Chapter Text
Grian had always been a troublemaker.
From the first time they met, Scar learned that Grian was a natural-born prankster, and loved to keep others on their toes. There was no calm when the blond was around, and his chaotic nature had a wonderful charm about it that kept Scar intrigued.
So when he looked up at the call of his name, and saw Grian soaring out of the sky towards him with a devious smile plastered across his face, he should have known exactly what he was in for. But it didn’t even cross his mind. Scar was just as trusting as he was kind, so when Grian came in for a landing, Scar welcomed him with open arms and a warm smile.
“Scar! Have you tried the new life transfer system yet?” Grian eagerly asked him, bouncing on his heels. His colorful wings folded against his back, followed by his hands clasping behind him, and Scar could see the excitement in Grian’s golden eyes.
And if there was any specific point that it all started going downhill, Scar would say that this was it.
Scar stared at the wonder that was Grian. His lopsided grin, the little bounce in his step, his golden hair perfectly framing the freckles scattered across his cheeks like stars in the night sky-
He felt his heart flutter. “No, I haven’t,” Scar answered, and Grian gasped, eyes wide.
“Well, now’s your chance to try it,” he told Scar. “I promise I’ll give it right back, but we should make sure it works!”
Distantly, Scar considered turning his back on him and walking away, but he couldn’t find it in himself to strand Grian like that. It was almost like something was pulling him towards the winged man, compelling him to stay and humor him.
So he smiled and nodded his head. Grian bounced on his heels and offered his hand to Scar, palm facing down with his fingers relaxed, and Scar stared at the outstretched hand in awe.
Scar had been building for years, and it had done a number on his body. His hands were calloused, covered in various scars and scrapes, so he was surprised when he took Grian’s right hand in a gentle grasp and turned his palm to the sky to discover there wasn’t a single mark or callous to be found. He bent his knees ever so slightly, pulling Grian’s hand up to his face, and placed his lips against the skin of Grian’s palm, eyes closed.
In this world, lives were the most valuable resource one could have, and to transfer something so important, it only made sense to give it away through a method just as intimate. A kiss was the cost to transfer a life to another player; be it on the hand, a cheek, or a kiss blown into the wind, with the intent to go to a specific player.
So when he felt the pull of electricity dancing across his lips and rushing into the blond’s hand, he knew the life transfer was complete.
Scar looked up just in time to see Grian gasp and ruffle his wings, and revelled at the sight of his wings stretching out behind him. “It worked!” Grian exclaimed, meeting Scar’s gaze, and Scar could feel his heart melt in his chest at the expression on the man’s face.
He was elated, cheeks dusted with the faintest hue of pink and grinning from ear to ear, and his eyes now shimmered a beautiful seafoam green. Three lives , Scar noted. His shoulders relaxed with a sigh, and he let go of Grian’s hand, letting his hand drop down to his side.
Grian lowered his own hand, gently holding it in his left and rubbing his thumb against the palm, right where Scar’s lips had been a moment prior.
“There’s your life,” Scar said, and Grian chuckled. “Time to give it back now, Grian.”
“Oh, well…” Grian snorted. “I don’t know if I want to, now.”
And as quick as the moment had come, it disappeared. Grian’s wings fanned out behind him, and he took off, leaving Scar to call after him and curse himself for not expecting this.
Grian had always been a troublemaker, and truth be told, that’s one of the things Scar loved most about him.
“Sorry, Scar!” Grian called out as he flew off. “I’ll keep it safe for you!”
And even though Scar realized how badly he had been tricked, he simply couldn’t find it in himself to hate Grian. His chaotic nature was just too endearing to be angry at, and Scar had always been an easily affectionate man.
He watched Grian fly off, his beautiful wings flapping in the wind, and that was when it started.
It felt like an itch in the back of his throat, but as he watched his friend fly away, carrying with him one of Scar’s most precious belongings, it developed into a dull aching in his chest and a throat so dry it drove him into a coughing fit.
Scar doubled over in the grass and clutched his chest as he coughed over and over again. A sickly sweet scent took over his senses, and his eyes squeezed shut as he coughed hard enough to rack his entire body. After some time, the coughing fit subsided, and Scar sat there, bent over in the grass and taking deep, gasping breaths.
He felt lightheaded when he opened his eyes, and he looked down at the ground to find small, wet rose petals. Scar’s brow furrowed as he studied them, wondering how they had gotten there, and moments passed, leaving him with no answers at all.
The field he was crouched in was silent, save for a gentle breeze that rolled through and rustled the grass and leaves. Scar could smell the faint scent of roses, and eventually he came to the conclusion that there must be a flower forest somewhere nearby.
He sat back, running a hand through his sweaty brown hair as he caught his breath. The itching in his throat was gone, but the dull, throbbing pain in his chest lingered for a moment longer. Scar tried to pay it no mind, but couldn’t help but wonder what transferring that life over to Grian had done to him.
Or maybe it wasn’t the transfer that had caused this in the first place.
Scar inhaled a shaky breath, held it for a moment, and slowly let it out. When the world was done spinning and the ground felt steady and solid beneath him, Scar stood up and continued his trek, hoping to find a place to set up camp for the night before it got too dark.
Eventually, he found the perfect spot; the peak of a mountain that stretched far up into the sky, giving him a perfect point to view the rest of the map from. He could see almost everybody from atop the mountain, and the vantage point supplied him with valuable information about others that he may be able to use later.
Movement in the distance caught his attention, and he pulled out a spyglass given to him earlier that day, peering through it into the distance. He caught a glimpse of Grian, yelling and laughing with his friends as they built their bases together in the southern end of the map, near the world border. He looked so carefree and excited, and Scar smiled warmly at the sight.
Once again, pain shot across his chest, and the spyglass fell to the ground before him as he clutched at his shirt, taking short and shallow breaths and doing his best to ride out the pain. Distantly, he could hear a voice calling his name from somewhere behind him, but he paid it no mind as he stumbled down to his knees and folded in on himself.
His eyes squeezed shut as he hacked into his fist, and when he eventually was able to pull his hand away, he was once again met with the sight of multiple small rose petals, limp and wet in his palm. Scar stared at them in disbelief.
“Oh, Scar,” he heard, and he suddenly became aware of the hand on his back, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. He instinctively clamped his hand shut into a fist, but Joel had already seen the petals. It was too late.
“Scar, buddy, were those flower petals?” Joel asked, leaning forward in an attempt to meet Scar’s gaze. Scar didn’t look up at him. Instead, he continued to stare down at his fist, tears welling in his eyes as his mind raced. “Hey,” Joel called, and reached for Scar’s hand.
The moment his fingertips came into contact with Scar’s skin, Scar jolted up to his feet, yanking his hand away. “Don’t touch me.” Scar’s voice broke as he spoke, holding his hand close to his aching chest. Joel slowly rose to his feet and took a tentative step closer, which compelled Scar to take another step back.
Some loose pebbles lost their hold on the ground, and slipped from underneath their feet, rolling off the cliffside they stood upon. Scar gulped as he watched them fall far below.
“Scar, it’s okay, calm down,” Joel murmured, hands outstretched towards him. “Come on, look at me.”
Scar met his eyes, and Joel gestured to him, beckoning him closer. With an intake of breath, Scar took a cautious step forward, and when Joel eased his fingers apart to see what lay in his grasp, Scar resisted the urge to jerk his hand away.
“Oh, dear…” Joel muttered, staring down at the crushed rose petals. “Scar…”
“What’s wrong with me, Joel?” Scar asked, his tears finally running from his eyes and streaming down his cheeks. “What’s going on?”
Joel looked up at him, and then reached forward to his shoulder and beckoned him inside the dirt hut Scar had constructed that afternoon.
“Scar, you have something called Hanahaki Disease.”
In the end, after Joel finished explaining, Scar was left with more questions than answers, but three things were apparent to him.
One, he had developed a condition in which flowers were rooted in his chest, and it was called Hanahaki Disease.
Two, it was caused by unrequited love, and often was fatal.
And three…
Scar hacked up another petal, and the scent of roses fogged up his mind, making it difficult to think clearly.
Grian was the one he had fallen for.
Joel didn’t know that, though. He was able to explain the condition to Scar, but didn’t bother to pry into his life to find out who the culprit was, and for that Scar was ever thankful.
No, Scar came up with that conclusion himself. It was obvious, thinking back on how often he had felt the itching in his throat after an encounter with Grian.
And Scar had many of those encounters this morning, the first of which cost him a life.
“Joel,” he started, staring off into the distance. He could hear Joel shift beside him, and Scar tensed up. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”
He was met with silence, and it stretched between them for what felt like a few minutes. Naturally, talking about this made Scar think about Grian more, and the silence was broken up now and again by his coughing and the occasional grunt of pain. Joel tenderly reached a hand over and rested it on his shoulder, and Scar shuddered and leaned against him.
“I’m so sorry, Scar,” Joel said quietly, touching the side of his head against Scar’s. Scar sighed and closed his eyes.
“Don’t be,” he answered, shoulders relaxing. “Maybe it’ll just… Go away.”
“For your sake, I hope it does.”