Archive of Our Own ^beta

Scar groaned, rubbing his head.

He heard his husband grunt somewhere beside him, and then his big colourful wings were spreading and shaking themselves out.

“Oww.” He whined. “My head .”

Sometimes Scar really did think they shared the same thoughts and feelings. “Me too.” He huffed, sitting up further.

He saw Grian look at him from the corner of his eye. “How are your legs?” He asked.

“Pretty great actually!” Scar grinned at him, turning to look at him fully.

Grian made a long suffering sigh. “Come on. Time to get up.” He said as though they were in bed and it was time to start the day.

Despite his claims that his legs were “pretty great,” Grian had to help him up, and Scar nearly toppled over again.

“ Scar .” Grian said sharply. Oh dear.

“I’m fine , G.” He soothed, shaking the aforementioned limbs out. “Just gotta shake ‘em out a little, see?”

The shorter groaned, rolling his eyes up to the dented metal ceiling.

They stumbled out of the ship together, Jellie, perfectly unharmed, bounding out behind them. She mewed, rubbing her little head and body against both men’s legs.

Scar smiled and leaned down to pick her up for a little cuddle.

Grian was eyeing the poor ship behind them, the front of it nearly completely buried in the dusty ground. It looked relatively fine for a crash like that, which was probably because Grian had used a little bit of his magic in a panic to stop it, despite his vehement rejection to using it.

Scar set Jellie on the blonde’s head and snickered as Grian tensed up in an attempt to not let her fall.

“Scar…” he exhaled, a half hearted attempt at getting him to be serious for once.

“It’ll be fine Birdie.” Scar assured him, rubbing the space between his wings and watching as the tension seeped out of him. It was a little harder to do through his space suit, but it seemed to do the trick. “What’s your little device telling you? Is it safe to take our helmets off?”

“ Grumbot says it’s too dusty to breathe.” Grian said. Jellie meowed from on top of his head, staring at Scar through the glass of her visor. He took her down.

“Alright then!” Scar exclaimed, standing back up straight and shifting his gaze from his adorable kitty to his adorable husband. “Anything else?”

“Uhhh.” Grian squinted down his bulky tablet. He grumbled something under his breath, pressed a button on the side and let it drop to the rocky ground.

Before it smashed into pieces though, small bat-like wings extended out the sides, and the body of the tablet extended until it wasn’t a tablet at all but a little robot with a wheel for legs and an antenna on top. It beeped cheerfully.

Grian smiled.

“Hi buddy. Can you scan the ship for me please?”

Grumbot made a little bobbing motion of his head that was probably supposed to be a nod, and sped away.

Scar didn’t like to think too much on what Grumbot was. Grian’s brother Mumbo had made him. Mostly.

Grian had injected a bit of magic into him though. They both had Grumbot tablets, but only one could be activated at a time. He didn’t understand how the consciousness thing worked, or how it was able to be in both tablets at once, but it was very helpful.

Grumbot had saved them before, and now the little machine was doing it once again.

They couldn’t do anything but wait until Grumbot came back with information, so Scar sat down and picked up a rock. He tossed it out into the expanse of bare stone and Jellie went hurdling after it.

Grian was too restless to sit, pacing back and forth. Scar knew even though he couldn’t see them that his wings were ruffling anxiously through the fabric concealing them.

Cacti Spikes , their beloved ship, had been with them for practically their entire relationship, since before they got together. She was a small thing, but still able to house up to five people.

They’d found her on a planet where the rocks were tinted pink from the constant exposure of a too bright sun that never set, a wreck of a thing that was for sale, but most likely going in the dump instead.

Scar had been immediately attached. The ship reminded him of himself almost, dents and nicks that would never be fully fixed, a couple things that constantly broke but were never unable to be patched up again.

Grian had been hesitant, raising his eyebrow and suggesting they look at the other ships for sale.

They ended going for her anyway and called her Cacti Spikes because she was tough and could hold her own. Most of the time.

Grumbot came rolling back over.

Grian was immediately at his side. “What’s the damage?”

Scar came over and looked over his shoulder as the screen where the robots face normally sat, switched over to a wall of text.

“A few cuts and scratches but otherwise nothing we can’t fix ourselves.” Scar murmured. “The control panel is broken.”

“Makes sense.” Grian said. “It just stopped working. I couldn’t press any buttons or use any of the knobs.”

“Apparently underneath the centre of the panel there’s a fuel gem, but it’s run out of power.” Scar read.

“Alright then.” Grian sighed, his hand going up to presumably rub his face but bumping against his visor instead. He frowned. “Lets go look at this gem. You coming, Scar?”

“I’ll stay out here. Does Grumbot know where to get any of these gems?”

Grian’s gaze flicked down to the little robot, and the screen changed, more words appearing. It looked to be a list of planets.

“Save that please. What’s this one called?”

Grumbot’s screen flashed white as he took a screenshot, and then a small picture of the planet appeared on screen, next to information about it.

“Oh perfect!” Scar cried, clapping his hands. “It’s one of the ones on the list.”

“Oh.” Grian looked surprised at their luck. “That’s good. It’ll still be annoying to find though. And I don’t know what it looks like yet.”

Grumbot showed a picture of a small light purply-pink crystal. “Ah. Thanks.”

Scar patted his shoulder. “Well you go get the panel open and I’ll start looking!”

“Absolutely not.” Grian said. “Wait here while I dig the old gem out and then we’ll go together.”

Scar pouted. “You let me go out alone on SandLands all the time.”

“That’s because we’ve lived there for years. We know we’re the only ones on it, because who else would want to live on it.” Grian explained calmly. It was true.

Their planet, one big ball of sandy nothingness, was uninhabited. It had been when they found it. It was remarkably similar to Earth’s deserts.

When others did stop by, they didn’t stay long. Grian and Scar would house them for a while if needed, and then they would be on their way.

It was well know in this part of space that their planet was theirs simply because no one else wanted it. They’d even got to name it, and that’s what it was known as in databases.

“The only things on SandLands are rabbits, cacti, and the occasional dry bush. Nothing harmful except maybe a cave hidden by sand. You better be there by the time I get back out.”

Grian climbed back on board the ship, his wings the last thing to vanish. As soon as he was out of sight, Scar immediately took off.

It wasn’t his fault! Jellie had been meowing at him and scratching his leg, wanting him to follow. And besides, if anything happened they both had the comms Mumbo had made for them. He could take care of himself.

He did giggle to himself a little bit though. He loved when Grian told him to do something and then left to do something else so he could instead disobey and do the exact opposite. More so, he just loved getting on the avian’s nerves, hearing the way he said his name.

It was also very hot.

Anyway.

When the ship was out of sight, he couldn’t help but make a small whoop of excitement. It felt like when he went out to go venture in the SandLands, rediscovering places he already knew, trying to find something different then the utter expanse of yellow.

This place was very similar, just less… dirty.

Jellie was still trotting on ahead of him, and Scar skipped after her, scaling a hill and admiring a crater off to the side.

He doubted Jellie had gotten this far when they’d been playing “rock,” but she was a special kitty, and it was very likely she was sensing something out here. Besides, maybe they’d find the gem they needed! Grian wouldn’t be able to get mad at them then!

Scar tested how gravity worked on this planet, Xierem, was what Grumbot had called it, by fearlessly leaping off the hill. He didn’t fall too fast, but it wasn’t exactly floating either. He cushioned the fall with his knees and continued on.

***

“Oh for goodness sakes.” Grian huffed.

Scar had disappeared, a trail of footsteps heading off in a random direction. He couldn’t exactly say he was surprised, really.

“Watch the ship for me Grumbot.” Grian sighed. “I have to find your idiot uncle.”

He started off, following the trail. He would’ve flown, especially because Scar definitely deserved to be jump scared out of his mind by landing on his shoulders with no noise, but alas. They were stuck, confined in an uncomfortable suit. Gosh was he glad his planet had breathable air, despite the fact it was a wasteland. He missed SandLands.

The longer he went on, the more he tried to push his concern down. Scar was fine. He had Jellie. He would’ve messaged him if something had happened. As if on cue, his comm buzzed.

My love 💕💘: Birdie you’ll never guess what I found!!!!!

You: Did I not tell you to stay

My love 💕💘: I bet you’ll be so proud of me 😉

You: I would’ve been prouder if you listened to me

My love 💕💘: We both know that’s not true

And I have Jellie with me! She wanted to show me something!

You wanna know what that something was?? 😏

You: Is it you coming back and staying put?

My love 💕💘: image.png

I found the gems we need! I’m also stuck in a hole please come help

You: Good job, Scar. I’ll let you decide if that was sarcasm or not

My love 💕💘: :(

Grian smiled to himself and picked up the pace.

***

Jellie heard the footsteps before he did.

She jumped up from Scar lap and scrambled up the wall of the pit he’d fallen into. She could get out, but he couldn’t. He looked up.

“Hi Jellie!” Grian’s voice cooed. “Now where’s your misbehaving dad?”

Scar pouted. “I found the gem for you!”

Grian’s face popped into view over the edge of the hole. “Hello down there. I believe those are the consequences of your actions.”

“Yes well, it would’ve taken much longer to get off this rock if I didn’t go out while you were working.” Scar explained sagely, nodding his head. “And I bet you wouldn’t’ve followed Jellie first, you would say “oh no, let’s go this way first”, or taken so long to decide on a certain direction-“

“I could leave you down there.” Grian offered.

“Maybe you should. Jellie and I will make a nice place to stay down there. Um, you might have to bring me food though-“

Grian laughed. “Come on you big lump.” He held his hand down.

“Well now I don’t want to!” Scar complained, and used the wall of the hole to try and stand up so he could reach his hand. Pain racked through him instead, and he stumbled, landing back on his butt with a cry.

“Scar!” Grian exclaimed, and proceeded to slide down into the pit with him, dropping to his knees, hands hovering. “Are you ok? Do you need me to carry you?”

Scar smiled weakly at him. “I’m fine Songbird.”

“I’ll carry you.” Grian decided. He then started to undo the part of his suit housing his wings.

“Grian!” Scar yelped, a near exact copy of Grian a moment earlier. He flapped his hands around, unable to stop him.

Grian shuddered at the temperature, wings fluffing up. “I’ll be fine. I’ll get warmed up in the ship. Now come on.”

He hauled Scar upright and into his arms, the brunette unable to silence his pained whimpers and grunts.

When he was secure, arms around neck and legs around waist, he beat his massive wings once, twice, thrice, and then he was up and into the air.

Jellie swiftly leaped on top and curled around Grian’s shoulders when she saw them hovering out of the pit.

“It’s…” Grian huffed. “Not that bad. With gravity like this.”

Scar held on tighter. He’d never been scared of Grian dropping him before, but right now he was.

The avian tipped forward and started to glide forward, flapping his wings to go faster.

It didn’t take long for Cacti Spikes to appear, and Grumbot was seen waving, hopping excitedly on his wheel when he saw them.

Grian landed in a heap, Scar sliding out of his grip. Jellie hopped down and sat primly next to them.

“I’m glad you’re ok.” Grian said when he’d caught his breath, cupping Scar’s head in his hands. The effect was slightly ruined because he had a bulky helmet in the way of actually touching him, but the sentiment was still there.

Scar smiled at him, and then noticed Grian’s wings pressed tight to his back and it immediately dropped off his face again.

“In the ship, in the ship.” Scar fretted, trying to get up again.

Grian shook the limbs out and winced. He hauled Scar up and supported him as they crawled inside, Jellie and Grumbot following dutifully.

Grian pressed the button in the side and the door closed behind them. They both sighed in relief, but the avian was still shaking slightly.

Grumbot disappeared for a few minutes, and then came back with Scar’s cane in his hands.

“Thanks bud.” Scar said, pulling himself up. “We gotta get the ship warmed up for your dad, can you help me?”

Grumbot beeped cheerfully, and set off for the driving room.

Grian stood up and the two followed.

***

Much later, back on their home planet, Scar had Grian wrapped in as many blankets as he could find and held him close.

“Feeling better?” He asked. Grian hummed, eyes shut, nosing at his chest.

Scar giggled and squeezed him. “I love you.” He murmured.

Grian, pretty much asleep already, mumbled something along the lines of “love you too,” and promptly started snoring.