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Chapter Text

'Fortuna Secondary is a private secondary school based in rural England. It is a school specifically made with demi-humans and hybrids in mind and is notoriously hard to get into without the money to do so.'

Scar View

Scar woke up at about 6:45 am, despite not actually sleeping that much. He was still adjusting to the British time zone.

It was his first day at his new school.

Monday 11th September 20xx.

Was he ready? Absolutely not.

He got up and looked through the little gap in his curtains, the sun hadn't risen yet, but there was still a small glow from behind some clouds. Despite this, he got up, grabbed his cane, and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

Jellie jumped up onto the counter, watching as the boy cooked up some pancakes.

"Good morning, Queen Jellie." He said as she rubbed against his arm. He hummed to himself as he watched the pancake batter bubble and pop as it cooked.

He had to admit, he was nervous. A new school, new people, and hopefully not new bullies. He was already targeted enough for how he was, but now with the cane... No, no, he wasn't going to let his first day get ruined because of a couple of petty fears.

Once his pancakes were cooked, he fed Jellie, fed himself, and got ready. He was going to have a good day. He had to.

Grian View

Grian woke up at exactly 6 am, like every other morning. Exactly 6 am. Every morning. He wouldn't be late waking up this year. And just like every other morning, he got up, put on his school uniform, and cut up some fruit for breakfast, putting it into two bowls, one for him and one for Pearl. He sat in the lounge while he ate and looked over his timetable on his phone.

Week B, Monday.

Form (which would be assembly since it's Monday), Double English, History, Maths, Health & Social Care, and afternoon form. Not the best day, but it could definitely be worse.

Grian's sister, Pearl, woke up shortly after, sitting with Grian as she ate. The house was quiet aside from the TV that was quietly running in front of them.

At 6:30 am, Grian went back to his room, fixing up his hair and his wings a bit, before packing his bag with everything he knew he needed. Pencil case, exercise books for the lessons he had, cardigan, water, spare notebook. Was that everything? Why did it feel like he was missing something? He checked twice more before determining that he was good to go.

He left the house at exactly 7:05 am so that when he met with Mumbo, it'd be 7:15 am, they walked together every Monday, and they had since Year 8. He had the timings down to a fine art at this point.

First day of the second week of year 11. He was going to have a good day. He had to.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Scar View

Walking into the office was scary enough for Scar. But meeting the principal with both his parents beside him was worse. He was a stern-looking man, with huge antlers spiking out of his head and a very authoritarian air surrounding him. Scar could feel the density in the air. When he spoke, that density seemed to crush him.

"Well, I am Mr Knight, headteacher." He shook both of Scar's parents' hands before sitting in his seat across the desk. He went on about the school's prestige, how great it was that Scar passed all the exams to get in on scholarship despite very nearly failing English with his dyslexia, blah, blah, blah...

"Well, we're extremely grateful that you've taken Scar on with the..ahem...situation. Aren't we, Scar?" Scar's mother, Kaya, said, lightly jabbing Scar with her elbow to get him to pay attention.

"O-oh, yeah..! Thanks...sir."
In all honesty, Scar didn't care what school he went to. Just as long as it wasn't...that one. Ugh...

The principal then handed Scar a piece of paper. It had his name on it and a kind of grid-like thing with different classes on it.

"Well, there is your timetable. Hopefully, we should be getting someone from your form group down here to show you around."
Scar wasn't listening again. Timetable. Like a schedule, right? He had one of those at his last school. That was good.

But what in the hell was a form group?!

But before he could ask, the principal led his parents out of the office, leaving Scar by himself.

For a few minutes, he just looked around the office, trying to find something that interested him. Until two other people, avians, probably around his age, came in. A girl and a boy, they looked so similar, same hair, same face shape, similar-looking wings...siblings maybe? Scar thought as the girl started talking.

"You're Scar, right? Just moved here?" She sounded sweet, but cool. She was like honey to Scar; that was how he identified people, associating them with other things made it easier. He nodded, looking at the two, guessing that they were the ones meant to show him around.

Mr Knight came back in then, muttering a little 'ah' at the sight of the two.
"Right, Scar, this is Grian and Pearlescent—"
"Pearl." The girl interrupted with a little glare, correcting the older man. He cleared his throat before continuing.

"Right, sorry, this is Grian and Pearl. They're here to show you around. I believe you'll also have a lot of classes with Grian, as well as being in the same form group as them."
The boy, Grian, waved to Scar, and Scar smiled in return. He seemed sweet, like the sunshine.

Still, what was a form group?!

Scar couldn't even come up with a guess before he was ushered off with the two.

"Okay, so...how do we do this? This place is huge, there's now way we're getting around the whole place right now..." The honey girl, Pearl, started, seeming a bit stumped. Then, finally, the boy spoke.

"Scar, let's see your timetable. Least we can do is show you where your classrooms are and go from there."
His voice was slightly different from the honey girl's. She had a little more of an accent, a different one at that. Scar handed Grian his timetable, and the sunshine boy compared it to his, the girl joining with her own.

"Okay, so you've got double English with me in about 20 minutes, French with Pearl, and then Maths and Health & Social Care with me."
Scar just nodded, having not understood a word he just said. Not because of the English accent, but because he didn't know what on earth was going on. Then the honey girl spoke again.

"Ever plan on speaking?" She looked at Scar through the hair that was slightly covering her eyes. He shook his head a couple times, realising that he hadn't actually introduced himself properly yet.

"Uh, yeah, sorry..! Hi, I'm Scar Goodtimes." He stated with his usual cheeky grin. Grian returned it, shaking Scar's hand. Pearl seemed more hesitant.

"Hiya. Grian Ivor, this is my sister Pearl." His voice was so smooth, he spoke with such confidence that Scar could practically taste it. He was right in guessing that they were siblings; it would be weirder to Scar if they weren't.
"Yeah, hi, nice to meet you, can we go now? We get to miss assembly for this, I don't want to waste the time..." Pearl said with a bit of a huff.

And then the big(ish) tour began.

They started by showing Scar where his classrooms for periods 1 and 2 were before explaining the layout of the school so that he could (hopefully) find the rest on his own. Still having a bit of time left before period 1, the three sat at a table in the cafeteria. Grian was drawing up a very basic map of the school, much easier to understand than the one he was given at the start of the day.

The school was...huge. And that was an understatement. There was so much to do and see for every kind of person. There were separate buildings for certain classes and after-school activities, and Hell, even on-site accommodation? No wonder it was so expensive. Scar's old school was nothing compared to this.

The bell rang shortly after. But, to Scar at least, it wasn't much of a bell, just aggressive beeping sounds that felt like they were supposed to form some kind of little jingle. They didn't. It was horrible.

He had English first and second, with the sunshine boy. The two walked together, the shorter of the two seeming way too happy for a Monday morning.
"Good thing we missed assembly for this. Means we won't get completely trampled on by everyone else."

Grian led Scar up some stairs that he was previously told were reserved for prefects. Well, oops. Grian had one of those special prefect ties, so did it really matter? And after a couple more corridors, they were at their classroom. C7.

The teacher, Ms Mallors, didn't seem all that pleased that she had a new student, which naturally worried Scar. Until Grian leant over and whispered something about her always being like that, calming Scar's worries. He was sat next to Grian, which calmed another one of his worries. He didn't have the sanity to meet any new people just yet.

Throughout the lessons, Grian seemed really interested in Scar. He was looking at him a lot and writing some things in his notebook. It was a separate book from the one they were given for the lesson itself. Odd, Scar thought. But he didn't let it bother him. And that went on for the full 2 hours they were there.

And then it was breaktime. Scar's lessons felt a lot quicker than he was expecting. He didn't know where to go for break. Grian told him that he could go get food in the cafeteria. But he didn't really want to do that.

There were a lot of people around. Too many, in his opinion. He wasn't always a people person, not new people anyway.

He wanted to go outside but didn't want to go too far out of the main school building; he only had 20 minutes after all. He ended up just wandering around, not knowing what to do with himself.

Grian View

Grian sat at the back of the canteen with his usual friend group, Pearl, Jimmy, Mumbo, Scott, Joel, Lizzie, and Cleo. They always sat together, always at the same table, always in the same seats. Although Grian was the only one who cared about that.

The avian was scribbling something down in his notebook. When wasn't he? He loved his notebooks. Mumbo, probably his best friend out of the bunch, excluding Pearl, looked over his shoulder.
"What are we writing today then?"

Grian responded, still writing as he did.
"New guy joined today. He's an elf."

Mumbo seemed to understand that, nodding a bit as he watched the shorter boy write. He was waiting for this day; Grian had always wanted to know about elves; they were rare around those parts of the valley.

The canteen was packed that Monday, even just for breaktime. Joel and Pearl had to threaten some Year 8s just to get the table. In spite of being told not to by the others. Aside from Grian. He wanted his usual table.

It was a bit overwhelming for Grian; while he did enjoy a bit of busyness and movement most days, this was too much. But did he care right now? Absolutely not. He was writing, so he was happy enough.

The bell rang for third period, Grian had history now with Joel and Jimmy. The retired 'Bad Boys' from Year 7, but still as close as ever. They sat together at the back of the room together, not doing zero work but not doing entirely what they were told to.

God, how Grian missed the Bad Boys. They all wore matching hoodies to school until they were told to take them off. Grian and Jimmy did; they hated getting in trouble. Joel didn't; he didn't care.

History was over as soon as it started, and now it was time for Maths. Grian had a love-hate relationship with Maths. He understood it all, and it was easy enough for him, but he just didn't enjoy the lessons. He much preferred teaching himself. He got to sit with Pearl, though, so she kept him entertained with little games of hangman and noughts and crosses.

The day was going too fast for Grian's taste. Because how was it already lunchtime?

He got in the line for food in the canteen with Pearl and Lizzie, with the pink sprite updating the twins on some gossip about people they didn't know nor cared about. Grian bought himself a pasta pot - that was 70% water on a good day - an apple juice, and a cookie, before going to sit back at the table.

General View

The rest of the group slowly filed in, starting with Cleo, then Joel and Scott, and Mumbo. And finally, Jimmy, with...Scar? That definitely confused the rest of the group.

"Alright, guys? So, is it cool if Scar sits with us?"
Not having any major objections, the group all agreed, and Scar sat with them. Which Grian took as an opportunity to start writing random things he noticed about the new elf boy. Others might've found it weird, his friends didn't. Neither did Scar.

Grian, not fully thinking, accidentally ended up dropping a bit of pasta onto his page. He tried to ignore it, but there was still a small orange smudge there. Yeah, no way. He tore the page out, rewriting everything on a clean one. He simply couldn't handle it. It was right there, it was so obvious and noticeable, he hated it. It put him in a bad mood. Pearl tried to reassure him, but he just brushed her off.

Scar definitely noticed that, but he didn't want to comment on it. He didn't want to ruin the mood, nor did he really want to talk at all. It was overwhelming enough being around so many people that all seemed to go way back with each other, while he was just there too.

30 minutes later, the bell rang again for period 5. Last lesson of the day. Grian had Health & Social Care with Scar, so they walked together. Grian had the urge to just fly it, but he knew he shouldn't just leave Scar like that.

H&SC rooms were in one of the buildings outside of the main one, near the geography and PE block. Why? No one knows. And no one cares.

Since H&SC was a BTEC, it meant no big exams! But a lot of coursework and writing in its place... Grian didn't mind that; he loved writing. But he was still in a bad mood, so he ended up trying extra hard to make this lesson's work as neat and as perfect as possible.

Scar, getting a bit more worried and a bit more curious, finally asked about it. Probably not in the best way, though.
"What's got you so annoyed then?"

That earned him a quick glare from the avian boy before he returned to his work. Scar knew he was treading on thin ice, so he just shut up and tried to do his work. It was a lot more writing than he expected. His hand hurt by the end of the lesson.

Finally, it was over. It was 3:05 pm. Now it was form. Scar still didn't know what that was. But he just followed Grian, remembering that they were in the same group.

The teacher sat Scar next to Jimmy. Who was next to Pearl and Grian. Jimmy was happy to sit was Scar. Pearl didn't seem to mind; she was more focused on figuring out why her brother was suddenly in such a bad mood.

Turns out 'form' was essentially just homeroom, but British. Huh. And Scar was so confused over that? Their teacher, Mrs Chen, took attendance, mentioned some things that no one seemed to care about, not even her, and let the class do whatever for the last 10 minutes.

"So, why do you use that walk-y stick thing?" Jimmy suddenly asked. Which absolutely terrified Scar. He had managed the whole day without it being commented on, same with his scars. But, no, there was always someone.

"Ah..- Aha..- Just..just a..an incident at my last school." He didn't know what else to say. At his last school, no one asked; they already knew. And now his tongue was tied.

But Jimmy didn't ask anything else. Which was weird to Scar. Normally, people pried a bit more. Huh...

Jimmy turned his attention to Grian, which made Scar look too. He was getting more bothered by the second. Everyone was talking, Pearl wouldn't stop asking, time was moving so slowly but so quickly, he was still bothered from lunchtime. He just...had to leave.

And he did.

Just stormed out.

With Pearl following right behind him.

"What...just happened?" Scar hesitantly asked Jimmy, who looked just as worried.

"Ah, poor Grian. Probably just got overwhelmed again. Happens a lot."

Scar didn't want to pry. He had learnt that Jimmy was the twins' cousin, so he probably didn't want some random new kid trying to get involved with his family's business. If it were Scar, he wouldn't want that.

Ivor Twins View

Pearl and Grian didn't come back in until after everyone else had left. Just to get their bags. They didn't go far, just walked around that block of the school until the end of the day. Mrs Chen didn't mind; this wasn't the first time.

Grian just vented everything out to Pearl. And Pearl just listened. Only spoke when he wasn't. Didn't hug him, she knew not to; Grian hated hugs.
She was his favourite person.

He finally calmed down on the way home. He, Jim, and Pearl usually all flew home together, but Jim had gone ahead already, giving the twins some space.

Grian loved flying. Most avians did. It was just so freeing. It was safe. It was solace. It was everything. When he was flying, he was okay. Nothing mattered. Just the clouds and the wind in his hair, the odd leaf or two swiping at his arms. It was everything.

Once the twins were home, Grian immediately went to his room. He didn't feel like being around anyone now, not even Pearl.

He still went through his usual routine: shower, snack, homework, Minecraft, revision, cook dinner, bed. In that order. At the right times.

He felt calm enough to eat dinner with Pearl and his mum. They didn't live with their dad, he was in Australia - with Pearl up until the two started secondary school, hence her accent - since he and their mum split up.

Their mum, Niamh (Neev. please get it right.), was the sweetest. She wasn't always there, being a cardiologist at the hospital, but she still tried her best for her twins.

"So, how was school?" Her voice was bright, but tired; she had just woken up.

"Fine." Pearl started, knowing that Grian might not have been up for it. "Met the new kid today. He's alright. Elf guy too, so G's happy he gets more research."

Grian rolled his eyes, nudging Pearl with his elbow.
"He's cool besides that. Got a lot of scars. Which is ironic, his name literally is Scar..."
Their mum laughed.
"Food's good, G. Like every night."

Grian was normally the one who cooked. He preferred it that way; it meant less stress on their mum, and he had more control to make it perfect. He always wrote down recipes to what he cooked, he had at least 30 different ones stashed away in another notebook.

Sometimes he thought he was too organised for his own good.
But would he stop? Why don't you take a guess?

Scar View

Scar took the bus home with Joel. Joel liked Scar; he was intriguing. Joel was just a regular human, but got in through 'connections', he said. Joel said he liked his scars.

Finally. Someone liked them.

Scar's house was quiet. As usual. After the accident, his parents got more distant. Scar didn't mind. Well, he did, but he tried avoiding that feeling.

He went into his room, taking off his very uncomfortable uniform, and...immediately took a nap. He didn't mean to. But he was tired and his legs hurt.

He woke up again at about 9 pm. He made himself some pasta, the stuff you just stick in the microwave, since it wouldn't take too long. He sat in the kitchen with Jellie as it cooked, having already fed her.

"Jellie, do you know why British schools are so confusing?"

She just meowed and rubbed against him.

He thought about everyone he met. The honey girl, Pearl. The sunshine boy, Grian. Jimmy, Joel, the others he forgot the name of.

Were new schools always this difficult?

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Grian View

As usual, Grian woke up at 6 am. Tuesday 12th September. Second day of the second week of Year 11.

He got out of bed, sitting at his desk and looking at himself in his mirror. He insisted on having his own instead of sharing the bathroom one with Pearl.

"God, second week back and I already look exhausted..." He muttered, noticing the little dullness in his eyes and skin. He brushed through his hair, making sure it was perfect enough for him before getting into his uniform.

He headed down to the kitchen to see if there was anything for breakfast. He settled on just a little bowl of raspberries and strawberries, covering them in sugar, and making sure there was still some left for Pearl.
While he sat in the living room eating, Niamh came back from her night shift. She sat with Grian, silently. He leaned on her shoulder, knowing she'd be too tired to speak, but still wanting her to know that he loved her.

He stayed with her all morning. Times like this would be the only times he'd break his routine. Times like this would be the only times he didn't mind breaking his routine.

He left the house a minute or two later than usual; he needed Pearl to remind him what time it was. The twins walked to Jimmy's house, not that it took too long.

And they passed Scar.
He was getting on the school bus just across the road from them.
Huh. So he lived pretty close by.

Jim, Pearl, and Grian all flew in together, as usual. It was oddly warm for September, not that they minded. Less rain meant no wet wings, which meant less inconvenience. They landed just behind the school - avians had a designated landing spot - before going inside for morning form.

"You're quiet today, G. You alright?"
Jim asked as they sat on their row. That's when Grian realised he was being quieter. Pearl elbowed Jim, trying to get him to shut up for once.

"No, no, I'm alright. Bit tired, though."
He zoned out after that. He was definitely more tired than he initially thought.
And in what felt like seconds, he was walking to period 1, with Jimmy talking his ear off about something. Probably Scott. Again.

They had music first. Which was good, it meant Grian could go into one of the little practice rooms, stick some headphones on, and just be by himself for the hour. Just him and the coursework he's already spent so long on.

Which is what he did. The second the teacher unlocked the door to the smallest practice room, Grian was in and at the computer.

Quiet.

Music.

Peace.

Turns out an hour passes much faster when there's music blasting in your ears.

He didn't want to leave.

But he also didn't want to get into trouble, so he left for period 2. Physics. At least it was something he was good at.

He sat at the front of the class. Others would complain, but Grian didn't care. He liked the teacher; she was easy to talk to and kind of cool. She was a fae, so similar to Grian, making him like her that much more.

Jimmy came in late, which was weird and earned him a breaktime detention, but he looked as happy as he could be. He sat next to Grian and started going on about Scott and how he brought him flowers, was such a good husband, blah blah blah...

"Together again then, hm?" Grian whispered while their teacher went on about something they both already knew about.

"Married, actually. He gave me a flower and a kiss." Jimmy looked absolutely lovestruck...despite him and Scott being a bit on and off. Grian just chuckled at the boy and went back to his work.

Maybe he was feeling a bit better.
Maybe he was just more awake.

The group, now including Scar, went outside for break today; it was too warm to be cramped up inside. Still, they had a usual spot outside, too. Just past the avian landing spot, there was a patch of trees that they sat under.

Grian didn't bring his notebook today; he was too busy with Niamh to pack his bag at the right time, so he forgot. But maybe he didn't actually mind today, he had another in his locker anyway. The sun was out, everyone was in a good mood, the air was calm. Everything just felt...right.

He had English third, which was good. It meant he got to sit with Scar. He was an alright guy, Grian thought. Funny. It made the monotony of the lessons a little more bearable.

Their class had just started Macbeth - they were in a lower set, so they started reading it later and finished it earlier than the other classes. It was good...or it would be if it made any sense. English wasn't Grian's strong point. Scar, on the other hand, seemed to be pretty good.

"How is this making any sense to you..?" Grian whispered, getting bothered that he couldn't wrap his head around the language.
"I...don't know. I'm dyslexic, so...I kinda just...try translate it into what I would say, y'know?"

Yeah, that wasn't helping.

Period 4 was computer science; they had a start-of-year assessment, so it was alright. Quiet. He didn't have to talk to anyone. Grian liked comp sci. It made sense. Numbers and codes and strings. Logic. He liked logic.

Which was probably why it was over in less than a blink.

Before going to lunch, he went to his locker to get his backup notebook. He was getting a bit agitated; he needed to write something. Then he went to see what was for lunch. Main options were curry or jacket potato. Maybe not. So, he picked up his normal pasta pot and an apple juice before going outside.

Despite needing to go to his locker prior, he was the first person there. The quiet - only broken by the Year 7s running about, Year 8s and 9s thinking they're all that now - and the ambience of the air was always welcome.

He started doodling on a blank notebook page. He didn't know what to write about. He drew little stars and swirls and patterns. Eventually, the whole left corner was covered.

"Hey, Grian.."
Scar was next to show up, sitting against one of the trees and laying his cane down next to him. Grian just gave him a little smile in response. Not meaning to, he ended up doodling a mini Scar on the page.
He was interesting to draw. With all his scars, his hair that seemed to stick out everywhere while still looking somewhat neat, ear piercings...he looked like a book character.

He didn't notice he was drawing the elf until Pearl sat next to him, silently pointing to the page and muttering that it was a good drawing. She didn't comment any more than that. He put the book back in his bag, a bit embarrassed now.

"G, don't you have an art session after school?"

"Not today, I don't think..I'll check. Still got so much to do though..."

"Want me to cook tonight? I'll do it the way you do it.."
"Exactly?"

"The exact measurements.."

Oh, how he loved his sister.

Scar View

Scar's last lesson was French. Why was he even put in French? He pondered that until he actually got to the class and saw that there were barely 12 people in it. He knew that they all got to pick what classes they took, but he didn't expect one of them to be so...empty.

He was sat at the back of the room, not knowing a single thing about what was going on. His old school didn't have French as a class, so he had no idea what he was doing. The teacher, a kind man that never actually said his name to Scar, gave him some easier work to try to get him into the swing of things, though.

He thought back to lunchtime, back to Grian. He looked so peaceful outside. Nothing like the previous day. The way the sun shone on him through the gaps in the leaves. The way his eyelashes fluttered when he blinked. How focused he looked.

So different from the Grian he met yesterday.

Two sides of the same coin. Was that the saying?

Scar sat in his form room, having been one of the first ones there, as he looked over his French homework. This really made sense to the others in his class?

"Hi, Scar."
"Hey, Scar."
The twins came in at the same time, as they normally did. He gave them both a little wave, the homework on the desk still bothering him.

"What have you got there?" Pearl asked as she slid into her seat, leaning over Jimmy's.

"French. How can you keep up with this..? Feels impossible." He rested his elbows on the table, not even wanting to try to translate everything.

"You didn't do French at your last school then? Right...let me try help."
She moved over into Jimmy's empty chair - who knew where he was anyway? - and tried teaching him some tricks to help him memorise.

General View

Jimmy came in late. As expected. And still looking so awestruck. He sat next to Grian, seeing that Pearl was in his seat.

"Alright, what happened this time, Timmy?" Grian said, grinning at how stupid his cousin looked.

"Mmm...Watchers caught us."

The 'Watchers', as they were known to everyone else, were the prefects, but specifically the ones that were on break and lunch duty and had to catch anyone that was where they shouldn't be.

Other than that, nothing interesting happened in form, just the usual. They announced something about a college head coming in for assembly on Monday, but that was it. It had started raining during period 5 and that had persisted all the way until the end of the day. Which meant the avians couldn't fly home and had to take the bus.

"Ew, ew, ew, wet wings..." Pearl practically ran to the bus; no one could blame her, having wet wings was a horrible feeling.

The four showed the driver their passes and they sat at the back. Probably a risky move, knowing how some people could be, but they were Year 11 now, no one would try anything. The others that normally took the bus along with Scar were Mumbo, Joel, and Scott. Lizzie and Cleo took a different bus together.

The bus was...the bus. Cramped, weird smell, loud kids, overstimulating the works. Not the most ideal place.

Grian sat closest to the left window with Pearl's earphones in; bus journeys made him feel sick. Scar sat next to him with Pearl next to him. Joel, who was sat in one row in front, turned around and leaned over his seat.

"G...? G...Grian.." He hit the boy's shoulder to get his attention and make him take those bloody earphones out.
"You have your volume way too loud- Anyway, do you have a tenner on you?"

Grian dug through his blazer pockets for a moment.
"£4.50."

Joel shrugged, saying it was good enough.
"Taking Lizzie to maccies later, promised I'd pay for once..."

Grian just nodded, giving him the coins. Everyone knew that Lizzie came from money, not as much as maybe Mumbo, but definitely had more than £4.50 for McDonald's.

The rest of the journey home wasn't eventful. Just little Year 7s trying to talk to Scott and Joel, and the bad part of the Year 7s trying to take the back seats from them. But after a couple insults and threats from Pearl and Joel, they gave up.

The bus stopped near Joel and Mumbo's neighbourhood first, where all the rich-ish humans lived. Next was Scott's, a little village-in-a-village near the edge of the valley.

Scar View

By the time they made it to Scar's neighbourhood, the bus was much quieter. Other than him, Grian, Pearl, and Jimmy, there were just a couple younger kids there, but no one too loud.

They all got off the bus, the rain calming a lot now. Pearl was still complaining about wet wings, Jimmy was going on about Scott, and Scar and Grian were just listening. Or trying to.

Scar lived a couple houses down from them, across the street. And it seemed that Jim was the only one that didn't notice.

"Oh, we should all hang out sometime. Like have a sleepover or something!"

"Oh, I'd love that if I wasn't soaked, Jimmy, let's go!"
Pearl yelled over; she was already halfway down the street. So, Jimmy just laughed, whispered "another time, yeah?" before running to catch up - and probably apologise to - Pearl.

"Sorry about them. Pearl hates rain more than anything.." Grian said with a huff, taking the earphones out and putting them away.
"But he's right, for once, we should do something sometime."

Scar just nodded. Why couldn't he speak? How had he run out of words? Grian took the taller boy's hand and a pen, writing a string of numbers on it.

"Text me, yeah?"

Then he ran off to catch up with the other two avians. Scar was stunned for a minute. He really just got a guy's number? Just like that? Yeah, maybe they were somewhat friends, but it still counted, right?

He made his way back home, that little bit of happiness draining when he got inside. It was as dull as usual. His parents were in the kitchen, talking about something. So, he decided to listen in. Just for...research purposes.

"Well, I'm worried about him."

"He'll be fine, Alenia."

"Yes, but you know how it was before, how do you know it won't happen again?"

"I'm sure none of these kids are a–"

Oh, he was caught. Very caught. So, he quickly slipped upstairs, hiding in his room.

His parents wouldn't do anything because he was listening. They just scared him sometimes. The way they would just...change when they spoke to him.

He knew they blamed themselves and fate.

But he knew they blamed him, too.

They didn't have to say it.

He sat on his bed, Jellie cuddling up with him as he looked over that French work again. It was starting to make a little more sense with Pearl's help, but still felt impossible. He looked at his other homework. He could handle all that, it was somewhat self-explanatory.
He left the paper on his desk and got changed. Just into a shirt and shorts before sitting at his desk. It wouldn't hurt to play a game for a while, would it? No, no...it'd be fine. If he just put his headphones on...didn't hear anything that could or would happen in the house.

It was fine after all.

Of course it was.

People were nicer here.

He finished at 9 pm, going downstairs to get something to eat. There wasn't much, he ended up just making one of those little mug soups.

He ate on the kitchen floor, mostly to stay with Jellie while she ate. While he did that, he finally texted Grian. He had forgotten until now.

'heyyy its scar'

'hiiiihihihii'

'jimmy says hi'

'and wants to know if ur busy friday'

'probably not'

'but i'll check'

'jhi its jijm'

'ii took hisphone'

'hes tryibg to kill me halp'

'Why 😭'

'bc hes boring and doing hw'

'anyyyyway text me instead'

'07123456789'

And so he did. Jimmy was a lot calmer when he didn't have Grian's phone. The two made plans to go out on Friday, walk around the main town, with the rest of the group.

He liked this school.
Yeah, he'd be okay here.

Grian View

"Can I have my phone back now?!"

Grian had pretty much tackled Jimmy, who, despite not needing it, still had Grian's phone. He threw it back, still trying to escape the other.

"Jimmy Solidarity, I want to kill you sometimes.."

Grian sat back on his bed, Jimmy was on the crappy air mattress on the floor. He was sleeping over since his dad wasn't at home and didn't fully trust him.

"Aww, you know I'm your favourite cousin..~"
"You're my only cousin, Tim. And somehow you're still not my favourite.."

He got up to get his cardigan after realising he left it downstairs. He also brought up his school bag.

He forgot to put his backup notebook back in his locker.

Great..

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

--

Scar View

"ow..."

Scar woke up...on the kitchen floor? Why was he on the kitchen floor?

Jellie was curled up next to him, quietly purring to herself.

Sitting up, Scar found himself in a lot of pain. The sky was dark outside the window. What happened last night? What time was it now? Did he really fall asleep on the floor? Huh...

Forcing himself up, he checked the time. Just about 4 am. His...everything hurt. He felt stiff. Not fun. He took himself back to his room, trying to fall asleep, but to no avail.

So, when sleep failed, he sat at his desk. He wanted to draw something. Nothing in particular. Just something. So he started. Just let his hand move itself. First, he drew Jellie - he did that a lot - then one of the school's sports halls, he didn't know why either. And that kept him distracted enough until 7 am.

Why did he fall asleep on the kitchen floor?
And why didn't his parents care enough to wake him up?

Grian View

"Pearl! Pearl, have you seen my cardigan?!"

"Not since last night, G!"

Grian was very frantically looking around the house for his cardigan. The same one he wore every day. The same one he needed to wear every day. He wasn't himself without it.

So why in the hell hadn't he found it?

He had it last night.

And then it was gone when he woke up.

This just wasn't happening.

While he was searching, Niamh came home from her night shift. Jimmy explained what was happening, and despite her exhaustion, she went right to him.

"Grian? G, baby, calm down."

"I can't really 'calm down' right now! I'm not going in until I find it.."

She managed to get him to sit down for a second to just breathe. Think. Pearl and Jimmy were at the door, despite being told not to listen in.

"Where'd you leave it last night, sweet?"

"On my chair. Like every night...mum, I have to find it.."

He was scratching at a specific spot on his hand. Everything was starting to feel too loud, even though the house was silent. Niamh was talking, but he couldn't hear her anymore. He didn't want to hear her anymore. But he heard the last little bit.

"Just try for me, sweet. You have your pass, they'll understand if you just want to sit in Support all day. I'll even come get you if it gets to that point."

Hesitantly, Grian nodded. He could never ask her to wake up just to pick him up. He loved her enough to agree.

So, a bit later than usual, the three avians left the house, Pearl and Jimmy being a bit more gentle with Grian. Maybe they were worried he'd just blow up on them. Or go silent again.

Maybe they were just worried.

His first lesson was Physics. Okay. Bearable. Although the three were late, they weren't in any trouble.

"No cardi today, G? You alright?"
Mrs Langler asked. Sweet as ever. He just nodded, not wanting her to press any further. And she got the message, leaving Grian to his thoughts while still keeping an eye on him.

Next was chemistry. Who decided that it'd be a good idea to have back-to-back science? Overwhelming. But Grian still went. He didn't have to. He could've gone to support. But he didn't. He was sat next to Scott. Who was sat next to Jimmy. Which meant neither of them bothered him the whole lesson. Good.

He didn't go to the usual spot at break. He went to Support instead. Not that he didn't want to sit with his friends. He just didn't want to talk to anyone.

But somehow, even Support was too loud.

So he just wandered around until next lesson.

PE.

Out of everything.

With a deep breath, he walked into the sports hall, immediately going to Pearl and the others. PE was confusing. There was always more than one class there at once. Sometimes it was by English classes, sometimes Maths. Weird system.

"You alright, mate?" Jimmy asked while the others went on about something they overheard somewhere.

"Making it...Know what we're doing today?"

"Netball girls said badminton. But I don't ever trust them."

The girls were right, it was badminton. Not the best, but definitely not the worst. So, once the classes handed their phones in, they all went to the changing rooms.

Oh, how Grian did hate the changing rooms.
More specifically, the other boys.
Oh, and how they just hated him too.

Normally, he'd get changed in the toilet stalls. But that was banned at the end of last term because someone set the fire alarm off with a vape. So now he had just had to force himself through this. Even though he was in one of the worst moods ever.

But the second he took his tie off, they started. The whistles, the stupid comments, someone probably took a picture for all he knew.

"Ooh, I'm sure Lara would love that."
"Come on, bird boy, show a little more."

"Oh, piss off.."
It made him feel sick.
But still, saying something did nothing. Gave them more ammunition, even.

"Oh, now the pretty boy fights back."
"Heard he didn't do that against Lara..~"

He could hear Jimmy and Mumbo and whoever defending him; voices weren't distinctive enough anymore.

He could hear his heart beating in his ears.

He could feel his stomach drop so far that he might as well just not have one.

It was all just driving him crazy.

"Will you just leave me alone?!"
And in a fit of anger and a desperate need to leave, he took his bag and just left. He could still hear them. But now he didn't care.

He could hear his teacher telling him to come back.
And Pearl trying to follow him. But he was faster.
And he went straight to Support.

He chucked his bag down, knocking some chair over somewhere, before sitting at one of the desks. He didn't know who else was in there or who it was that was talking to him.

He just wanted some quiet.

Was that too much to ask for?

20 minutes.
20 minutes for him to regain his composure and come to his senses. He had the head of Pastoral, Mrs Carter, sat in front of him. She wasn't saying anything, probably waiting for him.

He took a quick scan of the room. One girl from a younger year, Pearl a couple steps away. And Scar sat at the other end of the room, watching while trying to look like he wasn't.

"...sorry."

That was all he could say. It had only just occurred to him that he had snapped. Pearl finally came over, just running a hand through his hair. Mrs Carter left after Pearl muttered something to her. Then she sat with him.

Ivor Twins View

"What happened, G..?"
Pearl held his hand, a mix of worry and realisation on her face. She could guess what had happened. But she wanted to hear him say it.

"Boys...going on at me again. Just freaked, I guess..."
The girl just nodded, now confirming her suspicions. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. She didn't ask anything else. But she did slide over his notebook. Not his backup one this time.

"Picked that up for you...I can ask them to call mum–"

"Don't. She's- she's probably asleep.."

Pearl just nodded. Though she still thought that he'd be better off at home.

"What do you have next?"

"Health and social. Then Art."

"That's not too bad, huh?"

"Guess so..."

Pearl knew. Knew that something more was up. Something besides the cardigan and PE was bothering him. But she didn't ask. He wouldn't say anything. Not to her anyway.

"Scared me, you did. And Scar too, he's been asking."
That made Grian look over the room. And, as he thought, Scar was looking at the two. They both exchanged a little smile before Grian looked back to his sister.

"You just spaced out, G. Normally when you're this angry, you'll..- I don't know..- yell at someone or start scratching at yourself. You were just quiet."

"Sorry.."

"Don't apologise. Just talk to me, yeah? I love you, want you to be okay.."

Instinctively, Grian started writing something in his notebook. He didn't know what. But he was writing. He was calmer.

And there was no way he was going back to PE.

But Pearl did. She had to.

Scar View

Period 4, Health & Social Care. It was quiet. Quieter, at least. Kind of calming. Scar had been keeping an eye on Grian since Pearl had asked him to do so. He seemed a bit more mellow in comparison to earlier.
Earlier, he just looked so angry. But also sad? It didn't make sense. And he wasn't talking either, so Scar couldn't even figure out what was wrong.

All Pearl had mentioned was something about boys being assholes. Which wasn't enough for Scar to go off of. So he decided to just stick with him. All through lunchtime, too. And by that time, Grian had started talking a little more.

They sat in Support for lunch. And finally, Grian was actually smiling and laughing again. And that just warmed Scar's heart. He was pretty when he was happy.

He was pretty in general, actually.

General View

Nothing interesting really happened during period 5, for anyone. Grian had Art, which he very much enjoyed. Scar had Engineering, which he didn't even know was a class, but he was loving it. Pearl and Jimmy had Geography, where they learnt that their usually stern teacher actually had a pretty good music taste.

And then the four were back in Form. Pearl thanked Scar for watching over Grian for her, noticing her brother's sudden, but welcome, shift in mood. Form was the same as ever, nothing interesting, same old about attendance, uniform, standards, whatever...

After that was out of the way, Jimmy started the conversation regarding Friday afternoon.
"Okay, so me and Mumbo were talking in PE, we're thinking sleepover. Instead of going town again."
After a beat, Pearl was the first one to respond.
"Yeah, but at whose house? No way Mumbo's parents would let us after last time..."

"What happened last time?"
Scar asked, still not fully sure which one Mumbo actually was.

"So, we had a water gun fight but with Coke. Anyway, he's still gonna ask his parents, but if they say no, probably Lizzie's if she's up for it."

"And if she's not?"

"Can you not shoot down every idea I have?"

While the two cousins bickered on, Grian just watched, a hint of a smile on his face. This was better. This was usual. Scar watched too, still very confused.

"...Coke?"
"Yeah, we don't know why either. But it was fun."

"Should I be reconsidering agreeing to this?"

"Nooo...at least wait until you actually get there."

The two boys just laughed and watched Jimmy and Pearl go on until the bell rang. The second they got outside, Grian texted Niamh.

'hiiii'

'just about made it thru'

'Super proud of you sweet xx'

'School did call about what happened but I wont ask xx'

'Home tonight so we'll do something xx'

'sounds good!!'

'<3'

'<3'

It was raining again that day, so the avians took the bus again. They sat in their usual seat. Joel leaned over to Grian again.
"You alright, G-man? Jim told me what happened."

"Better now. Who else has he told?"

"Just me and Scott, don't worry."

Grian just nodded. Scar was next to him, bouncing his leg up and down. For one reason or another, it bugged Grian. So he put his hand on the elf's knee.

"...that's really annoying."

"Sorry, sorry, I'll stop."

He didn't stop. The whole drive. He didn't stop.

Jimmy sat with Scott, hand in hand. It was sweet to see. That little twinkle in Jimmy's eye, the red that dusted Scott's cheeks. Just adorable. Meanwhile, Pearl was talking to some Year 9 she had met on a school trip, apparently she had 'adopted' him. And Joel was most likely confusing Mumbo with some new brainrot he heard somewhere.

The sun had started to set by the time the avians and Scar got off the bus, and the rain had stopped. It made everything look a little golden. The puddles and dots of settled rain sparkled, like crystals. Grian, now with a decent amount of energy, went around with Jimmy, jumping through puddles and dancing around like idiots. Pearl stayed walking with Scar.

"How's G been since I left then?"
"Better. He calmed down a lot during Health & Social Care. Started talking more at lunch."

Pearl stopped walking for a second, turning to Scar with a bit of a serious look on her face.
"You'll take care of him, right? If I'm not with him and you are?"

"Sure. He's my friend, after all."

That seemed to give her a little peace of mind, and they kept walking.

"People aren't always nice to him. Just making sure..."

"Why not? He's a nice guy.."

"Well...hopefully...he'll tell you one day. You deserve to know too..."

Scar View

Scar's mood seemed to drop when he got home. He went into the kitchen, following Jellie, which was where his parents were.

"Why were you asleep in here then, Scar? Pass out?"
His dad asked, not even bothering to say hi. His mother was silent.

"Don't know. I'm fine, though."

And, as expected, they didn't say anything else. Scar just got himself a bag of chips and went to his room.

Sometimes he wished his parents would talk to him more.
Sometimes he wished they weren't there at all.
Sometimes he wished that never happened at all.

He changed into just a shirt and shorts, did some homework, and spent most of the afternoon asleep.

He woke up again at 9 pm due to Jimmy spam texting him.

Oh, no, not just Jimmy.
Just the group chat Jimmy had added him to.
With Grian, Pearl, Scott, Lizzie, Joel, Mumbo, and Cleo. The usual group.

They were all going on about Friday, turns out Lizzie had agreed to host the sleepover at her house, and they were deciding who brings what.

And then it clicked in Scar's head.

What the hell was a sleepover?

I mean, yeah, it was in the name; he could guess that it involved sleeping at Lizzie's house, and that the group had used Coke water guns at one before. But still, what even was it? He texted Grian to ask. He would've asked Jimmy, but he seemed too preoccupied arguing with Pearl again.

'Grian'

'What even is a sleepover?'

'your kidding'

'Nope'

'Never been to one'

'genuinely idk how to explain it'

'all u need to know is that its hectic asf'

'but fun'

'just bring what jim says to'

'That sounds suspicious but okay'

Scar continued to read through the chat, seeing that he was told to bring snacks. But then Lizzie told him not to since she would have some, so now who was he supposed to listen to? Grian gave him a separate list of other essential things he should probably bring along, too.

Was this friends?
Did he really have friends now?

Grian View

"Grian~ Look what I found."

Niamh slipped into Grian's room while he was hanging upside down on his bed. And she had it.

His cardigan.

Grian, overjoyed, immediately shot up and hugged his mum, thanking her. He put it on, finally feeling safe again, finally feeling like he could actually breathe again.

"Don't worry about it, just got mixed up in the washing again. So, you're alright to go in tomorrow, yes?"

He nodded, sitting back on his bed.

"Good. Don't stay up too late then."

She flicked off his light switch, and Grian finally went to bed happy.

That cardigan really meant everything to him.
And sometimes it felt like he was the only person who knew that.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

General View

Nothing interesting happened on Thursday. Genuinely. Nothing out of the ordinary. No, this isn't just to pass time quickly, I don't know what you're talking about.

Nevertheless, now it's Friday lunchtime. The group were sat outside again, the sun was actually out for once. Jimmy, Scott, and Joel were going on about the fact that the group needed a new name. Pearl, Liz, and Cleo were having some girly gossip session that no one dared to interrupt. Meanwhile, Mumbo, Grian, and Scar were going over some English homework together.

Moments like these were always nice. Everyone doing different things, but still all being together. The sun was glowing, there was a light breeze that kept everyone from overheating.

But moments like those couldn't last forever, and soon the bell rang again for Period 5.

Grian, Jimmy, Mumbo, Cleo, and Scar all had either Biology or Physics. But all the science teachers were on some training course, so the two classes were taken to the library for a free revision period instead.

Did any of them do one line of revision? Absolutely not.

"What do you mean you've never had a sleepover?!" Jimmy asked, a bit too loudly, after overhearing Grian and Scar talking about the sleepover that night.

"Jimmy! Quiet."
"Sorry, sir! What do you mean you've never had a sleepover before?" He repeated, a bit quieter after being called out by the librarian.

"Just...never happened, I guess. All the friends I had before lived far from me." Scar quietly muttered back, half lying through his teeth. Jimmy, however, believed it and seemed in shock, and that was an understatement.

"Don't worry, Scar, Jim will make it absolutely unbearable for you." Cleo said with a snicker, which made Jimmy jab her in the arm. To which Cleo responded by hitting Jimmy with their book. Then they went on until the librarian moved Jimmy to one end of the room and Cleo to the other.

"Finally, some quiet.." Mumbo sighed, laying his head on the table. He had been complaining about having a headache all day.
"Sure you'll be alright for tonight?" Grian leaned down a bit too, trying to get a look at him. He tended to worry too much sometimes. Mumbo just nodded, saying something about paracetamol.

After the bell rang, Grian walked Mumbo to his form room, making sure he was okay, before going to his own, getting there right on the bell. Jimmy was still going on about the sleepover, and Pearl was still shooting down all his ideas.

"Okay, so no Coke water guns then...seven minutes in heaven?"
"Jim, we're British, Australian, and Scottish...except for Scar. We don't do that here. Besides, you're just saying that to get with Scott.."

Grian sat in his seat, not wanting to disturb the conversation just yet. Scar was sat between the two, just watching the back and forth, feeling a bit uncomfortable being right between them.

"Lizzie has CoD, we could play that. Tournament."

"Finally, a decent idea. Bet that hurt to think of."

"Pearlescent, I will tell your mother how mean you're being."

"And I'll hurt you, don't you dare.."

Jimmy, naturally a bit scared, backed off after that. Pearl just laughed. The menacing girl she was. Form ended as quickly as it started, and everyone got off home to get ready.

Ivor Twins View

"G, we're going for one night, not four.."

Grian had overpacked. As Pearl expected. She knew he was just overpreparing; she had expected this, but it was still just a little entertaining to see. He just brushed her off, going to take a shower before they left.

Pearl sat in her bedroom, texting the group chat and quickly realising that Scar had no idea where Lizzie lived. So she texted him separately.

'yooo'

'need a lift to lizzies??'

'Yes pls'

'No ones told me where she lives'

'dw we'll come get you'

Pearl turned her phone off and went downstairs to find Niamh, who was sat in the living room and seemed to already know what Pearl wanted.

"I'll give you a lift if you run into the corner shop and get me a couple things."

"Why can't you?"

"You really think I'm going anywhere looking like this?"

Pearl just chuckled, sitting next to her.

"Fine, I will. But we need to get Scar too..."

"Scar?"

"The new one. Lives down the road."

"Ahh, right.."

Grian came out soon after, having dried his hair and put a little bit of eyeliner on. After that, Niamh got up to change clothes, and the three left the house.

First, they went to the corner shop, just for some milk, butter, the usual. Then they went and picked up Scar. He and Niamh seemed to get along swimmingly. Maybe that was just Scar's general charm and charisma.

General View

Lizzie's house wasn't too far; she lived around the same neighbourhood as Mumbo and Joel, so the rich people place. Grian knocked and Lizzie opened.
"Hi, guys..finally you're here, I'm losing my mind.."
Joel and Mumbo, as expected, were already there, as well as Cleo, and the three of them were playing CoD. Lizzie explained that they had been playing for an hour.

Lizzie's house was gorgeous. It was also so clean and pristine. Like one of the stereotypical expensive houses you'd see in a film. 5 bedrooms, Lizzie's, her parents', her sister's, and the two spares. The avians and Scar left their bags in one of the spare rooms before sitting in the living room with everyone else.

Jimmy and Scott showed up soon after, together as always. But Jim was a little quieter than usual, which everyone silently agreed was because of Scott. Though they had to admit it was sweet to see them so in love.

"Wow, G, eyeliner and glasses on? Who are you today?"
Jimmy teased, taking a seat next to him.
"Oh, be quiet...it's not that surprising, is it?"
Everyone agreed. Grian rarely kept his glasses on during the day; he normally stuck with contacts. The eyeliner was slightly more of a regular thing, though.

Finally, Lizzie managed to get Joel, Mumbo, and Cleo off CoD when she brought up ordering food. And then the big debate started over what to order.

Joel and Lizzie said McDonalds, using the fact that it was her house as their reasoning.
Jimmy and Pearl wanted pizza, but no one agreed with Jim's stupid topping combinations. Grian and Scar stayed out of it, not caring what they got as long as it was edible.
And Mumbo and Cleo wanted them all to shut up for once.

"So...does this happen often?" Scar asked while Grian shuffled a deck of Uno cards he found.
"Oh, every time. I've found that it's easier to just let them go on until someone threatens everyone else and just picks."
Grian gave himself and Scar seven cards, and the two went on to play Uno.

Cleo was the one to end the argument, by the way. They ordered McDonalds. Which showed up half an hour later. And everyone left Cleo to handle it, since she always knew what everyone ordered, even if no one told them.

"Right, so...who on earth got a Happy Meal?"

That was Jimmy's. Shock horror. He wanted the toy. Though he did pretty much immediately regret it when he saw everyone else's food.

"Mozzerella stick sharebox and chips, that's the twins'...that's mine..chicken nuggets for Lizzie. And...Mumbo, there's yours..Scott's, there's Scar's and..- Joel, did you really get a Big Mac after last time..?"

"How the hell does she just...know?"
Scar whispered to Grian; they had paused their 4th Uno game by then.

"It's their best talent.."
Grian whispered back, taking a bite out of one of the mozzarella sticks. And finally, there was a moment's peace as the group ate, watching whatever was on the TV.

"...so what if we call ourselves the Spanners?"
"Jimmy, I might break your legs...that's almost the stupidest thing you've ever come up with."
"Actually, nothing's beating Jimmy's Coke guns."
"I think that time he tried cooking a chicken nugget in the microwave beats that.."

So much for peace, huh?

After everyone had eaten, and after Lizzie reminded everyone to throw their rubbish away, Jimmy suggested hide and seek. Which was fair, considering the size of Lizzie's house. Their only rules were, don't go any further than the garden shed, and don't go into her parents' or Maddie's room. So, Joel counted and everyone scattered off around the house. But Scar stayed with Grian, mostly to avoid getting lost.

"Okay, I know the best place.."
And Scar just trusted his judgment and followed. Grian led him out to the garden, just behind the shed, so they were wedged between the shed and the hedge.

"She said not to go past the shed, G."
"Well, we're still touching the shed, so it doesn't count. And no one thinks to look behind it.."

And after about 5 minutes, no one looked behind the shed. Until Pearl did. She knew her brother almost better than she knew herself.
"Oh, wow, looking pretty cosy here, then..."
It was then that they realised how...intimate of a position they were in and quickly stood up.

Pearl just laughed, but didn't question anything.
"Come on, you're the last ones and Jimmy's threatening the Coke guns again.."
So they all went inside together. But Pearl definitely noticed that little blush that ran over her brother's cheeks, even if he didn't notice it himself.

"How do you always win..~? Unfair."
Jimmy was lying on one of the couches, watching Scott play a round of CoD with Mumbo. Cleo was sat on the couch on their phone, and Lizzie and Joel were finishing off Grian and Scar's Uno game.

"I'm just way better than you, Timmy."
Grian sat next to the other avian boy, pulling him up to sit next to him, and Pearl sat next to him.

"Okay, just between us..." She started, speaking a bit lower than usual. Which Grian and Jim learnt was never safe.
"I think there's a little something-something between you and Scar, Gri.."

"Oh my god, is there? Grian, is there? Tell me there is, I can't be the only guy with a boyfriend in our group."

"Well, technically Scott counts as–"
"Don't even go there. Anyway..?"

"No, there's nothing, why would you think that..?"

Pearl and Jim looked to each other. Then back at Grian. Then back to each other. Then at Grian again.
"Are you sure?"

"What do you mean 'am I sure'? Yes, I'm sure."

"Bird brains, get down here, we're playing Uno."

Thank the void for Joel.

The avians joined the rest of the 'Spanners' - Jimmy and Mumbo were really sticking with that now - on the floor for Uno. Of course Lizzie had two Uno decks so there'd be enough cards for everyone. Long story short: Pearl won, Joel almost burst a blood vessel, Jimmy kept messing up the 9s and 6s, and the rest of them just gave up a bit of the way through.

After another two games, it was just about 9:30, and everyone decided to get ready for bed. Not that they'd get much sleep. So they all split up and got changed, deciding who would sleep where. Which didn't go well, so they decided to just bring all the mattresses they could downstairs. And that alone took nearly an hour.

"Okay...for the final time...Cleo on this couch, Pearl on that one. Me and Joel in my room, rest of the boys on the floor, and Jimmy insists on sleeping in the uncomfortable fold-out armchair bed thing. Are we okay now?"

Everyone agreed, and Lizzie pretty much immediately went to bed with Joel trailing after her.

For a while, Grian sat with Pearl, playing whatever games Lizzie had that weren't CoD, while everyone else just relaxed from all the social battery drainage. And when that got boring, they put on a couple films and raided Lizzie's kitchen for snacks.

The first to fall asleep was Jimmy – who didn't wake up to anything - at about 1 am. There were deep sleepers and then there was Jimmy. Mumbo was out shortly after on the mattress closest to the door. Then Pearl and Cleo.

And the only two left awake were Scar and Grian.

Scarian View

Not wanting to bother anyone, they kept the TV volume low and just played Uno and the other miscellaneous board games they could find. Until that also got boring too. So, they sat in the doorway leading to the garden.

"So how was your first sleepover, then?" Grian was looking at the stars. A lot of them weren't visible because of the cloud, but the ones that were always shone the brightest.

"It was fun...I like you guys.." While Grian looked at the stars, Scar looked at him. He seemed so...different than he was at school. Like all the tension and school stress just didn't exist. Something more than calm or relaxed. This felt like a side of Grian that he hadn't met yet.

Maybe the real Grian.

"Well, I can say for sure that we all like you too..." Then Grian looked to Scar. The glow of the moon still glared over the two as they looked at each other.

"Can I be honest..?" Scar started, then continued with Grian's nod.
"I've never really had friends before. No one's ever really liked me, which is why I still don't really get the idea of sleepovers."

Grian seemed confused for a second, then bothered.
"But why? You're really cool and nice, why wouldn't you have friends?"

"I've got my cousin, Gem...but she's still back home, so I don't ever get to see her anymore. I guess I've just always been a bit...distant, I guess."

"Well...you've got us now. And we won't let you be distant."

And that was all Scar needed to confirm that he did have real friends now.

And that he didn't have to worry.

He liked the Spanners.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Scar View

Two weeks had passed now, the date was now October 7th. Week A Monday. And everything was going well for Scar. He was finally catching up a little in French, he loved Drama and Engineering, and he had a stable friend group. And he was happy.

“gonna be late home tonight…I’m going to a friend’s..” Scar said to his parents, even though they weren’t fully listening. It was like they were brainwashed. They both just nodded and Scar left the house for school.

It was raining again, the autumn weather was finally setting in. The leaves turned from bright greens to oranges and reds. Twigs snapped under his feet as he walked to the bus stop. And, unlike usual, the avians were all there before him; they wouldn’t be able to fly in that weather.

“Hey, Scar.” Grian was first to greet him. Pearl had her earphones in and Jimmy was texting someone, presumably Scott.

“You still coming over tonight? Mum’s really excited…”

“Yeah, of course.” That night, Scar was going over to the Ivors' house for dinner. He’d already been there twice the week before, but he’d do anything to get out of the monotony of his own home.

The bus arrived soon after that, as lively as ever, despite it being a Monday morning. They had assembly first, nothing too notable, just information about college options and attendance and uniform standards. Then finally, Scar went to his first lesson, Maths. Although he did space out for most of it, aimlessly scribbling in his book. He was getting a bit restless, feeling the need to just move and do something; he had the energy for it.

Which was good because his next lesson was Drama.

Right now, the class were split into groups, all working on their own devised pieces for their mock exam at the end of the month. Scar was in a group with Joel, Scott, and Lizzie, along with two other boys, Martyn and Ren.

Scar loved Drama. Just the freedom to be a different person, and move, and just express himself in more ways than one.
What he didn’t love was when the class ended. That wasn’t as fun.

For the whole of break, Scar and Grian talked about what they wanted to do that evening. The rest of the group found it hilariously adorable, mostly because it was the exact same situation as the last couple of times Scar went over there.
Pearl especially found it funny. She could sense that there was something there. But she wouldn’t get involved just yet, not until the two got over their obliviousness at least.

Fast forward to Period 5, Health & Social Care. Grian seemed much happier, sparkly. He had this little spark in his eyes, and his overall self just seemed to glow with excitement.
Scar thought he was beautiful. But did he know that himself? No way.

After Form, Jimmy and Pearl flew home together, while Grian took the bus with Scar and the others. Scott was the first to notice that Jimmy wasn’t with him. Of course he was.
“Hiya, Grian…where’s the rest of you?”
“Jimmy went home with Pearl, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Scar didn’t bother going to his house before going to Grian’s. There wasn’t much point. Grian asked why he didn’t, Scar just shrugged. He just didn’t want to face the stillness of his own home. He much preferred seeing how happy Niamh was when he came in.

“Hiya, my love, how are you doing?”
She always said the same thing, but every time it just felt more comforting.

While Grian went to his room to get changed and do his usual stuff, Scar stayed with Niamh in the kitchen while she made some tea. They hadn’t really had the time to talk while he was there; Grian always managed to distract him. Not that he really minded.
“How are you liking the school then? Huge, isn’t it?”

“Oh, very. But I like it, better than my last school anyway..”
The thought of his last school made Scar stop and think for a second. Now that he thought about it, his last school was nothing compared to this one. And that was only just occurring to him.

“And- ah- bit of a vague question, but…how’s my G doing?”
She handed Scar a mug of tea, looking more concerned now. This, to Scar, felt like the time Pearl asked him to take care of Grian.

But what had happened to worry them so much?

“He…has his moments..but he’s seemed better. But- I’m not really good at noticing that kinda stuff…”
That seemed to ease her nerves a bit as Grian came into the kitchen. And after that, Scar was dragged off to Grian’s room while the little avian boy rambled his ear off about some game he wanted the two of them to play.

Scarian View

The two then spent a few hours playing games on Grian’s computer, going through Pokémon cards, annoying Pearl, the usual. They always had something to talk about, it never got boring. It was practically perfect.

It was about 6 pm when Scar and Grian sat on the floor of Grian’s bedroom, some random music playing from Grian’s speaker on his desk. The sun was already starting to set, and it was raining, but that didn’t bother the boys’ mood.

“I swear, everything just feels nicer when you come over. Mum’s happy and awake, Pearl’s always in a good mood.”

“Well, maybe I should come over more often then, huh?”

“Alright, just steal you away from your own family, I’m not sure they’d like that…”

Why did that make Scar feel this…kind of emptiness in his chest? Was it because Grian brought up his family? Was it something else? Whatever it was, Grian seemed to notice, leaning a little closer to Scar.

“You alright..? Scar?”

He waved his hand in the elf boy’s face, now feeling bad for what he said. He then sighed, moving to sit next to Scar rather than in front of him, slightly leaning against his arm. He wanted to ask and pry and fish out any information he could get. But he wouldn’t.

If Scar didn’t want to talk about it, then they didn’t have to.

They sat in the quiet for a while; they didn’t quite know how long. At some point, Niamh had called them down for dinner. They didn’t question what had happened. But the air between them seemed a bit quieter now. But a nice kind of quiet. Not awkward or upset. Just understanding.

Pearl had come down, seemingly having just woken up from a nap. Niamh was in a good mood, she had her music playing softly in the background. And they all sat at the table to eat.

For Pearl and Grian, this was normal.
But for Scar, he’s only ever dreamt of this.

While Grian and Pearl rambled on about someone getting suspended for yelling at some other teacher, both Scar and Niamh just watched. It was oddly interesting, even though it was confusing as Hell.
Even after everyone had eaten, the two were still going on. When Scar tried asking someone about it, Niamh just said something about ‘twin gossip’, and that was a good enough answer for him.

Finally, once the two had finished up their little gossip session, Pearl went back to bed, and Grian and Scar went to sit in the living room to watch something until Scar had to leave. And then the topic of Star Wars came up.

“What do you mean you’ve never watched Star Wars? Are you crazy?” Scar was looking at him like he’d committed a crime.
“Well, I have! Just not recently enough to remember…”

With the same look on his face, Scar took the TV remote from Grian and took over. And with that, they spent the next three hours lying on the floor together. In reality, Grian was only half paying attention. Seeing Scar so invested in what was going on was such a sweet sight.

They ended up getting through Phantom Menace and just about half of Attack of the Clones before it got too late, and Scar had to go home.

Grian View

“My God, he’s just lovely, isn’t he?” Niamh asked pretty much immediately after Scar left.

“You say that every time,” Grian said with a little chuckle, following Niamh around the house to help out with whatever she was doing.
“but, yes, he’s great.”

“You know, you seem a lot happier when he’s here, Gri.” She said, folding up some clothes to put away, with Grian by her side, doing the same.
“You think? I mean…I guess it’s not as stressful when he’s around…but it’s like that for the rest of my friends. And Pearl.”
She didn’t say anything to that, just hummed, and they continued.

But that thought didn’t leave Grian’s head for a while. Did he really seem that much happier with Scar? This hadn’t ever been brought up when talking about his other friends. So why just Scar?

“You going to see- ah, what’s her face..? Melissa tomorrow?”
“Got it right that time…Yep, still going. Still think there’s no point, though. I’m fine now.”
Melissa was this lady that Grian had to see once a week to talk about how he was coping.
His counsellor. She was his counsellor.
But he hated saying that, so he didn’t. He didn’t like being perceived as some mentally weak, messed-up kid.

“Don’t be like that, she’s helping more than you think. Go on, off to bed now, it’s getting late…”
Niamh clipped the back of his head before sending Grian off to his room again.

For a while, Grian stayed awake in bed, just thinking. Not just about Scar now, but about everything. He was tired, but he couldn’t sleep. He tried talking to Pearl, he tried texting someone, he tried just lying on the floor until he was tired, but nothing was working.

So what did he do instead?
Sat at his computer watching Star Wars until he passed out at his desk, of course.

Scar View

Scar sat on the floor in his room, playing with Jellie, while also thinking on some things.
“It’s not fair, is it, Jellie? Why don’t my parents like me like that?”
He wasn’t jealous…okay, he was. But not the angry kind of jealous. It was a weird kind of longing. But at the same time, he didn’t what what Grian had. It was weird.

…
why could he smell burning?
why could he smell burning?
what was burning this time?

The kitchen was smoky, it made his eyes sting as he stood by the door. It was okay, someone had just forgotten to turn the oven off, and some plastic lid melted and nearly caught fire? Something like that.

Both his parents were there, just yelling at each other. All he made out from it was his dad falling asleep and being irresponsible, and his mom being incompetent and useless.

Was it better than the silence? No, actually.
But what could he do? Nothing.

Just stand there and watch. While small amounts of smoke filled his nose and his mouth, making him feel dizzy, the lingering fear from last year all just clawing its way back.
All because of what? Some plastic?

His legs shook as he finally managed to step back and sat on the bottom of the stairs, Jellie coming down and sitting on his lap. The hallway was a bit foggy now. Was that the smoke, or was that just him? He couldn’t tell anymore, and frankly, he didn’t care.

He didn’t know how long he had been sitting there until the smoke cleared. His mother was the first to actually acknowledge him.
“It’s fine. Nothing to worry about…”
For once, she sounded genuine, like she actually cared.

She helped Scar up to his room, giving him the faintest hint of a smile before asking,
“Whose house were you at?”

Scar hesitated before responding, focusing more on Jellie than his mother.
“His name’s Grian..”

“Good to know you’re making friends. No one picking on you?”
Scar just shook his head, and that seemed to appease her. She hung around for a couple more seconds before leaving him to himself.

Scar took a breath.
A very deep breath.
One that wasn’t full of smoke and fear.
One that felt safe. Safe-ish.

He laid back, staring at the ceiling. There was a little gap in his curtains, the light from the moon shining over his face. Jellie was curled up by his head.

He hated fire.
And smoke.
And anything even related to it.

And now he couldn’t sleep.

What if something else caught fire and no one noticed for whatever reason?
What if everything went wrong again?

And what if he overthought himself to sleep?
Yeah...that sounded much easier.

Chapter Text

Mini Special - Flower Husbands

Jimmy View

Jimmy stood in front of his mirror, looking over his outfit, checking every small detail. It had to be perfect. Well, perfect enough for a white t-shirt, black jeans, and some belt chains. He threw on a random matching necklace to coordinate it a little better.
He checked the weather; it shouldn’t be too cold out, at least he hoped it wouldn’t be.

He also slipped on a ring. It had little flowers engraved in it.
Scott had a matching one.

His hair - well, what could he do with it? It was just shorter than Grian’s but longer than Joel’s. All he could do was shake it about a bit and pray that it looked okay enough. And was it worth putting on eyeliner? Grian had bought him some since he wanted to try it, but then thought it took too much time. Maybe he could. Yeah, just a little bit wouldn’t hurt.

He hadn’t even thought about shoes yet. Did it really matter? Should he wear his favourite pair of Converse or his newer ones? His favourites were more scuffed up and drawn on, but they were the nice ones. The new ones worked too, but they didn’t feel the same to wear. He thought to just stick to the old ones.

He looked over himself again. Outfit looked fine, eyeliner looked a little smudged - but worked - and his hair and wings were good enough for him.

Yeah, this was good.
Hopefully.

Scott View

Scott was sat in his room with Lizzie, she was doing his makeup. When Scott mentioned his plans, she jumped at the chance. Mostly to help her friend…and also to take pictures for school; she took Hair & Beauty as a GCSE.

“So are you ever planning on telling me where you’re taking him?” The pink sprite muttered as she brushed a little amount of blush over Scott’s cheeks.
“Absolutely not. You’ll tell Pearl, she’ll tell Grian, and he’ll tell Jim. I’ll tell you everything that happens after.”

When Lizzie was satisfied with her work, she and Scott went through the painful process of finding him an outfit. After a while, she gave up and just let him pick. He settled on a white shirt - with a rainbow design over it, it was more him - with a blue jacket, rolling the sleeves up since it was a little warm, and some black jeans.

Last thing he added was a little flower-engraved ring. They were his idea, after seeing how much Jimmy’s face lit up when Scott gave him a flower.

Lizzie, after a minute or so of silence, decided that it was acceptable. Then she had to leave since Joel was taking her out for food somewhere. Still having some time to kill, Scott went out to his garden, trying to calm the nerves that were slowly and silently growing inside him.

He picked a poppy.
Jimmy liked the first time Scott gave him one.

Flower Husbands View

Scott walked to Jimmy’s house to pick him up, walking past Grian and Pearl’s. He definitely didn’t notice the twins watching through Grian’s bedroom window and rapidly texting someone. Not at all.

He knocked twice on Jimmy’s front door, hearing a concerning thud before the canary himself opened the door, looking a little out of breath.
“Hi! …i shouldn’t have ran down the stairs..”
Scott just laughed a bit before hugging Jimmy. He was always so warm and smelled faintly of pine wood.
“Hiya. Ready to go?”

And with a little nod, Jimmy linked his arm with Scott and the two started walking.

It was around 6:30 when they were sat on top of a hill at the end of a field, under a big tree. As cliché as it was, Scott had managed to get a little picnic together for them. Lizzie had helped set everything up earlier in the day, of course she did, she strung up fairy lights in the tree branches.

The two watched as the sun set an hour or so later, Jimmy’s head resting on Scott’s shoulder, he was getting tired by then. Scott had taken his jacket off and put it over Jimmy’s shoulders.
The world was quiet, the air was calm, and everything was perfect.

As it turned over to 8 pm, though, they knew they had to leave. Scott assured Jimmy that he’d come back to pack everything up. He just wanted to get Jimmy home to go to bed.
He kept hold of his canary’s hand as they walked back. He could always get his jacket back another day.

“Got you something...” Scott said when they reached Jimmy’s house again, before handing him the poppy. Jim, with a little pink to his cheeks, chuckled.
“Well, that’s funny, ‘cuz…”

And he handed Scott a poppy in return.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6

Grian View

On Tuesday morning, Grian went through his routine as usual. But there was this little discomfort in his chest, like a weight. And he knew why. But he didn’t want to think about it, not just yet.
He was fine, at least he thought he was. But the others could all tell something was bugging him.

Pearl was first to question it:
“Worried about later then?”
“No…nothing to be worried about.”

And she didn’t push it. It wouldn’t get her anywhere.

After what happened, Grian had been spending PE in Support instead, with Scar. And that was more helpful than Grian himself realised. They spent the hour just scribbling random things on a page in Grian’s notebook, despite being told multiple times to get some work done.

Towards the end of the hour, Scar wrote on the page:
Busy tonight??

For a second, Grian was excited at the idea of doing something with Scar. And then he remembered.
Not tonight :(
Some appointment thing

He would’ve told Scar exactly what he was doing, but he still didn’t want to think about it.
Anything serious?
Should I be worried??

For half a second, Grian laughed. Scar’s concern was quite sweet to him.
Nothing important
Usual thing

Obviously, he wanted to tell Scar everything; he trusted him enough. But he couldn’t. Not yet.

During English, Scar didn’t ask anything else. Which felt weird for Grian. Anyone else would ask, but Scar didn’t. It was oddly refreshing for him; normally people would ask. But it just made Grian trust Scar that much more.
Maybe he could tell him. Hm.

During breaktime, Pearl pulled Grian away for a second. Clearly, she wasn’t done worrying.
“Are you sure you’re not worried about going tonight?”
“I’m fine…It’s just gonna be the same old spiel anyway.”

“Then why do you start shaking when anyone mentions it?”

Oh. Huh. He hadn’t noticed that. Looking to his hands, he could see the slight tremble in his fingertips. How long had he been shaking for?
“I’m fine, Pearl. Just leave it..”

He didn’t mean to sound snappy, especially not with Pearl. But he just didn’t want to think about it.

Because if he didn’t think about it, he had nothing to be scared of.
And, to his surprise, she didn’t push it.

“What do you have next?”
“Biology…not the best.”

She just nodded, and when the bell rang, she walked with him up to Biology. She was definitely still worried, Grian could tell. But she wasn’t bugging him about it; that’s all he cared about.
Biology was easy, mostly because Grian spent the entire time spacing out. And then came Music. Good.
Well, maybe not good, because Jimmy spent the whole lesson bugging Grian. Scott wasn’t in, so Grian was the second-best person to annoy.

“So are you still like…majorly in love with The Crane Wives?” The canary boy was spinning in the computer chair, while Grian was sat in the regular chair next to him.

“Don’t be like that, you were the same too…and I’m not ‘in love’ with them…”

Jimmy just laughed, spinning around again to face Grian.
“Grian..dear cousin…your coursework just sounds more like cover songs than your own stuff.”

And that earned him a hit to the arm and a kick to his chair, which definitely shut him up for a hot minute while Grian worked in peace.

“Don’t you have your own work to do, Tim?”
“Yeah, but I need Scott to do it, and he’s..’sick’.”

So, much to Grian’s dismay, Jimmy spent the rest of the lesson with him, doing no work and being x20 more annoying than usual. But luckily, he had an intervention last lesson - which was also Music - so Grian would have some peace and quiet.

Okay, maybe he was being a bit harsh. He did love Jim, I mean, who didn’t? He was just a bit…Jimmy sometimes.

Luckily for him, it was lunch next, and Niamh had made him some food to take in, mozzarella sticks, which kept him in good spirits.

General View

The group were sat outside again, the weather was that weird mix of warm but still a little windy. Which was actually quite nice for them. Jimmy was going on about his date with Scott the night before…for a while. That boy was so in love.

“Well, hello there, Grian.” Scar said, sitting next to Grian. He mentioned something about a meeting, so he turned up a little later.
Grian just smiled in response, his brain a little bit cloudy. And Scar definitely noticed that, but knew not to ask.

Grian silently offered Scar one of his few remaining mozzarella sticks, to which he accepted. It wasn’t the first time Grian had shared his food; he always tried to, no matter what it was. No one questioned it anymore.

“Ah, shoot…got Engineering next and I didn’t do my homework..” Scar groaned, leaning his head back with a huff.
“You’ve got the good teacher, he’ll let you off…” Finally, Grian actually spoke to him. Though his voice sounded off. Kind of duller. Like he wasn’t really thinking about what he was saying.

But no one questioned it.

Grian View

Music was a breeze, especially without the presence of a yapping canary in Grian’s ear, and Form was even easier. Grian’s session was at 4 pm, meaning he wouldn’t even have time to go home.

“Want me to come with you?” Pearl asked, walking alongside Grian and Jimmy down to the first floor. Grian just shook his head. He couldn’t handle seeing her worried expression. Pearl didn’t ask again, even though he knew she wanted to.

Grian had to take a different bus to get to town, but luckily it was the one Lizzie and Cleo took, so he wouldn’t have to sit on his own. The three sat on the top floor of the bus, at the front.

“You alright there, Grian?” Cleo asked, leaning over to a disassociated avian. He just nodded, looking to her for a second. He knew he could trust Cleo; other than Pearl, they were the only person that knew everything.
She just patted Grian’s head before leaving him to his thoughts. They didn’t need to ask.

He got off the bus earlier than the two, wandering off into town. 3:48 pm. Would he be late if he went to get a tea first?
He headed into a Costa - the only decent one in town - and ordered himself a tea, putting way more sugar in it than necessary. After that, he walked over to the big white building he hated so much.

It was 3 minutes to 4 when he got inside. He headed in, signed himself in, and sat in the waiting room. Well..he sat on the waiting room floor toying with the abacus that was there, and seemingly in every form of medical office.

It was 3 minutes after 4 when he was called up to Melissa’s room. He didn’t like that, but he didn’t say anything.

He didn’t like the room: the posters were condescending, it smelled a weird mix of sterile and flowery, the chairs were uncomfortable, it felt like a room made for children and adults at the same time.

“So, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. How have you been?” He thought she made too much eye contact.
“It’s been a month…not that long. I’m fine…” He scratched and pulled at his sleeve, needing to fidget with something. Melissa noticed this and handed Grian those weird magnetic circle fidget toys, and that seemed to do the trick.

“A lot can happen in a month, Grian. Your mum mentioned something happening at school not too long ag–”
“why did she tell you..?”

She sighed, looking away with a little look of confliction in her eyes, before looking back to Grian.
“She’s worried you might be…- in the nicest words - going backward in your recovery.”

That’s the opposite of what he wanted to hear. It started to make sense now. That’s why Niamh brought it up. But she didn’t even think to ask Grian himself about it first?
“Like I said, I’m fine. Just slipped up once, doesn’t mean I need to be here again…”
He didn’t want to get emotional in any way; he wanted to keep it all contained, he wanted to be in his little bubble by himself. But no one else understood that.

“You say ‘slipped up’...what does that mean to you?”
That made him stop for a second. And he thought. Well, he tried to at least.
“I just…- had a bad moment. Wasn’t my fault anyway, no one shuts up about Lara…”

She wrote something down in her notebook. It was a different notebook from the last time he was there. He thought that was kind of similar to him in a way, even if he didn’t like the idea of her writing about him.

“What do you do when that happens then? When..no one shuts up about Lara?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t answer. Because even he didn’t know what he did - and just saying ‘oh, I run off and ignore everything for hours’ didn’t count.

And she didn’t ask.
Nobody was asking anything.

“Mum also mentioned a new friend? Tell me about him…”
Huh. That seemed to cool Grian down pretty much completely.

“Scar…he’s really cool. He joined the school about a month-ish ago.”
He would’ve said a lot more: how he loved cats and Star Wars, how he wanted to be an imagineer, that his favourite flowers were sunflowers. But the words just didn’t come to him.

She seemed content with that, scribbling something down before she continued talking.
“And how’s school going? Now that you’ve started Year 11.”

“Fine, I guess. It’s not that bad. Scary though…pressuring.”

She didn’t ask any more. Why didn’t she ask anymore? Why wasn’t anyone asking anything today? Were they just trying to distract him? Did he really seem that on edge?

“How about socially? Still the usual group?”
And he nodded.
“No one’s bothering you?”
He thought back to the time in PE, then shook his head. They didn’t count. She just nodded and kept writing. Then there was silence for a while. Grian could feel her eyes on him, trying to figure him out, read him.

He hated it there. He hated having to talk about his feelings, trauma, whatever. Because he didn’t even have the words to say, they just appeared for a second before getting lost in the back of his throat.

Until finally the phone rang outside the room, she sighed, closed her notebook, and left the room to answer it.

That gave Grian time to breathe. He took out his phone; he had to text someone. But who? If he complained to Pearl, she’d report back to Niamh. Cleo would most likely be asleep.
It was going to be Scar, wasn’t it?

heyyy

Hellooo

Are you out yet??

not yet

she went to answer a call

still got a good 40 minutes left

Aw that sucks :[

Would you maybe wanna come over after?

No ones home and im bored

yes pls

istg im losing my mind

She came back in after that, so Grian put his phone down. He knew he didn’t have to, and she wouldn’t mind if he didn’t, but it just didn’t feel right to him.
“Sorry about that, just confirming an appointment for someone else…where were we-? Ah- yes, there is something I needed to bring up. I spoke to Dr. White the other day about you.”

Dr. White was Grian’s psychiatrist that he rarely saw anymore. He didn’t really help much.
“Would you be up for another meeting with him? It would just be you, me, him, and your mum.”

For whatever reason, Grian just nodded. Of course, he didn’t want to, but if Niamh found out that he had the option, she’d make him go. So the easiest thing was to just agree.

“Don’t look so bothered. It’ll just be a checkup to talk about everything and see if there’s anything we can do.”
“You said that last time, and I left crying and refused to go to school for 3 weeks…but okay…”

Scar View

Scar was sat in his living room now that his parents had left for whatever reason. He was getting a bit restless, and Jellie was taking a nap on the wifi router, so he couldn’t even talk to her. He considered texting Grian again, but didn’t want to bother him. That was until he texted first.

oml im finally out

getting the bus from town now

I’ll meet you at the end of the street

When Grian’s bus finally turned up, Scar noticed that his little avian friend seemed less bright and sparkly than usual. Like he was really thinking about something.
But he didn’t ask.
Not because he didn't want to bother him, but because he didn’t know what to ask. So, he just put his arm over Grian’s shoulders and led him back to his house.

Scarian View

Grian didn’t say anything as Scar led him up to his room. And Scar didn’t push him to. The two sat on Scar’s bed in silence, which was only broken by Jellie hopping up too, meowing for attention.

“Hello, my queen..” Scar said, letting the cat rest over his legs. Grian shuffled closer, petting Jellie. He seemed a bit calmer then. Cats just have that effect.

“Get that homework done in the end then?” Grian muttered, still focused on Jellie. He was talking. That’s good.

“Just about, yeah…G, are you alright?” In all honesty, he didn’t mean to ask. But he couldn’t bottle up his worries anymore. Grian hesitated for a second before answering.

“I’m fine..fine enough… Just..- saw my counselor for the first time in a month…sorry- I- I should’ve told you. I was just..- not scared but- I don’t know, I’m sorry…”
His hands were shaking a bit, he seemed like he was scared to open up and actually tell someone where he was. He was half looking at Scar, half looking at anything else.
And that stunned Scar. He had seen Grian annoyed and upset before, but when he was, he never really spoke.

“What are you apologizing for, G? Not like you had to tell me, I’m not mad or anything…” He turned to face Grian, putting his hands on the avian’s shoulders - Jellie had left the room by then.

And then it was Grian who was stunned. Or more confused.

But Scar kept talking.
“I’m glad you told me, though…good to know you trust me enough.”

And Grian just nodded. Though he seemed about ready to break.
“I..- I want to tell you everything, but…- I- I don’t even understand it all yet…I- I can’t even…”

His voice trailed as he chased after words that he couldn’t find. But Scar didn’t say anything else. Just nodded and hugged him. Scar understood. Understood enough.

“You don’t have to tell me ever if you can’t. I can wait, Grian. I will wait.”

He still thought that Grian was like the sun. Sunshine boy.