《Broken Wings, Broken Hearts (How to Heal a Clipped Bird) [Hermitcraft Platonic Fanfiction]》 Chapter 1 White fluffy balls of snow begin to fall as Grian flies over the chilly air towards his old witch hut, still having struggles with finding things inside his chest monster as usual. He had already dug through his mess of a storage system back at Dwayne as soon as they all came back from Empires through the Rift, but he couldn¡¯t find it at all. Hopefully, he can finally find that thing in his old hut. His gaze focuses on the soft colors of Scar¡¯s pink tree, smiling that he¡¯s near his destination. Don¡¯t ask him how a cherry blossom manages to survive in this cold season. There¡¯s probably some kind of elf magic involved. Anyway! He¡¯s getting distracted. Where was he? Oh, yes. He needs to find his scarf. He spots the teal copper roof and steers to the right but from the corner of his eye, he notices a certain scarred man coming out of the entrance of his cookie shop, wearing an apron. With a grin, Grian turns 180 degrees mid-air to switch directions and swoops down to land right behind Scar silently. ¡°Hello, Scar!¡± Grian greets gleefully. ¡°Whaaa¡ª!¡± Scar squeals, hastily leaning a tray left and right to prevent the steaming cookies from falling before sighing in relief. ¡°G-Grian? Oh, gosh. You scared me.¡± He turns to face Grian as he takes deep breaths. ¡°What¡¯s that you got there?¡± Grian tilts his head to the side as he asks innocently like he did nothing wrong in his life, ever (because he didn¡¯t). ¡°Oh, you mean this? It¡¯s a batch of new samples of my Elven cookies for Christmas. Do you wanna try some?¡± Scar smiles as he explains before moving the tray closer to Grian. ¡°Can I?¡± Grian glances from the cookies to Scar¡¯s bobbing head before going back down, looking at the different designs that vary from Christmas decorations to Christmas-themed Hermit heads. Grian decides to take a Grian head-shaped cookie with a Christmas hat, and he takes half a bite out of the treat. He can taste the dark chocolate chips blending well with the strawberry from the hat, and the caramelised butter and sugar from the cookie itself. Whoa, this is so good! ¡°Sooo, what do you think?¡± Scar smirks as he raises his brows repeatedly. ¡°This is actually delicious, Scar.¡± Grian hums as he continues to chew on the cookie. ¡°Yes! The new recipe of my delicious Elven cookies is a success!¡± Scar throws a fist above his head as he snickers. ¡°Say, what else did you add in this?¡± Grian looks at the cookie and raises a brow in question. ¡°I can taste something, but I can¡¯t tell what it is. It kind of tasted like¡ª¡± The cookie in his hand distorts and his head feels as heavy as an anvil all of a sudden, making standing straight with balanced legs a tad difficult to maintain. ¡°Wh-What¡¯s g-going on?¡± He brings a free hand to his head as he moans weakly. ¡°It works!¡± Grian can hear Scar¡¯s voice multiplying as he cheers, talking all at once like an echo. ¡°Scar? I don¡¯t¡­ feel so g-good.¡± Grian pants as his shaky hand drops the cookie to the dancing floor, bringing his hands to his knees for support. Why did you give me this? Grian¡¯s own voice echoes in his head as he reminisces of a familiar situation occurring to him, but instead of a cookie was a bread given to him by one of his best friends (should he still call him that when all he did was hurt him?). His body suddenly feels cold as he shudders, eyes widening in dread as he realises what¡¯s happening to him. ¡°D-Did you p-poison me?¡± Grian slowly raises his head to glance in Scar¡¯s direction as he asks, with his voice lower with repressed anger and betrayal. ¡°Well, yeah.¡± Scar shrugs. ¡°You always do these pranks to me, so I say it¡¯s about time for me to return the favor. Here, have this Christmas-shaped cookie. This¡¯ll remove the effects of the poison instantly.¡± He explains whilst getting said cookie and hands it over to Grian¡¯s direction. Without a second to waste, Grian grabs the cookie a bit harder than expected and munches on the treat in a blink of an eye. As he swallows, he can already feel his head getting lighter and clear from the fog. ¡°Scar! You shouldn¡¯t just spike someone¡¯s food like that. It¡¯s rude and now I have to find a way to pay you back.¡± Grian complains as he crosses his arms, hiding his trembling hands from sight whilst biting the back of his cheek from inside his closed mouth. ¡°Oh, no! Not again. I already have enough of you scaring me every time.¡± Scar chuckles, oblivious of Grian¡¯s discomfort. ¡°Well, it was nice scaring you until you pranked me. Now I have to go and find my scarf ¡®coz¡­¡± Grian slowly walks back as he remarks, shaking his voice and body to imitate being frozen from their surroundings before turning back to sprint to his witch hut. ¡°It was nice seeing you, Grian!¡± Scar¡¯s voice fades the farther Grian gets and doesn¡¯t turn back to see his reaction. Grian clumsily lands in front of the entrance of his mega base with his scarf being wrapped around his neck, shutting the door behind him with a slam as his breath hitches. He wheezes loudly as he leans back for support whilst the tears he¡¯s been holding back for who knows how long finally breaks through the dam. His wobbly legs finally give in and he slides down to the floor, hiding his soaked face to his embraced knees to muffle his sobs. It''s okay. It¡¯s fine. He¡¯s managed to keep it a secret from Scar and that¡¯s what matters. His high school experience of suppressing his panic attack in front of everyone else multiple times really comes in handy at times like this, so that¡¯s got to be a plus. Right? Sam pointed the bloody knife to his face with a grin. Grian breaks out of his cocoon as he unfolds one of his vibrant multicolored wings. With a trembling hand, Grian reaches for his secondaries very, very slowly. Sam kept on telling him about how weird and crazy he was. Grian wraps his fingers around a few blue feathers and pulls them out. Sam demanded him to eat the plastic. Rip! Sam gritted his teeth as he shoved the plastic to his mouth. Rip! Sam pushed his fist further to his mouth, coughing vigorously by how the plastic clogged his throat. Rip! Sam pointed a gun towards him, and a clicking sound could be heard as he removed the safety lock. Rip! Sam flipped some of the furniture in his room when he refused to do what he said. Rip! Sam yelled as he pointed at the garbage bin, demanding him to get in. Rip! His voice was raspy from all the screaming, pleading to be let out of this basement after Sam locked him in. Rip, rip, rip¡ª The communicator rings over and over from inside Grian¡¯s pocket, probably the Hermits replying from Xisuma¡¯s message about a meeting to plan what to do this upcoming Christmas. Fortunately for him, he¡¯s one of the people who read it the second it got sent, so he won¡¯t be able to be late (hopefully). He stifles a yawn and rubs his eyelids as he treks the burning terrains of the Nether. Once he can see the peaks of the Crastle, he hears various voices from ahead, causing him to increase his speed and meet the others. ¡°Grian¡¯s here!¡± Grian can hear Bdubs¡¯ voice yelling from the crowd inside the entrance. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. ¡°Gri, what took you so long? It¡¯s been thirty minutes and everyone¡¯s here but you.¡± Pearl pops out from the crowd as she walks towards Grian. ¡°Oh. Sorry, I overslept.¡± Grian lies with a small smile. ¡°Hmm. If you insist.¡± Pearl presses her lips before grabbing Grian¡¯s wrist, pulling him with her as they go in. He looks around and sighs in relief. He¡¯s far from him for now. After Grian¡¯s arrival, Xisuma immediately begins with assigning who each other¡¯s Secret Santa is by drawing lots. He pales when he reads the name in the paper over and over to clarify, immediately switching his expression back to a poker face as he pockets the paper. The meeting is followed by who will decorate a specific part of the shopping district, what will each Hermit bring during the event, and more. Why does it feel like someone¡¯s been watching him the whole time? A couple of times Scar has been pushed off the Crastle later, all the Hermits dispersed from the premises as they all go their different ways to execute what they planned to do for the day. Grian is on his way out of the building (on foot, of course), but a voice calling out to him causes him to stop. ¡°Oh! Hi, Impulse. What¡¯s up?¡± Grian turns and greets with a wave. ¡°Grian! Thank goodness you¡¯re still here. Just the man I was looking for.¡± Impulse sighs as he stops in front of Grian. "Is there something wrong, Impulse?" Grian tilts his head as he questions. "Uh..." Impulse rubs the back of his head as he averts his gaze. "This may sound weird when I say that I''ve seen you not looking very well this whole meeting." Oh, so that explains the feeling of being watched. "A-Are you okay? You''ve been fidgety and constantly looking around your surroundings like someone''s about to get you." His brows furrow as he stares at Grian''s direction with wide eyes. "I''m fine." Grian replies too quickly as he shrugs. "Are you sure?" "Yeah, nothing''s wrong." Grian retorts with his voice almost monotonic as he places his hands to his trouser pockets. "I''ve just been busy planning for the next section of my mega base." "B-But what about your wings?" Impulse''s gaze moves down to where the edge of Grian''s wings are located, causing Grian to tuck them further out of sight in reflex. "Some of the feathers are¡ª" "It''s that time of the year, you know?" Grian twists his wrist for emphasis. "Feathers need to be molted once or twice in a year like Zed''s horns or our hair." The deadly silence weighs over between them like gravity as the force is starting to get unbearable until Impulse opens his mouth. "Oh. Right, right. Sorry about that." Impulse strains a smile and rubs the back of his head as he chuckles. "Well, I better go now. There are still many things in the base that I need to take care of." Grian claps his hands as he starts to walk backwards away from Impulse. "But¡ª" "Okay, Impulse. See you later, bye!" Grian intercepts as he turns around and runs away without hearing what his friend has to say. The coast is clear. Grian sighs in relief as he runs to the Entity, unloading his Shulker boxes from his Inventory Bag and begins to move the materials to their respective chests in order to restock. He wipes the sweat off his forehead with a sleeve after a job well done. It''s been a while since he last restocked and he already took the profits last time, so he guesses it''s about time for him to do this. Otherwise, he will lose his customers and he can''t have that. He wants his shiny blue rocks, after all. With a nod of satisfaction, Grian takes and places his Shulker boxes back to the Inventory Bag, which is a small pouch with a magical void-like space to keep multiple items without worrying about the mass and passing of time to preserve them well. As he turns around, he''s face-to-face with the familiar emerald eyes and cheeky smirk. "Scar!" Grian flinches. "Wh-What are you doing here?" His foot steps back in reflex. He''s been doing everything he can to avoid this interaction for days, but apparently the universe has other plans. "Can''t a man buy concrete for his build?" Scar places a few Shulker boxes to his Inventory Bag as he plants his fists to his hips. "It''s been a while since what¡ªthe cookie prank? When we last talked like this, G. How have you been?" He grins as he swings an arm around Grian''s shoulders. Grian tries to suppress his body from jolting and trembling like a leaf as he strains a grin. "Fine. Since we came back from Empires through the Rift, schedule''s been, uh, a bit busy when you''re not, er, working on your project for a month or so." Grian replies as he licks his lips. "True, true." Scar bobs his head in agreement. "Speaking of which, I better go back to my amusement park then. The wonders that bring smiles on everyone''s faces won''t build themselves!" He leaves Grian''s side as he claps his hands whilst walking away. "See you around, Grian!" He waves a hand before propelling himself upwards with a rocket and gliding mid-air with the elytra. When Scar is reduced into nothing but a dot in the sky, Grian releases a breath he''s unknowingly holding as he flops to squat on the ground with his butt, clutching his colorful green, yellow, red, and black jumper by his constricting chest as he gasps for air. He shuts his eyelids tightly as he can already feel the tears threatening to leave, slamming his head to the stone ground as a few sobs escape his cold, trembling lips. Grian sways left and right as he walks the pathway to his huge base with unsteady legs, ignoring how his puffy eyes sting and how his throbbing head is bothering him after that embarrassingly long crying session. He''s lucky that it''s nighttime or otherwise, he has to deal with witnesses and spend more energy to lie, leaving him nothing to traverse the long way back. He doesn''t really want anyone to know about this since he''s fine. Not just trying to convince himself, he''s actually fine. There''s no one hurting him and he''s safe. It''s simply his brain going bananas on him again. He just needs to deal with it until it passes. His eyes blow wide at an idea, beginning to scamper around his chest monster and fetch himself a couple of scaffoldings. He places them in front of the entrance of his tower and starts to build them up, high enough to reach the rock nearest to the portal. He huffs and puffs as he makes his way up, finally getting a rest once he''s on top as he drags a sigh. Grian repeats the process but this time, he''s scaffolding and heading towards the smallest rock at the farthest right of his base. He blocks the entrance he made behind him and leans back with a sigh of relief. Coming here would''ve been easier if he can use his wings or added connecting vines like how he did with the others. He''ll take care of that later. He walks to a couple of boxes being piled by the corner, rips the tape off of the top box and opens it to see a few bottles lined neatly together. He brings a hand over it and takes one bottle out. He just needs to forget, that¡¯s all. "I was supposed to stop drinking since high school and managed to keep that promise for years." Grian speaks to the cold air as he stares at the bottle with a grimace. "But look at me now... breaking my down promise to myself." He huffs, walking to another corner to sit on the floor. This is a much safer way than targeting my wings, he convinces himself. The soft purrs of Jellie fills the room as Scar gently scratches behind her ears, chuckling softly at the cute sight. He sits up from the comforts of his bed and stretches his arms above his head, popping these stiff joints. Well, he better get started before the day forsakes him again. He slips on his orange vest, green scarf, and hard hat, placing Jellie on top of it as he leaves the giant treehouse and begins to take the scenic route. It''s really nice for once and a while to view the beautiful builds being coated with the fluffy white snow. He can really feel that the Christmas spirit is in the air as he spots hanging Christmas lights flashing different colors to illuminate the area, and Christmas trees beginning to pop one after the other. He laughs at how Jellie is swatting her paws from above his head as she tries to catch the snowflakes, but she clearly fails at how she releases a low-pitched meow to express her disappointment. He turns a corner and stops abruptly once he sees the familiar strawberry blonde hair wandering about the busy streets (well, not really since it''s currently only the two of them plus Jellie) of the shopping district. "Hey, G! It''s good to see you again! It''s a miracle that I get to see you two times in a row despite our busy schedules." Scar gleams as he waves a hand overheard, carefully avoiding hitting Jellie while trotting towards Grian''s direction. Grian gives no reply and seems to have not noticed Scar at all. Huh. Did he not say that loud enough? "G! Grian, over here!" Scar waves his hand widely as he holds Jellie with his free hand to keep her on his head in place safely. Still no response. Come on, Grian. It''s really tempting to prank you if you''re like this early in the morning, he thinks to himself as he complains. Once Scar is finally face to face with Grian, his avian friend still doesn''t react to recognize his presence. He waves a hand in front of him and frowns with the lack of response. Should he tickle him? As if a button has been pressed, Grian''s eyes suddenly blow wide as he slouches forward, resting his hands to his knees as he gags. Oh, gosh! No, ew! Pixelated things are all over the grass. Gross! Scar scrunches his nose in disgust and begins to conjure up the thought like a mantra. Grian is pooping rainbow water from his mouth, not those nasty things people need to pixelate. Whew! That feels better. He walks to Grian''s side and rubs the back of his friend with soothing circles, waiting for the rainbow water to fully come out of his system. "There. Feel better?" Scar lilts along with Jellie''s concerned meow. She''s such a sweetheart! "Y-Yeah. I-I''m okay. Thanks." Grian stammers in a raspy voice as he continues to wheeze. "Did you eat rotten flesh accidentally or something?" Scar jokes as Jellie meows in agreement. "Uh, something like that." Grian mutters. "Should I, uh, escort you back to your witch hut or floating rock?" Scar hums as he jabs a thumb to the said hut. Grian slowly shakes his head in disagreement before gradually standing straight, albeit on wobbling legs. "No, it''s okay. Thanks, Scar." Grian huffs as his eyelids droop. "Okay." Scar''s shoulders slump in acceptance but Jellie''s drawn-out meows tell him otherwise. "Oh, I¡ªAre you sure?" He furrows his brows, unsure of what to do in this situation. "Yes." Grian''s reply comes out a little more forceful than Scar expects him to but ignores it. "Okay. Just... Be careful." Scar sighs and cracks a small smile. Grian nods before walking away from the premises, leaving Scar to stand alone with Jellie resting on top of his head like a bird on a bird''s nest. Grian exhales about the thought that Scar doesn''t suspect a thing. He''s just about to leave the shopping district after buying some painkillers without anyone knowing he was there in the first place, but his head just had to throb from the hangover and made it difficult for him to traverse when everything''s multiplying right before his heavy eyes. At least Scar''s the only one present there, so that''s a plus in his book. He drops to his bed with his back, sighing in relief despite the discomfort from his wings that he can finally rest after the long trip back home. His gaze continues to stare blankly towards the plain ceiling, blinking slowly for once and a while as he feels like he''s about to fuse with the bed. It''s a good thing Grian knows a thing or two about hiding and removing the scent of alcohol from him back when he was in high school. This will come in handy whenever he meets with the Hermits and won''t have to worry about them noticing it. He only needs to deal with the splitting headache, though, if he wants to at least have a coherent conversation with them to avoid suspicions. Sam''s ear to ear grin revealed his sharp canines as he pulled out the bloody knife and ran a finger at the dull end. His hand slowly reaches over a bottle that he brought with him earlier before leaving the rock, opening the lid and bringing it to his lips, downing the citrus flavor of the tequila brushing through his tongue. His vision begins to dance and giggles as he turns to the side, dropping the bottle somewhere on the floor and sees it rolling to the edge, dropping to the abyss of his rock before everything turns black. Chapter 2 It''s very good to be back on Hermitcraft after a few months of vacation. Honestly, Mumbo had never felt better! Many of the Hermits welcomed him back with open arms, telling him stories about their own adventure as well¡ªsomething about empires, Rentheking, and rift. He literally had no idea what his friends were talking about. Were they talking about Ren ripping the world by building his own kingdom or something? He''s also heard of him flushing all the Hermits'' diamonds down a giant toilet¡ªScar''s words, not his by the way. He''s heard about a toy and Bdubs becoming a sun god, about having two Falses and Gem being a butterfly despite being an elf, about Xisuma and Cleo becoming pirates, about Grumbot, about killing the emperors whilst wearing a clown hat, and many more he couldn''t process well. Grumbot? He''s here? As in here here? Mumbo''s lips curve into a huge grin as he flies around his unfinished Vault, relieved about it having no damage whatsoever but also quite surprised that Grian hasn''t done a thing to break through it. Wait, Grian! He hasn''t seen his best friend for so long, he guesses the man has been up to no good again during the time he was gone, considering all the talk about a resistance against Ren and Grumbot coming out of a rift whirling around the server for days. He chuckles to himself as he turns mid-air to change directions, flying towards the floating rocks in front of his huge vault. He cracks a fond smile as he can see that there''s been a lot of progress and as usual, everything about Grian''s builds are as amazing as those historical works of art, easily creating magnificent structures from the ground up like magic. Mumbo fires another firework rocket to propel himself further, spotting a bizarre hole by the smallest rock that''s floating farthest from the others. Huh, it''s unusual for Grian to miss that kind of detail especially when he''s constantly flying around the area. With a shrug of his shoulders, he heads towards it, planning to seal the hole himself. He''s got a few stones in his Inventory Bag to help, so it won''t be much of an issue for him to patch up. After all, his friend has been a great help his whole life in more ways than one. He finally lands inside the rock (after a few bumps and retries), pinching his nose with two fingers in reflex by how strong the smell of alcohol reeks around the small, tight space. His gaze drops to the ground and feels his heart shatter at the horrid scene, spotting different empty bottles littering all over the place like a dumpster. "Wh- Grian? Wha¡ª?" Mumbo sputters as his gaze wide as saucers dart from one bottle to another, reading the labels of alcohols being stronger than the last. What is this? What happened to my best friend while I was away? After the discovery of Grian''s unhealthy alcohol intakes, Pearl and Impulse DMed Mumbo about their worries regarding Grian¡¯s strange behavior, making him seal the deal. He has decided to keep a keen eye on his feathery friend without being a bit too obvious, otherwise it will raise suspicions and make Grian deny the problem with all his might. That''s how stubborn he is. Unfortunately, that''s what he loves about his best friend as well. Alright! It has been days since then and so far, Mumbo notices how Grian has been walking instead of flying and that itself is already concerning. It won''t be an exaggeration to say Grian would rather kill himself than walk but he hasn''t seen the guy fly this whole time. Okay, he''s probably overreacting and it''s possible that his feathers are molting, but still it''s pretty concerning, nonetheless. Secondly, he notices how Grian has been constantly yawning and looking drained despite not getting out of his base much. The guy who likes to go out for a fly or casually pulling pranks to pass the time is actually living up to his name of being a Hermit. Thirdly, Mumbo coincidentally meets up with Grian at the shopping district when he''s buying a few materials by the Entity whilst the latter is claiming his profit and restocking the products. He can''t help but smell the scent of alcohol despite never actually smelling any whenever he had to sneak behind him and observe¡ªhe''s not being a stalker and a creep, he''s being a concerned friend who keeps a close eye on him in case something happens. This means that there''s something wrong that he can''t properly remove it anymore. Also, Grian can somehow get rid of the odor from himself despite the strong scent of the drink being so difficult to get rid of. He doesn''t want to dwell on that topic. He doubts it''s anything positive. The moon rises above the starry dark sky and luckily it isn''t large, Mumbo decides to actually engage with Grian about the matter. Surely, he won''t be able to argue back with all the evidence he gathered so far for the past few days. He huffs and white smoke escapes from his lips whilst rubbing his calloused hands together as his feet bring him closer to Grian''s floating rock. From the distance, he spots a red feathery figure on the ground and gasps. His body moves long before his mind can process what happened and before he realises, Mumbo is already bringing Grian to his arms as his eyes are blurry from unshed tears. "Grian! Grian, wake up!" Mumbo cries, shaking Grian by the shoulder but he''s not responding. Mumbo calls out for his name multiple times before noticing that Grian''s chest is rising and falling at a constant pace, releasing the breath he''s unknowingly holding when epiphany strikes him that Grian has only fallen asleep. Mumbo can hear a voice grunting and snaps his head to Grian''s direction, noticing that his brows are furrowed, lips pressed together, and his nose scrunching like he''s in incredible pain. His chest beats a million miles per hour as he turns around for something that can hopefully help. Nothing. "What do I do? What do I do?" Mumbo mumbles as his shoulders rise up to his ears. Grian is tossing and turning by Mumbo''s hold as he whimpers, causing the lump in Mumbo''s throat increasing in size as time passes. "Please..." Grian whimpers as tears fall from his shut eyelids. "No, please... Don''t hurt me Scar..." "What?" Mumbo whispers and jaw drops as he stares at Grian''s fragile form with eyes as wide as plates. Scar sighs deeply as he keeps the unused materials back to his chest monster, ending his work for the day after the sun has finally set and the moon rises above the starless sky. The snow begins to fall, so he should hurry. It''s been days since he last saw Grian and that last time was when he was puking in the middle of the shopping district. Since then, he''s been planning to ask him about it but as if there''s an invisible force preventing them from meeting, he never had the chance to. Should he visit Grian himself? But what if he''s just busy? That''s why Scar wasn''t able to see those iridescent wings flying freely lately. "Scar." Scar jumps violently as he squeals, "Gosh, you scared me! Grian, it''s been a while since¡ª" "What''s this about you and Grian?" The dark voice who clearly isn''t Grian''s intercepts and as Scar turns around, he sees Mumbo outside the building, crossing his arms while clothed with his signature black suit but with a red scarf wrapping around his neck. "Mumbo! It''s so good to see you! What brings you to this fine establishment?" Scar walks out of the building as he greets with a smile. "I''ll cut to the chase." Mumbo grumbles in a monotone as he inhales. "What did you do to Grian?" "What?" Scar''s eyes widen in surprise as he continues to stare at Mumbo''s unchanging expression, remaining as indifferent as eerily possible. "What do you- I didn''t do anything. Is- Is there something wrong?" "Stop playing dumb, Scar. We may be friends, but I won''t let you get away with this." Mumbo narrows his eyes, iris seemingly glowing red from the fogginess of Scar¡¯s hitching breath. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "What- I''m not! This is- I may be dumb and clumsy, but I''m not playing dumb. I swear!" Scar stammers as he steps back. "Really, dude?" Mumbo scowls as his voice raises a higher pitch. Mumbo starts to throw his hands around as he fumes all the things he observed while trailing Grian for the past few days, starting from the bottles to discovering him lying unconscious outside of his tower. Scar''s face goes pale from hearing the news, staying perfectly still in place as he sees Mumbo wheezing after his outburst. "I..." Scar''s breath is caught in his throat as he tries to speak. "I''m- I''m so sorry. I really don''t know what happened. I should''ve- I only begin to notice Grian before- something''s wrong when he puked back at the¡ª" Scar stops himself from his rambling as a memory about him handing Grian the prank cookies, realizing how Grian''s expression back then was anything but happy despite it looking like it. "Oh, no." Scar whispers as the world spins around him. "Wh-What is it, dude? Is there something that comes to mind?" Mumbo furrows his brows as he reluctantly prods. "I¡ªI think... Oh, my gosh. I''m so sorry, Grian. I shouldn''t have done that! That was so stupid of me!" Scar bites his trembling lips and pulls his hair as he repeatedly apologizes to the person who isn''t even here, feeling the cold tears flowing out of his eyes. "Scar, can you tell me what''s wrong?" Mumbo''s hand hovers to hesitantly reach out before retreating it back to tuck in his pocket. "Back- It was after we, uh, came back through the Rift. I was- It was a brilliant idea back- I baked a new b-batch of Elven cookies for Christmas and thought ''I should spike a few of these with poison to prank the Hermits and laugh at their reactions''." Scar paces back and forth as he reminisces while hastily explaining it out loud. "I made sure to make the others full of milk to help remove the effects in seconds, but I¡ª" His breath shudders. "I''m not sure if that- that was it, but it''s all that- that I c-can think of." Scar stops to stare at Mumbo''s wide eyes with his own puffy ones. "I''m so sorry, Mumbo." His voice wavers as he sobs. Grian gulps the contents of the bottle in one go, loudly exhaling in satisfaction as he hastily drops the now empty bottle to the floor and heads to the five exits with wobbling legs. He trips on something and falls, hearing loud clanking all around him. He giggles as he stands back up and arrives at the exit, jumping off without hesitation and catches himself as he flaps his wings. He heads to the left, going to the shopping district to buy the necessary but lacking materials for the medieval castle section of his mega base. He''s been neglecting it for far too long by not doing anything for the past few days? weeks? He''s not sure. He simply shrugs his shoulders. That''s not important, probably. Grian hums in satisfaction as the cold wind brushes over his warm face, thinking how it''s been a while since he last properly flew this freely. Sure, he uses his wings to balance himself or land safely without injuring his legs, but that''s not really flying. Well, at least not for him. From the distance, he narrows his eyes to barely see five Rens forming a T-pose in the middle of the night for some reason, huffing at how ridiculous he looks. "Pfft¡ªI can''t take you seriously. Hello, Ren! There''s five of you. What are you doing here this late at night?" Grian greets as he waves his arms wildly. The five Rens don''t move to recognize or greet him in return. Huh. He probably didn''t hear him. "Ren! It''s me, Grian!" Still nothing. "Uuuh, are you still mad about overthrowing you? That wasn''t my fault! I never said anything about never joining a resistance, I only said I won''t start one. Hopefully, you''re not too mad about that!" Grian screams on top of his lungs, causing him to cough vigorously at the last part to clear his scratchy throat. "Ren? You''re not mad, right?" Grian whimpers as he barely mumbles, feeling the cold tears easily falling to his cheeks like streams. A strong gust of wind blows towards Grian''s direction, causing him to twirl mid-air and lose his balance. He flaps his wings in hopes of regaining his control. Instead, he''s going out of control as he yelps. Despite it, he still continues to flap his wings, hopefully it does something whilst thinking of a way to get out of this predicament. Nothing. His foggy mind caused by the alcohol prevents him from thinking of anything. He''s unable to steer properly despite being the best flyer on the server. He scoffs internally to himself. Some flyer he is. Why did he think of flying drunk whilst his secondary feathers still haven''t been able to grow back yet? Wait, he wasn''t thinking at all. Oh, man. Grian stares at the scenery in front of him and wonders whether the building is getting closer or this is just him seeing things again within the influence of the alcohol. Before he receives his answer, he hears a thundering crack and everything turns black. Scar wipes away the remaining tears with the back of his hands as he sniffs, stopping only when he hears something blowing in the air. "Hm?" Scar blinks and turns to Mumbo. "Did you just fart?" He furrows his brows as he casually comments. "What? It''s- Wh- No!" Mumbo exclaims as he stammers. Another blowing sound can be heard, making Mumbo whip his head upwards and gasp. Scar looks up and squints, barely seeing a shadow of a few feathers zooming in the cloudy sky. "I-Is that... Grian?" Scar''s eyes widen in epiphany. "Wh- Is he- Why? It''s in the middle of the night! And he just suddenly comes out now after not hearing from him in days." He shakes his head in disbelief before turning his attention back to Mumbo, whose lips are now trembling and staring at him with eyes dilated in fear. "Am I wrong to worry that there''s probably something wrong or am I being paranoid?" "Y-You''re probably right for worrying, if I''m honest." Mumbo presses his lips into a flat line. Without a moment to waste, Scar takes out his rocket and fires one to propel himself mid-air, using the strapped elytra to glide before firing another one to chase after Grian who''s already miles away from them. Dang, this man flies fast. He fires another one to increase his speed. Now''s not the time to be distracted. From behind, he can hear whistling of fireworks, indicating that Mumbo has also begun his flight. No matter how many rockets Scar and Mumbo have wasted, they still can''t spot the colorful sweater ahead of them. Just as he¡¯s about to give up and stop the chase, he sees the iridescent wings flapping gracefully, flashing beautifully against the dark background. ¡°Grian!¡± Scar beams and calls out at the same time as Mumbo, both wasting more of their rockets in one go to finally close the distance. Before they can reach him, Grian starts to twirl mid-air and nosedive all of a sudden right towards Impulse¡¯s new mega shop. ¡°Grian!¡± Scar and Mumbo cry in unison. Scar stretches his free hand ahead of him as if that will help him catch up to his falling friend. No matter how many rockets he wasted just to gain top speed, enough for his face to flap with too much force, he still can''t catch his friend from an inevitable fall like how Icarus did. It''s hard to know that you''re flying too high until the feathers start dropping. The glint from the knife hit Grian¡¯s eye, causing him to close it in reflex whilst Sam continued to swing the weapon back and forth, continuing with his spiel that occurred for far too long. ¡°It¡¯s just so difficult dealing with your craziness, Taurtis. I don¡¯t know when or how, but you somehow changed so much, it felt like I don¡¯t know you anymore. Do you really want me to be in danger that badly?¡± Sam paced back and forth as he enunciated, facing Grian back with furrowed brows and glassy eyes like he¡¯s about to cry. Grian¡¯s long aware that opposing Sam won¡¯t do anything. Well, it would but not anything good towards himself. He simply bowed his head in defeat and bit his lower lip, clutching the hem of Taurtis¡¯ blue jumper that he was forced to wear weeks ago since his friend was hospitalised. ¡°Are you even listening?¡± Sam¡¯s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, staring at his gaze for a moment before directing back to the side. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more weird by the day, Taurtis. What happened to you? Don¡¯t... don¡¯t you want to be friends with me anymore? Is that why you¡¯ve been acting so weird lately? You won¡¯t make jokes with me anymore.¡± He swung his hands around, the one with the knife being too close to Grian and made a horizontal cut on his jumper, causing him to jump violently. ¡°I¡ªI...¡± Grian¡¯s breath was caught in his throat as it was too difficult to say what he was about to say, like it would burn his skin if he would utter it. ¡°We¡¯re still friends, Sam.¡± He flinched as his voice cracked. ¡°It¡¯s just- Nothing¡¯s wrong- I¡¯m not feeling well, that¡¯s all.¡± He bit the inside of his cheek as he stared at Sam¡¯s frowning face. ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Sam retorted with a monotone voice. Grian winced at the burning gaze, stopping himself from stepping back and just focused on shrinking in place. ¡°I-I¡¯m not.¡± Grian whispered. ¡°There it is again! You never lied to me before! What the hell is wrong with you?¡± Sam swung his knife to point it directly in Grian¡¯s throat just by his Adam¡¯s apple. Grian held his breath as much as he could whilst suppressing the tremble overtaking his body as the tip of the weapon got closer and closer and closer¡ª The grip on the wooden ladle is getting stronger as Scar twirls it around the pot filled with steaming porridge, the beating of his heart is as loud as a Warden¡¯s sonic blast. From behind him, Mumbo sits by one of the piling barrels as he keeps the contents of the first aid back to their respective places, closing the box and keeping it inside one of the barrels for safekeeping. A loud thud can be heard from upstairs, causing Scar and Mumbo to drop everything they¡¯re currently doing and begin to scramble up the wooden steps towards the upper floor that will lead them to his bedroom. As they arrive at the top, they can see Grian tossing and turning by the floor, leaving the messy bed empty as he screams incoherent words like he¡¯s fighting for his life despite still in deep sleep. Scar swallows the lump in his throat and jumps to Grian¡¯s side in a flash, spotting Mumbo from the corner of his eye doing the same but settles in across him. Scar tries to hold Grian in place to avoid hurting himself (and Scar) by grabbing his wrist firmly with one hand and his knee with the other. ¡°Grian, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re safe here. You don¡¯t have to be afraid anymore, so please calm down.¡± Scar tries to reassure him with a soft voice while Mumbo mirrors what he¡¯s doing from across, finally holding Grian down but still manages to struggle. ¡°You¡¯re safe with us, Grian. We will protect you with all our might and make sure no one will ever hurt you again.¡± Mumbo adds with a soothing voice despite his nose being scrunched like he¡¯s in pain and on the verge of crying. Scar feels the pang inside his chest as he can only stare uselessly at his friend suffering from something they can¡¯t comprehend. Instead of reassuring him, Grian is screaming and struggling more in panic, frantically flapping his wings despite being flattened by his back. ¡°Sam! Please, no! Don¡¯t hurt me, please! I promise to do what you say! Sam! Please, please, no, no, no, no!¡± Grian whimpers as tears fall from his shut eyelids. "Not my wings, I beg you!" Who¡¯s Sam? Scar faces Mumbo as he raises a brow for a silent question, but Mumbo only shakes his head in a grimace, indicating that he knows nothing as well. What should he do, what should he do, what should he do¡ª "Scar..." Grian mutters, causing Scar to whip his head towards Grian with a gasp. "Please... don''t hurt my wings..." He sobs and finally stops moving as if he finally gives in to his fate. Scar can only freeze in place as his mouth hangs open. Instead of being glad that Grian has finally stopped, all he can feel is dread coating his entire body with its freezing grasp. It is his fault. Chapter 3 Grian jolts awake with a gasp and sits up the instant his eyes open, chest rising and falling with rapid breaths as his gaze focuses on the blue bed he''s currently in. Wait, this isn''t his bed. His eyes dart all around him, noticing how he''s inside a giant tree of some kind. His stomach drops at the realisation as he quickly grabs the blanket with a quivering hand and shoves it to the side without hesitation, landing his feet softly on the floor to avoid making any noise. Why is he here? There''s only one person who can make a tree this humongous and intricate, and he hates how he''s managed to sleep here despite his life hanging by a thread. He grunts and grits his teeth in pain, caressing a hand over his head that feels like it''s pinpricked by a thousand needles and slammed by a sledgehammer at the same time. He blinks for a few seconds as his hand runs through a cloth, realising that his head has been wrapped with bandages. He observes his body from head to toe to spot that there are a lot of gauzes and bandages around them as well. The previous events flash before his eyes like a blurry slideshow, scowling at how stupid he was to fly without his secondary feathers having fully grown yet and being out of it to actually ''drive'' no less. Scar must''ve patched his injuries whilst he was out. Why, though? Oh, right. He wasn''t supposed to be here. Grian hoists himself up from the bed to stand on his own feet but spreads his legs and plants his feet firmly on the smooth wooden floor, to gain balance as soon as the room spins all around him like a terrible merry-go-round. His head leans to the side at the sudden increase of weight but leans his whole body the opposite direction in order to use the wall as balance, slowly but surely making his way down the seemingly long flight of stairs whilst his body sways left to right. It''s really difficult to keep a steady travel when his vision is blurry despite his now slightly cracked glasses as his head still hurts from the crash and the hangover. Right before he reaches the ground floor, he trips over something (must be his own foot) as his body leans forward against his will, closing his eyes tightly as he braces himself of the impact. But what feels to be an arm wraps around him by the torso, stopping his momentum halfway. Grian opens his eyes to see none other than Mumbo K. Jumbo himself, with his signature tailored suit plus a scarf, signature mustache, and slick back hair¡ªalbeit a bit messier than the last time he saw him. The usual stretched smile his friend wears brings every burning nerve in his body at ease, finally calming himself down after so long. "Mumbo? I-Is that¡ª?" Grian gapes his mouth in question as his voice cracks from the lack of use. "Y-Yeah, it''s me. Nice to, uh, see you again, dude." Mumbo chuckles as his eyes wrinkle with crow''s feet from the corners. Mumbo escorts him with steady hands to what seems to be the kitchen, settling him down to one of the many barrels splayed messily on the floor, taking up most of the room''s space. A bowl of warm porridge has been handed to him and he gratefully accepts it, using the barrel beside him as a makeshift table and scoops a spoonful to his mouth. He hums and smiles as he swallows. Ooh, mushroom. Mycelium war throwback, even though Mumbo wasn''t a part of it, but it was fun spreading rumors of him being the leader of the Resistance and opposing HEP with all sorts of shenanigans, particularly the games at the end. "There you go, Grian." Mumbo offers a tablet and a glass of water. "This should help with the headache and hangover." Grian flinches at the final statement but shoves it aside as he accepts the medicine, swallowing it with the help of the cold water cooling his dry throat. "H-How did you, uh, know?" Grian mumbles under his breath as he purses his lips and bows his head in shame. "You... reeked of alcohol. I smelled it back in the shopping district, I think." Mumbo rubs the back of his head as he averts his gaze, chuckling unamusingly. "Oh." Grian''s brows raise as he drawls. "I thought I managed to get rid of the scent there. I must''ve forgotten to do it at some point." The silence drags between them and the room for an excruciating amount of time, sensing an invisible force pushing them down towards the floor and squishing them at the weight. But Grian doesn''t trust his mouth to let it run wild or he might break down right here, right now as he stares silently at the empty glass resting atop his legs like it''s the world''s best entertainment. "Do you want a hug?" Mumbo blurts, causing Grian to whip his head upwards to Mumbo''s gaze with wide eyes. "Not in a weird way or anything." He waves his hands profusely in front of him as he hastily adds. "It- It just kind of looks like you, er, really needed it- the comfort and I was like ''you could really use some of it right now'', so why not¡ª" Grian jumps to Mumbo and embraces him tightly, interrupting his rant as he buries his face to his friend''s shoulder. He has to stand on his tiptoes awkwardly with their height differences but the comfort pays off. He can feel Mumbo''s lanky arms wrapping around him tightly as well as he crouches to make it easier for Grian. Minutes that feel like seconds have passed and both have to leave each other''s warm hold, making it harder for Grian to hide his frown of disappointment by straining a smile in an instant before Mumbo notices. "Grian, can I ask you something?" Mumbo averts his gaze in question, fidgeting with the cuff of his suit. "You''re already asking, so..." Grian replies sarcastically as he raises a brow and cracks a smirk on his face. "Wh- You!" Mumbo sputters as he slaps Grian''s shoulder with a chuckle. "Alright, alright. The floor is yours." Grian rolls his eyes before mockingly bowing. "Remember when you utterly refuse whenever the Hermits offer you a drink at every chance they get?" Mumbo starts, making Grian huff at the last statement. "I was wondering why you''re drinking now when you were so opposed to it before that you''d avoid it like a plague." He whirls his hands around and spreads them wide after as he muses. "It''s nothing." Grian answers too quickly with a straight face. Mumbo narrows his eyelids and burns through Grian''s eyes as he glares, giving him the look. Grian, of course, averts his gaze innocently to dodge the question. "Grian..." Mumbo drawls as he leans closer whilst Grian retaliates by leaning backwards to awkwardly try and keep the distance. He just really likes for this conversation to end now. Please. "I''ll call Scar if you won''t answer me." What? "Don''t you dare." Grian glares at Mumbo''s direction as he scrunches his nose. Instead of giving up, Mumbo wears the widest grin he has ever expressed in his life and pounces on Grian successfully with his height advantage. He definitely didn''t yelp at the surprise and now, he''s locked inside the man''s bear hold once more¡ªonly this time against his will as he tries to wiggle away with little to no success as his face is buried to the man''s vest. "Scar! You can come in now!" Mumbo''s chest vibrates as Grian can hear his muffled voice calling, causing Grian to flinch but doesn''t move away from the hold but embraces back instead. Grian can hear footsteps approaching from the distance and when he peaks through Mumbo''s shoulder, he can spot Scar stepping inside the entrance with slow, hesitant steps before stopping a few distance from them. Scar''s mouth opens and closes repeatedly but no words have come out. For what seems like forever, he drags a silent sigh as his shoulders slump in defeat. "Look, I''m really sorry for what happened before and I didn''t mean to actually harm you. It was supposed to be a fun prank for us to laugh in the end and for you to use as an excuse to get back at me, but I didn''t know that it actually went downhill and I hurt your feelings so bad that was so horrible of me so I apologise for being so stupid I''m sorry I will never do¡ª" Scar rambles with a wavering voice and dull emerald eyes glassy from unshed tears as he paces around the small area of the kitchen, but Grian cuts him off as he launches himself to his friend''s chest to hug him as tight but as comfortable as he can, feeling Scar''s own heaving breaths and drumming heartbeat at close proximity. "I forgive you, Scar." Grian proffers as he buries his head further on his friend''s chest, rubbing soothing circles around Scar''s back with his hand. Grian can hear Scar inhaling as his body shakes whilst silently crying when he returns the hug with his own, burying his head on Grian''s shoulder and wets his black jumper. The drenched part isn''t pleasant to say the least but ignores his discomfort as it''s not important right now. "There, better?" Grian prods in a soft tone as a few sniffs can only be heard. "Mhm." Scar hums as his head bobs in agreement. "Can you tell us why you resorted to drinking despite expressing your hate of them, Grian?" Mumbo''s hushed voice probes just out of view. "There''s no escaping this, is there?" Grian sighs as he bows his head, feeling Scar''s arms letting go of him, making it a cue to let go as well whilst stepping back to provide personal space. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Well, I''ve been remembering this former friend of mine back in high school who..." He swallows the lump in his throat, ignoring how his voice is starting to waver. "...kept on hurting me in more ways than one. Mostly he would resort to threatening me with a knife and gaslighting me, so I would constantly doubt my own self." He shudders as he bites his lower lip to ground himself with the pain. "I only managed to escape during graduation. I never attended the ceremony and decided to book it, leaving the planet with the help of my years'' worth of savings." Grian blinks the blurriness away but to no avail, so he vigorously uses his wool sleeves to wipe the tears instead as he bites back the urge to sob. "Uh, so... Can I ask why you''re p-pleading for me not to h-hurt you, though? Was I- D-Did you always thought that I would l-lay a hand on you?" Scar''s voice is so small Grian can barely register it whilst hearing a few taps before they disappear as quickly as they came. "I''m sure that I didn''t mishear it." He bows his head whilst biting his lower lip. Grian takes a deep breath in and exhales, bringing a hand to his mouth as his gag reflex reacts just by the image of Sam giving him that bread. "Remember the cookie prank? You- That made me remember what my fri- a former classmate did to me and brought my paranoia of Sa- him back but it somehow triggered w-with you." Grian wavers as he can''t keep eye contact with Scar, his quivering body still afraid of what his friend might do to him if he let down his guard at any second. "I-It¡¯s stupid, right?" He whimpers as he takes a step back and brings a free hand to hold his arm. "You would never- I know that you''re not l-like him but my stupid brain just keeps on making things up. I should- I should be able to m-move on since it''s already been a decade, but he''s- I''m still afraid that Sam might c-come back to hurt me." He shrinks on himself as the tears he''s been holding back falls easily from his eyes like the blood he had spilled just because he was scared of disobeying him. Grian snaps out of his trance when he feels something heavy wrapping around him like a snake, causing him to flinch violently but a dark soothing voice hums a tune that reminds him of a huge tree as its leaves dance gently with the breeze. The adrenaline that''s been running all around his vessels finally dies down for him to be able to breathe in ease again, seeing that Scar has been embracing him between his arms and providing him warmth that he''s never experienced all those years ago. "I''m probably a hypocrite for saying this, but it''s not stupid to be affected by your own trauma. You may treat it as insignificant and brush it aside, but you don''t have to shoulder everything yourself. You may not realise this but there''s at least one person out there who will care for your wellbeing, so I would like for you to remember that." Scar reassures as he rubs soothing circles around Grian''s back. "Instead of keeping it all inside like you always did before, why don''t you start healing by asking your friends for help? Ask me for help. How does that sound?" He finishes as he places both of his hands on Grian''s shoulders and smiles gently, emerald eyes shimmer under the dim light. "I think... It sounds wonderful. Thanks, Scar." Grian sniffs as he cracks a small smile in return. "I did not expect you to say that of all people, though." He smirks as he nudges his elbow playfully on Scar''s side. "Hey! What does that mean? I can be wise even with my charming quirk, mister." Scar gasps in an exaggerated manner as he points a finger towards Grian dramatically. "Does that quirk involve losing your stuff every five seconds?" Grian snorts as he crosses his arms. "I..." Scar''s mouth gapes as he stops himself for a second. "I shouldn''t have worried about you. I hate you so much." He deadpans. "I love you, too, buddy." Grian coos. "Wait, where did Mumbo go?" "Ah." The snow falls slowly but surely from the night sky as the dark streets are illuminated by various lights, twinkling with different colors as the Hermits gathered by the biggest and brightest Christmas tree (courtesy of Scar¡ªhim and his obsession with trees) anyone has ever seen. Just like the decorations, Grian and the others gather with their warm and unique winter attires, both to protect themselves from the cold and to dress for the merry occasion. Grian places his own present under the grand tree together with everyone else''s, joining his friends with the jolly spirit as the festivities begin. Of course, it won''t be a Hermit thing to do without chaos spicing things up. It all started with Mumbo''s snowplow contraption, which removes snow more efficiently, to explode a few metres away from everyone. Just when the Hermits thought it''s all over, the contraption is set on fire and explodes again, with its parts flying everywhere like projectiles as they hit one of the tables filled with food, some of the decorations, some of the shops, the Christmas tree, and Bdubs, setting their targets on fire in an instant (in Bdubs'' case, it was his mossy cloak who took the hit and the owner immediately removed the attire with a yelp before it completely burned into dust). After cleaning up the mess and a scolding session from Doc (with Mumbo the only one on the receiving end), Grian and the other Hermits laugh it off before continuing with the event by enjoying the feast. Luckily, only one of the three tables got affected so that''s a plus, at least in Grian''s book but he thinks that his friends are fine with it as well. Secret Santa is finally around the corner, so every Hermit fetches their presents and gives them to their recipients one at a time to avoid traffic. Various emotions erupt like outbursts of laughter, never-ending glee, and nonstop screaming mixing altogether after opening their outrageous, funny, and amazing presents. When Scar opens Grian''s present, he''s greeted with a Shulker box filled with magenta glazed terracotta and soon after he screams on top of his lungs, causing Grian to burst in a high-pitched cackle as he has to plant his hands on his knees to keep his balance. "Why did you give me this?!" Scar exclaims as he slams the Shulker box shut. "That''s payback from last time! Don''t think that you can get away from me that easily!" Grian declares in a singsong voice as he points a finger to Scar and grins ear to ear. "Oh, no! These blocks are so terrible! Why do these exist in the first place?" Scar cries in a high-pitched tone. "It''s so worth it smelting all those stained terracotta and trading with the Mason villagers for a couple of days!" Scar continues to whine as Grian and the other Hermits laugh along. It''s really fun and all if that''s all he gave his friend but in the end, he reveals another box that he''s hidden in his Inventory Bag and gives the real present to Scar. After opening it, Scar doesn''t hesitate to jump and hugs him in gratitude. This has got to be Grian''s best Christmas ever. As long as he gets to spend it with the Hermits and his beloved friends, every event is always the best no matter what. Grian jolts awake at another nightmare, filling the cold night air with harsh breaths as he gasps whilst sitting up on his bed, alone. He doesn''t waste any second to leave and flies towards the treehouse he''s been visiting lately whenever this happens. He lands right in front of the entrance and knocks softly on autopilot, perking up when he hears "I''m coming!" from the inside before the door swings open inwards to see Scar with a bedhead in his T-shirt and pyjamas, smiling towards Grian in greeting. Scar escorts him inside and the atmosphere of the tree calms his raging heart in seconds. "Can''t sleep because of a nightmare, G-man?" Scar guesses. "I don''t wanna sleep alone in Dwayne right now." Grian presses his lips as he sits at the edge of Scar''s bed, with Scar unrolling a thin mattress on the floor beside the bed and drops a spare pillow on top of it. Grian begins to head towards the mattress but Scar stands in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "No, no. You stay there, mister. I''ll be taking the floor, thank you very much." Scar shakes his head as he smirks. "But¡ª" "Not buts." "I keep on letting you sleep on the floor when this is your house." Grian reasons as he walks to the side but Scar steps sideways to block his path. "So? There''s nothing wrong with that." Scar shrugs. "Sca¡ª" "Nope." "You¡ª" "I insist." "But¡ª" "You really like butts, don''t you?" Scar huffs. "Fine. I''ll take the bed." Grian sighs in defeat as he turns to settle back on the bed. "Yes!" Scar whispers under his breath in triumph as he plops down on the thin mattress. "Oh, yeah. I almost forgot." Grian turns his body to the side and faces Scar as he tilts his head in wonder. "Who''s Dwayne?" Scar furrows his brows and chuckles in confusion. "It''s, uh, my rock. The floating rocks mega build." Grian replies as his shoulders slump at the question. "That''s what you called your rock?" Scar snickers, causing Grian to chuckle as he sways his body sideways playfully. Minutes that feel like hours of comfortable silence later, Grian finally decides to drop on the bed and lie with his back (the discomfort of his wings is still bothering him despite after starting to get used to it), staring at the spore blossom hanging by the ceiling at the staircase as his gaze follows at the falling green particles. "Can you sing, Scar?" Grian blurts, eyes widen in realisation but doesn''t do anything to take it back. "I am not much of a singer, but I will try my very best to deliver the most amazing lullaby you''ll ever hear." Scar clears his throat from beside Grian as he closes his eyes. I never thought hyenas essential They''re crude and unspeakably plain Grian opens one eye in confusion as he continues to listen to the song. Maybe it''s about to change vibes later? But maybe they''ve a glimmer of potential If allied to my vision and brain Nope. Not at all. In fact, it''s getting more menacing. Grian turns to his side and faces Scar with an arched brow, only for Scar to continue singing with a cheeky grin. I know that your powers of retention Are as wet as a warthog''s backside "What the heck are you singing, Scar?" Grian laughs quietly. But thick as you are, pay attention "What do you mean? It''s one of the few songs I memorised. Great, isn''t it?" Scar replies confidently as he chuckles, making Grian laugh louder as he covers his face with both hands. My words are a matter of pride It''s clear from your vacant expressions "Oh, my goodness." Grian wipes a tear with a finger as he sighs in relief. "How about singing a different song? It doesn''t feel soothing at all. In fact, it''s the exact opposite." He complains as he fondly shakes his head. "You''re a one, needy customer, aren''t you?" Scar snickers. "Fine, if you insist. I''m only doing this because I love you, otherwise I would''ve kicked you out." He jokes before clearing his throat. All those days watching from the windows All those years outside looking in All that time never even knowing Just how blind I''ve been A memory flashes as young Grian peeked out from his embraced knees to look at the crescent moon by the window, asking himself what went wrong for him to be punished like this as he ducked again to muffled his sobs from Sam. Now I''m here blinking in the starlight Now I''m here suddenly I see Standing here it''s all so clear I''m where I''m meant to be Grian hovered his arm in front of him to shield his eyes from the sun shining brightly above him, perking up from a familiar voice calling out his name. Once he turned, he could see Mumbo waving his hand widely above his head along with many unfamiliar but kind faces welcoming him, smiling softly as he ran towards their direction whilst thanking the people who helped him get this far. A chance to live a happy life with friends who would actually care and not hurt him for their own sick entertainment. And at last I see the light And it''s like the fog has lifted Grian swung his arms around Mumbo and Scar''s shoulders with a toothy grin as they looked at the scenery of the jungle around them. And at last I see the light And it''s like the sky is new And it''s warm and real and bright Grian giggled as he and the other Boatem members bounced from one place to another whilst sitting on a minecart from the fact that Mumbo got fired from his CEO position because of the same robot he created. And the world has somehow shifted All at once everything looks different Grian wiped the sweat off his forehead as he walked towards the venue where he had to drop the Shulker box filled with eggs, snapping his head up to see Scar, Mumbo, and the other Hermits greeting him whilst holding their own Shulkers. He huffed and caught up to them, soon after everyone was telling stories of how much fun they had when they searched every nook and cranny of their houses for the eggs. Now that I see you Grian can feel a calloused hand gently brushing his hair away from his face, humming in satisfaction. Finally, he flutters his eyelids closed, mind drifting towards the realm of sleep as he feels at peace once more.