Grian laid with his back flat against one of the boughs of the willow tree, listening to the wind chime that was dangled off one of the twigs as he watched the sky. The flowing tendrils of the weeping tree hung gracefully, creating a soft, leafy canopy around the blond haired avian.

He's been staying up in that tree ever since he's been banished from his old house for trespassing, and it tend to get lonely seeing as his only friend, Pearl, lives in the other side of the kingdom and doesn't come visit as often as she used to.

Speaking of the devil, Grian's wings perked up when he heard the familiar voice of his friend. "Grian! Are you up there, mate?" Pearl called, walking along the riverside on her way to the willow tree. Grian sat up on the branch, watching the brunette approaching through the leaves with a small smile. Finally, a break of his boredom.

"I always am." Grian, with a hint of sadness, finally replied when Pearl arrived at the tree. They made eye contact when she arrived at the base of the tree, exchanging warm smiles. "Can you take this for a second? I need free hands to climb." Pearl requested softly, her hand holding the small woven basket aloft, its handle tucked between her fingers

"Or you could just fly." Grian suggested despite knowing full well Pearl would decline his offer. It was a shame, really. Pearl possessed beautiful midnight blue wings—thin and fragile, etched with intricate patterns, as though the stars had been woven into their very fibers. Pearl huffed a small chuckle as Grian took the basket from her. "I'm not desperate enough to break the laws like you, G." Pearl said. The blond gave a small shrug, as if to say you're missing out.

With a jump, she took a hold of the tree branch and pulled herself up. As Pearl slowly ascended herself onto the bough, Grian seized the opportunity to glance into the basket she'd handed him, wanting to see what she brought. "I told you I don't need you to bring me food anymore." Grian muttered, his tone tinged with a mix of affection and exasperation. The sight of the fruits spread neatly across the woven surface of the basket caused his shoulders to sag.

"I know you did, but you never told me where you do get food from, so I don't know how much you're actually eating," Pearl explained as she sat down beside Grian, her voice falling quieter when she continued, "and if enough." She eyed the other. He had always been a pretty slim guy, but she'll never forget the way he looked after his mom passed away and he was left struggling financially, barely affording one meal a day.

Grian noticed Pearl's eyes scanning his form and frowned slightly, his wings puffing up defensively as he crossed his arms. He was a bit frustrated that even after resigning Pearl's responsibility of bringing him food, she was still sitting there, concerned because of him. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"You know I'm never gonna stop worrying, right?" Pearl almost laughed at Grian's frustration, letting her legs swing back and forth off the branch. Grian sighed, his eyes downcasting to study the different fruits. "I hate that you won't." Grian grumbled, fishing out an apple out the basket.

The brunette watched Grian biting into the fruit, her eyes softening as he chewed. "... I just wanna help you." She muttered, her words genuine. Pearl was actually helping him more than she herself knew; because of her job as a cleaning maid at the palace and her babbling about it, he knew exactly when the staff retire for the day and leave the kitchen unsupervised.

"I know." Grian shrugged, deciding to once again keep the fact that he snuck into the palace every night for weeks now to himself. He knew she wouldn't like. He let out a small exhale, biting into his apple before letting his head fall onto his friend's shoulder, a silent thank you evident in his action.

Pearl smiled, her eyes following every bite her friend was taking, making sure he was eating. She laid her head on top of his, enjoying the comfortable silence. Her eyes darted to the wind chime, the gentle rhythm of the it adding a melodic harmony to the ambience. The avian's gaze locked on his red apple, watching as the dappled light coming from between the leaves around them glimmered off of it.

He remembered something after thinking of the unsupervised kitchen. Had the prince alerted the king about the break-in? He had been strangely understanding, saying it was fine for Grian to take food if he was struggling, but... did he really mean it?

Grian lifted his head slightly, his wings spreading lazily behind him as he stared up at his friend. "Hey, random question," Grian begun with a small light-hearted chuckle, "has there been any reports of an intruder in the palace?"

Pearl tilted her head off of Grian's, raising an eyebrow. Something in the air between them shifted, and she could tell there was more to the question than Grian let on. "No." The news seemed to ease something in Grian, his smile softening.

• • •

Grian waved a short goodbye, his hand a lazy motion as he watched Pearl make her way back toward the town. He let out a soft exhale and redirected his gaze to the towering walls that surrounded the kingdom—those unyielding, imposing barriers that kept everything inside safe, but also trapped. His gaze traveled upwards, following the curve of the wall as the sun dipped lower, the orange hue replacing by purple. Seeing that, Grian figured that it was time to leave.

He picked up the basket Pearl left behind, holding it tightly in his hand as he unfurled his wings, preparing for flight. He can't risk staying that long in the palace again after what happened the day before, so he decided just to gather what he needed in the basket and take off back to the tree. He probably should've done it in the first place.

The blond took few moments to recall the plan before leaping off the droopy branch of the willow tree, the wind catching under his wings and carrying him effortlessly into the air. He flew cautiously through the streets, making sure to stay close to the rooftops but not high enough to be spotted by one of the knights on the kingdom's walls, well aware of their incredible archery skills.

Grian settled back onto the ground with a soft thump, planting his feet into the grass blades. He stayed hidden behind one of the houses close to the palace's front gate, his blond head peeking sneakily as he watched the knights guarding the front gate.

The maids working at the palace arrived at the gate to retire for the day just in time, and yet again Grian felt grateful for Pearl. As soon as the knights guarding the front gate got distracted by the ladies, Grian sprinted forward, his feet skimming over the ground like wind before he took to the air once more with a powerful beat of his wings.

He dashed over the palace as fast as he could, his eyes roaming over the garden of the palace as he flew above it, making sure no knight is noticing his arrival. He landed on the edge of the parapet silently, keeping his wings spread yet close. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the potential confrontation with the knights.

At the same time, Scar was waiting in his bedroom by the window, his gaze tracing the dark sky in search for the avian from yesterday. The brunet was confident the other would return, maybe even a little too confident—He believed he'd be happy to see him.

And then, as if the universe had answered his unspoken wish, a familiar, unmistakable shape appeared against the backdrop of the night sky. An enthusiastic grin spread grew his face as his heart started racing eagerly. As soon as Grian landed on the edge of the windowsill, Scar started calling out for him, trying to get his attention. "Why hello there!"

Grian froze mid-motion, a shock of surprise running through him at the sudden call. His hand instinctively released the basket he'd been holding, and it dropped into the bushes below. He was just looking around the empty kitchen with a sense of relief, that was immediately shattered by the royalty's loud greeting. His body tensed up as he quickly turned around to look at the window across from him, where the prince was now leaning out, waving.

"Hiii, Birdie! I have something for you!" Scar shouted, his voice growing more exuberant when their eyes met. Another shiver of trepidation coursed through Grian as the brunet continued raising his volume, as if there weren't knights patroling all across the palace that could hear him.

The avian sent an anxiously glance to the garden below to see if any knights were passing by, and when he saw there weren't any currently he raised his gaze back up to Scar with a glare, his finger placed to his lips in an urgent attempt to shut him up.

But Scar didn't get the message. Instead, his hands waved in the air, calling out louder with that stupid crooked smile on his face. Grian could feel rage rise in his chest, his teeth gritting in mild annoyance as his feathers bristled. Imbecile.

His wings shot open, and with a furious flap, he shot into the air, speeding toward Scar's bedroom. His feet barely touched the windowsill before he lunged at the prince, slapping a hand firmly over Scar's mouth, cutting off his enthusiastic chatter.

Scar blinked, wide-eyed in shock as he stared into Grian's narrowed eyes, taking in the murderous glint in them. "Shut. Up." Grian's voice came out low, harsh, and filled with quiet fury. still crouched up on the windowsill. He kept his hand over Scar's mouth for a moment longer, just to make sure the message was clear, before removing it when Scar's giggle bubbled up awkwardly. "Sorry."

"What do you want?" Grian sighed, "You said you're fine with me coming in for food. No takebacks." Grian added, not bothering to hide the malice in his voice. Scar's smile returned, clearly entertained by Grian's unease. "Nooo, of course not! Please, come in!"

Grian's heart skipped a beat when Scar placed a hand lightly on the small of his back, a gentle nudge to push him into the room, sent a warm shiver down his spine. The smile that appeared on Scar's face made Grian's knees a little weak as he landed on the mareble tiles. This man was going to be the death of him.

His face felt a little warm, supposably out of embarrassment, his gaze quickly scanning his new surroundings. The room, while comfortable and well-furnished, did not fully match the grandeur he had envisioned in the bedroom of royalty.

His eyes darted around from the modest yet elegant bed to the simple desk, a mixture of curiosity and suprise filling his mind. "The kitchen's door isn't soundproof. It's a miracle no one caught you until I did yesterday, you took a huge risk." Scar's mansplain gathered back Grian's attention, making him frown.

"I'm taking double the risk by taking your word and still coming here." Grian shot back, his arms crossing against his chest as he tipped his head back to scowl at the prince. Scar quickly raised his hands in surrender, his sheepish grin returning. He couldn't understand why the avian was always at his throat. "I won't expose you, I'm a man of my word!" Scar tried to convince the blond.

He could clearly see it wasn't exactly working as Grian's eyes narrowed sharply and took a step closer, a little too close for Scar's mental ease. "You just yelled out in the middle of the night calling me over! Someone could. have. heard. you!" Grian clapped between each word of his last sentence, trying to get his point set in Scar's head.

Scar's felt a sense of guilt as Grian clapped in his face, unsure if he was feeling overwhelmed by Grian's anger or by the constant closeness between them. He seemed to be more acutely aware of the little to no space between them than Grian, watching the way his chest rose and fell with each little breath. It caused him to forget what Grian was even scolding him for, a pinkish hue tinting his cheeks.

"I was just trying to get your attention," Scar explained, his voice lowering significantly. He gestured with his head towards the pillow atop his bed, where a plate he prepared for Grian was perched carefully, containing food that was just waiting to be devoured, "I want to help you, Birdie."

Despite Scar using that annoying nickname again and making his heart rate spike, Grian couldn't help but relax as he saw the plate. His eyes flickered from Scar to the plate, suddenly feeling bad for scolding the other.

His wings lowered in shame as he moved closer to the bed, his steps hesitant. He peeked into the dish, the sight of the mashed potatoes and tender pieces of beef arranged neatly was enough to awaken his appetite. Grian sat down on the soft bed, placing the plate of food in his lap.

As Grian started munching on his meal, Scar settled down on the bed beside him, the mattress sinking beneath his body. His smile widened as he watched Grian finally give in to him. Grian seemed to have an issue with accepting help from others, which Scar found amusing.

Scar let Grian enjoy a few bites in the comfortable silence before allowing himself to ask the question he's been holding since the day before. "So spill." Scar started off, propping his weight back on his hands. Still chewing on his dinner Grian turned to the brunet, tilting his head his head with a little, confused hum. "Mm?"

Scar couldn't help but grin lovingly again. He couldn't help it. Anything the shorter man was doing looked adorable at that moment. "Why risk coming here?" Scar asked. Sadly, that sweet expression disappeared from Grian's face and was replaced by a frown.

"You cannot seriously still be on that." Grian retorted once he swallowed chunk of meat in his mouth. The annoyance clear on the avian's face just made Scar cackle, "Come on, I'm intrigued," Scar said through his laugher and flashed Grian a charming smile in hopes the avian craved a conversation with him as much as he did.

"I'd rather steal food from the market but I'm banned for that exact reason." Grian gave into the conversation, yet kept an eye on the prince, not fully trusting him just yet. "You're banned from the market?" Scar's voice dripping with shock, his eyes locked on Grian.

Grian nodded, slipping his fork back into his mouth. The flavors and textures of the mashed potatoes combined with the beef melted in his mouth, each bite satisfying his hunger and sending waves of contentment through his body.

Scar processed the information quietly before speaking, his voice a breathless speech, "Oh you're a full blown criminal, okay- how many times have you stolen from the stalls there that you've gotten yourself banned?" Scar was looking so dumbfounded Grian had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop him from laughing. He was getting comfortable with the brunet too quick for the sake of his own security.

"Twice a day for a full year. I had to eat somehow, and with no guardian to provide for me anymore I didn't have many options, considering I'm 'too irresponsible and young to work'," Grian quoted one of the people he tried to get hired by, sticking his tongue out with a mocky eye roll that made Scar snicker. He wasn't exactly sure if his laugh was appropriate, as Grian was probably downplaying his trauma quite a lot.

Regardless, the reason Scar spared Grian was't because of his backstory at all. He just saw a hungry man and wanted to help, and got lucky enough for the man to be (somewhat) friendly. Maybe he even met a new friend? Hope stirred up in his mind at the thought, and he couldn't help but grin as his heart throbbed against his chest.

He crossed his arms, leaning back a little with the same playful smirk on his face. "I still haven't gotten your name. Can't just keep calling you 'birdie', as nice as it's sounds on my tongue." Scar said, his tone full of teasing.

Grian welcomed the statement with a flutter in his chest, but covered it with a small roll of his eyes. A wave of hesitation coursed through Grian suddenly, almost not wanting to give Scar his name so he'd keep addressing him with that dumb nickname.

He shook off that ridiculous hesitation and mumbled a short answer. "Grian." The prince was pretty satisfied with the answer despite the faux irritation in Grian's voice fooling him, resisting the urge to bounce out of excitement. "I'm-"

"I know who you are, Your Majesty."

"Then please—call me Scar."

[Word count: 2901]

Info heavy chapter, sorry about that