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The crying woke Scar before the sun did. It wasn't loud, just small, broken sounds. The kind that tugged at something deep in his chest.
He blinked blearily into the darkness.
"Grian?"
No answer.
Beside him, Grian was still asleep. His breathing was uneven, his face pinched with distress. Another quiet sob escaped him, and Scar's heart sank.
"Oh, sweetheart..."
Grian shifted restlessly beneath the blankets. The avian wings tucked against his back trembled, feathers ruffling in sharp, anxious little shivers.
He was dreaming. And whatever he was dreaming about wasn't letting him go.
—
In the dream, the house was impossibly big.
Every room echoed.
Every hallway seemed longer than it should have been.
The lights were off.
Nobody answered when he called.
He was small again.
Small enough that the countertops were too high.
Small enough that every closed door felt enormous.
His footsteps echoed through empty rooms.
"Mum?"
Nothing.
"Dad?"
Silence.
He wandered from room to room anyway, because surely someone had to be there.
Surely.
But every bedroom was empty.
The kitchen was empty.
The living room was empty.
The whole house felt abandoned.
He wanted to cover his ears.
He wanted someone to scoop him up into their arms and tell him it would all be okay.
No one came.
—
Scar knew better than to shake him awake. Instead, he rolled a little closer.
"Grian," he whispered.
No response.
Another tear slipped down Grian's cheek. Scar reached up and gently brushed it away with his thumb.
"I'm here."
Still asleep.
Scar leaned down and pressed the lightest kiss to Grian's forehead.
Then another.
One against his temple.
Another in his hair.
Soft, unhurried little reminders.
"Grian," he murmured again. "Love."
The trembling in Grian's wings eased only a fraction.
Scar rested one hand carefully against the feathers nearest his shoulders, rubbing slow circles the way he knew Grian liked when he was overwhelmed.
"You don't have to stay there."
Another kiss.
"Come back to me."
Grian's brow furrowed. His breathing hitched.
Scar kept talking, his voice barely louder than the desert wind brushing against the bedroom window.
"You're safe."
Another kiss.
"You're home."
Another.
"You're with me."
His hand found Grian's.
"I've got you."
Grian stirred. His dark, blank eyes fluttered open just enough to unfocus on the dim room.
For a moment, he looked utterly lost.
Like he wasn't sure where he was.
Scar smiled gently.
"Hey birdie."
Grian's breathing was still too quick.
His eyes were wet.
Scar didn't ask what he'd dreamed.
He didn't need to.
Not yet.
Instead, he brushed another kiss against Grian's forehead.
"You're safe."
A pause.
"You're loved."
Another.
"And you're accepted exactly as you are."
Grian stared at him without really seeing him. His mind was still somewhere between the nightmare and their bedroom.
Scar squeezed his hand.
"I'm here."
That seemed to reach him. Not enough for words, but enough that Grian made a tiny, aching sound and reached for him.
Scar opened his arms, and Grian practically collapsed into them.
He buried his face against Scar's neck, holding on with surprising strength, as though letting go might send him back into the dream.
"It's okay," Scar whispered.
One hand held Grian's back, just below his wings.
The other smoothed gently through his hair.
His wings gradually stopped trembling beneath Scar's touch.
Scar didn't know every detail of Grian's past.
He knew there had been hurts that ran deep.
He knew there were memories Grian only spoke about in fragments, knew there had been a lonely child who hadn't been cared for the way every child deserved, and a teenager who had been taken advantage of.
He didn't know every story, he didn't need to. He loved the man in his arms. That was enough for tonight.
Grian's breathing slowly settled into a steadier rhythm.
He still hadn't spoken. He simply tucked himself impossibly close, one hand resting against Scar's bare back like he was afraid Scar might disappear.
Scar kissed the top of his head.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Whether Grian heard the words or only the steady heartbeat beneath his ear, Scar couldn't tell. Either way, he stayed exactly where he was. Holding him until the nightmare finally let go.