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The sun could be good.
The sun provided light to even the most microscopic flora. Its brilliant rays encouraging seedlings to sprout from the cold, bare ground, promising a lifetime of safety and security. It promised sight to those unfortunate to be chosen in the Life Games. It promised shadows casted by shuddering trees or creaking buildings.
Scar also learnt that the sun could be bad.
Pounding mercilessly into the sand dunes of the desert he called home. Drying out precious water rations. Burning and blistering his bare shoulders the deep maroon of his name. With the life it protects, the sun could take it just as quickly.
He was used to these problems.
One of those problems was Grian.
With sandy blond hair that just brushed his eyebrows, short, willowly frame, red macaw-banded wings, deep - almost void-like - brown eyes and an oversized sweater. Grian was a problem that Scar could in fact, not handle.
Those eyes.
Those eyes, wide and unassuming. Glittering an almost otherworldly purple in bouts of anger or intense emotion.
Those eyes would be the death of Scar.
Eyelashes batting innocently, head propped on his hand, wings folded in a heart shape behind his back.
Scar could talk his way out of a lot of situations.
Grian was not one of them.
He sighed, shifting his weight as a chill breeze brushed his skin. The ruthless sun was finally beginning to rest on the horizon, turning the yellow sands of the desert black. Scar was sitting cross-legged on the ledge overlooking their territory. He was technically supposed to be patching his wounds from a recent fight with Dogwarts, however, he became easily distracted by the maroon hues of the bleeding atmosphere. The colors reminded Scar of someone special. That special someone totally wasn't a certain avian. Scar shook his head, Grian was just a friend, he could be nothing more.
A very 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 friend maybe.
Jolting upwards, he got to his feet, gazed at the sky for a few seconds longer, then turned on his heel back to the dull light coming from the tower.
➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶➴➵➶
The scratching of a feather pen on wrinkled paper could be heard. Onyx lines of ink illuminated by the dull light of a lantern. A thin layer of dust incased the back of the table. By the front was a hunched over and very exhausted avian. Grian had spent all of late afternoon until well into the evening on battle plans and rationing their resources. 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴.. Unfortunately this meant that he could barely feel the bedraggled wings hanging limp at his sides, the primaries clipped per the Watc- per 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 request. Despite all this, Grian had a routine going; Scribble partially complete thoughts and routes onto the paper, then set it aside to calculate how much resources it would take to do said plan.
He had it all under control.
That was until he felt a pair of warm hands settle firmly on his sore shoulders.
𝘍𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴.
Grian yelped, barely suppressing jumping out of his seat, his heart rate spiking. His wings screamed at him in protest, the sore appendages folded protectively against his back.
Scar chuckled faintly behind him, even as Grian shrugged off his grip.
"You know, " the avian dragged his gaze to meet his companion's, "You 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 shouldn't sneak up on someone, not when tensions are this high. "
Scar simply grinned, that stupid, charming, lopsided grin.
It didn't make Grian feel fluttery at all.
"What can I say, I love a dramatic entrance."
"Your 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 have nearly gotten us killed, Scar. "
"What's life without a little danger?"
Grian groaned, either deciding it wasn't worth chiding his teammate on or not having a response ready.
Leaning against the rickety table and crossing his arms, Scar glanced over the papers sprawled on the surface, " Exactly how long have you been sitting here? " He questioned, raising an eyebrow the slightest amount.
Grian made a small noise in the back of his throat, "Not long enough.."
Scar shook his head, not in a way that made you feel like a disappointment, but in a fond, sort of endearing way.
"Grian! You know that's very counterper- Counterpri-"
"Counterproductive? "
"That's what I said! We can't have you hurting your pretty little head by... "
The lamplight hit Scar's sturdy frame in such a way that he looked almost ethereal. His brown hair was a bit windswept, bits stuck to his face with sand and sweat. The fading sun painted the sky in oranges and yellows, just peaking out from behind the fenced windows. The bright colors complimented Scar's eyes, formally an emerald green, but were now a red.
Grian thought that a red name's eyes were lifeless and bloodthirsty.
Scar was anything but that.
His eyes reminded Grian of sweet wine, glittering with mirth like a glass being poured. Deep and thoughtful like a spill on a white tablecloth.
"Birdie? "
Scar's voice trickled into Grian's wondering thoughts. He blinked, finding himself leaning against the table with his face resting on his hand.
"Hm? " Grian half-smiled sheepishly.
"Were you listening to my very 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 monologue about health and safety? " Scar deadpanned, a smirk evident on his twitching lips.
Grian winced at the tone, he didn't mean to get distracted, his attention was completely on Scar! Maybe if he just-
𝘈 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴.
"Birdie? " The voice sounded again. Stars, he lost focus again!
Standing up with a start, Grian trained his eyes on the sandy floor, refusing to meet Scar's gaze.
Big mistake.
His wings, having kept still for hours, cramped at the sudden movement. A stabbing pain gripped Grian's spine, sending unpleasant shivers up his back.
The avian stumbled forward, expecting to meet a face full of ground and a wounded pride.
Grian braced himself, waiting for the fall that never came. Sure, his face planted into 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, but he didn't realize it until the pain subsided to an aching throb.
That something was Scar's chest.
Grian muttered something forbidden under his breath, then realized exactly where his mouth was.
Before he could rush out an apology or push Scar away, those hands came to his spine. More gently this time. They began to rub slow, small circles on Grian's stiff muscles, washing away the tension like rain on cement.
"You're an important piece of this team, G. Would it really hurt to relax a bit? " Scar murmured into his hair, his voice low and convincing as if he were trying to scam someone for their pants.
Grian really should have at least 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 to argue, put up a fight.
Scar was a red name after all! Would anyone really blame him if he didn't want those hands near his neck?
Those warm, comforting hands.
Grian decided right then and there he wasn't a smart man.
Tentatively, the avian relaxed his muscles one by one, shoving down the pang of anxiety that fluttered through his chest.
"That's good G... " Scar cooed, wrapping his arms around Grian's waist.
His face flushed at the nickname. Scar flirted and poked at Grian any chance he got, this time however, the praise seemed genuine and soft.
𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢.
Shifting slightly away from the enticing grip, Grian forced himself to look up into Scar's eyes.
"What do you want from me, Scar? "
His voice was soft, barely a breath, but the words held a weight that Scar wasn't ready to drop.
𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
The words died in Scar's throat before he could push them up. Instead, he merely smiled, " Let's talk logistics later, right now, you need to 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵. "
The red name tried tugging Grian into the corner where their beds lie, but the avian stubbornly planted his feet firmly on the ground.
"No Scar I don't-" Grian stopped himself. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶.
No no no. That wasn't true! He trusted Scar with his life.
... Right?
Scar's smile dimmed slightly, "What Grian? What don't you? "
Grian tugged at his sweater sleeves, trying to come up with an excuse on why 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 he couldn't relax.
"You're- You're a red name. " He stated simply, forcing his aching wings to press against his back.
Scar faltered, hesitantly turning to the side to meet those unreadable void-like eyes.
"You don't actually.. " Scar cleared his throat and tried again, "G, you don't 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 think I'd hurt you, yeah? "
When his companion didn't answer, Scar shifted his weight so that he was just behind Grian's wings.
Grian's breath hitched when he felt a warm puff of air brush his neck. He could practically feel Scar's gaze resting on him.
"Scar.. " He whispered, obsidian eyes shimmering with an undefined emotion. His mouth pursed as if he were withholding a secret and had babbled it to the world.
"Grian." The milky tone sounded out once more, Grian's name sounded like honey and flowers in that voice.
Hands ran down his sweater, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake, and rested on Grian's own.
"I can't-" He swallowed hard. What couldn't he do? He could trust Scar.
He'd been dead by now otherwise.
Grian's companion intertwined their fingers, tugging firmly until the avian complied and stepped forward. Allowing himself to be sat down on the bed.
There was a moment of silence between the two, Grian assumed Scar had dropped the subject. He couldn't help the knot of emotions that unraveled at the thought.
Unfortunately for him, however, when Scar wanted something, he'd get it.
A shudder ran up Grian's spine. A billow of air kissed the back of his neck as Scar leaned in closer, ruffling the avian's feathers more than he'd like to admit.
"Grian, I need you to answer my next question honestly," A murmur breathed into the shell of his ear. Stars, was it getting warm in here?
Not trusting himself enough to speak, Grian merely nodded, averting his eyes to his lap.
"Do you think that I would-" Scar began, but was abruptly cut off as the avian suddenly straightened and muttered something incomprehensible.
Scar peered at Grian's face, cocking his head to the side in a confused manner. What he didn't expect was to see wet, glittering stains rolling down the yellow name's face.
Shifting on the mattress so that he was angled to the side instead of directly behind, Scar raised a hand and wiped the tear tracks with his thumb.
Grian tensed, forcing himself to not shrink under the touch, clearing his throat as quietly as possible, he repeated the words.
"Why haven't you killed me yet?"
The hand on his face froze, either shocked by the question or contemplating his answer.
Grian privately thought the latter.
Fortunately for his fogged critical thinking skills, Scar answered, "Is that- Grian is that what you're thinking about?" When the avian didn't answer, Scar exhaled through his nose, bringing his free hand between Grian's wings.
He was expecting Grian to lash out, maybe walk away entirely.
What he wasn't expecting was the avian to burst into body racking sobs and lean against Scar's touch like a strangler fig reaching for the sun.
Grian knew he was being selfish, he knew he should have just walked away.
But right now, the bone-crushing hug he was receiving was probably the most beautiful thing he had ever felt.
Choking back another sob as those kind touches began rubbing circles down his back, he managed to croak out a whispered 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺.
"G, believe it or not, you're the only person in this game that I wouldn't scam out of their pants."
That was the final straw for Grian's thinking skills.
"Are you- You're- Are you 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 joking about your con-operation right now?" He sputtered, glancing over in Scar's direction, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"You stopped crying though." Scar retorted, a faint smile melting onto his face.
"You're insufferable." Grian whined, though there was no bite in his words.
The weight of the night seemed to lift as Scar's warm giggles filled the air, lingering like breath on a cold day. Although Grian had literally just asked the man why he hadn't killed him yet (And later he would admit that the fight or flight tension of the Life Games had heavily influenced his choice of words), he felt as if everything would be okay again in that sound.
"Yeah but you love it." Scar's voice dropped, running his hand up Grian's back, as was his want, and rested it at his neck.
"Unfortunately ye-" Grian stopped himself short, jolting (rather regrettably) from his leaning position on Scar's side.
Scar tipped his head to the side, "What's that?"
Pulling away from his grip, Grian abruptly sat up, whirling around to look Scar in the eye.
"N- No, No I didn't mean-" The avian trailed off in his rambling. His face felt hot, and the dreamy atmosphere of the evening vanished as suddenly as he stood up.
"What do you mean by that? Grian, I-"
Scar cut himself off, he scrambled to his feet and looked down at Grian in confusion.
Stepping into his personal bubble, Grian looked up with dark wet eyes. His shoulders were sloped and his red banded wings traced lines in the floor.
Scar placed his hands on Grian's upper arms, carefully pulling him closer.
The avian promptly looked up. Without warning, he got on his tip toes and pressed a feather light kiss to Scar's cheek.
The red name froze, surprise lighting up his blood colored eyes.
Backing away from the touch, Grian stepped to the door of their tower and looked back,
"I'm 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺."