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When Scar stared up at the twinkling lights above him, he tried to find any difference he could between them and the stars in night sky or the stars in the Grian’s eyes. Except he couldn’t find any difference with the amazing build the man had done. The stars on the roof of the alley were perfect, strikingly magnificent. Beautiful. The stars in Grian’s eyes were beautiful. It took all of Scar’s willpower to not turn onto his side and just stare into those galaxy-filled eyes.
Outside the Midnight Alley, a storm raged on; the gods appearing angry to the Hermits… possibly from something one of the redstoners did. Inside, however, was warm and dry, safe from the gods’ wrath. Despite everywhere else on the server seemingly miserable, Scar had decided it was the perfect night for some stargazing with Grian. The duo who survived in the desert only to turn on one another in the end laid atop a beautiful blanket that was knit by Doc for Grian’s arrival on the server. It, surprisingly, provided the perfect amount of comfort from the stone below.
“How’d you get them to look so perfect?” Scar’s voice was soft, filled with awe as he stared up at the stars above.
“They’re far from perfect,” Grian argued as his ear wings covered his blushing cheeks. An embarrassed chuckled escaped him, “I mean just look at Capella, they’re too far left while Vega is too far right and don’t even get me started on-”
“They’re perfect,” Scar interrupted. Then, in a much quieter voice, but seemingly so loud, he uttered, “you’re perfect.”
If the brunet had just had the gall to glance over at the blond, he would’ve seen the blush growing deeper. He would’ve seen a bright, lopsided smile before it was covered by the sleeve of the blond’s red jumper.
Scar smiled up at the false stars that seemed so real, “and the universe said…” he trailed off, expectantly, waiting for Grian to continue. However, when the man next to him didn’t utter a word, he glanced over and noticed a fading blush on a very confused face. “And the universe said…” he tried again.
Confused, galaxy-filled eyes darted back and forth between Scar’s own concerned, green eyes. “The universe said what?”
Scar faltered, a nervous chuckle escaped his frame as he flashed Grian with his wary smile, “stop messing with me, G. Everyone knows at least one line.”
The blond propped himself up on his elbows, head tilted ever so slightly, “one line?” He was utterly confused, “I’ve never heard that before.”
“The End Poem,” Scar emphasized. “Everyone’s heard it.”
Grian slowly shook his head, confused, “clearly not everyone, sorry.”
“But you defeated the dragon,” the brunet quickly sat up, staring at Grian with a shocked look. “You must’ve heard it before.”
“Wha-?” A slight realization clicked in Grian’s head, face falling ever so slightly as he laid back down, deflating into himself ever so slightly. “Oh,” it was quiet, barely audible and soul crushing.
The concern in Scar’s body raised significantly after hearing that ‘oh.’ He looked down at the blond, eyes burning for an answer, “what’s with the ‘oh?’”
“Pearl once brought up how beautiful it was,” Grian smiled softly towards the stars above. “She said that she thought they had ruined it for her.” His smile fell slightly, “Martyn had told me that he had heard the poem before and that nothing could compare to it. Day one in that hellscape of a game and he told me how wonderful it was. I hadn’t defeated the dragon yet, so I thought I just hadn’t had the chance to hear it.”
Scar watched as a lone tear trailed out of Grian’s eye and down his temple, “wha-?”
The blond forced himself upright once more, back ramrod straight, eyes clouded with more, unshed tears, “they ruined it for me,” Grian muttered out. “They took away the chance to even hear those words that you all go on and on about. They tainted the poem for me.”
Scar didn’t need to ask who ‘they’ were; nightmares and long night talks and being taken twice to fight to the death played out in his mind, briefly, reminding him of them. Knowing who they were wasn’t a privilege, it was almost always a death-sentence just to be brought back and forced to do it over and over and over. To know they were the ones to rob such beauty from a specimen as equally as such was a horrifying reality he wished he didn’t reside in.
“I didn’t realize that was what you were talking about,” Grian muttered as his shoulders slumped forward, fists clenched tight with their nails digging in. “They’ve taken so much from me… I just always forget how much until things like this come up.”
Scar silently grasped the blond’s hands, gently pulling them open as he tugged them towards himself. “You never deserved to be robbed from, especially by them, but we can’t change out pasts-”
Grian looked sheepish as he cut the man off, “I mean-”
“Don’t,” Scar interrupted, knowing Grian enough by now to know what he was going to say. “That time machine only working in season six and even then it barely worked. It sent you, Ren, and Impulse back into Alpha!” The brunet chuckled at the sputtering blond before him, “you can try to lie and tell me it didn’t, but Doc and I heard you guys after your little ‘adventure,’” he kept chuckling as Grian’s galaxy-filled eyes widened. “As I was saying, we can’t change our pasts. However, we can shape our future.” He smirked at the quizzical look Grian sent his way before lightly shoving the man back down and flopping down beside him.
“Scar!” The shorter man couldn’t help but to exclaim as he began sputtering and laughing, “what was that for?”
Said man ignored the question, “give me your hand.”
Grian rolled his eyes as he shoved his hand into Scar’s face, blushing slightly as the man gently took it.
In turn, Scar smiled lightly as he traced random shapes and squiggles into the palm, “I’m going to tell you a story; not the truth, no. A story that contains the truth safely, in a cage of words. Not the naked truth that can burn over any distance.”
Grian froze, confused, “what are you doing?”
“Player-”
“Scar-!”
“Grian. Player of games.”
“Scar,” the blond yanked his hand back, turning onto his side, staring at the man. “What on earth are you doing?”
Said man chuckled softly, “sorry, I just… I have it memorized and you shouldn’t go your whole life not hearing it.”
The smaller man’s breathing stuttered briefly, baffled, “you- you can- for me?”
The scarred man hesitated before reaching out and gently taking the blond’s hand once more, “I would do anything for you.” His next words were caught in his throat; in lieu of words, a soft smile adorned his face before bringing the hand to his lips. A gentle kiss was pressed, softly, into the knuckles.
Grian seemed to short-circuit as he stammered out something with hushed words and his blush returned, redder than a ginger in the summer sun.
A similar look was shared by Scar as he breathed out slowly, mostly in disbelief that he had just done that. With that breath, he slowly moved the hand to just over his heart. With a clear of his throat, he stuttered a bit as he began to weave the words together once more.
Grian, in awe and shock, listened as he felt his… friend… mess with his hand; soft traces of indistinct shapes and lines and each finger curled and uncurled as Scar continued on. His words, despite being a mere repeat that was heard by nearly everyone, made him feel as though he was special. Maybe it was the way he spoke, nobody else would hear these words like this. Maybe it was the way Scar made him feel as though they were the only two people in existence. Either way, he was entranced.
The duo kept their eyes on the false stars above that seemed so real, hearts beating just a tad faster than normal. Although, both wanted nothing more than to turn onto their sides and at one another; the fear of rejection, however, kept them looking up.
Then Scar was getting close to the end, “and the universe said I love you.” His grip on Grian’s hand tightened enough to be noticeable, “and the universe said you have played the game well. And the universe said everything you need is within you.” He closed his eyes for a moment, “and the universe said you are stronger than you know,” he made up his mind as he looked up once more. “And the universe said you are the daylight. And the universe said you are the night.” He slowly turned his head, smiling at the blond beside him, “and the universe said the darkness you fight is within you. And the universe said the light you seek is within you.” He shifted and rolled onto his side, causing Grian to do the same. Perfect. He stared into those galaxy-filled eyes, “and the universe said you are not alone. And the universe said you are not separate from every other thing.” He reached his own hand, cupping the blond’s face, “and the universe said you are the universe tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code.” He glanced at Grian’s lips briefly before resting his forehead against the other’s, “and the universe said I love you because you are love.”
As Scar finished reciting words he’s heard probably a million times by now, he held the smaller man in his arms, feeling each inhale and exhale. Each hitch of breath was evident, but he didn’t dare ask about it. Once the final word left his mouth, he regretted reaching out and holding on because he never wanted to let go.
Grian didn’t let go either, but he did move his head back so he was staring into Scar’s green eyes. “That was beautiful,” his voice was small and quiet, keeping the moment as it was. “Thank you.”
Before his mind could process his own words, Scar blurted out, “I love you.” When he realized what he had just said, his eyes widened as he sputtered about with an apology.
“Scar,” the soft call out to the man forced him to pause. A wary smile adorned Grian’s face, “can I tell you a secret?”
The pause from Scar seemed to last for hours but was only less than five seconds. A small, slow nod of confusion left him. He couldn’t help but to anticipate the worst after letting those three words slip.
The smaller man’s voice was as soft as the smile that accompanied it, “I love you too.”
The scarred man was frozen, staring at the man in his arms. His eyes couldn’t help but to look for any deception in the beautiful galaxy-filled ones, but there was none. With a shaky breath, he asked, “can I kiss you?”
The smile seemed to widen as Grian nodded. That was all Scar needed as he gently kissed the man in his arms. This wasn’t what either expected when they planned this evening, but it wasn’t an unwanted outcome either. Neiter knew what came next, but they awaited it with open hearts.
And the universe said I love you because you are love.