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The sun beat down on the wide expanse of the desert, sand precious to them and potentionally only to them. Grian looked to scar who was going on again about how great this situation somehow was, that they could sell the sand, and force a monopoly on it. Grian wondered with how much scar was talking, if he was trying convice him or himself. Somehow with scar's honey'd words, he could almost believe this could work. Almost.
The truth was that this desert was far too big, too hard to manage, and who would buy something that could be found everywhere? But how could he say that to scar? As negative as Grian's mind was he could never take away that smile from scar, he was too passionate about this, and grian still felt a lingering guilt for what had happened that day. He winced at the thought, and scar must've noticed.
"This will work out grian, I swear!"
Scar smiles at him, he must've assumed grian was still unsure about hte who monopoly situation, which he was right in thinking so but this wasnt about that. "No, its just.. I know I already said sorry but.. I.." He trailed off feeling his stomach drop, he brought it up but instantly regretted it, but its not something he could forget. Scar frowned stepping closer and putting a hand on grian's shoulder, "Grian, I already told you it's okay, the point of these games is to kill eachother anyways!" Scar said with a warm smile but grian didnt feel the warmth at all. "I know.. but not like that! Not so early, and not..! and not you scar.. it was meant to be a prank.. I didn't actually want to.. kill you." Grian pulled away from scar breathing in sharply, feeling almost a sense of embarrassment for expressing himself. He looked back at scar and was suddenly broken out of his shame when he saw scar's face, he had an expression of a kicked puppy. "What!? Whats with that look?!" Grian asked a mixture of surprise and shrillness in his voice.
"Don't pull away from me.." scar scooted back towards grian, arms outstretched, still with a stupid expression of mock misery. Grian could help but laugh letting scar wrap his arms around him, shaking his head in confusion. "Whats wrong with you.." Grian chuckled out, scars devious plan to distract him working perfectly. "Y'know grian, this hug feels so weird without your wings. I kind of miss them.. More than i thought I would!" Scar pulled away looking down into grian's dark eyes, to which grian didnt meet his gaze. "You're telling me, im surprised i haven't fallen to my death thinking i could fly yet.." Grian sighed, thinking back to when he came up with the idea for the game, back in hermitcraft. Bored, and avoiding doing something he should be doing, he proposed the idea of the game to the rest of the server, and a few outside of it. He made the decision to remove their hybrid features to make the games fair, however he hadn't thought much about how weird it would all feel, his back feeling lighter without the weight of his wings, and taking a few more tumbles than usual.
"Hehe, This time I'll make sure you pay attention! I love being a switch!" Scar said cheerfully, as grian laughed and cringed at the same time. "That doesnt mean what you think it means scar.." Grian shook his head as scar gace him a confused look, "What? What did I say?" But scar was given no response as grian just laughed, before breathing in and smiling.
"Let's focus.. we need to light up the desert so mobs dont spawn.. do you mind doing that for me? I'll start work on the base while you do that." To this, scar agreed, setting off as grian worked, putting the base together. Occasionally have scar get more supplies, and giving him more torches to light up the desert, until the sun set. By then at least one level was finished, Unfurnished, with only chests, and two beds sat in a corner. Scar entered the home, sad about the loss of pizza and a cat apparently. "Where have you been??" Grian frowned coming down the ladder, from where he was working on the second story. The chastising tones making scar go slient for a moment, frowning again. "I was looking for pizza.." Grian sighed annoyed, but not at scar. "No ones red yet and some how everyones already causing problems for us, stealing pizza like that.." Grian internally scolded them and scar perked up at grians words.
"I know right!? Thank you! Everyones been running circles around me, pointing me in all the wrong directions for fun! At least I know you have my back G!" Scar smiles hugging grian with a big ol smile on his face, to which grian pats his arm, his way of returning the hug.
"I am indebted to you, scar.." Grian looks away from scar, the words almost intended for himself, like he was reminding him to keep his distance almost. However scar didn't pick up on that luckily. "And you built such alovely base for us! Their gonna see this place and tremble in fear of the mighty monopoly men!" He cheerfully gestured with an outstreched hand, keeping a hand on grians waist, as if painting picture with his hand. Grian groaned at scar's almost childish behavior, but there was no real distain in it. In truth he found the antics amusing, almost.. ccute. Grian felt himself fluster, the mixture of scar's hand plplacement and words making his cheeks go slightly red as he sharply pulled away. "That would be true if we actually had a monopoly." Grian reminded scar of the disaster with the dark oak, with scar frowning at him.
"We still have the sand!"
"scar, the desert is way too big to actually stop people from taking it!"
There was slience for a long moment, and scar felt every second like a stab in the heart, he said the one thing he didnt want to say, taking the smile from scars face. He cleared his throat opening his mouth to speak again. "But.. But if we could.. Make some kind of barrier around the desert.." Grian offered weakly, feeling guilt hit him again. But it didnt last as scar perked up.
"Cactuses!" Scar shouted out.
"cacti." grian corrected.
"Yeah that! We could make a cacti barrier around the desert!" Scar smiled again, one of his big classic smiles.
Grian felt beyond relieved to see it. He breathed out a breath he didn't knowhe was holding and nodded closing his eyes to think about it, it wasnt entirely impossible, making a catus barrier could at least stop someone long enough for them to actually get therebto really stop them, and for scar to work his magic. This plan was more solid than the orginal one at least.. "That could work.. If we wanted to get around the whole perimeter we'd have to start as soon as possible though."
"Then what are we waiting for!?" Scar made a move to the door, but grian halted him by grabbing his shirt.
"Daytime preferably. The desert isn't finished being lit up, because someone didn't finish the job." Grian pulled him back before continuing. "I didn't finish furnishing nor making a proper bedroom but this is better than sleeping in shifts outside. We can both properly rest tonight." Though internally grian wondered how long that would last, once people started to turn red he was sure some people would start to try for an underhanded kill in the night. He decided he would definitely want to savor tonight.. "Alright.. but first thing tomorrow let's get every cactus in the desert and start the ring!" Scar said cheerfully walking up to the cluttered little corner full of chests and two beds just slightly apart from each other. "I'm glad you put the beds over here, the hole from the ladder is making it so chilly over there!" Scar sat on one of the bed smiling. Grian had done that on purpose, the first night in the desert for him was rough, not only were they forced to sleep in shifts to avoid mobs, but this was the first time grian didn't have his feathers to keep him nice and warm, and he suffered for it. Honestly he always felt cold except for in the middle of the day when the sun was in its peak, this was a desert after all.
Grian was jolted out of his thoughts when scar spoke suddenly.
"We can sleep together if you want" Grian knew what scar meant but he couldn't help but get a little flustered and chuckle slightly.
"Phrasing scar.. but I suppose it wouldn't be the first time.. you can move the beds together if you'd like." It was true, it wouldn't be the first time they rested beside one another, grian began to think of it like a sleepover, people sleep beside one another without any weirdness all the time. Yet this felt weird different. Grian had been feeling this way for awhile.. scar was touchy with everyone, that's just who he was, how he showed affection. Even using it to lull people into a false sense of security, or trying to feign closeness to sell something to someone. He knew he wasn't special or that scar was doing it on purpose yet.. grian couldn't help but feel different now. When he used to do it before, he didn't really care for it, used to hate it when he got touchy with his wings but now, he misses it, he craves it, even before these games he kinda always wanted to ask scar to help him preen. But that was way too embarrassing, he could never, he would die of shame before asking. It was just the sort of thing to him that just had to happen naturally.
"Well? The sun's about to set! Ya gonna get in bed with me or what?" Scar said taking off his shirt. "First of all scar put your shirt back on if we're are going to be sleeping in the same bed your clothes need to stay on."
"But it's uncomfy.." scar complained.
"Isn't the whole point of sleeping in the same bed to share warmth? If you take off your shirt your gonna be colder anyways." Grian said shaking his head, taking off an outer layer.
"Maybe that's not the point." Scar looked away.
"W-what?" Grian chuckled nervously getting slightly flustered.
"Maybe I just wanna be close to you." Scar looked grian in the eyes, his eyes half lidded. Grian was sure he was bright red.
"SCAR WHAT." grian shouted completely flustered and quite frankly shocked as he threw his outer layer, a poncho, at scar. Scar laughed as he poncho hit his face, covering his eyes. But he just laughed at grian's reaction, letting himself fall back onto the bed.
Grian shook his head recognizing scar was likely teasing him. He wondered what that meant, did scar know that.. no he wasnt even sure himself. Grian walked up to bed, the other side where he laid down beside scar. Scar looked at him, still smiling. "Goodnight grian." Scar sighed out his laughing fit finished, as he turned away settling with his back turned. Crickets chirped in the desert and as scars breathing slowed grian stirred. He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to mention it but Everytime he closed his eyes he thought about what had happened that day and how different it felt. Then he thought farther back, to the day he introduced the idea of the game to the rest of the players. It was etho who had asked the question, the question that made his heart drop. "What made you come up with this idea?" It was such a simple question, yet it sent a chill down his spine.
The watchers. In truth this idea was only conceived because the watchers were getting restless, no longer did his antics on hermitcraft entertain them. They wanted something more, and in truth so did he. The watcher in his blood craved more than the friendly battle and casual escapades. He thought back to the prank gone wrong, the way it was so much more graphic than deaths on hermitcraft. The way he could feel the weight of the blast, the smatterings of blood on the ground, something that was never a thing on hermitcraft.
It was sickly, scars body lingering for a moment too long, giving them all a good look at the disgusting back of scars flesh and bone, blasted open. It was awful. Disgusting. Yet.. he felt a vile feeling, one that felt like it was ripped out of him, clawing it's way through his body and mind. A thrill. A thrill he craved. His stomach dropped in a way that was addictive. He enjoyed watching it happen.
Grian looked at scar, the very same back that was blasted open in his mind turned to him. He felt awful, like crying. But he didn't, the feelings just seemed to be stuck in him. Never able to leave him. Suddenly an arm flopped over his chest. It was scar's. He was face down into his pillow, and hand an arm and a leg over the edge of the bed, basically starfished half off the bed. Grian chuckled under his breath but it died in his throat, still feeling bad. He had hurt scar. He was hurting everyone here really. For entertainment. Out of fear. Out of all the worse parts of himself. Grian already knew now he was a bad person.
Why not just be a little more selfish,
And savor this moment.
Grian pulled scar in, scar adjusting himself he was on his side, and grian let himself rest his forehead on scar's chest. Scar was too good for him. He felt like he was stealing scar away from someone who deserves him. But as scar instantly wrapped his arms around him, even in his sleep, how could it not feel so right?
Grian closed his eyes. He knew it would only get worse from here.