A series of slice of life type fics where Jimmy is a borrower living with Grian and Joel in a college dorm.
Every fic in the Bad Boys Borrower College AU in chronological order! Will be updated with every new fic posted.
First Meetings Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | AO3 - How Jimmy met Grian and Joel.
Plush | AO3 - It's been weeks since Jimmy has gotten any sleep and it's really starting to affect him. Grian and Joel notice and try to help.
A Sewn Surprise | AO3 - Grian and Joel try to teach themselves how to sew, in order to surprise Jimmy with some new clothes. But it isn't going well.
Studying | AO3 - Grian is having trouble studying so Joel suggests Grian have Jimmy around to help him out.
Betwixt | AO3 - During one of their weekly movie nights, Joel finds a movie about borrowers called The Secret World of Arrietty. They decide to watch it.
Warmth | AO3 - Jimmy wants to go to class with Grian and Joel.
Quaff | AO3 - Grian and Joel decide to celebrate their first semester ending by drinking some beer. Jimmy has some questions.
Lost | AO3 - Skizz gets lost within the walls of the dorm building.
Coveted | AO3 - With spring break approaching and Grian and Joel packing, Jimmy decides now is a good time to head back into the walls to prepare for the following weeks alone. He is stopped by Grian and Joel.
Sweet Tooth | AO3 - Joel and Jimmy arrive at Joel's home and Jimmy tries something sweet for the first time.
Stuck | Epilogue | AO3 - It's the second day of spring break and Jimmy is left alone for a bit as Joel and his parents go to the store. As Jimmy explores more of Joel's room he finds something that he wished he hadn't...and in the worst way possible.
Eepy | AO3 - Joel and Jimmy get back from break. Grian is there waiting for them, wanting to make up for his two weeks without seeing Jimmy.
Chocolate Square | AO3 - Joel lets Grian know about Jimmy's sweet tooth by showing him and Jimmy eats his chocolate a bit too fast.
Childhood Friends | AO3 - Jimmy always thought it was weird how close Grian and Joel were despite only meeting a month before he met them. Turns out, Jimmy got the origins of their first meeting wrong.
Birthdays | AO3 - Jimmy has never celebrated his birthday before. Grian and Joel change that.
Not Just a Drunken Dream | AO3 - Jimmy goes to class with Joel and Grian, but as the humans are running late, they are a bit less careful and Jimmy ends up on the floor of the busy hallway.
Fortunately, he is found and picked up before he can be crushed.
Unfortunately, it wasn't by Grian or Joel.
Abandoned and Found | AO3 - Skizz is ten years old with a father who hates him. One day, his father tricks him and leaves him to be found and caught by the human kid. It's a death sentence, but thankfully, Impulse is a lot kinder than Skizz had been anticipating.
Fault Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | AO3 - It's been two days since the incident where Jimmy fell out of Joel's pocket and Joel is completely blaming himself for what happened. When Tango wants to hang out with Jimmy, Joel is just barely containing his anger and jealousy on top of everything else.
Comfort From the Storm | AO3 - Jimmy has learned to love the annual thunder storm the college gets. Tango, on the other hand, is terrified of storms. Jimmy decides to do something about that.
All the Snacks | AO3 - Tango learns that Jimmy hasn't tried a lot of things when it comes to food. So Tango decides to change that.
Lost Doll | AO3 - Jimmy regretted going to the Halloween party with Grian and Joel. As he insists on getting back to their dorm on his own, he gets found and mistaken for a doll.
Somehow I had a feeling it would be Project Hail Mary related lol. 😂 I've watched and read it sm times now it's so good!! Rocky and Grace save stars. 🥹 I am so curious how that universe would be gt-able tho
It's so good!! I am obsessed with it, actually. I have never watched a movie this many times so close together but it just never gets old. I still have to read the book, but I do own it.
But yeah, I have also been trying to figure out how to make it g/t lol. I am determined to find an idea that works though.
Hey Arc! Hope you're doing well and excited to see what you come up with for gtjuly. :) Just curious--what were your new hyper fixations you mentioned in your most recent post. :0
My new hyperfixations are currently Project Hail Mary (very recent, I saw the movie in theaters about two weeks ago and have since seen it a total of three times lol), Dan and Phil (less recent, I've always been a fan but ever since the hard launch I've been fully hyperfixated), and The Amazing Digital Circus (less hyperfixated on it now then I was but I am going to see the movie this week which might bring it back fully again).
Small update because I know I've kind of disappeared the last few months.
I've found myself busy, tired, and with major writers block the last few months, which hasn't been great. It doesn't help either that my hyperfixation on hermitcraft/life series has slowly been fading. But, not to worry, because I'm determined to not abandon my bbbcau.
My current plan is to hope this upcoming gtjuly will get me back into writing once again, just like it did that very first time. If you haven't yet seen, I've posted some prompts for gtjuly2026 here! And once that is done, finish and post the rest of Look At What the Cat Dragged In and continue on with the bbbcau.
So, I promise I haven't abandoned the bbbcau! But most likely it will be updated far less than it used to be. But hopefully with some other g/t fics in between. And perhaps a couple from some different fandoms, maybe? We'll see!
Thank you all for your patience and sticking around! I hope to see you guys for a full month of posting in July!
Not sure if any official prompts will be released this year but regardless if they are or not, here are some prompts for you all to enjoy! Can't wait to see what everyone makes with them!
Your work is always so good and some of the few that I read more to enjoy rather than to ignore school and all that. Thanks for all the time and dedication, be safe and stay happy/joyful no matter what occurs
Hi Arc! It’s been a while since you last posted, so I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing. So how are you? I hope you aren’t pushing yourself too hard with the AU, or anything you are doing
friendly reminder to get some water and good food and to spend some time outside if you can!
!! I hope you have a good and productive day !!
(Also Happy Easter if you celebrate it)
Hi! I appreciate the check in! I'm doing okay, I've just been pretty tired lately. I've been working more hours at work and the fatigue is real lol. So, that's the main reason writing has been slow going. But don't worry, I'm not pushing myself too hard, just waiting for the fatigue to pass.
And thank you! I actually have been spending more time outside and it's wonderful! (I do need to drink more water for sure though lol).
Happy (late) Easter to you as well! I hope you have a good day too!
Hey arc I just wanted to say that I loved your most recent post with look what the cat dragged in but I was also just wondering is pearl in this story meant to be a kid/teen since she is still living with her parents or is she an adult just visiting like Joel
Thank you so much!
Pearl is an adult who is visiting home as well! She goes to another college in the opposite direction of Grian and Joel’s. She is also Grian’s twin! I’m not sure if I’ve actually said that anywhere but the intention was always that she was the same age as Grian.
I am so sorry this has taken so long!! This fic, and this chapter specifically, has given me so much trouble for some reason. That, paired up with some other things going on in my life, is why this took so long.
You can also see that this isn't the end yet. I decided to cut the chapter off early in order to get it out today. But, I have a better idea where the rest is going so hopefully it won't be as long for the next chapter.
Anyway, thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoy!
Jimmy started to back away slowly, keeping his movements light. It was a trick to appear to predators that you weren’t moving and that they wouldn’t realize you were until it was too late. But the cat’s eyes were far too focused on him and stalked forward in time with his own steps. The cat seemed to match his slow speed as well but he made up much more ground in one step then Jimmy ever could.
So, while their steps did match, the distance certainly didn’t.
He looked around, trying to find somewhere he could hide, somewhere where Maui wouldn’t be able to reach him. But he had become so lost in his thoughts while exploring that any kind of furniture that could have hidden him was much too far away. Jimmy feared that, even if he did try going for it, he’d be caught long before he could reach it.
But, if he did nothing, then he was all but caught already. Maui was going to reach him for sure if Jimmy didn’t come up with something quick.
The bed was probably the closest thing Jimmy could reasonably reach but the problem with that was Maui would be able to fit underneath it as well. It could possibly buy him some time though. If he waited for Maui to squeeze underneath, he might just have enough time to get somewhere Maui for sure wouldn’t be able to reach.
Jimmy bit his lip, it wasn’t the best plan, it might not even work, but it was the only option he had and he was very quickly running out of time. He glanced back and forth between Maui and the bed and then in one swift motion he turned around and started running.
Unfortunately, his running must have kicked Maui out of his hunting position and straight into actual hunting because Maui leaped forward in the next instant. Jimmy yelled in fear as Maui landed right in front of him, effectively blocking Jimmy’s way toward the bed. He halted before he could run into him and, with nowhere else to go, Jimmy turned back around and started running again. The only thing on his mind now was to get as far away from Maui as possible.
Maui was quick to follow though, moving forward with a speed Jimmy wasn’t even aware of until something heavy came down on him, hard and fast. Jimmy let out a yell as the weight slammed him to the floor and stopped his escape, and he wheezed as all the air escaped out of his body.
Jimmy laid still as Maui’s face came close, a small sniff escaping his nose. Jimmy shut his eyes tight, hoping that Maui would move on. Maybe now that he had been caught, the cat would lose interest?
Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.
Maui’s face left and the paw that was still holding him down moved him slightly before completely lifting off of him. Jimmy didn’t even have a chance to think about getting up though, as in the next moment, Maui’s paw hit him in the side and set him flying a few feet. He let out a noise as he came to a stop only because he hit the wall and groaned as he laid there. The hit had hurt and slamming into the wall hadn’t been fun either. A small meow had his eyes snapping open though and Maui was stalking closer once again. He needed to move but as he tried, he let out a hiss of pain and curled back up subconsciously.
Before he could work through the pain and make himself move, Maui was right on him and another paw came down. This time though, it wasn’t just the brunt force of Maui’s paw but also his nails slicing across his side. Jimmy screamed at the sharp and sudden pain, tears leaking out of his eyes as he immediately clutched at his side.
He squeezed his eyes shut, keeping pressure on his side. It hurt so much but Jimmy knew he had to get up. Maui was still there, still a threat, and if he didn’t get up, then he’d be in even worse trouble.
He shifted slightly and let out a hiss as his struggle was met with pain. He groaned, face in the carpet as the ache and the sting washed over him.
He ignored it though, he had to ignore it. Gritting his teeth he moved his free hand down to the floor, gripping the strands of the carpet in a fist as he pushed himself up. He ignored how the pain in his side flared up again, ignored how much his body was protesting about being moved, and finally managed to sit up on his knees.
His other hand was still held tight at his side and, for the first time, Jimmy was aware of a wet and sticky feeling covering that hand. Swallowing the forming lump in his throat, Jimmy took his hand away from his side for a moment to look.
His hand was completely red.
Jimmy felt sick and quickly moved his hand back to press against his side. Red, red, red…Jimmy chanced a glance down and almost threw up at how much red was covering his clothes, his body, the carpet…
He felt dizzy watching the amount of blood spilling out of him and moved his eyes away, making himself look up instead and suddenly remembering that Maui was still there. The cat was just sitting there, simply watching him, his tail wagging back and forth slowly behind him. Jimmy got the sudden feeling that Maui was enjoying watching him like this.
Jimmy shook his head, ignoring the dizziness that went along with the action and managed to get to his feet with the help of the wall behind him. But as he stood, it seemed Maui was no longer interested in just watching him anymore. He once again drew himself lower and stalked closer, but Jimmy couldn’t help but note that his form was a bit more relaxed than before. It was like Maui knew Jimmy was hurt and therefore not as much of a challenge.
Not that he had been much of one in the first place.
Jimmy leaned heavily against the wall, his hand still clutching at his right side and ignoring the way he could feel the blood dripping out of him. He wanted to run, needed to run, but he took one step and he was back on his knees, wincing at the ache that went through his body at the motion.
A shadow fell over him but Jimmy couldn’t move. Everything hurt and Jimmy felt close to passing out. From pain or fear, he wasn’t sure but whatever the reason, he was completely at the cat’s mercy now. The thought would have brought tears to his eyes if there hadn’t already been some rolling down his face from the pain. All he could do was curl up and brace himself.
Something snagged the back of his shirt and Jimmy yelped as he was suddenly lifted into the air. The pure fear the action brought him jolted him just enough to try and struggle against the cat. But it only caused him pain to move like that and it did nothing but move him back and forth, making him even dizzier than before. Jimmy stopped and hung there limply, unable to do anything more. He couldn’t even keep a hold of his side anymore, the way his shirt was being held had his arms hung up at a weird angle.
He looked down, seeing several drops of blood falling to the ground below. The sight had Jimmy’s head swimming.
It was then that Maui started to move and Jimmy felt a deep sense of panic as he realized Maui was heading out of Grian’s room completely. And if Maui took him somewhere else, somewhere hidden, then there might be no way for Grian to find him…
At the thought, Jimmy found a bit more strength to fight against the hold, but his struggles were still weak and no amount of twisting and turning was going to make Maui let go. The cat’s hold was far too strong.
Maui, at the very least, stayed upstairs, turning to the right and going down the hall, toward a room with the door already partially open. He slipped inside and Jimmy scanned the room as best as he could. It looked to be another bedroom, similar to Grian’s. He didn’t take in much more than that though before Maui had picked up speed and jumped on top of the bed, causing Jimmy to close his eyes as the quick movement jostled his body.
“Oh, well hello Maui.” A voice spoke and Jimmy’s breath hitched. It was a vaguely familiar voice but only because he had heard it a few times over the course of yesterday. It was Pearl, Grian’s sister, and the only human left in the house.
If he had the energy, he might have been more afraid. But at the moment, a human was a lot better than a cat. He just hoped she would notice and help him.
There was a small pause, a silence that seemed to stretch on for far too long, before Pearl spoke again. “Wait…Maui, what do you have?” Pearl asked, an edge of something in her voice. As if in answer to her question, Maui bent down and finally released Jimmy from his fangs.
Jimmy watched as Pearl’s eyes went wide as she realized what exactly she was looking at.
“What…?” She trailed off, the words caught by her own shock. Her eyes then focused more on the wound he was still clutching at his side. “Oh my god, you’re hurt.” Pearl’s hands started to come toward him and he flinched. It had been a while since a hand coming toward him had made him nervous, it was almost strange.
Thankfully, it seemed Pearl had noticed his flinch and her hands halted before even getting too close. She quickly brought them back toward herself and Jimmy let out a small breath at the action. In fact, he would have fully relaxed at the gesture, a sign that Pearl really did mean him no harm, but he was quickly reminded that Maui was still there when movement caught his attention. Jimmy yelled in fear and launched himself back as a paw, claws at the ready, had swiped where he had just been.
“Maui, no!” Pearl yelled and then quickly reached over Jimmy and grabbed Maui before the cat could try anything else. She ignored the cat’s squirms as he struggled in her grip and kept her hold strong as she got out of bed. She met Jimmy’s eyes and Jimmy only found worry in them. “Just…just hang tight, mate. I’ll be right back.” She said, before rushing out of the room with Maui in tow.
With Maui gone and Jimmy finally feeling safe, he felt his body slump over. The adrenaline that had coursed through his veins throughout this whole thing was gone and now Jimmy just felt…exhausted. Hurt. Still rather dizzy too.
He looked down at his side again, moving his hand a little to properly see the wound. It hadn’t stopped bleeding and he was surely staining Pearl’s sheets with his blood. The amount of blood coming out made him even dizzier. He tried taking deep breaths but no amount of breathing deeply or clutching his side tight was making anything better.
He opened his eyes (when had he closed them?) when he heard Pearl rush in. Maui was nowhere to be seen, thank goodness, and instead Pearl was clutching a small white box in her hands. “Okay, Maui is locked up in the bathroom, so you don’t have to worry about him anymore.” Pearl said, stepping closer. “And I brought a first aid kit so-hey, hey don’t fall asleep on me now!” Pearl said, suddenly in a panic as she had gotten a better look at Jimmy.
She came forward and kneeled in front of the bed, looking worried. “Come on, please stay awake.” Pearl said. She had put the first aid kit down and her hands were now hovering, not too close though, like she was afraid of touching Jimmy.
Jimmy would have loved to listen but found that he couldn’t. His eyes were already closing again against his will.
The last thing he was aware of was Pearl’s voice, desperately trying to get him to open his eyes again, before he finally passed out.
Any idea of when the next chapter will be out? I have been checking your page MULTIPLE times per day in hopes that something will be there, even if it’s a little crumb of a fic *eats the rest of your fics cause they are so good and nummy*
I'm sorry it's been so long! A combination of writer's block and lack of motivation have kept me from writing too much, but I have been slowly getting it done! I also didn't love what I had written of the chapter and have been rewriting it as well, which is also why it's taking longer.
I want to get it done by the end of february at least. So hopefully it will be posted sometime in the next week!
Also, here is a small snippet of the next chapter to get you guys excited for it!
He looked down, catching seeing several drops of blood falling to the ground below. The sight had Jimmy’s head swimming.
It was then that Maui started to move and Jimmy felt a deep sense of panic as he realized Maui was heading out of Grian’s room completely. And if Maui took him somewhere else, somewhere hidden, then there might be no way for Grian to find him…
just wanted to say I love love love your giant grian + hunter scar fics so far!! they're scratching my brain so wonderfully. Can't wait for more! (not literally, take ur time🙂↕️🙂↕️)
Aww, thank you! I really do have to get back to that series, it's a fun one to write for sure!
I like the idea of the Borrowed Heights universe. Will we ever get more of it?
Oh, I'm glad you liked it! I think it's very possible I will eventually write more for it. I kind of fell in love with this particular Tango and am excited to write more of him. I'm not sure when it'll happen cause I'm pretty focused on the BBBCAU right now, but it will happen!
“What a strange glitch.” Grian commented as he looked into the very far distance and saw the expanse of their season ten world. It was surreal to see their old world like this, a phantom of what once was.
“It’s kind of cool though.” Scar said, looking into the distance along with Grian. “I like being able to see my old base again. See, look! There’s my train! And the zoo gate!” Scar pointed out excitedly.
“I can even see Big Ron’s from here.” Mumbo said, a hint of nostalgia in his tone. “And, of course, Joel’s city in the distance.” Mumbo said with a slight laugh.
“I guess it is nice to see my old fishing spot again.” Grian admitted, able to see a little bit of it from where they were all standing. “Still strange though.”
“Well, we shouldn’t have it for long. Xisuma is working on getting whatever glitched out and made this happen fixed up. So I’m sure by tomorrow it’ll be gone.” Mumbo said and then equipped his elytra. “Anyways, I should get back to my base. I still have a lot of planning to do for this next bit.”
“Oh, same here!” Scar said. “I still have a few more details to work out.”
Grian nodded but kept his own wings tucked behind his back. “I’ll see you fellas later then.”
Mumbo nodded and took off. Scar equipped his own elytra before turning back to Grian. “Are you going to stay here?” Scar asked, tilting his head slightly. Grian simply shrugged, looking back into the distance and toward the phantom season 10 world.
“For a bit longer. Like you guys said, it is kind of nice seeing into the past.” Though season 10 wasn’t that long ago, it still stirred up some feelings in Grian when looking at the old world. It made him want to stay just a little bit longer. Scar nodded at Grian’s answer and then waved as he took off and headed back toward his base.
Grian sat down on the hill he was on and simply…looked. He was pretty familiar with a lot of the server, what with having done the world tour and all. It was nice to look back on, though as he looked his brain kept supplying him with ideas for his current base. Grian hummed and took out his ideas notepad, jotting a few down that had come to mind.
He glanced up again, scanning the phantom world for a moment before going back to his notepad. But the second before his eyes had fully looked down, a small bit of movement had caught his attention and he looked up again to try and hone in on it, before freezing in his spot as he realized the implications of that.
No, surely he was just seeing things. Grian’s eyes moved over where he thought he saw something move. Funnily enough, it had been near his old base. He looked but nothing moved again and Grian slowly relaxed again. Of course, it had just been Grian’s imagination. If there had actually been movement then the implications of that would have been…
There it was again.
Okay, Grian’s eyes had been firmly set on the distant world and there had definitely been movement coming from his old base. But…but that wasn’t possible. It was a phantom world. A visual glitch! It wasn’t physically there. Trying to fly to it just pushed the world back further, like it was always out of reach.
Grian followed the movement he had seen, trying to make it out. But it was hard to tell with it being so far away. Grian glanced around him, making sure there was no one around before he allowed his eyes to glow purple and, essentially, zoom in on the movement.
It was still hard to make out, until the movement stopped, right on the water of Grian’s old fishing spot. Grian’s breath caught in his throat as he met a pair of eyes that were oh so familiar…
It was another Grian, staring right back at him with the same glow of purple in his eyes.
Well, this was a bit more than a visual glitch, it seemed.
I watched Grian's newest video and the phantom season 10 world gave me ideas. I quickly had to convey them with this little fic. Basically, my thought was, okay, but what if it was actually season 10, with the past hermits and all.
This was very fun to write. I most likely won't write any more but the idea is definitely a fun one to play around with.
