Chapter Text
The morning light flickered through the windows, the day outside was beautiful. Birds chirped and small mammals ran around without a care in the world. Grian should feel joyous, should feel the kind of excitement that get people mentally prepared for a depressing shift at their nine to five. Yet, there was only one thing he found himself feeling, only one emotion swirling inside of him like an endless whirlpool.
Stress.
Nobody’s been responding to him. Literally nobody. He refuses to think of what may be going on with Gem and Etho, at first it could have been because due to little connection or perhaps the duo found themselves extra busy. Of course, his excuse quickly shifted into unrelenting dread when Pearl reached out asking when anybody had last spoken to Gem. A laugh tore itself from his lungs as he glanced at the little notification once more.
He opted to not respond. How hypocritical of him.
Pearl was likely freaking out of her mind, potentially more so than anybody could properly comprehend. Definitely more than Grian was, and that was enough as is. A good friend would respond, tell the truth, get a search party or…maybe plan a funeral.
That idea specifically had been roaming his mind for well over an hour now. Honestly, he can’t quite decipher why. Just…something was telling him that against all optimistic odds. His friends were likely nothing more than a pile of rotting flesh and broken bones.
A long sigh was pulled from his lips as he leaned against his doorframe, the brunette tapped on his contacts and looked at everyone he knew. Gem. Etho. Both people he was having dark realizations about in regards to their….predicament.
His finger hovered over an extremely familiar name. Mumbo. His heart swelled with a kind of greif that held no name. Grian refused to think about why.
Jimmy. As if on autopilot, he moved to call his brother. His only family. Grian needed somebody to talk to, somebody to hear his thoughts and tell him he was being a dumbass. Being crazy…being…something.
Grian left another message. His voice more hollow now, afterall, it was his fifth one this morning.
Then, his finger found another name. Another person that has always been there, somebody that shouldn’t….no…would never ignore him. Grian didn’t even get to hear the first ring before a voice hummed into his ears.
“Hello, my pretty bird.” Scar was clearly in the right mood for the day, Grian huffed. The man was always cheerful, always so endearing…he has always been a constant in the man’s life.
“Scar, come over.” It wasn’t a question, he had too many of those running through his head at the moment. Grian needed another living human being with him and ‘no’ wasn’t the answer he was going to leave room for.
“Oh? Well, Gri-” The man was still sounding joyous, perhaps not comprehending the dire situation that Grian had yet to even tell him about.
“Scar, I need you.” The brunette heard the man’s front door slam shut just before the call abruptly ended.
Grian stumbled out to the kitchen and just stood there. He didn’t want to think right now, he didn’t want to look at his phone anymore, he just…wanted them to respond.
—
Scar showed up fast. He always did. The man would seemingly rather die than be even a second late to his house. Grian’s home might as well be Scar’s, the pair always ran back and forth from their houses.
They might as well be roommates at this point.
Grian was resting against the couch, refusing to sit down. Sitting down meant processing his thoughts, and doing that meant needing to come to some sort of acceptance towards his predicament.
He wasn’t ready to do that.
“What’s wrong, my pretty bird?” Scar’s voice echoed through his head. The shorter male didn’t even know when the man came through the door, nor when the other appeared in front of him. Grian opened his mouth to say something…anything; nothing came out.
Scar reached out towards him and took Grian’s hand in his own, finally a long sigh was ripped from the younger’s lips.
“I…I think they’re dead, Scar.” His voice was nothing more than a shaky whisper. It sounded pathetic. It sounded like grief. But for what? Because of a feeling, a feeling he couldn’t nag or shake himself free from.
“Who?” Scar didn’t appear as affected as Grian, which was to be expected. After all, the brunette was acting hysterically.
“Etho and Gem.” Maybe others…He didn’t want to think about that for too long.
“Now…why would you think that? Grian pulled away from the other man and ran his hands over his face. A long sigh was torn from his throat, the sound didn’t feel like his own. Scar was staying close behind him, the taller male attempting to reach towards him but never following through.
“I got a text, from Pearl. She…” His mind continued to play the short conversation over and over an- “...she- um doesn’t know where they are.” Grian didn’t turn around, didn’t want to see his friend’s expression to such horrible news. His shoulders were starting to tremble…had they been doing that this whole time?
Since when did it feel like such a chore to even breathe?
A soft chuckle forced its way through his thoughts, beckoning the brunette to come back to the real world and not the mess in his head. “Oh my pretty little bird…” Scar’s hand gently grabbed his shoulder, making Grian turn towards him. “This is what has gotten you so worked up?” The shorter male just stared in confusion at the other. What stage of grief was this?
“I- I don’t…what?” Scar just laughed some more, the sound soon becoming all Grian could hear. His thoughts momentarily silenced in favor of concern towards his friend’s behavior.
“Grian, my precious bird. Have you considered them possibly stopping a few more times before heading back? Maybe even running into traffic?” The shorter man paused, he had thought that in the past. It seemed like a good enough excuse back then, however, this time felt different.
“Scar, they haven’t responded to me…it’s been too long.” A hand came up to caress his face, the action felt so…loving. So, intimate in a way he didn’t have the mental energy to describe.
It seemed as thought Scar wasn’t taking this ordeal seriously. As if the very idea was beneath him to consider.
None of this felt right.
“I want my head to just be quiet. This is all getting to be too much.” Grian rested his head against the other man’s hand. Hoping that just for a brief second, the pain would somehow disappear.
Scar fell silent for a moment. Grian could feel how the other was watching him, the man’s gaze felt like ice piercing through him.
“I can help.” Grian pulled away from the man. More uncertainty started to roam through his body, seeping into his bones and melting with his flesh. As much as he’d like for the ache in his head to cease. Grian heavily doubts his friend would be able to cure such a thing in a short period of time.
It appears the other noticed his wariness and offered a comforting smile.
“...” His mouth opened and closed various times before something akin to a thought finally passed through his brain, “...How?” The sound was so quiet Grian had to double check that the word was even spoken.
Scar began to rummage through his pockets, searching desperately for something hidden inside. It took a couple moments for the man to pull anything out besides some lint, Grian stood idly beside his friend throughout the endeavor. Finally, the man yanked out a small bag of…Chocolates?
“I know what you’re thinking! How can sweets help?” That’s exactly what he was thinking actually. “C’mon birdie! Sweets always cheer people up!” The man’s tone was chipper and Grian hated to admit that it was certainly a charming offer.
A little chocolate never hurt nobody.
After letting out a soft giggle and rolling his eyes at his friend’s antics, Grian nabbed a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth.The flavor was intoxicating, rich, creamy and just so damn good. The smaller man let out various noises of contentment.
“See! All you have to do is trust me!” A part of him was irritated that Scar was right about the confection improving his mood. Why was he cursed with the other knowing him better than he knows himself?
Grian rolled his eyes once more and went to go turn towards his room, a sudden urge to change into more adequate clothing overcame him.
However, he never even made it more than a few steps. One moment, he was standing up right. The next? He was a heap on the floor, his head was light headed and his limbs felt non-existent. Grian went to open his mouth, to ask, to scream, to say something…anything.
Nothing, not even a squeak echoed out of his throat.
A shadow loomed over his body, Grian’s mind was slowly fading. He couldn’t register much, the floor seemed hollow and the walls were as far away as the sky above. The brunette’s eyes started to droop, a voice was whispering to him. God only knows what they had been saying, yet, he managed to pick out a piece.
“...I can take care of you, Gri…you never needed…” Grian never got to hear the rest.
—
His legs were tangled in the sheets surrounding his body. Fresh moonlight glistened through the curtains. Grian’s head was foggy, and his limbs felt like they just came out of a coma.
“..The fuck?” The man’s throat was dry and itchy. He attempted to scratch his neck but his fingers were still as slow as a sloth. Hell, a slug might’ve been faster than whatever the hell he was going through at the moment.
Grian opted to simply rest in the bed. Speaking of which, where in god’s name was he? Everything felt so similar, yet, his head was so fuzzy that nothing managed to even feel real. Perhaps it was best to fall back asleep and hope his body remembered how to properly function.
…
…
How long has he been here? Hours, days, maybe even weeks at this point. Grian didn’t know. Moonlight still flickered through so he assumed that he was merely exaggerating his current predicament. Still, he was the hostage and had the right to complain. The man grew bored and decided that wiggling his fingers to see his body’s progress was the best option.
Surprisingly, Grian found that he could move again. Or, well, he was mostly able to move. Everything still felt like steel beams attached to where his arms should be, but, that was better than before.
Slowly, he hauled his legs over the mattress and let his body practically fall onto the floor below. His head crashed hard and somehow worsened the dizziness he was already feeling. Grian pushed himself off the floor, his eyes began to scan the room. It didn’t take him long to start filling in the pieces of what happened.
He knew this room.
He knew everything inside of it and then some more.
“Scar?” Grian’s voice was still quieter than a mouse’s, it would’ve made more of an impact if he said the man’s name in his head. Standing up from the ground, Grian took a moment to understand what occurred.
Scar, one of his closest friends, drugged him and dragged him back to his house. More specifically, tucked Grian into his bed and then what. Just left? The brunette opted to not think for any longer, his brain wasn’t exactly functioning.
“I…need to get out…” His mouth was slow, but at least his limbs were now mostly functional. Grian took a couple test steps to ensure he was able to safely walk, when that was a success, the smaller male headed towards the door.
Getting out of the room was easier than he thought, the only continuous concern was Scar’s notable absence. Luckily, that wasn’t his primary issue at the moment. By the time he was towards the end of the hall, his mobility had returned to normal and his mind was mostly intact.
His hand brushed against a door in the hall. Grian’s hand stopped. Something wasn’t right, scratch that, something was deeply wrong with this damn door. Everything inside of him was screaming at him to turn tail and run.
Of course, Grian didn’t listen and fiddled with the knob until the wood creaked open.
The room was dark, however, it only took a couple seconds for his eyes to adjust to the swift change in lighting. Once he was properly adjusted, Grian walked forward to investigate.
He’d later come to regret this choice.
A hollow laugh was torn from his throat, his feet now felt like feathers and his head was nothing more than cotton. “There you guys are…I-” His voice shrivled away into nothingness. In front of him was his best friend….and his brother.
They were bruised, they were battered and they were still. So incredibly still. Grian refused to completely comprehend why. “Aren’t you guys going to say something?” They did not.
He dropped to his knees, the pain only existing as an afterthought. “Do you know how concerned I was?” They wouldn’t. Softly, he gripped Jimmy’s hand in a feeble attempt to get the man to stand up.
“Jim, you must be cold.” They both are. “Don’t you want to come home? S-spend some more…” They had. Tears fell from his eyes in heavy drops, his legs were quick to get soaked and sobs were the only thing he found himself voicing.
“...this isn’t real…I must…” It is. Jim’s hand did not hold him back. Mumbo’s eyes did not offer comfort. Neither man said anything, they were no longer able to. Three bodies resided in that room, only one remained functioning.
Hands grasped him from the back.
Grian felt Jim’s hand get pulled from his own, he attempted to hold on as hard as he could. The brunette stopped when he felt tearing. The person behind him was determined to drag him away, Grian clawed at the other’s hands. Tried to break free, tried to bite or kick…tried to make a difference. He made none.
The hands yanked him back to the room screaming before slamming him back on the bed with enough force to knock the wind out of him. Then, a body crawled on top of him. A body he recognized painfully well.
“You weren’t supposed to see that, love.” Scar’s voice was sickingly sweet, it reminded Grian of the chocolates from earlier. A hand came to caress his face, it mimicked love.
It felt like death.
The smaller man wiggled and struggled against the man on top of him, yet, the taller only watched on in amusement. “You’re so cute. So fucking adorable.” The words were soaked in enough honey to drown a bee.
“Why…Tell me…” It was all his mind was able to conjure in the mist of this struggle. Scar laughed and leaned down to begin kissing Grian’s tears away. He wanted to pull away, but there was no safety for him to run towards. “You killed them…You kil- how?” Finally, the other man pulled away.
“Gem and Etho really should’ve paid more attention to their wheel, the tampering was oh so easy.” Grian felt his heart begin to crumble. The unanswered calls and texts now made more sense than he’d ever desire. A sob escaped his lips, Scar was quick to kiss that away as well.
The man continued on, “Mumbo and Jim were nothing more than a nuisance. They just couldn’t stop…taking you away.” Scar hummed in delight, the man reminiscing on his recents slaughters. Grian held in his cries of pain, he knew the man would put his lips on his once more if even a chirp escaped.
He wanted to go home. He didn’t want to have to pretend he was elsewhere.
“Oh, birdie. Don’t be sad over some garbage getting thrown out.” Fingers carded through his hair in such a gentle manner that Grian had to fight the urge to not puke. It only took a couple of seconds before Scar’s lips nipped at his neck and a hand softly grasped his face.
Grian said nothing, only fought the grief that was overwhelming his entire being.
“I’ll always love you. You know that, right?” The hand tightened. The lips gave way to teeth. The body pressed down tighter. He only stared at the ceiling.
…
…
“I love you too.”