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“I can’t believe this, Tim.” Grian left his bedroom to pace the living room, clutching his phone as if he could send his frustration through to his brother via the cell signal.
“Listen, listen, I know it’s stupid but I can’t - you have to help me out here, please!” Jimmy’s voice on the other end was pleading.
“Tim, look, it’s not my fault you made some stupid bet about my love life. If whatever you wagered was that bad, just get Pearl to let you off.”
Jimmy’s heavy sigh came through the phone speakers. “I know, I know, but - she’s not gonna let me off, man, you know that.”
Grian rolled his eyes. But Jimmy was right - their sister could be incredibly stubborn, especially when she was being proven right about something.
“Isn’t it kind of cheating, though, if you try to get me involved?” he asked. “Wouldn’t that invalidate the bet or something?”
“I don’t know! She doesn’t need to know, okay? I just - I can’t lose this bet, Grian, I just can’t!” Jimmy sounded desperate. He’d been refusing to tell Grian what he’d actually bet on this, but it must have been something really embarrassing for him to be begging like this.
“...I’ll see what I can do. But, listen, Tim,” he said, holding the phone’s mic close to his mouth, “you owe me, big time.”
“Oh, god, thank you, Grian, I’ll make it up to you, I promise!” Jimmy said with relief.
“You better,” Grian said.
“What was that all about?” said Scar after Grian had hung up.
Grian yelped, startled. “You heard all that?” He hadn’t realized his roommate was in the living room when he came out here to pace.
“Yep.” Scar was sprawled out on the couch, his head pillowed on the armrest - and he was completely shirtless, as usual.
“Scar, put some clothes on!” Grian complained, shielding his eyes.
“Can’t. Laundry day,” Scar said with a smirk. He didn’t look up from his phone.
This was a long-running joke between them, since their first semester of being roommates. Scar was hot and he knew it. He liked to show off anytime he could, and he liked to pretend it was an accident, or forgetfulness, or that he didn’t have a choice about it (like today). Grian didn’t really mind. But over the course of their two years as roommates, he’d found it harder and harder to pretend he wasn’t flustered by the sight of Scar’s bare abdomen.
Grian didn’t find himself truly attracted to people all that often - just a few people here and there through the years. In high school, his childhood best friend had been his gay awakening. It had never really gone anywhere; his friend hadn’t seemed interested in dating in general, so Grian had just never bothered to tell him. And in college, he’d gone on a couple dates, but didn’t really feel what everyone else seemed to expect him to feel.
But he felt it with Scar. Oh, yes, he did.
“You know, you didn’t answer my question,” Scar said, cutting off his train of thought. “What was that about a bet?”
Grian let out a long-suffering sigh, then perched on the armrest opposite Scar. “Apparently, when I started grad school, Timmy and Pearl made a bet about me… I guess Pearl thought I would go the whole two years without ever, like, dating. And Tim bet that I’d date at least a little. He won’t tell me what the stakes were, but apparently he’s getting desperate now that I’m on my last term, so he called me up to try to rig the bet. Or something.”
“...Huh.” Scar raised an eyebrow. “You know, I knew you didn’t get out much, but have you really not gone out with anyone while we’ve been here?”
“Nope,” Grian said, popping the p. “I dated a little in college, but I wasn’t all that motivated. And grad school’s intense. I just never bothered to make time for it once I got here.”
“Is it… not something you’re interested in?” Scar asked.
“It’s not that, exactly,” Grian said. “In the grand scheme of things, I think I do really want to have a partner. It’s just that meeting new people is so much work, and I’d have to get to know someone before I’d know if I want to do stuff with them, and that takes such a long time and so many activities, and I’ve got a thesis to finish, man…” Grian groaned and slid onto the seat of the couch, pushing aside Scar’s feet as he did so. “So like, when Pearl and Tim tease me about never getting out and meeting people, they’re not trying to push me into anything I completely don’t want. I know I want a partner someday, and I know I have to meet people to get to that point. It’s just… ugh, it’s so hard. And I just don’t wanna,” he said, throwing his head back on the sofa.
Scar, who had been listening attentively, laughed a little at Grian’s theatrics. “Sounds rough, man…”
Scar couldn’t necessarily relate - he found it easy to meet and charm new people, and he’d had a regular series of casual no-strings hookups throughout his time at grad school. But still, he could sympathize with his friend.
He thought for a minute. “Hey, if you wanna meet people, I hear one of the art students is throwing a mixer at their place next weekend. I could go with you, if that would make it easier for you.”
“Maybe!” Grian’s eyes brightened a little. “Although… ugh…” He dragged a hand over his face, evidently frustrated, then shook it off. “No, never mind, I’ll do it. It’ll be fine.”
Scar raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”
Grian waved a hand dismissively. “Eh, I’m just waffling, don’t mind me.”
“Talk to me, G.”
Grian sighed. “I just… am so inexperienced, Scar. And I’m fully twenty-five, and I’ve only been on dates with like… three people, and none of those went further than a second date.” He groaned, tipping his head to look at Scar. “I don’t know what I’m doing, and I’m sure it shows. I’m rubbish on dates, I don’t know how to flirt, and I’m probably a terrible kisser. It’s embarrassing.”
Scar laughed. “Well, all of those you can get better at over time. You’ve got to get experience if you want to be more experienced, G!” He poked Grian in the ribs. “The more you try new things, the more you’ll get more comfortable in your skin, and that’ll make you better at flirting and being a good date. And as far as kissing, that just takes practice, y’know.”
Scar winked at Grian.
Grian felt his heart stop for a moment. But that was exactly Scar’s style - silver-tongued and flirtatious, even with his most platonic of friends.
So he laughed it off, punching Scar lightly in the shoulder. “Like I’m gonna find someone who wants to practice kissing with me.”
“Aww, don’t get down on yourself, G,” Scar said, ruffling Grian’s hair playfully. “It’s not a hard sell.”
Grian raised an eyebrow skeptically. “Yeah? Would you do it?”
Scar’s breath hitched in his throat.
“Yeah.”
Grian went quiet. Slowly, he turned to face Scar. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears.
“Go on, then,” he said.
Scar shifted closer.
He was watching Grian carefully, almost as if he were waiting for permission to be revoked. But Grian held his gaze, searching those jade-green eyes with a quiet boldness.
Slowly, hesitantly, Scar reached out a hand to cup Grian’s cheek.
Scar’s hand was calloused and gentle. He’d started working for the campus landscaping crew this year, designing and helping to lay decorative gardens around the grounds… Every single thing he did held an artistry and care that Grian couldn’t help but love. He leaned into the touch of that rough-skinned hand, and his eyes half-closed.
In that dimming of the light, Scar’s lips met his. Soft, careful, and slow.
Grian allowed himself to run a hand up the back of Scar’s neck, drawing him closer. His own neck was craned at an awkward angle, but it was worth it. God, it was so worth it.
Scar pulled back just a breath, his lips just barely grazing Grian’s now. “Try to relax a bit more,” he murmured. “And don’t be afraid to scoot closer if you want.”
Grian made an indistinct noise in his throat. He wasn’t sure if he could manage words right now. So he just nodded, kissing Scar’s beautiful lips again.
With a hand on his mid-thigh, Scar tentatively guided Grian so that his legs were over Scar’s lap. Grian moved in closer, running his hands along Scar’s broad shoulders - oh, god, he was still shirtless.
He settled instead on cupping Scar’s face with both hands as he deepened the kiss, tangling his fingers in that thick brown hair. Their torsos were pressed flush together, one of Scar’s sinewy arms firm around his waist, holding him close.
Grian felt like he could do this for hours. He gasped when he felt Scar’s tongue brush against his lips, and he met it with his own, an invitation which Scar eagerly took.
So this was what it felt like to have someone’s tongue inside your mouth. He’d never been sure before if he would like it, but right now with Scar, he felt like he would never get enough. Tentatively, he licked into Scar’s mouth, his awkward probing rewarded with a low groan from the back of Scar’s throat.
Emboldened, Grian trailed a hand down Scar’s bare chest, and back and around to lay flat against Scar’s back. He felt a shudder under his fingertips as he traced a line down the hollow of Scar’s spine.
They had to come up for air eventually. When they broke apart, panting, Grian managed to meet Scar’s eyes - soft and delicately lashed, half-lidded, and so, so close. The temptation to press a kiss to Scar’s eyelid was strong.
He didn’t have to fight himself for long, though, because Scar had darted in again to press his lips to the corner of Grian’s mouth. And then they were kissing again, chasing each other’s lips, tangled together on the sofa while the sun went down outside.
“So. Performance review. One-to-ten it for me.” Grian was sprawled back on the sofa, sitting next to Scar, close but not touching.
Scar raised an eyebrow. “Hmm…” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “I’d say you started out at a four out of ten. But you’re a quick learner; you got to a solid six or seven pretty quickly.”
“Yeesh,” Grian said with an exaggerated wince. “Not the worst you’ve had, I hope?”
“Not by a long shot,” Scar laughed. “That would be my first kiss, back in middle school.”
“Oh?”
“It was at a classmate’s birthday party. The adults were out of the room for a while, so we played spin the bottle. She panicked, chipped my tooth, and bit my lip too. All on accident, of course, but it didn’t make for a great experience.”
Grian laughed. “I’ll bet!”
“So.” Scar nudged Grian’s leg with his foot. “What about yours?”
“Huh?”
“What was your first kiss like?”
Grian’s reaction was immediate and disproportionate. He groaned, covered his face with his hands, and slid limply off the couch and onto the floor.
“...That bad, huh?”
Grian reached up to grab a pillow off the couch and covered his face with it. “No,” he said, muffled, “it wasn’t bad…”
“...but?” Scar prompted, befuddled.
Grian groaned again. “It was just… embarrassingly recent.”
“What, like, college?”
“More,” Grian said into the pillow.
“Grad school?” Scar didn’t quite understand how intense Grian was being about this. It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of, so why was Grian wilting on the floor?
“Yeah, I guess you could say that, Scar ,” Grian huffed, suddenly staring at Scar with a baffling amount of indignation on his face.
Scar just stared back at him, properly confused.
Grian was glaring at him like he was trying to beam something directly into his mind, like if he thought it aggressively enough maybe Scar would figure out what was happening.
“You’re gonna have to help me out here, G…”
Grian let out a small, surprised laugh. “You really couldn’t tell, huh?” Then a sly smile crept across his face. “Good to know it wasn’t that obvious.”
Wait…
Grian grinned mischievously. He rested his chin on his hands. “Four out of ten, not bad for a first try, right?” he said with a wink.
Scar’s eyes went wide. He sputtered.
“...for real?” he finally choked out, pressing his palm to his chest.
Grian just nodded.
“Well.” Scar did his best to recover his composure. “You really are a quick learner, huh?”
“I take it it was alright, then?”
Scar laughed, astonished. “In case you couldn’t tell,” he said, leaning forward, “I enjoyed it quite a bit. In fact… if you ever need more practice, or if you just want to, for the fun of it… you can kiss me anytime, Gri.”
Grian’s eyes, dark as night, were soft in the lamplight. “You too,” he said quietly. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”
It wasn’t what he should have said. He knew that. But it was a whole lot easier than saying what he actually meant.
Actually, Scar, I’ve had a serious crush on you for a while. I guess we’re some sort of “roommates with benefits” now, but I was wondering, would you like to go out with me?
That wasn’t really Scar’s style, though, as far as Grian could tell. Scar had had a lot of hookups in the time they’d been roommates, and he’d kept them all explicitly, strictly casual. “It’s less complicated that way,” he would say. So Grian knew that, in all likelihood, “roommates with benefits” was as close as he would get to Scar.
He could be fine with that, really.
They fell into a rhythm pretty quickly. Their day to day life didn’t feel like it had changed all that much.
They would watch movies together some evenings, just like always - the only difference was that sometimes they would end up making out on the couch, the TV forgotten in the background.
When Grian had been neck-deep in thesis work for five hours straight, Scar would come in and insist he needed a distraction, just like always. But now, sometimes the distraction was a Nerf battle in the living room, and sometimes it was Grian pulling Scar into a deep and messy kiss.
Grian would have forgotten about the mixer entirely, if Scar hadn’t asked him about it the evening before.
They were sitting on the couch, taking a breather after a particularly intense session. Scar was idly tracing patterns down the back of Grian’s neck when he cleared his throat to ask.
“Hey… did you still want to go to that mixer tomorrow?” His brow was furrowed just slightly.
Grian had to think for a moment to remember what he meant. “Oh… yeah, I guess so.” It couldn’t hurt to make some new friends… He really didn’t get out much these days. “I do need to meet more people, don’t I,” he said with a laugh.
After all, this had all started because Scar wanted to help him get out of his shell and into the dating game. He couldn’t forget that.
“Do you still want me to come with you?” Scar asked after a moment. There was a note of worry in his voice, which was strange.
Is he concerned that I might see this as a date? Grian thought. That I might be getting the wrong idea about this?
“I’d like that! I’d be glad to have a friend there for moral support,” he finished awkwardly. If Scar was worried, hopefully that would reassure him that Grian was well aware this was just a casual fling between friends.
Grian wouldn’t let himself see it as more than that.
He couldn’t.
Scar had left to go for a walk not long after that. He didn’t come back until late the next morning.
For all he’d been working so hard to remind himself that this was just casual, just friends having fun, Grian’s heart still hurt terribly at the thought of Scar spending the night with someone else. He felt a little nauseous if he thought about it for longer than a second.
So he just wouldn’t think about it. Easy.
How long was he going to be able to keep this up?
That was a question for another day, he decided. Tonight he was going to have fun.
He was pretty proud of his outfit for the mixer. A black fishnet top over a burgundy crop-top, distressed black jeans with a chunky belt, wine-red nail polish, and light eyeliner and eyeshadow. It was definitely a step up from his usual bulky sweater and plain blue jeans. And when Scar met him with an appraising glance that was anything but subtle, he couldn’t help but feel smugly gratified.
Scar cleaned up pretty nicely himself. Tonight he was wearing a billowy shirt tucked into shiny navy blue leather pants. The shirt was unbuttoned nearly down to his navel. As if his chest wasn’t already distracting enough, it was draped with three or four gold necklaces of varying lengths. One of them had a small turquoise pendant, a match to the dangly earrings framing his face.
“Shall we?” he said, offering an arm to Grian with a cheesy grin.
There were a lot of people at this mixer. Large parties like this really weren’t Grian’s scene, but he was determined to make a good showing. So he did his best to mingle, floating between small groups of people making small talk. He recognized several of them from the architecture department. It was nice that not everyone was a stranger, at least.
When he felt like he was flagging, he would drift into Scar’s orbit for a few minutes, content to listen to his roommate talk enthusiastically to someone else. Scar was oddly calming in a crowd like this, an anchor of familiarity. Grian would listen to his chatter until he felt ready to venture back out, and then he would quietly leave to try to meet some more new faces.
More than once, Grian would glance up from his conversation to see Scar looking at him across the room, a strange unreadable look in his eyes.
Grian’s social battery lasted about two hours before he felt himself starting to flag. The noise of people talking all around him had started to get to him. He found his way to a less crowded spot on the outskirts of the room, where he could take a moment to close his eyes and just breathe.
When he looked up to scan the crowd, he locked eyes with Scar almost immediately. Scar came over.
“How’re you holding up, G?”
“Tired,” he said, leaning back against the wall as he looked up at Scar. “I think I’m about done for tonight.”
Scar took a step into Grian’s space. He placed a hand on the wall behind Grian and leaned in, effectively boxing him in. “In that case,” he said, barely audible above the noise of the party, “what do you say we get out of here?”
There was a teasing spark in Scar’s eyes as he leaned over Grian. Well, if he was planning to have fun tonight, Grian figured it couldn’t hurt to tease him back a little.
Using Scar’s shoulders for support, he stretched up on tiptoe to get as close to Scar’s ear as possible. “I’d love to,” he whispered, low, and then nipped once at Scar’s earlobe.
He distinctly heard Scar’s breath stop, and an audible swallow.
When he stood back, Scar’s face had changed. The mischievous spark was gone, replaced by a burning look in his eyes. Raw desire. He didn’t speak, just nodded once, then laced his fingers with Grian’s and turned and strode towards the door.
It was a six minute walk back to their apartment. Scar kept up his wordless determination for all of it. Grian followed, hand in his, wondering.
In the elevator to their floor, Scar held his gaze with a burning intensity. Grian found himself glancing down to Scar’s lips, his neck, his bare chest under that billowy shirt, and following the line of it down, down. Want surged inside of him, overwhelming.
God, he could jump Scar right here in this elevator.
Scar leaned in close, so close that they were breathing the same air, and…
The elevator dinged, signaling their floor.
He stepped back. As soon as the door opened, Scar was through it and heading down the hall, almost pulling Grian along with his long-legged stride.
Down the hall, through the door. Immediately they were locked in each other’s arms, kissing with a hunger Grian had never felt before. Distantly he heard the door close behind Scar, dimly aware that it would probably have been smarter to wait until they had full privacy, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. All he could think about was Scar’s mouth, his tongue, his hands roaming Grian’s body.
Tonight, Scar Goodtimes was his .
Their mouths were slotted together in a greedy, devouring kiss. Without ever breaking contact, Scar picked Grian up by the hips and seated him on the kitchen table.
Their bodies pressed against each other, shifting in ways that made Grian want more. More. More.
He pulled away from Scar’s mouth and began planting open-mouthed kisses down the side of Scar’s neck, nipping lightly as he went. He’d learned over the last couple weeks that Scar liked it when Grian was assertive like this. Sure enough, Scar inhaled sharply, a whining noise that went straight to Grian’s groin. He drew Scar closer with his legs, chasing the friction that Scar eagerly provided.
Scar’s hands were everywhere - under his shirt, over his pants, in his hair keeping his head pressed against him. Grian had moved down to Scar’s shoulder, pulling the shirt aside - nipping and sucking more recklessly now that he didn’t need to worry so much about leaving a mark. Scar didn’t mind hickeys, so long as he could cover them easily if needed.
Grian’s mind drifted to the night before, when Scar had spent the night elsewhere. If he left marks tonight, would they last until the next person? Would Scar’s next one-night stand see them? Something stirred inside Grian at the thought of Scar carrying traces of him, even when he was with someone else.
“Shall we take this somewhere more comfortable?” Scar murmured against his ear. Grian nodded mutely. And then they were moving, stumbling, into Scar’s bedroom, still tangled in each other’s arms.
Scar fell onto the bed, pulling Grian onto his lap, already pulling his shirt off as he did so. As soon as the fishnet top was over his head, Grian was tugging at Scar’s shirt to get it off too.
He sat back, surveying the sight. Oh, he’d seen Scar shirtless hundreds of times, but never like this. Flushed and panting underneath him, eyes glazed with desire. The curve of his shoulder littered with marks.
Grian closed the distance and kissed Scar hungrily. “You’re mine tonight,” he whispered against Scar’s lips.
“ Yes, G, I’m yours,” Scar echoed immediately. “I’m all yours.”
Grian’s heart thudded dangerously. “God, Scar, I -”
He managed to catch himself just before the words escaped his lips.
I love you.
No. No, no, no.
Bite it back. I knew what I was getting into.
It was always going to end up like this. He knew that from the start.
He was always going to end up falling in love.
It didn’t matter. He was here now, and he wasn’t about to back down from this. He could deal with his feelings afterwards. Right now, tonight, all he wanted was Scar.
And if those dangerous words were still burning on the tip of his tongue, begging for escape… well, that just meant he needed to keep his mouth too busy to speak.
“I’m so lucky,” Scar said.
“Hm?” Grian shifted to look up at him.
They were lying together under the covers, sore and blissful in the afterglow. Grian’s head was pillowed on Scar’s shoulder, and he was idly tracing pictures on Scar’s bare chest. He paused when Scar spoke, laying his palm flat to feel the rumble of Scar’s voice.
“I just kept thinking, you know, when we were at the party. I just wanted to be back here with you. And this is me we’re talking about,” he said with a laugh, “wanting to leave a party early, right? That never happens. But I just kept thinking of how much I’d rather be home, with you.” He pulled Grian closer, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of his head. “And I’m so happy. Every day I get to come home to you. How lucky am I?” He caressed Grian’s cheek, lifted his chin to look him in the eyes. “You know, sometimes I think you’re the reason this place feels like home to me.”
This was too much for Grian. He buried his face in the curve of Scar’s neck. “God, Scar, you make it so hard to keep from falling in love with you…”
And there it was. The words had tumbled out before he could stop them. It was too late now - Scar had gone still under his fingertips.
There was a long moment when neither of them spoke. Grian had to keep reminding himself to breathe.
“Is that a bad thing?” Scar said quietly.
What sort of question was that?
Curling into Scar’s shoulder, Grian mumbled, “It is when it’s hopeless…”
Scar pried him off, gently, holding him back to look him in the eyes. He looked worried, even hurt.
“Sorry,” Grian said quickly, looking away. “I didn’t mean to bring my feelings into it. I’ve been trying to keep a handle on it… I’m sorry.”
Scar tucked a strand of Grian’s hair behind his ear, his brow creased with worry. “What’s going on, G?”
Grian didn’t answer at first. He tried to hide his face again, but Scar wasn’t having it. “Talk to me, please…” he whispered.
Grian sighed, frustrated with himself. If only he hadn’t slipped up and made things complicated.
“I think I got myself in a pickle,” he said finally. “Look, I know you’re not - I know you always like to keep things casual, hookups and flings and things like that. I never, I don’t expect this to mean any more than that, to you. I know that. It’s just - I think that’s just not something I can do, Scar, I don’t think I can do casual.”
Scar’s breathing was still carefully neutral. Grian couldn’t bring himself to look at his face just yet.
“I wanted to try,” Grian continued. “I wanted to try to make it work, with you, because… I really like you. I like you a lot, I have for a while, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to be with you in some way, even if it didn’t mean anything. But I think it’s always meant more to me. I was selfish about it, and now I… I think I’m falling in love with you.”
He paused for a moment, grounding himself with the quickened thrum of Scar’s heartbeat under his fingertips. This next part was going to be hard to say.
“I don’t want this to get messy,” he said, “and it’s only going to get worse if we keep going like this. So maybe… we might need to stop soon.”
There. It was all out.
He shifted to get a look at Scar’s face. It was… not what he was expecting. Scar was weirdly calm. The worry lines were gone. He was just looking at Grian, a bemused smile twitching around the corners of his mouth.
“Well, that’s a damn shame,” Scar said, “seeing as I was gearing up to ask you out a minute ago.”
“...what?!” Grian sat up, shocked. “You were?”
Scar burst out laughing. “What did you think that was?” He took on an air of mock injury. “There I was, pouring my heart out, talking about how you’re my home and the best thing that’s ever happened to me -” Grian squawked and buried his face in Scar’s chest, “- and you thought, oh, Scar’s just nice like that?” He ruffled Grian’s hair affectionately, still laughing.
“Well, that’s not exactly what you said,” Grian mumbled.
“I was leading up to it! And then you started talking, and I didn’t wanna interrupt!”
“...oh, you’re the worst, you know,” Grian said, groaning. “You let me get through all that before saying anything!”
Scar hummed. “Well, I thought maybe you had other reasons too. Wanted to hear you out to make sure.”
Grian nodded, conceding the point.
After a moment, he said, “I thought you didn’t really do this sort of thing? Asking people out, and such.”
“Well, I didn’t, before,” Scar said, caressing Grian’s shoulder absently. “This is a bit new for me. I think… it’s probably been different with you for a while, and I just didn’t really pay attention to it until recently. Last night was when it really hit me, and I kind of freaked out.”
“Is that why you were gone?”
“Yeah,” Scar answered. “...oh, were you worried?”
“A little,” Grian said. “I kinda just figured you’d gone out for a hookup, though.”
“No.” Scar angled his face to look at Grian. “I haven’t slept with anyone else since we started this. I haven’t wanted to.”
Huh. The reality of the last few weeks started to restructure itself in Grian’s mind.
He looked up at Scar’s face, so beautiful and so close to him right now.
It felt hard to believe that someone so wonderful and so outgoing would actually be interested in him. But from the sound of it, Scar really was serious about this.
“Last night I went to Cub’s place,” Scar continued. “I kinda was freaking out… I’m not sure what exactly set it off, but it sort of hit me all at once that I wanted more and I was scared I was going to lose you.”
Grian tightened his hold on Scar.
“Cub talked some sense into me,” Scar continued. “Helped me be okay with the fact that I really do want to get serious about you.”
He pulled back a little and took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Listen, G, I… I’m not good at steady relationships. They’ve never worked out for me. So this scares me. I don’t want to mess this up, I’m scared I’m just going to hurt you. But you’re… you’re everything to me,” he said, tracing the lines of Grian’s cheek, “and I want to try. If you’ll have me.”
Grian blinked back tears. “Yes, Scar, yes,” he said, hugging Scar tightly, “of course I will.”
Scar buried his face in Grian’s neck, holding him close.
“And for the record,” Grian added, “I don’t exactly have that much experience being in a relationship either. So I guess we’ll just be figuring it out together.”
Scar nodded, his face still hidden in the crook of Grian’s neck.
They held each other wordlessly for a long moment. Grian reveled in the warm reality of Scar in his arms, skin pressed against skin, breath ghosting over the back of his neck.
After a while, Grian disentangled himself a little to look at Scar’s face. He ran a hand through his hair, searching those beautiful green eyes. When Scar’s eyes flicked down to his lips, Grian leaned in and kissed him tenderly.
They’d already kissed each other so many times before. By all accounts this should have been nothing new.
And yet.
There was a new sweetness to the feeling of Scar’s lips against his, a new meaning in every touch against his skin. It was new and exciting and safe and familiar all at once. Grian felt like he could never get enough.
Luckily, he had all the time in the world.
timmy: grian
timmy: are you joining the call
timmy: did you forget
You: calm down tim
You: im trimming my fingernails
timmy: no
You: ill be done soon
timmy: stop
timmy: you always do this
timmy: grian why
You: theyre so long tim
timmy: no they’re not!
Grian set down his phone down on the coffee table and looked up at Scar, who was snuggling with him on the couch. His head was pillowed against Scar’s chest, so he had to crane his neck to tip his head back far enough to look Scar in the eyes.
“Ready?” he asked.
Scar raised an eyebrow. “Gri, I’ve been ready. Not sure why we’ve been waiting.”
“Oh, I always gotta wind Tim up a bit before these calls,” Grian said, smirking. He opened up his laptop and pulled up the sibling video call.
“Any last adjustments to the terms?”
“I’m good to go if you are,” Scar said with a grin. He stood up, stretched, and went to go get water for both of them.
Grian hit the “Join Call” button.
“There he is!” Jimmy’s phone seemed to have been propped up near a sink full of dishes, which Jimmy was elbow-deep in at the moment. He gave a quick glance towards the camera and a soapy wave.
Good. Jimmy had his eyes on another task right now. This was good news for Grian.
“Pearl’s not here yet?” Grian asked.
“She’s-”
Jimmy was cut off by the sound of wind in a cheap microphone as Pearl unmuted.
“No, I’m here!” Pearl’s voice was crackly and distorted. “I’m walking Tilly. Got my phone in my pocket right now, so no camera.”
This was… not good news for Grian.
There was a loud rustling noise, and then Pearl’s video showed up. Now they could see an overcast sky with Pearl’s arm and shoulder silhouetted against it. The camera’s view jostled to the rhythm of a brisk walk.
“She’s being good right now, so I’ll try to hold it like this for a bit,” Pearl said. “But if she starts pulling on the leash, you’re going back in my pocket.”
Scar came up behind Grian, handing him one of the glasses of water. He rested his chin on Grian’s head for a moment. “Hey Pearl, hey Jimmy,” he said.
“Is that my valley girl?!” Jimmy asked, accidentally flicking soapsuds towards the screen. Grian rolled his eyes. That was a running joke that had started - oh, six or eight months ago - when Jimmy had been in town for a visit.
“You know it, girl!” Scar said. He ruffled Grian’s hair playfully, then handed him the other glass.
“What are you - aaaah! ” Rather than walk around to the front of the couch, Scar had opted to vault over it instead, landing with a heavy thump. Grian luckily managed to avoid spilling more than a small splash of the water he’d just been handed.
Pearl’s chin and a bit of her hair shifted into frame as she glanced at the screen. “You all right there?”
“Fine, fine,” Grian grumbled, “Scar’s just being a menace.”
Scar sat down sideways on the other side of the couch, just out of view of the camera. He leaned back against the armrest with a cheeky grin, stretching his legs out over Grian’s lap. Grian rested his elbows on them as he asked, “So Tim, how’s the job been going?”
Jimmy looked over briefly but didn’t seem to notice, fortunately. He had a lot to say about his job, his coworkers, and the types of photoshoots he’d been assigned to lately. He’d recently done a shoot in Western-inspired apparel for a clothing company in Texas, and his coworkers had been teasing him nonstop about it, apparently.
While Jimmy was rambling into the middle distance, Grian fidgeted with the fabric of Scar’s sweatpants, a subtle gesture of comfortable affection. Maybe a little too subtle, he thought after a few minutes.
Pearl interrupted Jimmy’s animated storytelling with a question of her own. “What about that cute lighting tech guy? Did he see you in your cowboy gear?”
Jimmy turned red. Well, this is new, Grian thought.
“That’s not - that’s not even a thing, Pearl! We’re not - why would he -” Jimmy spluttered helplessly.
Oh, Grian would’ve loved to ask Jimmy about the cute lighting technician. But he had a mission to complete, and Pearl’s eyes were on the screen, for now. Time for a bigger swing.
“Hey, Scar, could you hand me my phone?” he asked.
Scar obligingly reached out and grabbed it off the coffee table, not without quirking a skeptical eyebrow at Grian.
When Scar leaned closer to hand Grian his phone, Grian deftly planted a brief kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, babe,” he whispered with a smirk.
Ohhh, you… Scar mouthed at Grian, a dangerous glint in his eyes. Scar was going to get him back for this at some point.
Grian looked forward to it.
He smiled smugly, looking back to the screen, hoping to catch Pearl’s reaction. But all he could see of Pearl was the sleeve of her jacket. And that’s when he noticed that Jimmy’s spluttering had stopped, and Jimmy was staring frozen at the camera with his jaw slack.
“Wait… hold on…” Jimmy said, incredulous. “Did you just… Are you two dating?!”
“HA!” Scar shouted, punching the air. “Yes!”
“What?!” Pearl exclaimed. Oh, now she was paying attention…
“Yes, we are,” Grian said, groaning and slumping back against the couch. “And we had a bet going. And Scar just won, Pearl.”
“What did I do?”
“You weren’t looking! You absolutely would’ve noticed first, way before Tim, if you’d been looking at the screen! ” Grian jostled Scar’s legs in mock fury.
“Oh, you watch it, mister, I’ll get you back for that!” Scar said, shoving Grian playfully.
Grian fisted a hand in Scar’s hoodie and tugged him closer. “Is that a promise, Mr. Goodtimes?” he said with a smirk.
Whatever Scar would’ve said next was interrupted by a loud gagging noise from Jimmy.
“God, you two are already sickening,” Pearl said teasingly. “Like, I’m happy for you, but jeez!”
“So you guys were betting on who would notice first?” Jimmy asked, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Yep,” Grian said. “What, Tim, you don’t like it when people make bets about you?”
Jimmy made several indignant noises.
Pearl cackled gleefully. “Well, good for you two! Welcome to the family, Scar!”
“Thanks, Pearl,” Grian said. He rubbed Scar’s knee affectionately, smiling at him. Scar, however, was in the middle of a sip of water and couldn’t return the gesture.
“So… what did you wager?” Pearl asked.
Scar choked on his drink.
While he was coughing, Grian said, “Yeah, I don’t think you want to know.”
“Ew.”
Abruptly changing the subject, Jimmy said, “Um, thanks for helping me win, Grian?”
“Oh, you’re welcome. Didn’t do it for you, though.”
“And, uh, sorry for making you lose, I guess?” Jimmy added uncomfortably.
“Eh, it’s fine,” Grian said. He grinned conspiratorially at Scar. “I actually prefer it this way.”
Scar chimed in with a quick “That’s true!”
“God damn it, Grian!” Pearl yelled. After a moment, incoherent noises came from Jimmy’s end of the call.
“Okay, okay, fine, topic change for real,” Grian said, still biting back a smile. Pearl was more than happy to change the subject to talk about her new apartment.
“I’d say that went well,” Scar said, draping an arm across the back of the couch.
Grian finished closing up his laptop and sat back, resting his head on Scar’s arm. “Yeah. I mean, they already both like you, so it’s not like I was expecting any different. But it’s still nice to get their stamp of approval.”
He snuggled into Scar’s shoulder, heaving a deep sigh. Talking to his siblings had put him in a pensive mood.
“You know, I’m glad Tim made that stupid bet,” he muttered.
Scar leaned in and kissed him gently, slowly. “Me too,” he whispered. “Though I think we would’ve gotten here eventually regardless. But I’m glad we’re here now.”
“Yes,” Grian murmured against Scar’s lips, before losing himself in another kiss.
It was, he felt, absolutely perfect.