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After some time, it was difficult for Grian to keep track of how long he had been awake for.
Back when the Mooners had just been formed and he'd agreed to relinquish his sleep in exchange for studying the Moon every night, he would keep careful notes detailing the rate at which it seemed to grow and its size relative to his observatory. But when days started blurring together due to his prolonged sleep deprivation, his notes grew progressively more lacking in coherence, entire pages often filled with little more than variations of the words "Moon Big".
His work during the day began to suffer, too, if the number of times he had to move his products around in the G-train due to stocking them the wrong wagon or all the misplaced blocks in the Midnight Alley were any indication. And to top it all off, close calls with mobs had become far more frequent as well; he'd lost count of how many creeper explosions had gotten him because he simply did not notice the green hissing creatures getting close, far too zoned out to pay any attention to his surroundings.
The worst part was that Grian wasn't even sure that he was not sleeping at all. At times, he would catch himself nodding off, startling awake just as his head began to tip and the shulker full of building materials threatened to spill onto the floor. It was particularly dangerous when these sudden slips of consciousness happened while flying, and there were only so many times he could jokingly brush it off as a bird thing after slamming face first into a window before it became a little weird. He honestly didn't even think these impromptu naps helped at all, probably less of an attempt from his body at compensating for the lack of sleep, and more of a warning sign that it was starting to give up on him.
Despite it all, he didn't feel like he could stop. Maybe all the talk about the Moon being angry had gotten into his head, or he was starting to get a little delirious, but he felt like he had to keep studying it, keep looking up and taking notes, as unhelpful as they were. He began feeling deep in his gut that if he stopped even for one night, the Moon would crash down on him while he slept, and the only thing still keeping it up was his observations and his nonsensical, repetitive notes. It was silly, of course it was silly, but he did not have the clarity of mind to tell himself that.
That was why Grian found himself once again gazing at the moon through his telescope, eyes wide and notebook firmly grasped in his hand, alone in his observatory in the middle of a cold night. He felt a shiver run through his body - he had been feeling colder lately, and sitting on the floor was definitely not helping - so he wrapped his wings more closely against his body for warmth. He needed to make a note of how much the Moon had grown, and how often the ground would float up into the sky before crashing back down, but he wasn't too sure if that second thing was really happening or if it was another product of his sleep deprived mind.
Steps and the tapping of a cane echoing through the observatory startled him awake, and only then did he realize he had nodded off once again, his notebook having fallen to the ground at some point. Picking it up with a murmur, he turned around to see Scar waving at him, looking equally as exhausted and carrying something with him.
"Hey, G! Long night?" Scar gave him a tired smile. The man wasn't wearing his top hat or long maroon coat, green vest still proper but his shirt having the top few buttons undone. He leaned heavily on his cane for support, betraying that despite keeping his tone as cheerful as he could, it was likely one of those days when even standing up was tough.
"I- think so," Grian tried to rub the sleep away from his eyes, willing the multiple overlapping Scars that floated in his vision to fuse back into the one that was actually there. "Gotta be honest, I don't really know what time it is. Don't think I remember much of my day either, I think I restocked the G-Train...? I was keeping an eye on how the Moon is looking, just now."
"Ah, of course. And how's it looking?"
"Moon big," Grian simply mumbled. Scar nodded solemnly, as if that weren't something he could conclude himself simply by looking up. "What are you doing here, though? I mean, I do appreciate the visit, but I thought you'd be working on some project or... something."
"Well- I was, or at least I was trying to," Scar approached Grian and the telescope, letting out a sigh. "But I wasn't getting a lot done, my legs kept giving out on me. It's gotta be the Moon or something, I feel like it's gotten worse over the past few weeks!" Scar kept a humorous tone, but he was visibly more drained than usual.
"Oh. That sucks," Grian stated simply, too tired to think of a better response. He placed his notebook down, giving up on his noble job of keeping watch over the sky for now, and stretched until he felt his back crack - how long had he been sitting there? His body felt stiff, as if he had been hit by a train. "And what have you got there?"
"I am glad you asked!" Scar glanced at the bundle he carried under his free arm, letting go of it so it dropped next to Grian. "Pillows and blankets, of the finest quality!"
"Blankets?" Grian blinked a few times, looking at the pile of fabric and pillows by his side. "Why would you bring these to the observatory?"
"Thought you might appreciate having something softer to sit on, or at least the warmth. It's colder out today, and you've been spending nearly every night out here, that's got to be uncomfortable!"
Grian didn't even think of arguing otherwise. Another shiver ran through his body as his feathers were not enough to keep the cold air out, and the ache of sitting on the hard floor caught up with him all too suddenly. The blankets and pillows were almost too inviting, and he had to resist the temptation to just flop over them that very second.
"Honestly, I think if I lay my head down on those I might be out cold for a few days," he joked, though he found the possibility alarmingly plausible. Scar chuckled and began to slowly sit next to him, groaning with the effort and laying his cane down on his side.
"That might not be a bad idea," he admitted. "I thought you could use with some company as well, seeing that all you've got here is the good old Moon and a notebook. Plus, I really wouldn't mind a nap right now."
"That kind of goes against the whole Mooner business," Grian argued, but there's no actual energy behind his words. He also wouldn't mind a nap, and he already found himself drifting towards the blankets.
"Nobody needs to know!" Scar winked, and slowly helped Grian lay down the pillows, creating a makeshift blanket nest barely large enough for the both of them. "It's like a secret slumber party, but with less snacks."
"I also wouldn't mind some snacks. I don't even remember the last time I ate something," Grian furrowed his eyebrows. Refusing to sleep really had messed up a lot more of his routine than he'd expected, and he seemed to only be realizing it then.
"I'll remember that for next time," Scar grinned, already lying down. It was unspoken that he planned on repeating their little illegal operation, and it was unspoken that Grian firmly agreed.
Neither of them had to say anything for Grian to lay down next to Scar and nestle against him as he covered them both with the fuzziest blanket, either. The makeshift bed wasn't the most comfortable, but it was far better than the cold floor, and as Grian adjusted the position of his wings and pressed his face against his chest, he could feel himself drifting into sleep almost immediately. Scar wasn't far behind, wrapping an arm around Grian and letting his eyes slide shut.
The warmth shared between them was enough to offset the chilly night, and the closeness somehow soothed Grian's fears that the Moon would collapse on them the second he closed his eyes. And so he did, letting himself forget about the growing Moon and the floating ground and the laughing phantoms that haunted him for just a little while. It was a coin toss whether he woke up feeling refreshed or not even knowing what season they were in, but either way, he would happily do it again if it meant having Scar’s company. Perhaps this could make his nights staring up at the sky less lonely, and just for that, it would have been worth it.