Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

1- Introductions

Cleo grumbled as she made her way along in the rain, a sorry figure drenched in the stormy weather. Their clothes were soaked, her backpack was heavy, and her snakes were angry. And here they were, halfway across the city, looking for a place she was beginning to believe didn't exist. 

Fuming, she pulled out her phone again, double checking the message from Joe. There was supposedly a cafe around here somewhere- and in usual Joe vagueness they’d been given a general location, and the words, “Can’t miss it.” 

They most certainly could, by the looks of things. There was no stupid cafe on this block, just a handful of apartments and a few small businesses. Really, surely by now Joe had left the cafe and was halfway to her studio. Maybe if she just waited a bit longer, he’d text and she could leave the rain and- 

A raven squawked at her from its place on the lamppost. Her snakes hissed at it and she shot the bird a glare. She had no time for birds- although, she was fairly certain ravens weren’t native to the city. Or enjoyed having their feathers drenched in rain, for that matter. Maybe it was a familiar, though there was no one else around for it to belong to. 

They stared at it a moment more, trying to deduce the puzzle before her when a second bird landed on the post in a flurry of feathers and chirps. She stared at it. A bluejay. 

By the time a third one landed- a magpie this time around- she was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't a coincidence. She fished out her phone from her pocket, rechecking the message. What had Joe said that little cafe had been called? 

Ah. Of course. Bird’s Nest. 

They still didn’t see the building, though they let their gaze sweep along the empty street once more. The rain deterred most people- excluding the foolish (Joe) and their unfortunate friends (Cleo). The magpie called out to her as they began turning around, and she looked up at it, annoyed. 

“Well where is the place then, if you’re so upset I’m leaving?” 

The bird took off into the air again, and Cleo startled before walking after it, her snakes chattering away nonsense as they watched the bird fly steadily through the rain. 

Follow. Fasssst. Fly? Follow. Joe? Coffee. 

"Yes," she grumbled aloud to the snakes, "I know to follow the birds. I'm not an idiot."

Mean. You mean. Idiot. Bird? Bird. Follow. Mean. ….eat bird? 

"No! You are not eating the magic birds! You know what- you guys hush up there. I'm trying to focus." 

Mean. Follow. Want bird. Food? Coffee. Joe! Follow. 

Cleo groaned, opting to ignore the hissing of her snakes for the time being, instead following the birds as they soared through the rain. They, admittedly, didn't go far, stopping at a building she was certain hadn't been there before. 

The place looked comfortable enough from the outside. It had a sign reading The Bird's Nest Cafe, and a deep red awning. There was outdoor seating- red chairs with navy blue umbrellas- but on a day like this no one dared sit outside. 

Except for the birds, evidently, as they seemed perched in every nook and cranny of the place. Windowsills, the awning, the sign. Each covered in birds and almost each bird a different type. Pigeons, songbirds, corvids- even a few birds of prey if her eyes didn't deceive her. 

They stepped under the pavilion, taking a much needed break from the rain. She was thoroughly soaked to the bone now, and she lamented the chill seeping within her. True, being undead she didn't have much body heat to begin with, but now it was worse. 

Cursing Joe with everything she (and her snakes) had, she opened the door and stepped in. 

 Alright. Perhaps Joe did know what he was talking about. He may pick a new favorite cafe every month or so, but this one… This one Cleo quite enjoyed as well. 

Red and navy blue seemed to be the main theme, with hints of gold winking at her when it caught the light. A little jingling bell announced her arrival, and she was suddenly aware of herself, clothes heavy with water and dripping on the floor. At least it was tiled, she supposed. 

"Cleo! Over here!" 

Joe! Coffee! Nice! Joe nice. Red. Pretty red. Joe? Where Joe? Joe! Now eat bird? 

Ignoring the snakes and sending Joe her best l can't believe you made me walk in the rain for twenty minutes glare, Cleo made her way over to the navy blue booth Joe had found for them. 

Joe gave her an easy grin, "You're doing that thing with your eyes again." 

"Yes I am, Joe Hills, just who do you think you are, making me walk around in circles in the rain? How'd you even find this place?" 

Joe raised a brow, "Scar told me about it. Apparently Mumbo used to work here part-time. Was news to me." 

Cleo sat, dropping her backpack under the table. She continued glaring at Joe, but couldn't help but take a moment to take in the cafe as well. Joe enjoyed changing up his favorite cafe, meaning they often got to explore the odder side of town. Scar, though, had extremely good taste in these sorts of things. 

The booths were all navy blue- not the sort of booth found in fast food places, but the kind in dining nooks in old houses. In fact, the whole place had that sort of feel- comfortable. Like you were meant to take a seat and stay awhile. The tables were spruce, and the chairs and bar seats were red. 

There were a lot of windows, as with most cafes, but Cleo didn't feel exposed. It must be a sort of magic, she figured, that gave off the secure feeling. She wasn't trapped, but she wasn't vulnerable either. It was a nice feeling. The floor was cream colored, and the counter was spruce as well. The kitchen behind the counter looked clean- but that was to be expected. 

There were birds in the exposed rafters of the building. More birds than outside, all of them rustling their feathers and occasionally chirping. They, for the most part, kept silent. Cleo noticed there were no feathers or other messes left from the birds. That was odd- unless they were all familiars. Which seemed highly unlikely. 

"You didn't answer my question," she said after a pause. Joe grinned, but didn't speak, so she was forced to elaborate. "How in Void's name did you manage to find this place?" 

"Oh I didn't see it at first either. But Scar showed me where it was, and I've been able to find it fine since. Now, more importantly, how did you manage to find this place?" 

"I-" she frowned, wary of the eccentric grin she was suddenly faced with. A Joe grinning like that was never a good Joe to be around. It often meant someone was going to end up so annoyed that a certain Joe Hills ended up petrified for an hour. "I followed the birds." 

"So it worked!" Joe slammed his hand on the table in excitement, earning a couple looks from the people at the next table. "Sorry-" he lowered his voice, "but Scar told me the birds lead people who want to be here, unless someone brings you. I wasn't sure if you counted- seeing as technically, I'm inviting you." 

Cleo stared at him a moment, contemplating the pros and cons of trying him to petrify here and now. Unfortunately, the cons much outweighed the pros, and so instead she went to go order the coffee. 

"Hellllllllooo! My name is Grian, what can I get for ya?" 

Cute. Coffee! Joe mean. Red. Like red. Coffee. Coffee. Cute? 

The man running the cafe was wearing a red turtleneck and a navy blue apron. Cleo decided to focus on that instead of the whispers of her snakes. They had an unfortunate habit of speaking whatever loose thoughts floated around in her mind- and well, the guy was cute, alright? 

His sleeves were rolled up, and Cleo could see that the freckles smattering his face were present there as well. His blonde hair was tucked back into a bun, and his warm red eyes were dancing. His wings had the feathers of a parrot. There was something mystical to him (though that could be said for many people) and Cleo wanted to push forward. To know what it was that made him so magical. 

Instead she tossed him a smile and said, "How can you be so cheerful in this weather?" She watched Grian's eyes skip momentarily to the windows, watching the rain, before they bounced right back. 

He shot her a more genuine grin this time, falling out of customer service mode, "Honestly, I quite like the rain. Brings good energy, you know. And customers like yourself, looking for a break from the storm." Grian gestured to a bowl of candy and raised a brow, "You're welcome to help yourself to a sweet, if you like. They'll help you dry off."

Cleo hesitated a moment, but- unlike Scar and Joe and their experiments- Grian was running a business. They popped one in their mouth, and the butterscotch seemed to warm her very core. She was perfectly dry now, though she kept the candy in her mouth. It tasted good. 

"So," she said, letting their gaze trail up to the rafters, "Question about the birds." 

"Most people have a few." 

She looked back down at him, realizing for the first time that she was taller than him. Cleo pushed away all the warm feelings that arose with that discovery and continued, "Are they going to pluck out my eyes?" 

She heard- over the whispering of her snakes- Joe's gasp of Cleo! but she hardly thought she was being rude. Grian gave a little laugh, before responding with equal deadpan, "Not unless your snakes try to eat them." 

Impressed, Cleo turned her gaze to the menu, allowing herself a small smile. Anyone who could match wits with Cleo was alright in her book. The sarcasm and deadpan were a definite plus. The crush would go away eventually, and she'd end up with a nice acquaintance by the time Joe chose a new favorite cafe. 

Until then, she rattled off Joe's ever growing more complicated order, and her own simpler one. Grian listed the price, and then- 

"Any potions in those?" 

"Sorry?" 

"Potions. In your drinks. We do that here. Or, well, I do that here." Grian raised a brow and gestured toward the kitchen. "Just me." 

Cleo let her brain (and snakes) catch up to the information- Potion. No one else. Alone. Cute. Potion? Want strength. Cute.- and nodded. "Sure. How much will adding strength to both of those be?"

"New customers always get the first pot free. Joe's will be an extra coin." That seemed reasonable. Cleo dished out the extra coin, holding out the iron piece. 

Grian's wings twitched, for a moment, and his eyes fell upon the coin. Giving a small, albeit uncomfortable grin, he began to reach for the coin. Cleo narrowed her eyes, and snatched it back, searching through her bag for-

She handed over a silver coin, rolling her eyes, "If you can't touch iron just say so. I'd rather not watch you burn your hands, thank you very much." 

Grian took the coin with a surprised expression- or maybe something more. There was something vulnerable there, something grateful. Cleo ignored the way her heart threatened to flutter at that. It didn't even beat, for Void's sake! 

Now that she was looking at it properly, there was something fae about him. His ears were pointed like Scar's, his teeth were sharp, his eyes were much too bright. But everything else about him screamed avian- maybe he had both running in his veins? 

Not that Cleo was one to judge. It wasn't everyday you saw an undead gorgon. So no, Cleo kept his business to himself as he tucked away the coins in his register. 

"Alright!" Grian was back to grinning, looking up at her with his wings tucked to his back, "All I need is your name and then we're good to go!" 

"I'm Cleo. She/they." 

Grian gave her another grin- one that made her heart stutter and her snakes flurry in excitement- and spoke, voice bright and true, "It's wonderful to meet you!" 

Cleo returned to the table with their drinks, sipping on her own and getting the feeling the warmth she felt wasn't just the coffee. Joe gave her a look that said he'd have this whole thing puzzled out in a few moments. She grumbled into her coffee, feeling like the world was mocking her. 

It was just a little crush. Nothing she couldn't handle. She'd get over it, and this whole thing would be something to laugh at. 

Except.. when her and Joe got ready to leave, and Grian called out for them and handed them each some candies, well- 

"For when you get home! It's pouring out there!" He passed them to Cleo, and for a moment their hands touched, and Cleo cursed her unbeating heart for skipping. 

"Thank you, Grian! We'll be back in a few days." Joe gave her a look and- damn it- he had figured it out. 

"I'll be looking forward to it! You two have a nice day!" 

"You too!" She called out, stepping out the door and under the pavilion. Joe grinned at her, something teasing in his gaze. 

"Not. A. Word." 

Perhaps because he didn't feel like being a statue at the moment, Joe kept quiet. But it did little good. All the way back to her studio her snakes did the talking for him. 

Cute. Grian cute. Nice. He nice. Want! Please? More coffee. Coffee! Grian. Red. Like red. Like Grian. Cute! 

She groaned, popping the butterscotch into her mouth as soon as she got to her studio. Damn. 

She was smitten, wasn't she? 

2- Magic Talks

She noticed it the third time they went to the Bird's Nest. They had, admittedly, been more focused on Grian than much else in the cafe. 

There was just something about the way he moved. There was something elegant there, like his work was laced with ease. He took orders, and when his customers left to take a seat, that's when it began. 

Grian seemed to dance when it came to what he was doing. He'd start the drink, wave a hand to bring the water to a boil if needed. Otherwise he summoned ice with a little snap and a hum. There was no denying he was magic, but Cleo had hardly ever seen magic utilized in such a way. 

It all seemed so terribly domestic. 

It made her think, about silly things like the future and apartments and cuddling up under those wings on cold days and- 

Damn it! 

Joe was giving them that grin, the one reserved for teasing her. She didn't have the energy to threaten him, instead pointedly ignoring the looks she was receiving. Until finally, she turned her gaze away from the avian and to Joe, annoyed. 

Joe grinned at her, "You're never gonna date him if you don't ask." 

"I don't-! That's not- we're not talking about this. I don't even like him like that!" 

Joe didn't comment on that, just gave that stupid knowing smile and sipped on his drink. He had insisted on sitting at the bar stools today, and Cleo was beginning to suspect why. She huffed, rolling her eyes. 

"What I was going to say, is how I was wondering about all the magic he's doing. I've never seen it before and Scar's a genuine wizard!" 

Joe's expression changed, and Cleo congratulated themselves on a successful distraction. He set the coffee down, tilting his head slightly. "Grian's not a wizard," he said, watching the avian with clever eyes, "He's an alchemist." 

Cleo furrowed her brow, ignoring the whispers of her snakes in favor of the conversation, "Wait- what's the difference?" 

Joe turned back to her, giving her a startled grin, like he couldn't believe she didn't know. Cleo narrowed her eyes, daring him to tease. For his credit, he didn't. But Cleo got the feeling it hadn't been an easy decision. 

"Well, for one, alchemists are much more insane." 

"Sorry, what?" 

"They're madmen." 

Cleo raised a brow, unimpressed, "More mad then Scar? Impossible." 

Joe shook his head, a little smile on his face, "No, I'm being serious! Here-" He turned to face Cleo, taking another sip of his coffee, "Think about it like this. Scar studies magic because he's a wizard. That means he studies it to use it." 

Cleo raised a brow, wondering where this was going, "Riiight." 

"Grian studies magic and science. And how they work together. To understand it." 

"And that makes him madder, how?" 

"Imagine Scar had all the spell knowledge he has now. Now imagine that he also understood magic and science enough to create his own spells. That's what an alchemist is."

Cleo stared at him, already regretting having asked. "Madmen," they whispered, shaking her head, "Absolutely mental." 

"That's Grian for you." 

Cleo shook her head again, turning away from Joe and back to her coffee. She sipped on it while watching Grian- his handmade drinks and his homemade spells. 

She thought about him studying the magic he so clearly possessed. Thought about him in a pair of goggles and his navy apron. Experimenting with spells and laughing when he got them figured out. He was just so cute when he smiled. Cleo had to wonder what it would like when he was all excited and proud. 

They wanted to be there. To help. To watch him light up. To love him. 

Cleo stared at the birds up in the rafters, a wonderful little fluttering in her stomach. 

She had to admit it would be nice. 

She considered the feeling a while longer, smiling to herself as they sipped her drink. Admittedly, they rather liked the idea of spending her life with Grian. Of standing by his side and loving him. It felt inexplicably right. 

Which, of course, as much as she tried to stop dwelling on the feelings, her snakes were less inclined to do so. 

Cute! Grian cute. Like Grian. Red. Red. Coffee! Joe. Grian cute! Have? 

She felt her face flush- as impossible as that should've been- and returned her gaze to her drink. Occasionally she would let her gaze wander toward Grian, his movements graceful, but for the most part she let herself get lost within her thoughts. 

Which was probably why, when Grian strolled up to talk to them over the counter, she'd been so surprised. 

"How're things over here? Everything alright?"

Cleo startled, turning her gaze toward the man standing in front of them. He was smiling- oh dear Void, why was he so pretty- and leaning over the counter slightly so that he could better talk to them. 

Her heart fluttered again, and they could feel the blood rush to her face. Which- again!- shouldn't have been possible. 

It seemed Grian often toyed with what the world called impossible. 

"We're doing well!" Joe grinned at Grian, making up for Cleo's silence. Cleo shook herself of thoughts about silly things like heartbeats and agreed. 

"Great! You two mind if I join you for a bit? It's gonna be slow for a while." 

"No, no, not at all! You can-" Cleo tried very hard to ignore her snakes whispering incessantly. They were ecstatic that Grian was sitting with her. She cleared her throat, "You can join." 

Grian's smile seemed to brighten, sharp teeth on full display, red eyes brightening. He pulled up a little barstool of his own, taking a seat across from the two of them. 

"So," he said, "how do you two know Mumbo?" 

"Oh, he's an old friend. He and Scar have been dating for a while.. Four years now it's been? Something like that." Joe answered easily, giving Cleo a knowing grin. Cleo glared. 

"Oh, neat! Mumbo and I are old friends from high school. You would not believe the stuff we got up to." Grian laughed a little and- Void damnit, of course his laugh would be adorable. Cleo resisted the urge to groan at her snakes' sudden flurry of whispers.  

"Hm- one moment," Grian turned to look at the door. Cleo raised a brow, but lo and behold a few moments later the bell jingled and Grian was on his feet to greet the customer. 

Wait. 

How had he done that? 

When he sat back down, Cleo looked him up and down. Sure, the alchemist had insane amounts of magical knowledge. But Cleo had never seen anything like that before. Even Keralis couldn't detect people through walls. 

"How'd you do that?" 

Grian looked up from his own coffee, "Do what?" 

Cleo waved a hand, "You knew they were coming. How'd you know?" 

Grian considered the question for a moment, the slightest hint of amusement in his eyes. Finally he set the coffee aside, resting his elbow on the table.

"Do you know what an alchemist is?" 

Cleo raised a brow, before nodding, "Joe told me a few minutes ago. Madman."

Grian let out a little bark of laughter at that, "What? I'm not mad." 

"Anyone who takes the time to study magic and science is mad. Hate to break it to you." 

Grian laughed again, "Alright. But come on. Mumbo's ten times madder than me." 

Cleo narrowed her eyes, trying her best to look suspicious. It was difficult when her face kept trying to smile. "Debatable." 

Grian laughed again, and this time Cleo joined in. Joe shook his head beside the two of them, sipping on his coffee and scrolling through his phone. 

"Fine, fine. Maybe I'm a little mad. But! It's been really useful! Do you know how much effort it took to hide my cafe unless you wanted to find it?" 

"Why'd you do that anyway?" 

"Thought it'd be funny," Grian gave a toothy grin. "Jokes aside, though, I was… doing an experiment when I was, like sixteen? Probably?"

"You sound so certain," Cleo smirked. 

"It was a while ago!" Grian rolled his eyes, grinning, "But basically one of my feathers got into the mix and- poof! I had a huge flock of magical birds."

"...Right. You understand that doesn't answer my question, right?"

"I'm getting there! Basically after a lot of figuring things out, I realized I could see what my birds could see." 

Joe perked up, "You had a bird's eye view on things?" 

Cleo groaned and Grian let out a little snort of laughter. 

"Basically, yeah! For a while I couldn't figure out how to stop it, so I was just walking around seeing hundreds of perspectives at once, but I got it in the end." 

"That sounds torturous. I can't see anything my snakes do-" Cleo gestured to her hair, "They just talk to me and annoy me. If I really want to, I can make them go away with a bit of glamour. But they're good company, even if they drive me up the wall." 

"You ever hear a blue jay rate every single tree by how green they are? It's actual hell." Grian looked up at the dozens of birds above them, "They never shut up."

Cleo could sympathize. Her snakes were almost constant in their hisses and whispers. Her snakes didn't really have a mind of their own, though. Just picked up stray thoughts floating around in her mind. 

The two of them talked for a while, mostly about magic and science and Grian's absurd adventures in high school. Joe piped in occasionally, but mostly stuck to whatever he was looking at on his phone. 

It was when business picked up again that Grian said a reluctant goodbye, and Joe and Cleo left the cafe. 

Cute! Smile like. Grian nice. Grian pretty! Like Grian. Nice laugh. Cute. Bird? Bird. 

Cleo stared at the crow outside the cafe, wondering if it was Grian's early warning system. She shrugged, turning to Joe. 

"I cannot wait to tease Mumbo. Grian just gave us serious blackmail material." 

Joe laughed at that, the two of them starting the way towards the studio. 

"I've got some blackmail material, too." He said lightly. 

"What's that?"

Joe grinned at her, in that way that told Cleo she was about to be tempted to petrify him. 

"Oh come on, Cleo. You've got it bad. You are so in love with him." 

Cleo shot him a glare, grumbling as they continued down the sidewalk. Behind them, the crow cocked its head to the side, watching the two of them fade into the distance. 

3- Apartment

Alright, Joe was definitely doing this on purpose. 

Usually by now Joe would have a new favorite cafe that he dragged Cleo halfway across town for. And, yes, Cleo agreed that The Bird's Nest was the best cafe yet. Perhaps Cleo was a bit biased, but it was true. 

But it was definitely purposeful- they'd been going to the cafe for two months at this point, and Joe hadn't even considered going to a different one. And he always had that knowing look in his eyes, always smirked when Cleo's gaze stayed on Grian for a little too long. 

It was torture, really. 

The three of them had gotten closer over those three months. Apparently they had quite a few friends in common; Grian was even Pearl's brother! And so maybe Joe wasn't exactly the worst. 

Although Cleo was loath to admit it, her feelings for Grian did not die down over time. If anything, they had gotten worse. They could hardly look at the man without wondering what those pretty lips would feel like on hers, or what waking up next to him every morning what be like or-

"Cleo, are you even listening to me?" 

Cleo looked up from her sketchbook to meet Joe's gaze. Had he been talking? Cleo winced- no, they hadn't been listening in the slightest. She shook her head.

Joe rolled his eyes before holding up his hand, showing off the cut on his palm. "I was asking if you had any bandages." 

Cleo gave him an incredulous look, setting down her pencil. "How in the world did you manage to cut yourself?" 

"An excellent question!" Joe grinned at them, "I have no idea!" 

Cleo sighed, closing her sketchbook before tucking it under her arm. "Come on, let's go ask Gri if he's got any." 

It was five minutes until closing (Grian always closed up shop early on Thursdays) but the two of them had often begun staying until closing time, just to talk to Grian for a bit. The three of them were really becoming quite good friends. 

Unfortunately, Grian was somewhere in the kitchen, meaning he didn't see the two of them walk over. Cleo was already used to dealing with that, waving at a falcon that stared at her. Moments later, Grian was coming to greet them. 

"Can I get you guys anything? 'nother order of the usual?" 

Joe spoke up, "Not unless it comes with a bandaid. You wouldn't happen to have any, would you?" 

"Oh!" Grian dug around behind the counter for a moment before frowning, "Ah, nope. I used to keep some down here… Here, lemme just-"

He walked out from the counter to flip the sign from open to closed. Grian turned back to the two of them, smiling softly, "I've got some upstairs, and then we can play some board games if you guys aren't busy." 

Cleo's heart stuttered, the mere thought that Grian wanted to hang out with her outside of the cafe was… well, wonderful really. 

Joe answered for the both of them, "Oh, I've got a thing I've got to get to. But Cleo's free! I'm sure she'd love to join you. Be warned though," Joe lowered his voice to a stage whisper, "they cheat at Uno." 

Grian's cheeks pinked with his laughter, and Cleo wasn't sure whether they wanted to hit Joe or thank him. 

Grian's apartment was cute. It opened into a living room with large windows and a navy blue couch. Potted plants rested on the window sills, and a cat tower resided next to the TV. There was a desk next to a few bookshelves- they were all packed with books and his desk was littered with papers. 

There were paintings on the walls. Cleo recognized a few of her friends in the pictures- Pearl, Mumbo, Scar- and a few others she didn't know. Cleo looked over the paintings, impressed. They wondered if Grian painted them himself. 

"Oh! Sorry, I should have asked," Grian toed his shoes off and hung the keys to the cafe on a hook, "Are either of you allergic to cats?" 

Neither of them were, so they continued onward through the kitchen- yellow towels and kitchen supplies, cabinets with painted on sunflowers. He didn't have a dining area, but there was a small breakfast nook with yellow curtains and cushions. 

Cute. Grian cute. Laugh? Kitty! Cat. Cat! Kitty! Kitty, right. 

Cleo turned to her right, and yep. A cat stood on the counter, meowing at her with its head cocked to the side. 

"Hello, Maui," Grian gave him a quick scratch behind the ears, "We've got guests." 

Grian reached into a cabinet and pulled out a box of bandages, offering some to Joe. Joe took it with a grin and a quick thanks. 

"Well, I better be off! Gotta head over to Mumbo's-" 

"Oh! Well if you're going over there, could you drop these off for me?" Grian held out a little box of muffins- handmade, by the looks of it. "The ones with red liners are Mumbo's, and the ones with green are Scar's." 

Joe took the muffins into his hands, looking them over curiously, "Of course! What's the difference?" 

"Mumbo's have iron in them. He needs more of it and muffins taste good. It's a good way of tricking your vampire friends into eating healthy." 

Cleo frowned, "I thought you couldn't touch iron." This, at least, she knew well. They always made sure to have silver coins to offer Grian. 

Grian gave a somewhat sheepish grin, "I use gloves! And it's an iron supplement, so it doesn't burn as much as, like, pure iron bars." 

Cleo frowned at him, crossing her arms. "Do you have any sense of self preservation?" 

Grian shrugged, a mischievous little grin on his face. "Maybe. I haven't been able to figure it out yet. I told you about the time I flew during a lightning storm, didn't I?" 

Before Cleo could respond that, No, she had not heard that story, why in Void's name would he do something that stupid, Joe excused himself and said goodbye to the two of them. 

Grian turned to Cleo afterwards, giving her a blinding smile. Cleo's undead heart fluttered at that smile, at that freckled face grinning at her. 

"So," he said, untying his apron and lifting it over his head, "Uno?"

"Joe told you I cheated." Which wasn't exactly a lie. Just because her snakes could see other peoples' cards and just because they told her didn't mean they were the one that was cheating. 

"Oh don't worry about that," Grian winked at her, "So do I." 

Cleo was doomed. Beautifully, wonderfully doomed. 

"So-" Cleo laid down a green three, "I noticed there weren't any birds up here." 

"Nope!" Blue three. Cleo frowned. She didn't have any blues. "I want them to stay downstairs." 

Cleo grinned, "Why? Too annoying?" She drew a few cards, stopping when she got a blue six. 

"Mhm. Plus they bother the cats." Red six. 

"More than one? I thought it was just Maui." Red seven. The two of them switched cards. 

"Nah, Pearl's just shy." Grian put down a red two before gesturing up at one of the paintings in his living area. "She's the gray one." 

Cleo smiled up at the picture, "She's cute. And the painting is impressive. Did you paint it?" Green two. 

Grian's cheeks went pink and Cleo's heart ached. Dear Void, no person was allowed to be this pretty, surely. "Do you really like it? It's been a while since I've done any painting, but I used to quite often." 

"Of course I like it! Grian, all these paintings are amazing!" Cleo gestured around the room, "I love your style." 

Grian's smile seemed to glow, his red eyes bright. "Well- I- thank you. That means a lot, coming from-" Grian stumbled over his words for a moment, "Coming from another artist. Joe told me you were a sculptor?" 

"Oh!" Cleo blinked, "Yes, I am. You know- really leaning into the gorgon stereotypes here." 

Grian gave a little laugh, "Right, right. All your statues used to be people, did they?" 

Cleo grinned, "Oh, one hundred percent." She chuckled again before going more serious, "Honestly though, I can't turn people to stone. Just petrify them for a few hours. I do it to Joe sometimes when I need a good reference for my statutes. It's helpful. 3D so I can see him from every angle, and he doesn't move at all." 

"Ah, that's cool! It sounds pretty useful." Grian was silent for a moment before grinning, "Average gorgon turns everyone to stone is a statistical error. Medusa Gorgon, who turned everyone she met to stone, was an outlier and shouldn't have been counted." 

"You did not! You did not just Spiders Georg me." 

"I Spiders Georg-ed you." Grian giggled then, and Cleo's unbeating heart fluttered. 

"I hate you," she said but it felt more like I love you.  

Grian gasped in mock offense before getting his revenge. He laid down a green four, "Uno." 

Cleo sputtered, making sure to act properly indignant . But, sitting here, looking at Grian's triumphant grin, Cleo didn't think they minded at all. 

4- Sleepy

Grian had made it fairly clear a few days later that Cleo and Joe were welcome at the apartment at "pretty much any time before ten." 

He admitted he was usually either at the apartment or the cafe, and even if he wasn't, his friends were still welcome to drop by if they so wished. 

It was nice- being able to walk into Grian's place and hang out with him for a while. Maybe go up to the roof garden, help Grian get herbs or potion ingredients. Apparently he had a deal with Doc- another one of Cleo's old friends- who had a shop next door. Doc got to use Grian's roof, Grian got to use some (but not all!) of the goods. 

Cleo had taken Grian up on the offer more than she'd like to admit. Maybe it was because her own place was rather bare- a little place that only really had a bathroom and a bedroom that doubled as a kitchenette. Most of her money went to maintaining her art studio. 

Or maybe it was because she liked the cozy atmosphere, or maybe she liked playing with the kitties. Or maybe she was losing the war with her feelings. 

Cleo secretly thought it was the last one. 

Whatever it was, Cleo had been spending a lot of time in Grian's apartment, petting the cats, laughing with Grian, and falling hopelessly in love. It eventually got to the point that Grian had shown her and Joe where he kept the spare key. "Just in case," he said. 

Cleo didn't think she'd ever need it. 

It was one of those days where she simply didn't have time to do everything she wanted to. She was on her way to her studio from the apartment, later in the morning than they would've liked. It meant they didn't have time to stop by the cafe before she went to the studio. 

Or, she wouldn't have had the time, except that the cafe was… decidedly not in the place it used to be. Usually it was a couple blocks away, between Doc's redstone shop and Gem's flower shop. Instead it was in between the corner store and a little bookstore. 

Confused and, deciding it couldn't hurt to check it out, Cleo opened the door. Or tried to, at least. It was locked. She checked the hours, even though she knew them by heart by now. The sign said open. But the doors were locked and the lights were off. 

Cleo frowned, reaching for the fake brick and grabbing the spare key. She hadn't seen it in action, but apparently Grian had placed a spell on it that only those with permission could use it. 

They entered the building and locked the door behind them, climbing the stairs and trying not to listen to her snakes. They were concerned, thoughts spiraling, and it wasn't helping Cleo stay calm at all. 

She got up to the living room and- oh. 

Relief flooded her immediately, followed by a blooming adoration deep within her. There, on the couch, with his hair down and curled up beneath a blanket was Grian, fast asleep. 

He looked so… open like this. So soft and at peace. It wasn't that he'd been keeping his guard up before, but there was always something personal about seeing someone asleep. Like they trusted you at their most vulnerable. 

It kind of took Cleo's breath away, how in love she felt at that moment. She shushed her snakes, not wanting to ruin Grian's sleep; despite how peaceful he looked, there were bags under his eyes and papers scattered on the floor. 

Cleo frowned, stepping forward to move the blanket to cover him a bit more, sympathy for his tiredness overtaking her. She considered a moment longer before slipping her shoes off and walking into the kitchen. 

They quietly made themselves a cup of coffee, weighing whether or not it'd be odd to stay here. There was a difference in being here when she knew she was welcome, and being here when Grian didn't know they were. 

She sipped on the coffee (this, at least, she was allowed to have; Grian made that clear) as she returned to the living room, still weighing her options. 

Truth be told, she didn't want to leave. Their head was filled with traitorous thoughts like combing her fingers through his hair, or maybe running her hands along those wings, or maybe even cuddling up next to him. 

Her moral dilemma didn't last too long, thankfully, as a discontent (and probably hungry) Maui was in the process of waking Grian. He groaned at the sudden return to the waking world, and Cleo decided to announce her presence. 

"Morning, Gri." 

Grian jolted up, pushing himself into a sitting position, staring at Cleo with sleepy confusion. "...morning?" 

"Sorry," Cleo smiled at him, unable to help the joy that bubbled up within her while looking at that cute freckled face muddled with sleep. His hair was in full bedhead mode, sticking up every which way. "I stopped by for a coffee and noticed you were closed." 

"Issit openin' time already?" Grian rubbed one of his eyes, moving to stand. 

"A bit later than opening time. Sit back down! You're exhausted, in case you haven't noticed." 

Grian huffed, a small little smile on his face, "I've gotta get to work." 

"Yeah, no, looking at you now I've decided you need way more sleep. I'll feed the cats and flip the sign to closed. The world won't fall apart if you take a break." Cleo narrowed her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and gave Grian her best I care about you glare. 

Grian stood his ground for a moment, Cleo would give him that, but it didn't take long for him to cuddle back up under the blanket, yawning. "Do you often break into people's apartments and force them to sleep?" His voice was tired, but it was still teasing, and he smiled at her with half lidded eyes. 

"I didn't break in," Cleo rolled their eyes, "I had a key. And you need to rest, you look like you're going to drop dead. And that's my thing."

Grian chuckled softly before yawning. After a moment he laid his back down, "Alright. But only because you're scary." 

"Wonderful. I'll go do that, and then you're gonna tell me why you're so exhausted, all right?" 

Grian was already back to dozing, "Alright.." 

Cleo nodded to herself before getting Maui and Pearl some food. They gave each cat a little scritch behind the ears before making her way back downstairs, her socks quiet against the hardwood. 

Luckily, there was only one customer waiting outside, and it was one Cleo knew wouldn't mind too much about the closing. 

"Afraid Grian's closed today, Stress," they said, opening the door to inform her. 

"Oh, that's alright then. I was wonderin'  why he was so late. I assume you've got somfing to do with him closin' up?" Stress gave Cleo a smile that was much too knowing, and Cleo had a feeling Joe was sharing her not-so-secrets. 

"He's overworked himself, I think. Found himself passed out on the couch, and he still looks like he's dead on his feet. I'm making him take a break today." 

"Oh, the poor fing. You take good care of 'im, luv! Call me if you need me!" And she was off, probably to bother Iskall. 

Cleo relocked the door, flipping the sign to closed before going back upstairs. By now, Grian's breathing had evened out to sleep, but there was no way Cleo was letting him off that easily. 

"Grian. Come on, you gotta tell me why you're so tired, then you can sleep forever." 

Grian squinted at her, giving her a glare that said he had been so close to falling back asleep. Cleo didn't give in, clicking her tongue as she raised a brow. Grian groaned. 

"Did a spell. Big one. Tired." He closed his eyes again. 

"Hey-! No, come on, Grian, you've gotta give me more than that." Cleo considered for a moment before realizing something. She narrowed her eyes, "This spell wouldn't have anything to do with your cafe up and moving across town during the middle of the night?" 

"Didn't move," Grian mumbled, "It's a portal.. kinda. Only one cafe, two entrances. Two exits." He burrowed into the blanket, wrapping it around his wings.

Cleo sighed, tucking the information away for later. They had known Grian had a severe lack of self preservation skills, but this was ridiculous. The spell was impressive though, and probably pretty useful. Still, he didn't think to let anyone know? 

Grian was already half asleep again, and she worried her lip between her teeth as she thought about her next course of action. Finally, she nodded to herself before returning to his kitchen and getting out a pot. 

Cleo was no baker like Grian, but she could cook. Their snakes whispered her advice, only really half helpful. Still, they did have a pretty good sense of smell, so she took some of it. 

By the end of her little cooking session, they had made enough soup for Grian to have for lunch. And possibly dinner. She was used to making more than one serving. Oh, well. Grian could just have extra. 

She dished it into a tupperware dish, suddenly thankful that Grian had shown her where everything was when they and Joe had stayed for dinner one night. They snapped the lid on and set it on the counter with a note on how to reheat it. 

There. Now she didn't have to worry about him starving. Now that she and her snakes were a little more at ease, she returned to the living room and picked up the papers. She glanced at one, but all Cleo could really make out was complicated research in a language she didn't understand. Probably the research Grian did for the spell. 

She shuffled them and put them on his desk, glancing around the room. They should probably leave. Grian was asleep, and she didn't really need to be there any longer. 

She wanted to be, though. 

Cleo shook the thought out of head before putting her shoes back on and walking over to the staircase. She stopped when they got there, a little idea blooming in her mind. 

If she kissed Grian's forehead before leaving the cafe, that was nobody's business but her own.

5- Sewing 

Cleo was having an absolutely horrid day. 

It had started with a small inconvenience: her toast had burned. Then the shower ran out of hot water, she had lost her keys, and then it had started pouring on her way to the studio. And, naturally, she hadn't grabbed an umbrella. 

So, no. Cleo was not having a great day. It was one of those days that only got worse over the course of things, until you just wanted to crawl back into bed and hope the morning was better. But, alas, Cleo had things to do.

So instead they were at their studio, trying her best to dry off before working on any of her statues. Her main project stood in the middle of the room- a figure standing with their arms outstretched toward the sky, a dress flowing behind them. Cleo really needed to work on getting their hair to look like it was blowing in the wind, but there was no way she was risking messing up the statue on a day like this. 

So instead she worked on a personal project, one Martyn had modeled for, of a figure holding a spyglass and staring off into the distance, a grin on their face. They carefully chiseled into the stone, trying her very hardest to not ruin anything. 

It was around the time she was working on the folds in the statue's shirt that she realized just how bad her day had gotten. 

Somewhere- between the rushing out the door, and the scrambling in the rain, or maybe even tripping on the stairs- the stitches in her arm were coming undone. 

Now, being undead meant that Cleo had plenty of experience with her not-quite-living body falling apart on her. It was no real issue- she was fairly good at patching themself up by now. And if it was ever in a spot she couldn't reach, Joe was always a call away. 

Except… Joe wasn't a call away today. He was on the opposite end of the city, visiting with Impulse, Bdubs, and Etho. And Cleo could never figure out how to sew one handed. 

Gently, Cleo laid her tools to the side, worrying her lip between their teeth. She was… unsure of what the best thing to do would be. Even if they weren't worried about bothering Joe, he was too far to get here in a decent amount of time. She'd hate for the stitching to come completely undone in the time he arrived. 

But where else could she go? 

Her mind- or perhaps her heart?- betrayed her as thoughts of a certain smiling blonde surfaced. Her snakes latched on to the idea, excited whispers encouraging her to make her way to the cafe. Cleo shook her head, heat rising in her cheeks.

Although… the cafe was nearby. And Grian was always willing to help out. It wasn't the most terrible idea. 

Cleo considered it a moment before, before frowning and slipping on her shoes. Holding her arm awkwardly in the hopes the seam wouldn't tear anymore, she made her way to the door.

"How did you manage to do this?" 

Grian's voice was incredibly soft, gentle red eyes looking over Cleo with what she could only describe as deep caring. There was something warm in his voice, like concern maybe, that made her heart flutter. 

She tore her gaze away from his, her face warm. "It's been a rough day. Not sure when it started tearing." 

Grian hummed, carefully taking Cleo's arm into his hand, moving it up a little. "There," he mumbled, sounding uncharacteristically focused, "Can you hold it there for me?" 

"Right." Cleo held the position as Grian grabbed his needle and thread, his hands steady as he sat next to Cleo on the floor of his living room. There was a moment where Cleo realized how close the two of them were, sitting like this. Grian gently pressed the sewing needle to her skin, before hesitating.

"Are you.. sure this won't hurt?" His gaze caught Cleo's and- oh. Oh. Dammit. Grian looked scared. Scared for her safety, scared he was gonna cause her pain, just scared in general. 

Cleo had never seen Grian frightened before. 

"Oh, Grian, angel, you're not going to hurt me. I've done this plenty of times. Plus I took that strength potion, remember?"

Grian cheeks went pink, and Cleo realized with a sense of horror that she'd let a petname of all things slip. Grian didn't mention it, his stare falling away from her and instead focusing on his needle. 

"...okay." Grian carefully began sewing up Cleo's arm, relaxing a bit when Cleo didn't even flinch. Cleo smiled slightly, watching his actions casually. It wasn't until a little bit later that she carefully broke the silence. 

"You're pretty good at sewing, Gri." 

Grian hummed in acknowledgement, "Yeah. I got into tailoring when I was in middle school. Made all of me and Pearl's Halloween costumes for like, seven years in a row." 

"It's still different from sewing skin." 

Grian hesitated a moment before giving a half shrug, "Me and my friends got into a lot of mischief in high school. Ask Mumbo- I've stitched him up a couple times. Most notably after the shopping cart incident." 

Cleo let out a surprised laugh, "The what now? " 

Grian grinned at her, pulling the string taut before tying and cutting it. Oh. They were all patched up now. Cleo hadn't even realized. Grian began putting his supplies away, "Yep! The good old shopping trolly incident. A word of advice- those things were not meant for racing." 

Cleo laughed again, carefully rolling her shoulder to test her arm, "Dear Void, how did you and Mumbo even survive high school?" 

Grian giggled at that, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "Barely." 

Cleo found it was incredibly hard to have a bad day when faced with a smiling Grian.

+1 - Coffee Chats

She was tired. 

Cleo had been working on a project late into the night, and they were really starting to regret it. Her eyelids were heavy, her brain was slow, and it seemed to take all of her energy to listen to whatever Joe was rambling on about. 

"Here's your coffees!" 

Grian was beaming at the two of them, wings spread slightly as he handed over their coffees. Cleo took it gratefully, immediately taking a small sip. 

Grian stayed near the two of them for a while, chatting with Joe. Cleo was too tired to contribute much to the conversation, but she could watch the way Grian's eyes lit up when he talked about the things he loved. Or the way he smiled, or the way he laughed, or she could count the freckles on his face. 

She was just passing thirty-six when Joe stretched his arms above his head. "Well," he said, "I've gotta go. Scar wanted me to help him with something. I'll see you two!" 

"See you, Joe!" Grian smiled. Cleo just offered a small wave, sipping on her coffee again. As soon as the door shut, Grian turned back to Cleo, raising an eyebrow in amusement. 

"Alright Cleo, what's got you dead on your feet?" 

Cleo groaned, "You did not. " 

Grian ignored her, "I mean, come on, you're dead tired, and I'm worried you've worked yourself to the bone. " 

"I despise you." 

"Sorry, didn't mean to hiss you off." 

Cleo blinked, a startled laugh bursting out of her. It was the closest Grian had ever gotten to cursing around her, and it was a Void forsaken snake pun. 

Grian grinned, looking extremely proud of himself. "There we go! I got you to smile. Now can you please tell me what's wrong?" 

Cleo shook her head, "Pesky bird. Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired. Stayed up late working last night. And to be honest, the coffee isn't helping." 

"Er- Joe ordered you decaf. Was he not supposed to?" 

Cleo groaned, holding up her now empty coffee mug, "No. He was not. I hate him." 

Grian chuckled, "How about this. I'll make you another cup of coffee, but only if you promise to take a nap. You can crash on the couch upstairs."

"That's… surprisingly tempting. My snakes are on board. But it'll take more than a cup of coffee to convince me." Cleo grinned up at Grian, faltering at the look in his eyes. 

Grian leaned forward a bit, eyes soft, "Please? I care about you, Cleo. You need rest, and I'll feel better knowing you're getting some." 

He cares about her. 

Oh dear, Void. Cleo was so hopelessly, wonderfully in love. Slowly, she nodded, standing and making her way up the stairs. 

"I'll be up there in just a minute," Grian called to her, "Just gonna let everyone know I'll be on break for a minute." 

Cleo didn't respond, already halfway up the stairs, exhaustion hitting full force at the thought of sleeping. Grian's couch had never looked so comforting. They sunk into it, curling up with her head on a pillow. 

She could've sworn they'd only closed her eyes for a moment, but when she opened them Grian was standing there, coffee in hand. He gave a little smile, "Hey. I got that coffee I promised. And a blanket, if you want it." 

Cleo sat up, feeling slightly more awake. Sure, she'd probably only had a five minute nap before Grian had made his way upstairs, but five minutes could do a lot. 

She took the mug as Grian draped the blanket over her, something warm blooming in her chest. And then- 

There was a heart in her coffee. The foam was shaped into a heart. 

Cleo stared at it for a moment, feeling suddenly awake as her heart beat in her chest. They looked up at Grian, who was busying himself with cleaning up the coffee table. He seemed none the wiser, completely unaware of Cleo's sudden dilemma. 

That dilemma being the warmth in her chest, and the beating of her heart, and the thoughts rushing through her mind. 

There was a heart in her coffee. 

"Grian?" 

"Hmm?" Grian looked up at her, face open and- slightly nervous? Cleo frowned at that, trying to figure out the source of his nerves. His face was pink, too. Unless- 

There was a heart in her coffee. 

He cared about her. 

Oh dear Void. 

Grian loved her. 

Cleo's face flushed, and she slowly stood. Grian frowned, reaching forward, confusion etched across his face. Cleo caught his outstretched hand, carefully stepping forward again until the two of them were face to face. Grian looked up at her, opening his mouth to voice his bewilderment. 

Cleo beat him to it, bringing Grian's knuckles to her lips and pressing a kiss to them. Her heart fluttered. 

Grian went red. 

"Grian," Cleo murmured, slowly lowering his hand, "Can I kiss you?" 

Grian's eyes seemed to glow, his smile lighting up his whole face. His voice was slightly shaky when he mumbled, "Please?" 

Cleo kissed him. 

Cleo kissed him.

Grian made such an adorable little squeak at the action that Cleo vowed to kiss him much more often. They carefully brought a hand to Grian's cheek, parting her lips to deepen the kiss. Grian's eyes fluttered shut. 

Grian tasted like butterscotch and spring rain. There was something mystical in him- Cleo could swear she could feel little zaps of magic in the kiss. Grian's hands came up to rest on her shoulders, and she couldn't help but smile into the kiss. 

Grian pulled away after a moment, grinning up at her with pure joy in his red eyes. " Finally." 

Cleo laughed at him, shaking her head. "Oh, angel, you don't know how long I've wanted to do that." 

Grian grinned at her, mischief sparkling in those wonderful eyes of his, "Why not do it again?" 

And, well, Cleo wasn't one to deny pretty boys. She pressed their lips together again in a more innocent kiss, more gentle. When she pulled away Grian's face was a lovely shade of pink. 

Slowly she sat back down on the couch, Grian watching her with a lovestruck gaze. She pressed a kiss to his knuckles again before curling up under the blanket.

"Rest well, love. We'll talk about what all this means when you've got your brain cells about you." Grian murmured, leaning to press a kiss to Cleo's forehead. 

Cleo grinned at him, already drifting off with the wonderful feeling of her heart beating soothing her. "It means I love you, pesky bird. And that I want to take you out this Saturday at seven. I'll pick you up."

Grian laughed at that, face a wonderful shade of pink. Cleo admired it as she drifted off. "Okay," he said after a moment, making a sleepy smile break out on Cleo's face, "It's a date." 

"I love you, Grian."

"I love you too, Cleo." 

(And that was that.)