps still unsteady and hands shaking as they loaded into the new world. Scott apologized again, as he had a thousand times between games, and he forgave him, as she had from the very start, but she still chose to team with BigB instead. She just… couldn’t, at least not yet.
And BigB was fun, if a bit odd. He helped her build a much warmer tower, filled with laughs instead of silence, and slowly old memories got replaced with new. Sometimes she’d go to the top of their tower, sitting silently as she watched the minutes tick down on her timer, imagining what Gem would be doing if she was here, what she would say.
In the end, Scott killed her, a little too reminiscent of the game prior, but when she spawned in the hub, Gem was there, and she hung out with the other players until a winner was declared. Scott emerged seconds before Impulse, that same shaky expression on his face that she knew all too well.
Gem stayed back as she walked over to him, taking his hand and squeezing it tight, a whispered “good game” passing between them. She saw the way he looked at her, relief and appreciation spilling into his expression, then she turned, waving goodbye to the players not encircling Martyn, and left, Gem by her side.
Her mega base was coming along really well. Terrain swooped and dived across what had once been a simple mountain, colours pouring out over it as if they hadn’t each been carefully planned and placed.
And of course, her neighbours across the river were great. Impulse spent hours digging, happy to dump some materials on her when she asked, and always willing to chat while he worked if she needed a break from her own.
Gem was building up into the clouds, with towers soaring and branching off of every side of her castle. And yet walking through it still felt warm, despite the lack of ceiling in most of it just yet. Sometimes it was as simple as being pulled from her work by a familiar voice suddenly coming from behind her, causing her to drop her tool on one too many occasions. Other times it was the little signs or sticky notes, or even slight chaos of her chests, that told her that Gem had been there.
They were settled into being Hermits at that point, most of the imposter syndrome making way for real and genuine friendships with the others, laughs shared over minigames or silly wars, or whatever else they came up with that day.
She and Gem still stuck together though, still claimed chairs side by side during long, boring meetings, or teamed together on minigames if only to prove a point.
When Gem told her Grian had invited her to join the next game, she allowed herself to be excited for her friend, to encourage her despite her own worries. Because for all Gem could read Pearl, she could read her right back, and there was no hiding the excitement in her eyes, the thrill of a challenge already working its way through her mind.
She would just have to do her best to shove down the fear creeping up her throat.
Gem took to the games like a fish to water, exploring, gathering, and teaming with Impulse and Scott before Pearl could blink. She was happy with her mounders, her silly guys that she got to help try and win. Still, she couldn’t help but check on her friend, playing into the spirit of the game every time she saw that sweet enthusiasm spark in Gem’s eyes.
And yet she was inexperienced. She could tell; her steps were a little too eager, her heart a little too trusting. Despite Pearl’s stories, Gem hadn’t fully grasped the games just yet. Pearl hated it, but she knew that would be the death of her.
When lives started to drop, alliances pushed to their limits as tensions grew, she could feel the bite of red on the back of her neck, itching to claim her like it had for some already. Then Gem led an apocalypse, her skills making her almost successful. It was wild, and Pearl couldn’t help the flutter of pride that filled her chest as she chased after Gem, their friends surrounding them as they plotted traps and kills.
Then they were both red, their battles well fought, but the bite of the curse was like a soothing balm over the ache she still carried with her. She could see the fire in Gem’s eyes, her being a little less used to carrying the curse. It was consuming, if you let it.
One thing Pearl knew about Gem, which she knew was true for herself as well, is that they were both loyal to a fault. So while they rode around on a camel, laughing and clinging to each other in the middle of a death game, she knew when it came down to it, they’d each defend their allies without a second of hesitation.
Still, guilt ate at her as she watched Scar kill her for the final time, feeling nothing but relief as her last hearts were lost to the cliff. She ran straight to Gem, pulling her into her arms and sinking to the floor. Grian was saying something about weird code, taking longer than usual to pull Scar out of the game, but she barely paid that any attention. She had Gem.
The next week and a half were chaotic. The Lifers were returning to Hermitcraft, which itself was ending its season a week later. Pearl and Gem spent many long hours talking, and many more just curled up on a couch in either of their bases just watching whatever bad movies Pearl could think of.
Gem had taken it harder than she’d expected, crashing hard after the rush of the games finally left her system. She’d called Scott, talking to him and Impulse for hours about their alliance, about the games. It hurt a bit that she’d gone to them first, but Pearl knew they hadn't been allies in this game, and she’d gone to Scott too after her first game. He would help.
Rightfully, Gem was a little bitter about the end, and Pearl apologized. They all knew going into it that it was a game, but the reality of it still stung worse than you’d expect. She’d do a lot to make sure Gem understood that.
Despite it all, Gem was her person, someone she trusted more than herself most of the time. The person who made her laugh, who helped her when she cried, who made her feel the most like herself.
She couldn’t help but think back to Double Life, the long hours Gem had spent holding her after that. But more so, the way the bond had felt. Steady, warm in her chest, aching from physical distance from her soulbound. She wondered, briefly, if such a bond just outright existed, if she would be bound to Gem. Pearl didn’t think she’d be mad if she was.
Gem was not her “better half” or her “true love,” no, their love had and would always be platonic, but she was undoubtedly Pearl’s favourite person. She was lucky to have her, and she hoped, maybe even knew, that Gem felt the same.
When the next season started, fresh and exciting and full of laughs right off the bat, Pearl knew everything was going to be ok. When their first day ended, Gem found her huddled around the firs she’d built herself, sitting beside her on the ground and leaning into her shoulder like she was meant to be there.
Yeah, they’d be ok. It was them, after all.