Chapter Text
It took longer than he would’ve liked to actually get up the trunk. If he had his bag with him then he would’ve used that to hold the potion, but as it was, he was struggling to keep the potion from spilling and also keep himself from falling.
By the time he got about halfway up, he heard a chirp. The same noise Grian used to make when either he or Mumbo got hurt.
Mumbo frantically looked to where the noise came from, and finally saw the bright wings of his childhood best friend. His only friend from before Hermitcraft.
“Grian? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?” Mumbo grabbed for the next branch. He was getting high up enough that now the branches were barely able to hold him. I hope Grian isn’t unconscious. Oh goodness me- I hope he can move.
Mumbo was just about to call out again when the blob of feathers shifted, revealing Grian.
“...M’mbo?” He was clearly exhausted and in pain, blinking slowly from where he laid uncomfortably across a few branches.
“Yes! Listen- can you move?” Mumbo asked, testing the next branch up on his weight. It snapped.
“I- th’nk so, yeah.” Grian let his wings drop fully now, and they hung limply from his back as he slowly made his way to Mumbo. “Mumbo?”
“Yeah mate?” Mumbo watched as Grian slowly made it down. Grian’s here. His mind kept repeating.
“You’re not- some trick, right? You’re real?” Mumbo’s heart just about tore itself in two. What happened when we were apart? What happened?
“I’m real, mate. I promise.” Grian was almost within arms reach now. He was close enough that Mumbo could see his shaking, and he could see the dark circles under his eyes had only grown in the years of not seeing him.
“Okay…” Grian didn’t look like he believed Mumbo, but still shuffled the last bit down so they were about on the same eye-level. Grian held onto the tree tightly, wings still hanging limply behind him.
Mumbo cautiously held out the arm without the potion to Grian, trying to keep him stable while balancing on his own branch.
When he gently held Grian’s arm, the avian’s eyes widened. He looked down at his arm, then back at Mumbo, exhaustion leaving his eyes slightly.
“...Mumbo?” He whispered.
“Hi, Grian,” Mumbo whispered back, and suddenly they were both crying, twenty odd meters up a tree.
Mumbo quickly tried to wipe his tears away, as Grian held onto his hand as if it would disappear if he let go. Mumbo failed to keep his eyes dry for more than a few seconds, and he stopped trying to dry them.
After what felt like both an eternity and a few seconds, a huge gust of wind nearly took them both down, making Mumbo almost drop the potion. Grian lost his balance on his branch, wings flaring automatically to keep him from falling.
He let out a squawk, wings immediately going limp again.
“Oh goodness me- here, drink this.” Mumbo carefully handed the potion over. Grian eyed the bottle suspiciously, but grabbed it.
“Remember how I used to make those weird tasting potions?” Grian nodded. “Right, so this is a much better version of those. I promise, it’s safe.” No it’s not. You specifically made that for False. What if different avians require different recipes. If it doesn’t work you’ll hurt him and he won’t trust you.
Grian let go of Mumbo, and took a small sip.
“It tastes a lot better,” Grian said, looking up from the potion at Mumbo.
“Yeah, it should also heal a lot better, too.” Grian was the first one to try his potions other than himself.
The two of them used to sit high up in the trees between their villages, talking and hanging out. Grian always got scrapes and bruises, Mumbo asked a handful of times where he got them from, and never got an answer.
So Mumbo stole a book on potions one day from a traveler. It was definitely not the best, but it gave him the foundations to keep working and improving on the formulas. Mumbo worked in secret after his parents had gone to sleep, testing slightly different combinations on himself, slowly improving.
He shared the potion with Grian, helping heal the bad scrapes and bruises once he was certain it wouldn’t hurt him. Mumbo had stopped asking how he was getting hurt at that point, and brought potions every time they met up for the avian.
It was a nearly identical scene to what was happening now, Grian chugging the health potion, and the two of them high up in a tree. Now, though, Grian wasn’t wearing the blue outfit that he hated, nor was he binding his wings to keep himself ‘safer’.
Grian handed the empty bottle back to Mumbo, and they both waited for Grian’s wing slowly healed itself.
“I don’t think it’ll work all that well. Health didn’t do much for strained muscles before-” Grian cut himself off with a gasp as the potion took effect. Mumbo watched as the scrapes that littered his body slowly healed, holding his breath.
If it drains too much of his energy, I wouldn’t be able to catch him if he passed out. Again.
“How- that’s-” Grian turned to look at his wings, as the muscle strain healed itself. He experimentally gave them a slow flap.
“I’ve been practicing! There’s another one down on the ground, it should heal you fully!” Mumbo glanced back down at the ground. He could barely see Keralis talking with Xisuma and Scar through the foliage.
“Alright…” Grian slowly flaps his wings again, studying them. Mumbo could see the gears slowly turning in his head.
“I don’t think you should glide down. My potions aren’t that good.” With that, Grian pouted, but slowly, carefully folded his wings to rest on his back.
It had been so long since Mumbo had seen Grian, and almost everything was different about the avian, yet still somehow the same. His wings had grown about half a meter, but they were still so bright and vibrant. His eyes were still the void black they always were, and he didn’t look to have grown much. His freckles, though, that used to dot his face, had faded, and his hair had grown a few shades darker from the light blonde he used to have.
But it was Grian, his best friend since long before his entire way of life changed.
The two carefully made their way to the ground, Mumbo watching Grian carefully to be able to catch the man if he were to fall.
Eventually, they were close enough to the ground to safely drop down. Grian had started to slow down, and was still a few meters above Mumbo. He sent the avian a worried look, and the avian shoo-ed him down.
“You go first, I just- it’s safe?” Grian whispered. Mumbo almost didn’t catch what he said over the rustling of leaves.
“I promise you it’s safe,” Mumbo said, watching as Grian’s eyes flicked from the three men on the ground to Mumbo and back.
It’s safe for you. He wants to say. Safe for hybrids, not humans. If someone figured out I’m human… It’s fine, there’s not many other places I can go. He thought to himself.
“Right… You still go first,” Grian said, looking at Xisuma and Scar warily.
Mumbo nodded, and jumped down, startling the three who were on the ground.
“Mumbo! And Grian!” Keralis said from where he still sat on the ground, smile on his face.
Mumbo watched as Grian hesitantly hopped off the tree, spreading his wings to slow his fall.
“Hello,” He said quietly from where he now stood next to Mumbo, folding his wings in with a wince.
“I’m Xisumavoid, but everyone calls me Xisuma. You already know Keralis, and this is Scar!” Xisuma introduced, taking a step closer to Grian and Mumbo. Mumbo could sense the unease practically radiating off of Grian.
Scar gave him a wave, smiling brightly. Grian’s wings relaxed a bit, but then immediately tensed up.
“Oh right! Xisuma, could you pass me the other avian potion?” Xisuma nodded, and quickly grabbed the potion from the ground. Grian watched him, and Mumbo felt him tense up as Xisuma walked towards the two.
Mumbo grabbed the potion from Xisuma, handing it to Grian. He shakily took the bottle, glancing up at both Mumbo and Xisuma for a moment, before his wings twitched behind him, and he quickly downed it.
“We should probably start heading back to camp now,” Xisuma said, looking around at the group of them. Scar was still heavily leaning on his cane, and Keralis was still leaned up against the tree. Mumbo noticed two empty potion bottles next to him.
“Grian, you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, we’re totally human-free, and everyone is extremely kind and welcoming!” Xisuma said, moving back to help Keralis up.
Mumbo watched as Grian’s face went through several emotions, before landing on confused.
“I- human free?” Grian asked quietly. Surely Keralis would have mentioned that. Why would that be such a shock? Mumbo thought to himself.
“Yep! One of the few! Did Keralis not tell you?” Xisuma asked, carefully pulling Keralis to standing. Grian subtly looked Mumbo up and down, before responding.
“Oh he- he did, I- nothing,” Grian said, shaking his head. What- oh. Oh. Mumbo was human. Grian knew he was human. No one else knew that. Oh.
Xisuma carefully positioned himself to act as a crutch for Keralis, and Mumbo gave Grian a once over, before asking, “Would you like a piggyback to camp?”
“Yes please,” He replied, two potions as well as the overexertion from who knows how long of travelling having drained all the avians energy. That was all Mumbo needed before turning around, and letting the avian hop onto his back.
Mumbo was tall enough that Grian’s wings could extend a bit without touching the ground, so he let them hang a bit loosely behind him. Xisuma nodded to both Mumbo and Scar, and the five of them set off, back to camp.
“We’re going to talk about this later.” Grian whispered into Mumbo’s ear, and he nodded, just enough for the avian to see.
The walk home was filled with Scar talking, first about how his part of the garden was coming along, and then just generally about the camp, the layout, where to find all the good food in the storage room, things like that.
Soon they made it back to camp, barely making it through the treeline before being bombarded by Hermits.
“Where were you guys?”
“Keralis?”
“Who’s that?”
“What happened?”
“Do you guys need potions?”
“Guys! Can we get some space?” Mumbo watched as the small crowd of hermits immediately got shut down by Scar, clearing the path for the five of them to continue.
The group quietly let out apologies as they passed, and Mumbo tried to ignore their eyes, staring at himself and Grian. The sun was setting, making Mumbo squint his eyes a bit against the brightness.
“Right, we’re going to talk about this in the morning, if that’s alright with everyone?” Xisuma said from the front of the group. “I can personally vouch that Keralis is safe, and Mumbo can vouch that G- er, his avian friend, is safe. As for right now, the two of them need rest. If you have any concerns, please drop by my house whenever as always.”
And with that he turned, slowly guiding Keralis back to Xisuma’s base. With that, the rest of the hermits went back to what they were previously doing, leaving Mumbo, Grian, and Scar to walk back in peace.
By the time the three of them got to Mumbo’s base, Scar looked exhausted, and was using his cane heavily. Grian was also nearly asleep from where he rested on Mumbo’s back, and Mumbo himself felt like he was dreaming.
“Are you going to be okay, Scar?” Mumbo asked when the three of them made it to Mumbo’s house. The elf looked as exhausted as Grian was.
“Hm? Oh, of course! I just need to rest a bit, that’s all!” Scar waved him off, a smile still on his face.
“If you’re sure, mate. You’re always welcome for potions though!” Mumbo said, waving as Scar turned to go next door to his house. Mumbo carefully made his way inside of his own house, ducking quite a bit to make sure that Grian wouldn’t hit his head on the doorway.
He carefully made his way into his bedroom, and placed the avian down on the bed. The sun was starting to set, now. Mumbo turned and went to his kitchen, trying to be as quiet as possible. He thought back to the days in his village, trying to remember Grian’s favourite food.
He looked through the few chests and cupboards in his kitchen, finding only potion ingredients and the few odd carrots and potatoes. Right, these’ll have to do, I guess. He thought, grabbing one of each, before making his way back to the bedroom.
Grian had curled up in his sleep, wings resting against the wall. Mumbo set the food down on the bed, and gently shook Grian awake.
“Grian, hey bud, I know you’re tired, but I need you to wake up, mate.” He was met with a sleepy chirp, before Grian’s eyes shot open. He sat up so fast that Mumbo had to throw himself backwards a bit to avoid being hit.
Mumbo could only watch as the avian went from panic to shock to confusion to realization over the course of a few seconds, before Grian finally spoke.
“...Mumbo?”
“Yeah, mate?”
“You’re really here?” His voice was filled with exhaustion, but Mumbo could tell there was also fear in there, worry of something Mumbo didn’t know of.
“I am. I’m not leaving.” Mumbo held out his hand to Grian, who immediately took it. His wings relaxed behind him. “Do you think you can eat something? I know you’re tired.”
Grian nodded, and as if on cue, his stomach growled. He didn’t let go of the iron grip he had on Mumbo’s hand, though.
“Right, we’ve got carrots and potatoes, then. I’ll get us some better food tomorrow.” Mumbo offered, waving his free hand over the vegetables.
Grian took the carrot, still not letting go of Mumbo. Not that the mustached man was complaining, of course. He still hadn’t gotten over the shock of Grian being here and alive yet, and the borderline too tight grip was a perfect reminder that the days events had happened.
Mumbo grabbed the potato, and they ate in silence for a bit, before Grian finally spoke up.
“So, a human free camp?” Mumbo winced.
“Yeah, I- it’s a long story, really. How’d you find yourself with Keralis?” It was now Grian’s turn to wince.
“An even longer story, I think.”
“Ah, would you like me to go first?” Even after all these years apart, Mumbo could still read Grian like a book. He could still tell when the avian desperately wanted to not talk about something, just by the way his wings barely tensed, by the way his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Grian nodded, taking another bite of carrot.
“Right, then. You know how I was chased out?” Grian nodded. “Well, after that I was on my own for a bit, and I eventually found myself here! It was different back then, there wasn’t nearly as many as there are now. Goodness me- I think there’s what, ten now? Eleven? Anyways, I stumbled into the camp, and they thought I was some sort of hybrid, I guess? I never really corrected them-”
“Wait, they actually think you’re not- not human? Mumbo, I hate to break it to you, but you’re the most human guy I’ve met!” Grian cackled, and Mumbo couldn’t find it in himself to worry about someone somehow hearing Grian.
“Right? Well, I’ve been working on my potion skills for a while, so I think that at least some of them think I’m a witch hybrid?”
“Got it, so if anyone asks me, you’re a witchy witch.” Grian said, playful glint in his eye. Mumbo missed seeing it, even though it was duller now than when they were kids.
“If you could, that’d be perfect!” Mumbo felt relieved. If Grian hadn’t agreed to keep his secret, he’d have to go out on the run again. He’d do it, of course, for the safety and mental health of his friends, but he really didn’t want to.
“‘f course mate! No problem!” Grian said, smiling lightly. “I- uh, c’n I share my story later?” He asked sheepishly, exhaustion audible in his voice.
“Not unless you promise me that you actually will tell me later. It’s only fair!” Mumbo gently teased. If Grian truly didn’t want to share, he’d back off, but Mumbo really wanted to know what his best friend had gotten up to.
“...I promise. I’m just really tired right now.” Grian said, yawning.
“That seems about right, you did have two potions. We can talk tomorrow.”
Grian nodded, eyes already starting to drift closed as he laid down. Mumbo glanced out the window, the sun was fully set by now. He resigned himself to having to sleep on the couch, and slowly got up.
“...Wh’re you going?” Grian asked, blinking slowly and pushing himself up on the bed.
“To change, then to the couch. Oh, would you like something to change into?” He asked, just now realizing how ragged Grian’s clothes were.
“Yes please. Just- nothing blue?” He asked.
“Wouldn’t dream of it, mate.” Mumbo grabbed the smallest and most comfortable shirt and pair of trousers he owned, and threw it to the foot of the bed. Grian had propped himself up with his elbow, and was watching Mumbo tiredly.
“Right, I’ll be off then!” Mumbo said, grabbing his own pair of nightclothes, and going to change.
“Wait!” Grian called from the bed. Mumbo turned around, worried. Have I forgotten something? What’s wrong? Are the potions having delayed side effects?
“Could… Could you stay? While I sleep?” He asked, voice quiet now. “Please?”
It’s not like this would be the first time they slept together. Back when they were kids, Grian would sometimes doze off when they hung out, and Mumbo would too, holding hands high for stability up in a tree.
“Of- of course, mate. I’ll leave so you and I can both change, and you let me know when you’re done, but- of course.”
Grian let out a shaky breath, and Mumbo took that as his sign to exit the room. He quietly shut the door behind him, and got to work changing. It was nearly five minutes later that Grian finally let out a quiet “finished!” from the room, long enough that Mumbo was beginning to worry that he had passed out.
Mumbo opened the door, and saw Grian had moved over on the bed, so that now two people would be able to barely squeeze together on it. Mumbo set down his pile of dirty clothes on the floor, for once not worried about how difficult it would be to get the wrinkles out, and carefully got in bed beside Grian.
The two were out soon after, Grian carefully moving one of his still sore wings to blanket Mumbo in his sleep. Mumbo’s last thought was not one of worrying for his safety or future, for once, but one of feeling safe.