Work Text:
It’s not like Scar wasn’t expecting to be hunted at some point or another. This is likely to be his final day, because he’s running out of time fast, and things aren’t looking great. His brother is gone, and even though Cleo keeps reassuring him that everything is going to be alright, he can see clear as day how tired she is. Everyone’s tired — Jimmy’s gone already, and so is Joel, and the last time Scar managed to catch a glimpse of Grian was when the avian was pretending to fit in with the Nosy Neighbors. It stung, and made Scar’s stomach twist into sharp knots, but he knew that it would at least keep Grian entertained..for a bit.
Scar hugs his mom for a while, before it happens. Somehow he knows, feels it deep in his bones, that this might be his last chance to hug her, the last time for her to gently pet his hair and kiss the top of his head. But he doesn’t want to think about that, so he buries his face into the crook of her neck and clung to her as tight as he could. Cleo always knew how to make him feel better, but that was before Bdubs had been ripped from them, making the trio just a pair. Now, she holds him just as tight as ever, but when he opens his eyes to look up at her, there’s a distant look in her eyes. She knows too. This will not last for long.
It takes Scar a while to let go. He doesn’t want to, and he won’t, not until he’s ripped from her arms, although in the end it turns out that all it takes is Cleo’s gentle voice, coaxing him to stand on his own. When he does she cups his face in her hands, eyes locked on his. A flash of terror strikes Scar’s heart as he meets her eyes — they’re filled with worry and care, fear and love. They both know Scar will die soon. Her voice is barely louder than a whisper and it trembles, almost breaking in the middle of the sentence. Even with the blood rushing in his ears, Scar hears her words clear as day: “It will be okay.”
And for some void-forsaken reason, he believes her. He believes her, because she is his mother, and she would never lie to him. He believes her, because she is his mother, and she just wants to keep him safe. He believes her, because she is his mother, and it is all that Scar can do so that he doesn’t break down right then and there. He gives a trembling nod as he feels tears welling up, blinking them away as his hands hang limply at his sides. But you don’t need hands when your mother is here, and she gently wipes away his tears. She murmurs soothing things, reminding him that she is right here, and that there is no reason to worry, and that they will all get to be together again soon. Scar nods and closes his eyes, pushing out the last of the tears as his mother wipes them away with nothing but love.
That is the last time Scar sees his mother. He tells her he loves her before he walks away, turning his back and not looking back. He knows, deep down, that she has turned away too, because there is nothing more cruel than making a mother watch as she loses her child. He does not want to look back, to feel that rush of feelings, and just run right back into her arms. That is not how the Game works, and he must abide by the rules. So Scar walks, making it to the edge of the mountain, and staring out into space. When the blade first plunges into his back he screams, out of pain and fear and misery. Within seconds he’s off, and he can feel the hot red liquid seeping into his clothes, running down his back.
Grian’s right behind him, just like Scar knew it’d be. Somehow, there was this feeling that settled deep in Scar’s chest, the instinctive knowledge that Grian would kill him. Why this was simply fact, Scar didn’t know, but since the first day when he had seen Grian, he had known. Maybe it was just his nature to know things like that, just like he knew that Scott and Pearl were already enemies, or how Bdubs was still bitter to the rest of their father’s team for seemingly no reason, or even how Joel was always searching for someone he didn’t quite know. He knew things he shouldn’t, felt things that didn’t have any logic behind them. He just knew — and he had always known that Grian would kill him.
For a second, everything went dark. Scar was worried that this was it, his final breath, but as he tried to catch himself before he tripped down the hill, he saw something. It couldn’t have been longer than a few seconds, but suddenly he was running down a hill, screaming of hurt and betrayal the only noise he could hear. He stopped in a pool of water and turned around, bowing his head to a figure too blurry to make out. He was ready to die. He was in a ring of cacti, blood dripping from his nose and mouth and laughter filling the air alongside sobs of apologies.
The fleeting sense of peace was shattered as he was standing, clutching his chest as someone, still blurred but slightly clearer, stood in front of him, apologizing but never looking in his eyes. He was riding a horse, racing away faster and faster, and then he was standing alone at the top of a mountain, nobody to look out with him. He begged and sobbed, but the person stood firm: this was not for him, not again.
Suddenly there was a violent pull at Scar’s heart, and he was convinced it was going to stop, but as he saw blood drip down from his head and the figure in front of him was sharp and clear. Tricolored wings wrapped around his body and dark eyes were glued to the floor as a mirror image of Scar’s own pain showed. Then the two of them were fighting — something about lies and betrayal. He was laid to rest far from the man who was supposed to be his lover, alone and afraid.
Suddenly, it all makes sense. This is just how the story goes — Scar falls in love with Grian, and Grian kills him. It doesn’t matter if Grian loves him back, or if Scar wants to die; it just matters that it happens, time and time again. He knows that some deaths are not caused by wounds or attacks, but by the way that his heart slowly fractures before it finally shatters. Scar knows that he cannot change how the story goes, but he can let it run its course.
So he stops running, simply lets his feet rest, and lets the sword dig into his back. The pain is excruciating for only seconds, and then it’s over — the chapter has finally concluded. Scar feels dizzy and confused, but a part of him is more at peace than he ever has been. There is nothing left to be scared of, and now he knows that his mother is right: It is all okay.