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Grian could cry.
He also really, really wanted to stab Scar.
In an effort to distract himself from the thoughts buzzing in his head, because really Scar was infuriating, he busied himself making a nest out of blankets and wool. He knew the walls should be a priority, but the sky was clear and the world was new. With no war on the horizon and few threats the nest felt more urgent.
He spent the early hours of the day positioning wool, accidentally tearing it, and having to gather more wool because once he tore the block the structure of the wool was ruined.
Grian knew it was his dumb bird brain messing with him. Making him so picky. But this nest was for him and Scar. Scar, who was chasing fairies and completely ignoring Grian and- oh. He ruined another wool block. Grian screamed, the sound muffled by him shoving his face into the latest ruined wool block.
This loop’s gimmick was messing with many of the less human players' instincts. The others, too, by the looks of things. Martyn and Pearl, both with no idea who they were paired with, had gone a little crazy with adventuring, hunting down shiny trinkets. Or at least, that's what Grian guessed they were doing in the Nether of all places. Cleo and Scott had chosen to disregard them entirely because of the miscommunication, despite Grian's best attempt to explain Pearl's actions when he'd run into Scott yesterday. Ren had made a hole somewhere apparently, for a den. Or found a hole. Honestly, Grian had only heard through word of mouth, so who knew the details?
Grian was, in fact, laughing as he worked on his nest now, and crying. Because he was making something safe and comfortable and it was empty and his chest felt empty to match.
Of course Scar would be Grian's Soulmate. Who else could Grian ever tie his life to. Who else could it have been? Scar seemed to disagree with that, ignoring every person who asked him about soulmates, brushing them off with some joke about the cat he'd found, the one that was oddly familiar, or his little pet fairy being his ‘real’ soulmate.
Scar - stupid Scar - had returned the particularly shiny rock Grian handed him. There was nothing particularly valuable to the rock other than its beauty but Scar had clearly remembered the implications of the gift. Of course he did, Grian had been picking out trinkets for Scar since the start of the first loop, and continued through the second. And while the brief respite before hadn’t counted as a loop (It was just them and Joel, no wars), Joel had found them curled up together in the nest Grian had constructed in Scar's base on several occasions.
Here, in this new loop, Scar had looked Grian in the eyes and told him to save his gift for his soulmate, upset laced in his tone. And then left before Grian could tell him.
So, Grian was absolutely certain that Scar genuinely had no idea. Which made Grian question everything.
He gathered up several of the nicest rocks in the collection and scanned the area once more, ensuring it was well lit. Satisfied, he collected the tools he’d left on the ground while he was working on the wall and headed off to find Scar. Something about cats in the jungle. Scar had always loved cats.
Cats in the jungle.
Jungle cats.
Oh no-
Grian moved quickly when he wanted. Flight was a gift in many ways, but his wings were a target, so he avoided using them too extensively, instead using them to glide over larger valleys and ravines. This world had a far more treacherous landscape than the one prior.
Grian reached the jungle around lunchtime. It was then that he realised he didn’t bring anywhere near enough food with him, too many rocks to carry. God Grian was a mess.
And… Those weren’t cats. They were bears. Pandas. Scar was gushing over pandas.
Part of Grian wanted to die. Part of him genuinely considered it in that moment - that’d certainly get the point across.
“Scar.”
“Grian! Hello! What brings you to my jungle?”
“Scar those are pandas.”
“They’re adorable Jellie cats. Pandas are terrible Grian, you know this. They’re so stupid.”
Was it too late for Grian to kill them both? “Have you found your soulmate yet, Scar?”
“Don’t ask me about that, I don’t want to know.”
Grian huffed. And then grabbed Scar and dragged him to where some dripstone had been set up already.
Scar’s hand was warm and alive in Grian’s, and while he clearly wanted to continue pretending the pandas were cats, Scar still let Grian drag him right under the dripstone.
A few mishaps later, Scar finally held eye contact with Grian as a stalactite fell on him, causing pain to rush through Scar’s shoulder - and Grian’s, of course.
“Oh my god.”
And this time, despite his complaints about not wanting to leave the pandas he insisted were cats - Grian would be slightly more concerned if this wasn’t so completely Scar-typical behaviour - Scar let himself be led all the way to a barely built wall made from birch wood and topped with dripstone stalagmites, and past it into the nest Grian had meticulously put together.
Grian had, he realised then, carried all his gifts for Scar to the jungle for nothing.
After a few errands, Grian finally got Scar to sit. In the nest. Just sit. Still. An actual cat had been brought along and was curled up on Scar’s lap. Grian continued to work on his walls. Their walls, now. Scar was finally in Grian’s nest, where he belonged. Where he always belonged.
Grian hopped down, using his wings to make the landing more gentle. Feeling a little more confident that the gift wouldn’t be rejected this time, he placed the first rock he’d given Scar in this new world in front of him. Scar just stared at it as if he was trying to puzzle it out.
“Scar?” Grian had intended to return to his wall project. But Scar hadn't made any indication of accepting or once again refusing the rock.
“Would you still be giving me these if we weren’t…" Scar finally pulled his gaze away from the rock, he looked down, and gently scritched behind the cat's ears. "You know, tied together like this?”
Grian set himself down across from Scar in the nest. This was going to be a longer conversation, he could feel it. “I would. Of course I would, Scar. Even without this. No matter what.”
“Would you still want me here?”
Now that was a difficult question. Part of Grian wanted to say yes, because what kind of question was that, Scar belonged in the nest. But that wasn't the whole truth. And the longer Grian went without answering, the more tired Scar looked.“I’d want you in our nest.” Grian sighed. “I don’t want to lose you again. I don’t know if I would still base with you. It’s difficult.”
“But you’d base with your soulmate.” Scar sounded petulant. Honestly, Grian couldn't blame him.
“But I wouldn’t nest with them. Or give them these. Not if it wasn’t you.”
The cat had clambered out of Scar’s lap and was now sniffing at the rock which Grian had nudged closer to his other half, and Scar looked torn between reaching out to pull her back to him and resignation.
“So if it wasn’t me, I’d have to watch you galavanting around - that was the word right?”
“Galavanting was the word.”
“Galavanting around with your soulmate, watch you realise they’re so much better than me.”
“Better how?”
The cat bapped the rock with her paw.
“Better at surviving, I guess? Protecting you. Making you happy?” Scar glanced at Grian, just for a moment. “Not driving you insane all week because I was so certain it wasn’t you that I didn’t want to acknowledge it.”
That … explained a lot.
“Oh, Scar.” Grian picked up the cat and the rock each in one hand and easily avoided hitting either of them with vibrant green wings as he placed himself on Scar’s lap. “I don’t want anyone else. I mean, can you imagine me trying to teach someone new how to preen my wings?”
Scar stayed silent.
The cat settled easily and curled up, seemingly once again content.
“Or, them making sure I actually sleep for once.”
“No.”
"No matter who I got tied with, I'd always come back to you."
“No one else got the people they loved.” Scar said. “Why are we any different?”
Scar and Grian both moved to pet the cat, hands touching coincidentally.
“That’s not entirely true.” Grian linked a couple of fingers with Scar’s to stop him pulling away. Probably pointless given that Grian had made himself comfortable in Scar's lap alongside the cat, but it reassured Grian. “Scott and Cleo? One of them got Pearl.”
“Okay, one other person got someone they cared about. That’s a coincidence. And it’s not the same. Scott didn’t get TJ.”
“TJ?”
“I’ve given up on figuring out his name. Jimmy? Timmy? I just don’t know.”
Grian laughed a little, "Last time, Scott won working with Pearl, that's how it's the same.”
Grian pressed the hand still holding the gift for Scar into Scar's free hand, and this time, Scar's hand curled around it, fingers lacing with Grian's own.
"I love you, Scar."
"I love you too, Gri."
A tender moment passed where both stayed silent.
"So how many of these do you have, I want to see all your gifts."