Work Text:
Grian heard Scars voice first, then a flash of blue through the trees. Following it, he found Scar, in all his glory from however many months ago while they’ve been asleep. They both knew the rules. New wakeup, new map, new bonds, but he couldn’t help the want to pair up with Scar again, it had a few benefits he found… addicting.
Nonetheless, rules are rules. So he walked up and was about to talk, when he noticed something rather important and made a noise of surprise, to which Scar turned around.
“Sorry, i thought you had diamond armor.”
“I do” Scar responded, sounding completely serious.
“Scar we cant talk here” Grian said, placing a light and moving out from the forest edge. Scar seemed to process information just as slow as Grian remembered.
“I think I’d be fine with my diamond armor” he declared boldly, as if Grian couldn’t see the stiff fabric crinkling in ways that metal never could.
“Yeah, sure. I have the suspicion that you don’t have diamond armor” he laughed, punctuating the word ‘don’t’ with a punch to Scars shoulder, going completely through the fabric and not hurting the way diamond does.
“Hey, no touchy, i will bite” Scar said, pouting slightly. Grian had never been a strong man. He cleared his throat and took on a more serious tone.
“So. Everything that happened last time is null and void, doesn’t count” he put on a blank tone to keep the disappointment from his voice.
“You mean i can’t put you on a llama and take you to the sand desert?” Scar asked, and his voice was a little lower, almost unnoticeable, but Grian could feel his face heat up and wished they had stayed in the dark of the woods.
“Nope” he managed, looking away to hopefully hide the pink blooming on his face. “No, everything that happened was-was in the past, now. But i have to ask, are you the boogeyman?”
“Oh, no. No no no”
“Good, ‘cause if you were, i don’t think you’d win this fight. With your budget armor”
“This is— this is pro armor” Scar tried audaciously. Grian wasnt convinced “Do you see the six pack?” Scar asked, and Grian started laughing.
“You have a six pack on your armor?” he giggled. Scar smiled and asked for a torch, which Grian allowed him, and they slipped into a normal conversation. Like this wasn’t the end of their old world.
And then Grian mentioned the lives. When they woke up for a second time, they suddenly were aware that the life system had changed. This was a fresh server, and they all knew it. And Scar must’ve known Grian only had 2, the little yellow hearts beating every once in a while above his chest. Scars own chest had a dark green plus, implying 4 or more lives. They weren’t told this, they just knew.
Grian asked for a life trade, saying that hed give it back immediately after. Scar thought hed be okay even if Grian didn’t.
“Please?” he asked, before laughing a bit, and getting Scars attention. The man turned around to see a zombie behind him, and it’s like they slipped back to their old habits.
“Can you take care of that? Please? Thank you” Scar said as he hid behind Grian, and the latter killed the monster, just like they always did.
Scar typed in the command as he’d said, grabbing his wrist, and Grian smiled as another heart appeared on his chest, turning the 3 of them a light green.
“So how do i check how many lives i have?” Scar asked, “because i started with 6”
“You started with 6?” Grian exclaimed. he knew it was possible, but to meet someone with 6 right off the bat… that had to be unlikely, especially with his start of 2. “I’m not giving this back” Grian said and he ran off before Scar could process what he said.
“Wait you get back here mister!” Scar called as he followed, but it was more a joke than serious. He’d let Grian have another life any day, especially with his start of 2.
Scar chased him for a bit, waving his sword, and Grian laughing as he dodged every swing, until they found someone else to settle their dispute.
“Is that Lizzie?” Grian asked, hopping over a gap and leaving Scar on the other side, still worried about ravines or large caves that he might fall into after last time.
“Lizzie, please, Grian stole my life, you have to kill him”
“How did…?” she started to ask before letting her voice fade out out.
“I told Scar to do the command and I’d send it right back,” Grian said before laughing, “and he did it” he finished through the chuckles.
“I mean,” Lizzie trails off a bit before starting again. “I was gonna scam people with that too” Scar started quietly chanting “Kill him” in the background when Grian spoke up.
“I can assure you, it works, so long as you find the right person. Huh Scar?” and Grian looked at him and he almost couldn’t be mad. Almost. He did his best to glare back, but he could feel the corners of his lips wanting to curl up.
Scar slid down into the cave by Lizzie to start mining, when Grian walked up and gave him some items.
“Listen, I’m keeping this life, but in return I’ll give you a golden apple and some armor, hows that?”
“But I want my life back”
“I’ll keep it safe for you. And if we ever end up in a situation where you have less lives than me, I’ll give it back”
“You’ll keep it safe? And if I ever hit red , then you’ll give it back?”
“We’ll see”
“That’s an investment” Lizzie added from across the cave. Scar had stopped mining rather quickly and was more just, sitting on the rocky floor, looking up at Grian as they spoke.
“Your life will be safe with me, as long as I don’t lose it” Grian assured.
“I trust you more than myself” Scar admitted quietly and Grian took this as a victory.
Conversation flowed back to normal topics, and eventually a joke about Scar having the plague, to which Lizzie ran a bit away.
“I’m glad she knows she doesnt have to actually run” Grian said, smiling in that mocking way. And Scar insisted that she ran in fear. When she confirmed that, Scar ran to Grian who told him that she should get to know him first.
And Scar smiled, at the fact that Grian knew him so well. He liked being scary, but more than that he liked having a person like Grian. And Grian liked having this as well. He really missed Scar while they were asleep, even if the more bloody benefits to their friendship weren’t there yet. Grian knew he’d kill someone soon. he could feel it in the itch behind his fingers, and the weight of the diamond sword at his hip.
It was only a matter of time, but until then, he’d have his fun with Scar, just like they used to.