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Grian and Scar are walking together, in the desert that holds so many memories for the both of them. Memories from before everything changed. Now the sweeping dunes were disturbed by dozens of holes, craters formed from numerous explosions. Grian looks at Scar, who is staring ahead calmly as he navigates the sands. Grian notices a small tear in Scar’s shirt, the one he never wanted to keep on, and points it out. Scar looks to the ground, flustered, saying he’s never fixed it because he just doesn’t know how. Grian offers to help, and Scar perks up, gladly accepting the offer. They decide to head back to their base, and make a slight turn, heading in the direction of their lonely desert fortress.
Once they arrive, Grian tells Scar to take off his shirt. An awkward silence, then Grian blushes and looks away. Scar takes off his shirt, finding it ironic that his avian friend would tell him to do so, after having been quite insistent that he put it back on all the time. Grian can’t help but find himself staring at Scar after he did so. Scar makes eye contact with him, and he stops, coughing in a failed attempt to cover it up. Grian sits next to Scar, who was resting on the edge of his bed, and takes his shirt. He starts stitching, and Scar watches with amazement, thinking of how Grian is so precise and graceful and elegant and perfect and wonderful and beautiful and- oh. Grian sees his staring, and offers to teach him how to sew. Scar gladly accepts, and the avian passes him the needle, taking hold of his hand to guide it. Scar starts blushing slightly as Grian shows him basic stitches. Grian notices and starts blushing as well. Eventually, they get into a rhythm. Over. Under. Over. Under. They finish mending the hole, and Grian takes the shirt for a moment to tie off the thread, biting off the end for lack of scissors. The seam looks a bit wonky, but both can tell it was made with care. Scar stifles a yawn, and Grian glances outside. The day had advanced faster than expected, and night was already falling. Grian gets up to go to his own bed, and lays down, glancing over at Scar. Scar looks back and smiles, thanking him for the help with his shirt. Grian nods, and lays back in his bed, smiling at the ceiling. After a brief moment, Scar does the same. Not long after, Scar has fallen asleep. Grian glances over, and smiles at the sight of Scar sleeping peacefully. Grian turns back to staring at the ceiling, but sleep continues to elude them. He sighs and thinks of his memories with Scar.
As he starts thinking about what might happen in the future, as these death games progressed, he begins to cry. Nothing was the same as it used to be. Every possible future that Grian envisioned ended in betrayal. Lying. Secrets. Backstabbing. He tries to cover his tears, pushing away the despair. He gets out of bed and leaves the house. He takes a deep breath, and lets the cool night air wash over him, letting out a sigh. He looks up to the sky, examining the stars. He tries to take his mind off of mistrust and inevitable betrayal, and instead attempts to focus on the stars, bright points of light scattered across the deep black sky. He seeks out familiar constellations, hoping to find some solace in the stars, but the only images his mind will allow are scenes of death, murder, and destruction. He angrily grabs a nearby stone, and throws it as hard as he possibly can, watching it fly off into the distance. He sits down on the shifting sands, which still hold warmth from the sun’s light. He places his head in his hands, and cries, this time letting the tears fall. A small noise is heard from the door that Grian left ajar.
Scar emerges, and comes to stand behind Grian, careful not to startle the attentive avian. Grian stands up briskly, and aggressively wipes his eyes. Scar asks if he is alright, but Grian can’t bring himself to say anything. Instead, he flees. He takes a running leap off of the steep hill their base sits atop, and unfurls his wings to soar away from his companion. Scar is left outside, alone in the darkness. He stands for a few seconds, knowing that he won’t be able to catch up. Scar turns around and solemnly goes back into the house, lying down in his still-warm bed. The base feels strangely empty without Grian sleeping in his bed across the room. He silently rolls over to face the opposite wall, and somehow manages to fall asleep, not knowing if he even wanted to wake in the morning, only to find that Grian--his ally, his companion, his friend--was still missing. And so he slept.