By _adrilia_, lifeconstruct, _mochii112_, FandomsUnite05, and Ash_InTheFlames

The rain was pouring outside. Scar sat inside Larry the snail's shell, enjoying the warmth of the crackling fireplace. He'd hate to be stuck outside there right now.

He winced as a loud crack of thunder shook the shell house, then shook his head. The thunder can't hurt you here. You're safe inside.

A knock came on his door a moment later. Climbing down the ladder and opening the door, Scar saw Grian, soaking wet and looking miserable.

"Hey, Scar. Can I come inside? The rain soaked my Elytra, so I can't fly. And I'm not trekking back to my base in this weather."

Scar stifled a small giggle at the failed/nonexistent planning of the fellow Hermit. "Sure, come on in," he replied, stepping to the side as Grian shuffled in quickly, soaking the floor as he came in.

Gonna have to clean that up later, he thought, closing the door for him while being careful not to slip. Grian seemed to notice the caution and laughed a little. "Haha, sorry. Didn't mean to get your floor so wet," he giggled, cracking a grin.

"Don't worry about it." Scar managed a smile, drawing Grian closer to the warmth of the fireplace. "It'll dry itself eventually. I'm just glad that we have a door to keep the rain out."

Grian chuckled softly. "Guess I missed that one, then." He spoke quietly, almost under his breath. And Scar almost missed it.

"What was that?" His tone was teasing, and Grian laughed in response. They both knew what was going on. What they were talking about. But it was fun to pretend like they didn't know.

"Nothing important!" Grian perked up slightly, basking in the warmth. "And definitely nothing about stealing your doors!"

"Uh huh," Scar smiled, picking up a dry piece of cloth and some blankets to keep the two warm as the storm bore on.

The two continued to rest by the fireplace, thawing out from the dreadful storm raging outside. A few minutes later, Grian noticed a small figure wriggling underneath one of their blankets.

Scar noticed it too, and soon Jellie popped her head out of the mound of softness, poking her small head out as she meowed quietly.

"Aw, hey there Jellie." Grian stroked the cat's head, his hand brushing up against Scar's, who was petting her as well. Jellie didn't seem to mind the attention, though. She nestled into the blankets even further, purring even though it could barely be heard over the rain.

Another clap of thunder sounded above them, louder than before, Scar let out a startled yelp, tensing up at the noise.

"You're scared of the thunder?" Grian asked him, Scar nodded, looking around as the rain pummeled against the windows of the snail house.

"It's fine, it can't get you in here." Grian said, reaching to wrap an arm around Scar's shoulders.

Grian shivered involuntarily, still soaking wet. Scar glanced over at him. "We need to warm you up. You look like Jellie after I've given her a bath."

"Is that an insult??" Grian asked, acting offended. Scar just smiled, and led him up to his bedroom, where the fireplace was still crackling cheerily. Grian gratefully took a seat next to the fire.

Glancing over at Scar, he asked, "Hey, isn't there a crystal you can use to warm me up faster?"

"What good are crystals when I can just hug you to share body heat?" Scar replied, wrapping his hands around Grian again.

Grian chuckled a bit, then returned the hug. "Fair enough."

Scar giggled a little, about to pull away from Grian when Jellie began to rub up behind him on his back. He leaned back into the hug as to not fall on the cat, but as Grian had also been pulling away the opposite direction, he collapsed into his arms, tumbling onto the floor.

Silence.

Awkward chuckle. "Oops-"

Jellie meowed once again. It almost sounded proud. Scar chuckled lightly, the fondness evident in the tone of his voice. "Naughty Jellie." She stood up with a smile and held his hand out, helping Grian up as well.

The three walked back to the fireplace once they were done, and Jellie continued to nuzzle up against their feet, making it difficult to walk. They needed to try harder than they needed to to stay standing.

Grian lifted up the blanket and wrapped one end around Scar once he had sat down. He wrapped the other around himself. And he leaned into him gently, still feeling the need to warm up. Jellie nestled comfortably in Scar's lap.

Scar leaned his head against Grian's shoulder, making himself nice and comfy. "So, why were you out during a thunderstorm? Didn't Xisuma broadcast the weather?"

"He did" Grian spoke with a sigh. "But I needed more sand for my base." Scar couldn't help but laugh, and Grian did the same.

"Of course you would do that, Gri." laughed Scar. His friend was a bit of a workaholic sometimes, especially when it came to his builds. Not in a bad way, but Grian would just find a project he was passionate about and never give up on it. Actually, it was one of the things Scar admired about him.

A particularly loud crack of thunder was heard from outside the window, and Scar tried to hide his jumpy reaction.

He couldn't hide it from Grian, though. "You okay, Scar?" the red-sweatered hermit wondered aloud, the sympathy evident in his voice. Scar nodded.

"Mhm. It just startled me, is all."

Grian pulled him into a tighter hug, tilting Scar's head ever so slightly so that it was nestled into the crook of his shoulder. It blocked out most of the storm's sounds and the occasional flashes of lightning, and Scar couldn't help but smile.

Grian smiled, pulling Scar closer under the blanket. His clothes had mostly dried by now from the crackling fire.

"You're going to be killed one day for ignoring the warnings you know" Scar muttered,

"I know- I can't help it." Grian replied with a smile, moving a hand to play with Scars hair.

"You should be more careful..."

Another clap of thunder sounded out, and Scar jumped, wincing again at the loud noise.

"Aww, don't worry." Grian said, holding him close. "I'm not gonna let that thunder hurt you, okay?"

Grian wrapped his arms around Scar, hiking up the blanket over their shoulders so that only the front part was open to face the fireplace. "Wha-?" Scar stumbled over his words, face flushing.

He was hit with a silly, toothy Grian grin that did wonders to heighten his blush. "I won't let the storm get to you under here!" he laughed, making Scar giggle in response, eyes practically sparkling as he stared at the other male.

Grian smiled and gently cupped his face, the smile on his lips not faltering once. "Nothing's going to hurt you here, alright?" Scar nodded. He was safe. He was safe.

Another clap of thunder sounded, particularly loudly, and he flinched hard, shoving his face into Grian's chest. Much to his surprise, however, the hermit wrapped his arms around his terrified form.

"You're safe."

No ridicule, no banter. It was just so comforting. So warm. Warmer than the fireplace.

"Thank you..." He mumbled under his breath, smiling almost weakly as Jellie crawled into his lap.

He could hear the smile in Grian's voice. "It's no problem, Scar. I'm here for you."