Work Text:
If Scar was honest, the young man that Mumbo had introduced to them had been a bit... off. More than most of the absolute characters he'd met. He always wore the same sweater, the same headphones. He stood silently off to the side while others mingled, not awkward, but staring straight through them. Okay, well, it was awkward, just in a different way. He clung to Pearl like a lifeline when the woman was nearby, or Mumbo if she wasn't. There was an air about him, one that left most others on edge, that Scar chalked up to his void-black eyes that could pierce your soul.
But some personality shone through. He was the one who organized the party they were currently attending. Always a blast, even despite the odd gimmicks he imposed upon them. Whispers had reached Scar of various pranks he pulled, as well. And when they had spoken, the man was loud, commanding despite his stature that put him nearly eye level with Scar in his wheelchair.
Grian was utterly intriguing, and Scar needed to learn more about him.
So, it was a right convenience that when the "soulmate bowl" got passed around to them, they pulled each other's straws.
The sentiment did not seem to be shared. "Aw, come on! Again?" Grumbled Grian. A bit rude, but fair. Only the party before the last the two got paired up during a few board games, and it had not ended well. This time there wasn't any games, though. This time was just a night-long buddy system to encourage people to hang out with others they hadn't before. It was already working, as Tango and Etho, already reluctant in being at a social event, huddled in the corner like startled prey as two fraternity athlete-looking types Scar hardly knew approached them. There were some people who were absolutely going to have a worse time than him, at least.
Scar put on his best smile and rolled up beside Grian. "Hey there, soulmate!"
"Hello, Scar." His lips were tight, expressing him where his eyes did not. Any reaction was a good enough starting point.
"This is quite the party you've set up! And the gimmick is already providing interesting entertainment!" A finger pointed off into the corner, where Pearl was already in an argument with Scott which ended with him tossing his straw into the nearby bin and walking off towards another pair. Formerly best friends, there were rumours going around about a fight the pair had gotten into. But it was the first time Scar had seen the results with his own eyes.
Grian's brow knit in displeasure. "It's not... one of my better ideas."
"Nah, it looked good on paper. And other people are having success!"
Indeed, Impulse seemed to be getting quite cozy with whomever he had drawn, completely blocked from view by the man's wide shoulders which rumbled with laughter. Ren also seemed to have already roped his soulmate into his shenanigans with the punch. Such was the nature of random draw.
Still, Grian seemed moody about the whole affair. A mixed success just wasn't good enough for the man. "I wanted- ugh..." He waved it off.
Something flashed in the shorter man's eyes. Not like an emotion, quite literally, Scar thought some light had caught on them, but there were no intense violet lights at this sort of get together so he was unsure where it came from. After it passed Grian looked downright nauseous, and Scar recognized a dizzy spell when he saw one. "Careful, there." He caught his soulmate's arm, guiding him back towards a chair. "You okay?"
"Why do humans have to be so complicated?" Muttered Grian.
Scar laughed. "We do love to be difficult!"
A jolt ran through the shorter, his eyes widening. For a moment Scar thought he managed to stick his foot in his mouth, but then Grian ducked his head. "I guess it's out of the bag."
That was not what Scar expected, nor did he know how to reply. So, he did what he did best, change the subject. And just in time, Martyn and Cleo, who had been shouting at each other from atop the stonework in front of the fire place, had just shoved one another and cause them to fall right into the couch on top of an unassuming Tango, who cracked heads with Jimmy before they fell to the floor, which caused Bigb to jump and...
"How about we go for a walk?" He swiftly suggested before the rapidly falling dominoes could reach them. Grian didn't wait to agree, the door was already open.
Outside was warmer than Scar expected. They rolled down the sidewalk, slowing down once they could no longer hear the screaming from Grian's home. A few steps further Grian stopped to let out his frustration in a scream of his own, clutching at his short hair. "How did I mess up this badly? I've been researching social interactions for weeks! It should have gone perfectly!"
"You what?" Scar tried not to laugh. Though a bit of an oddball, researching psychology just for a party seemed a bit out there, even for Grian. His words were only half-heard, his companion pacing the lawn they stopped in front of like he was Sherlock Holmes solving a murder.
"Articles, forums, interviews, media- it all pointed to the fact that romantic prospects would alter their behaviour to be more amicable! They were supposed to become emotionally attached! I missed the posts talking about how monopoly can destroy social bonds so I made extra sure this time."
A knot formed in Scar's brow, and his hands clamped around Grian's wrist before he could pass him once again. "Wait-were you trying to make a speed dating party?" What had been amusing moments before had now lost all its amusement. "Grian you can't just try to set people up without asking!"
"But it's the most intense and important bond human beings experience with one another!" He snapped back, though he leaned off-kilter as he said so. "And pairing everyone up in twos removes the conflict that comes with overlap while raising their empathy for one another, thus-"
"Woah, woah, hold on there cowboy! What sort of social experiment are you running on us?" There were a million things wrong with what his assigned soulmate was saying, Scar hardly knew where to begin. The first step was likely to simply calm the raving man down enough to get a straightforward answer- or at least get him to slow down enough that Scar could clear up the strange ideas he was spouting.
"You don't get it." Frustrated fists pounded against Grian's thighs. "If I don't learn how to act human enough to blend in in the next month then I'll lose my permissions and be forced to go home! But I just-" He collapsed into the grass, hands back in his poor hair. "But you're so confusing! I have no clue how your emotions or bonding works, even though you're a social species. I do something that should theoretically work and it has the exact opposite effect in half of them. Love should be the strongest emotion humans experience but they don't want to be paired up. Never mind that, in all my research, the most common explanation for love was "you know it when you feel it!" What sort of answer is that? The best solid answer I could find was just that they could use their medical technology to scan their brains and visually express affection, but that has nothing to do with how to trigger it! How do you weird clumsy creatures work ?"
Ah , Scar realized. Autism . He'd had a best friend with autism once. As someone with ADHD he attracted them like flies to honey, it seemed. Scar nodded sagely as he rolled up to Grian's side and offered a hand up off the ground. "Well, the truth is..."
"Please."
"... Everyone's a bit different!" Scar concluded with a smile. "Dare I say it's what makes us human, that nothing is universal."
Grian's eyes narrowed. "That's impossible, how do you define the line in which one falls under the label of your species, then?"
"Beats me. Heck, there's even people who are allergic to water!"
"W- How do you survive?"
"We figure it out." He awkwardly patted his chair wheels, wondering how best to work in himself. "And of course that includes emotions. I assure you, to many people romance is not the end all be all of relationships, or important in any way."
Grian's shoulders dropped even as his face scrunched up around his nose, and wasn't that just too familiar? "... It's not?" When Scar shook his head every other part of him joined his shoulders in relaxing, though a melancholic sort of misery joined it. "They sounded absolutely dreadful to keep up with, if I'm honest. I was so glad you only needed one of them."
"Oh, they're not all bad!" He said, despite his chipper tone coming from a place of giddiness. "In fact I find a lot of the activities are a lot more enjoyable when you do them without the romance."
That odd purple light caught in Grian's eyes once more. Where on earth was it coming from? His black beady eyes were just so oddly reflective. In a way it was quite enchanting, and Scar found it difficult to look away. Grian did so for him, glancing over his shoulder back towards his party, just as someone drove off. Etho's car, he suspected, though it was difficult to discern in the evening light. "Is that allowed?" Asked the shorter, half-whispered. As if some old lady would run out of her house just to clutch her pearls at him just for asking.
"Grian, my friend, as long as you don't get caught anything is allowed!" He threw out his arms dramatically, snickering as he got the funny little scowl he was searching for. "There's even names for it. If people agree then why shouldn't something mean whatever they want it to? For example..."
A funny little noise like a startled parrot escaped Grian as Scar took up his hand. "Would you, my evening soulmate, like to join me for a non-romantic date down to the Red Velvet Keep for some absolutely delicious cake? I dare say you'll fall for the coffee faster than you would me."
Grian stood in the middle of the sidewalk, eyes darting down the road and back to Scar, pointedly ignoring the sound of shattering glass from where they came from, before his expression softened. "I'd like that." He admitted, the allure of no-strings-attached cake too tempting. "Perhaps you can explain this concept to me a bit more as we eat."
"Of course, of course!" Scar nodded vigorously, letting go of his companion's hand to turn his wheelchair around towards the little shop. "It's just down this road, I'll be shocked if you haven't noticed it before. So, Grian, we never got to talk much last time, where is this home you would have to go back to?"
"... New Mexico..."
"Oh my, you're so far from home!"
"I wanted to get away. They kept me cooped up there for so long."
"Same, same. It's good to spread your wings and get away from the parents once you reach college no matter how much you love them."
"Yeah... So this thing..."
"Right, right. Let's see, why don't we start with-"
Yes, Scar had an inkling he and Grian could become very good friends.