[Scar/Dream] Heart Thief

14. Small Comforts

Dream didn't talk the whole time he was eating, and Scar didn't try to make him. Scar had a lot to think about anyway. He was sad for Dream, that he had to hear that sort of news from his aunt. Scar knew how distressing it could be, had gone through it himself losing his grandparents, but that wasn't the same as losing a mother. He wanted to keep holding Dream, but wasn't sure how he would take it right now, so he simply leaned against him, offering his companionship, hoping it was at least a small comfort.

Jellie stayed right there on Dream's other side, purring, as if trying to help too. Scar liked to think that she was. She always seemed to know when he was feeling bad.

Dream finished off his plate and then just set it on his lap, staring at it for a while.

"You want more?" Scar asked gently. "Plenty of mac n cheese left."

Dream took a deep breath, then shook his head and said, "No thanks. I'm full." He got up, grabbing his cup. "I'm gonna wash these and then go lay down."

"Oh, you can just leave them in the sink, I'll wash them," Scar replied. "You just go get some rest, okay?"

Dream looked at him for a few moments, then shrugged and said, "Okay." He went to the kitchen and dropped the stuff off, then went upstairs. Scar watched him go, then looked down at Jellie as she moved over to lay next to him.

"He'll be alright," Scar said, petting her. "I'm just gonna give him some space for a while. That's a lot for him to have to deal with right now."

He stayed downstairs for a while longer. When he finished his plate, he went back to the kitchen to wash the dishes, and picked up the pot of macaroni and cheese, bringing the entire thing back to the living room with him and eating out of it with the serving spoon while he watched a movie. He kept thinking about Dream, though. He wanted to go comfort him, snuggle up next to him, but he had to remind himself that Dream wasn't actually one of his partners. He would likely just upset him more by trying to get into his personal space like that. So Scar simply resolved himself to checking on Dream in the morning, and just tried to have a relaxing afternoon.

When the movie was over, he took the now-empty pot back to the kitchen, cleaning it out. There were still a couple pieces of chicken left, but he wasn't hungry enough for them, so he wrapped them up and put them in the fridge. They could make a good lunch for Dream tomorrow if he wanted them.

Phone in hand, Scar went upstairs with Jellie right at his feet. He called goodnight as he passed Dream's room, but didn't hear an answer. Maybe he was already asleep. He went into his room and laid down, Jellie jumping up onto the pillow next to him. Not really tired yet, Scar flicked open his group chat with his friends.

Ren: I don't think I could have handled that any better, honestly.

Grian: You barked at a man. In the middle of your cafe. For a minute straight.

Ren: He deserved it

Already amused, wondering what the full story was, Scar typed a response.

Scar: Ren, were you being a naughty boy?

Grian: Oh hey Scar!

Doc: Hey Scar

Ren: No, I was being a good boy! Some creep was harassing Niki :/

Scar made a disgruntled noise under his breath. Niki Barker was a young woman Ren recently hired, she was great at her job but often got unpleasant attention from customers. Luckily, Ren never hesitated to run such people out of the building. He and Doc were both dedicated to looking after Niki, she was practically a daughter to them.

Scar scrolled back up through the conversation, confirming that Ren had been talking about the situation with the others. He went back down.

Scar: Ew, what a jerk. I'm glad you were able to run him off.