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•◇•☆•◇•《Grian》•◇•☆•◇•
“Merry Christmas, everyone!” Mumbo said as he gave away the first gift.
This was likely the last time all of them would be seeing each other for a while. Jimmy and Scott were moving to a different country for college while Martyn was enlisting.
In short, there would be a lot of goodbyes soon.
For Grian, it was a particularly terrifying time as he was about to start college along with Mumbo and the others.
Architecture, he had decided after several months of wondering what his major should be. Scar had managed to convince him to not only join his major, but even become roommates since there was now a spot free in his room with Cub graduating. Sure, the teasing from Ariana was annoying, however, it would soon be over.
“Merry Christmas, Grian!” Scar smiled at him after wheeling next to him on the couch with a red scarf.
The younger man smiled, “thanks, Scar. Let me guess, something you made yourself?”
“Maaaaybe. Do you like it?” He wiggled his eyebrows. Grian snorted before unraveling the package to reveal a red scarf with little hearts sewn onto them. He felt his own heart start drumming harder in his chest as blood flushed to his cheeks.
If his father learned someone without noble blood was giving him something like that, he would be furious.
Expectant green eyes stared at him, waiting for a reaction.
“Y-yeah, Scar. I like it quite a lot. Much better than the sock you gave me last year. Singular sock.”
“I was just practicing with that! And it came from the heart! That's what matters!” Grian definitely appreciated how dedicated and passionate Scar was about anything he settled into doing. It was why, with just one year in architecture, he was already the best one he had ever known.
If only Scar was of noble blood as well.
Ariana was so lucky that she had someone like Mumbo, someone who was both amazing and of noble blood to be her fiance. Really, there were many other reasons why he envied his twin. From how loved she was, to her determination to conquer the job of her dreams. She was a pop star. THE pop stars of their time some might say, soon to be married to the mayor of their hometown.
Grian, though? He wasn't sure what he was going to eat the next day for breakfast. He lacked his twin's motivation or their younger sister's leadership skills. Really, the only thing he had going for him was his amazing pranking abilities.
“Here, I have something for you as well.” He said, revealing his own green and red package. Scar tore through it like a hound devouring the meat from the bone to reach the dark brown leather hat within. “You are always complaining other hats are too small for you, so I had this one tailored for you.”
“Grian… this must have cost a lot! Is this monster leather?”
“Yup. Creeper and enderman leather. It will last longer than regular leather.”
“Watchers, thank you so much! You really are the best!” His middle half was wrapped in the man's surprisingly strong arms, face pressed against his side.
“N-no need to get too excited there,” he patted his head.
The two were interrupted by the sound of Bdubs— Scar's adopted brother— yawning. “Alright folks, I think this is time for me to hit the hay. It is getting quite late.”
“Awww, no more caroling? I thought Grian's ears were about to start bleeding soon.” Jimmy grinned at him and the older of the two cousins’ eyes twitched.
“You know what?” Ari said, “Bdubs is right. It is getting really late, huh? Have we decided who is staying with who for the night?”
“I can stay with Scar.” Grian added quickly, maybe a little too much so. Certainly quick enough for his sister to smirk at him knowingly.
“I mean, I can if you'd prefer.” Pearl spoke up, “you are going to be spending a lot of time with him already, right? Surely, you want some time for yourself, right?”
“What are you talking about? I'm a treat to be around!” Scar complained.
“Well, you need a good night's sleep too, Pearl. I don't need that much, so if you want, I can do it.” Scott interjected.
“It is fiiiiine, guys. I am already used to his snoring.” Grian dismissed them both.
“I DON'T SNORE! AND I'M ALSO RIGHT HERE!” Most of the others just chuckled at their antiques, but Grian knew. He knew too well.
Him and Pearl had had a crush on Scar since they were teenagers. This led to a bit of a friendly rivalry since then as they both struggled to get his attention. Eventually, Scott joined them as well. The man still had no clue.
“We do have a room with two bunker beds. You can all sleep there if you are having issues deciding.” Mumbo winked at them.
He really wasn't helping.
“Good! Then all of you can attest to the fact I don't snore!”
Not ideal, but Grian would be accepting this as a draw on all of their parts.
《•♡•♡•♡•》
“SCAR!” Grian woke up in the middle of the night hyperventilating. He didn't remember much about his dream, just dunes of sand, bloody fists and falling to his death, and yet, years rolled down his cheek as he sat there, grasping his shirt. Thankfully, neither Scott nor Pearl woke up from his terror. The same couldn't be said for Scar. Mostly, because he hadn't been on his bed at all. “Scar?” He whispered, carefully getting up.
His wheelchair was also missing, but his bed was still warm, which likely meant he hadn't left too long prior. He should have ignored it and just gone back to bed. He likely had just gone to the bathroom or something. That was likely it! And yet, after that dream, he just felt a need to make sure the man was alright.
On his tiptoes, he left the room and began his exploration of the massive mansion Mumbo lived in.
Tall walls from way back in industrial England caged him, the hallways feeling far too cramped and narrow. Even the paintings in the walls felt as if they were following him with their eyes. Although he would spend time in that mansion since he was a boy, he still felt terrified of how small he was in comparison to everything else.
He started by checking the bathroom doors. They opened with ease. No one was in there.
Had Scar gone down to get water? No, he couldn't, he would need to either ask someone to get him down the stairs or use the elevator Mumbo installed for him which was too loud to not wake anyone up.
Caught in his own thoughts, Grian almost missed the sound of a window opening. He was fairly certain it came from Mumbo's office as well.
Carefully, he followed the noise to encounter Scar in front of the massive window, far bigger than anyone in any other room. He hated how gorgeous he looked under the moonlight, with his wild long brown hair moving with the wind and so much of his tanned skin revealed. He wore nothing more than boxers and a white shirt with only two buttons in place. Behind those, the many scars of a life he didn't like to speak of could be seen.
Grian could do little more than just admire him, breathless.
How could his parents— his people say he wasn't a celestial or noble enough when he looked like that? If the man had asked Grian to get on his knees and start praying for him at that moment, he might have just about started doing.
That was not what happened.
Instead, after a few moments looking at the moon, the man leaned forward as much as he could against the windowsill before gravity did the rest of the job. There, in front of his eyes, the love of his life was just throwing himself down from the third floor.
“NO!” Grian screamed, lunging forward without even thinking. He was able to grab onto the other's shirt, however, the difference in size and weight was more than enough to cause him to fall alongside the other instead.
“GRIAN?!” Was all that the noble heard before closing his eyes as the ground approached far too quickly.
Thankfully, they never actually met it.
No, instead, Grian found himself being held by strong, long claws just above the ground as gusts of wind hit his back over and over. He looked up to see a serpentine body covered in white fur from below, though the vast majority of it was a dark brown. He didn't have the time to contemplate his situation for much longer, however, as a bright light filled his gaze. The image of the panoramic suburban view was replaced by a blue sky and sunny day, brightening the meadow beneath them. The creature that had saved the short man's life was surprisingly delicate as he landed on the spacious grass beneath.
After letting go of him, yet another bright light surrounded the draconic beast to reveal Scar.
Scar no longer wore the clothes from before. Instead, he now had a black mask over his eyes, a long brown coat over his body, an orange bandana around his neck and a very familiar leather hat on his head, over his now tied hair. On his back, a pair of wings the same color as his hair caused him to stay afloat. “What the hell were you thinking, just dropping out of a window like that?!”
“I could ask you the same thing! What was that?! Where are we?! How are you flying?!”
Scar took a long, deep breath before speaking, “ok, promise me you're not going to freak out, alright?”
He was already freaking out. “F-fine.”
“I am something called a dream celestial, the last of my clan named the Somna. We are supposed to eat the nightmares of mortals to heal them from their afflictions. What you saw before was my true form.”
“SCAR, YOU ARE A DRAGON!”
“First, you promised not to freak out! Second, don't be silly, Grian, I am a celestial. Dragons don't exist! Your father is a celestial too, right? And your younger sister?”
Grian winced. He hated being reminded how Ariana had inherited their family's celestial blood and he hadn't, neither on the side of the Solarians like her or the Watchers.
No, Grian couldn't get distracted, this was insanity. “I have known you for years! Why didn't you tell me before?!”
“Because a lot of people don't like my clan, G! The Watchers were the one responsible for almost completely annihilating us. I was just… scared”
That piece of knowledge made his heart fall to his stomach. He knew they could be rough with other celestials as the ruling species, but to exterminate entire clans? C'mon! Surely this was a misunderstanding! They were all on the same side to protect mortals and the world alike. He wouldn't contest Scar, choosing to just save that information and look more into it later. “S-so what you're saying is that you have been eating the nightmares of people this whole time and we never knew?! You just lied to us? Made me think you were just a simple mortal?!”
“Is that really that important? If I'm mortal or not?”
Grian raised his hand next to his face and took a deep breath. He felt as if he was about to explode. In order to avoid that, he just turned around and began walking away.
Of course this idiot didn't understand the implications.
“W-wait, where are you going? You can't just go out there alone!”
“WATCH ME!”
He could tell the bright light was coming from behind him as Scar returned to his supposedly true form and jumped in front of him. “Grian!” He growled in a low voice, far too removed from humanity.
Now that they were both on the ground, he could see him properly. Scar's body was similar to that of a giant serpent with feline legs and talons instead of paws. A spiky mane covered his neck and around his head, with its spikes moving the direction based on his mood. At the end of his tail, similar spikes could be seen and familiar green eyes stared back at Grian. Even in this form, his body was covered in scars. The gaze at him wasn't one of rage, though. It was one of pity and fear. “Grian, please, I never meant to hurt you.”
The noble looked to the side with tears in his eyes.
“I was just afraid for so long and then I thought it wasn't important. My mother, not Cleo, my biological mother, made me promise that I would keep this a secret from all unless I wanted to make them my mate.”
Grian felt heat come to his cheek. Mate. Lover. If Scar was a celestial, that meant he qualified as a noble, even if an exiled one. Technically, that meant that, by his family's standards, they could be together. He could be with Scar if he could only get him a pardon. “You can be insufferable sometimes. Fine!” He pushed the dragon's giant head away. He knew he didn't have the strength to actually move the enormous thing, but Scar was cordial enough to pretend like he did. “Now, start talking. Where are we?”
“Thank the heavens.” Scar sighed before looking ahead, “hunting. I followed the aroma of a particularly terrible nightmare that has been haunting the dreams of mortals in the area. I was thinking I could deal with it and give people one more last minute Christmas gift.”
“Right, well,” he fiddled with his sleeves, “and how do I help?”
“Huh?! You?!”
“Yes! Me! You brought me along, so might as well be useful for something.”
“Grian, no offense, but you kinda…”
“What? Go on, say it. I kinda what?”
“Well, you can't… you know.”
“Use magic? Use celestial powers? Damn right I can't! I'm not Ari! But you know what I have that neither her nor you have?” He asked while starting to climb the creature's fur. Scar was kind enough to assist by grabbing the back of his pajamas with his mouth and placing him on his back.
“What?”
“Smarts. And pretty decent fighting skills! Give me a sword and I will dice any nightmares that come our way.”
“Hah! That's the spirit!” Scar began running ahead until, suddenly, the mane in his neck opened to reveal a pair of eagle wings with the rest of his body undulating behind him not unlike a snake. They weren't just his wings. They were also his ears.
The man had to hold on to the thick fur as hard as he could to avoid falling, which the dragon thankfully realized as he began going slower.
The world below was truly something beyond Grian's imagination. Within the seemingly infinite ocean of green below, hundreds, maybe thousands of citadels could be seen, surrounded by tall walls, each of a different color. “What are those?”
“Those are people's dreams. Each citadel will lead to a person's mind and deep inside of them, you will find their true selves and their heart. When a nightmare appears in those citadels, that's when people have nightmares themselves. It is my job to find and eat these nightmares and protect people.” The dragon stated proudly.
“Huh. What happens if you don't?”
“In the worst case scenarios, people lose their minds or risk having a heart attack. I have even heard of cases where a nightmare would follow the person back to the waking world, though I have not seen it myself.”
“I see. Are the palaces in the middle what people call mind palaces?”
“Yeah, exactly! Ya are really good at this, G!”
“Of course I am.” It was the blonde's turn to have his ego stroked. “What are nightmares anyway? How are they created?”
“So, inside people's dreams, you will find dreamlings. Think of them as the citizens of these cities, the people and the things there. These citizens can get corrupted by fear, sorrow, rage or really any emotion from the dreamer, which turns them into nightmares. Nightmares will then hurt other dreamlings and the dreamer themselves. If left unchecked, they might become strong enough to even leave for other dreams.”
“And that is what we are hunting.”
“Yup. Oh, I think I can smell it.”
“S-smell?!”
“It's not weird!” Scar's voice grew perhaps slightly too high pitched as he dropped in front of one of the overwhelming gates from the citadel before them.
“You? Weird? Never! Anyway, why not just fly in?”
“First, that's rude. Second, that might damage the psyche of the person we are trying to rescue. Gotta blend in” A bright light enveloped scar as he transformed back into the raggedy outlaw from before, Grian in his arms. The smaller of the two hopped off as soon as he could.
“Right, right. And how do I help?”
“First, ya can't look like that. You gotta look like one of the other dreamlings. Here, I can let you borrow some of my power.” Scar reached inside his mouth before pulling out a tooth as if it was the most normal thing in the world. At least he went for one in the back, which mostly blocked Grian's view, but there was no denying the blood covering the sharp object. It looked less like a man's tooth, more like a dragon's, with the object being as long as the noble's finger. “There you go.”
“Y-you really just expect me to carry that around?”
“No, silly! I am a shapeshifter! Just imagine what you want it to look like and it will adopt that form.”
“If you say so.” Grian took a deep breath before holding the tooth against his chest. Immediately the image of the scarf that Scar had given to him came to his mind. When his eyes opened again, the tooth had been replaced by the soft, red threads.
“Heh.” Scar smirked teasingly while leaning towards him. “I didn't realize you liked the scarf that much.”
“Quiet! I am just cold!” He put it on, hiding his mouth and nose in the process. “I'm guessing the power of dreams is how you can walk here too… unless that is also a lie.”
“No, not a lie. I really do have a neuromuscular condition and asthma. They thankfully don't affect me here though. Sadly, I still can't feel the grass beneath my feet, but hey. I can fly and that is much cooler than walking, right?”
“I wouldn't know.” Grian took a deep breath.
“Oh, right. Oops, heh.”
“How does this thing work anyway?”
“Imagine whatever you want to look like and it will reflect that as long as you are in the world of dreams.”
“Hm,” Grian thought for a moment before a bright light covered him as well. The next moment, he wore a red poncho and a light brown cowboy's hat not too different from Scar. A pair of red and purple wings appeared on his back as well, the color of the Watchers and the Sun Celestials.
“Nice! Guess we are matching, ay pardner?” Scar wrapped one of his arms around Grian who tossed it aside.
“I suppose we are.”
“Now, in we go.” Scar pointed his fingers at the gate as if they were a gun before pretending to shoot. The massive doors made from bars opened. Grian failed to notice at first, however, among the bars, a face seemed to have been shaped there. They were a child.
“Do you know who this dream belongs to?”
“Nope,” the taller stepped inside,”I try not to learn too much about the dreamers. It is not my place, just like it isn't a watcher's place to know about the personal life of the people they arrest and judge, right?”
“I suppose.” Looking around, the entire city seemed to be made out of candy, from chocolate skyscrapers to the cotton candy trees with cookies for their bark and even a blue jelly river. The citizens themselves looked like animals, with tiny bodies, big heads and beady eyes akin to plushies.
“Yeah, this is a child's dream alright.”
“I like kid's dreams the most. They are always so colorful and cheerful! Full of whimsy!” He reached for some of the cotton candy on a tree and stuffed some in his mouth before bringing the rest to Grian's lips. “C'mon, open up.”
Grian rolled his eyes, face burning as he did as he was told. It was sweet. Much sweeter than regular cotton candy should be and felt fuzzy in his mouth, ticklish even. He couldn't help the giggle that escaped his lips.
Scar joined him, “see? So full of whimsy and joy.”
“Ok, ok, I got it, big guy. Now, where is this nightmare you speak of?”
“He will show up soon enough.” An explosion nearly made Grian fall on behind.
“Ah, speaking of the devil.” As Scar stretched, the blonde man watched in horror as their target came into view.
Riding a red sleigh, a green furry being shaped like a man laughed. His whip stretched all the way from where he drove the vehicle to the other citizens and pulled them into the giant sack in the back.
“You've gotta be fucking kidding me.” He turned to look at Scar, “SCAR, TELL ME WE ARE NOT FIGHTING THE BLOODY GRINCH!”
Scar snickered, “yeah, apparently some kids are really scared of him.” One of his arms wrapped around Grian. “C'mon, time to get this over with.” Before he could complain, Scar was carrying him to the red sleigh.
“Huh?!” Was all that the Grinch (Grian still couldn't believe his eyes) could say before the short man was dropped on top of him.
He had NOT agreed to this!
“GOOD JOB, GRIAN! KEEP HIM DISTRACTED AS I FREE THE DREAMS!” The celestial was carrying armfuls of dreams down to the safety of the ground.
“HOW?!” No response came as the Grinch wrapped an arm around Grian's throat and began choking the man.
“You think you can best me, huh? THE mister Grinch?! I AM GOING TO STEAL CHRISTMAS and all the kids from their homes! HAHAHA! I AM SO MEAN!”
“I'm pretty s-ure that is out of character.” He slammed his head against the creature's nose, causing him to yelp in pain. Grian got to his feet and got the reins to stop the sleigh from crashing.
“I'M NOT DONE YET!” The green man tackled him down causing both to nearly fall from at least 8 stories high.
“Y-you are! So! Annoying!” He punched his enemy with each word who just laughed in return. The nightmare pinned the blonde down, hands wrapping around his throat.
“Who is the mean one now, huh?!” Those terrible jokes were going to kill him before asphyxiation could.
Grian noticed the now abandoned whip to the side and grabbed it before using its handle to slam into the other's head, knocking him off of not only the man, but the sleigh.
Before he could fall to what would most likely be his death, Grian used the whip to grab his ankle.
“Y-you saved me! After everything I did! Oh, thank you mister! Now I understand, you have shown me the true meaning of Christmas! I am a changed man and I will never forget this day— AHHHH!” Scar had suddenly flown onto the green man and was tearing his throat with his bare, sharp teeth from behind.
The Grinch wasn't able to struggle much before a chunk of his flesh was torn out. Grian thought he was going to be sick. “Good job, G!” Scar gave him the thumbs up, face still covered in blood.
“W-what the hell?!”
“Oh, don't worry. They aren't real!” The body suddenly began to glow before transforming into a green orb around the size of a fist. Scar grabbed it and shoved the entire object into his mouth and down his throat.
Grian could do little more than watch, dumbfounded. It was almost hot.
Almost.
As he processed what he had just witnessed, the sleigh began to disappear beneath his feet, sending him plunging down. “SCAR!”
The celestial swooped him almost immediately, taking the younger man into his arms bridal style once more.
“That was fun. We make a good team, you know?”
“Do we?” Grian was still trying to calm his heart.
Scar laughed. “Yeah, I really think we do.”
Grian didn't have the will to deny his words.
As they flew into the horizon, he allowed himself to settle in and enjoy the ride as well as the life they might possibly have together.