Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Slowly a figure come out of a portal, and into the in-between with large purple wings, a dirty blonde fringe and the back of his hair that looks half like a waffle. He sighs and sits down and looks up at the sky

"Hello....?" An admin with a turtle helmet on and what looked like a turtle shell on his back
"Are you grian?"
The watcher took a moment to respond
"Yes..." he said Slowly confused on who this was and what they wanted
"Good!" The admin said cheerfully "I'm the admin of a place called hermitcraft,my name is xisuma but friends call me suma! ive heard of somone called grain who is a brilliant builder"
Grian sat pondering what is happening as the admin kept talking about hermitcraft how the world was always filled with beautiful builds how the people always prank eachother and all grian could think of was evo and how much hermitcraft already reminded him of it
"So anyway, I was wondering, would like to be apart for our next season?" Xisuma finally said
Grian sat in shock
"You want...me?"
"Of course I do! I know you would get along great with the others and I know they would love to see your builds"
Grian thought to himself
*Well it would be good to maybe meet some new friends I can never go back to my old ones now and hermitcraft does sound nice ill try for one season and if I don't like it I'll leave.*
"I'll join" grian said
Xisuma smiled widely
He reached out for grians hand to help him up and
Then they headed off to the hermitcraft portal

Chapter Text

Xisuma and grain where the first ones to get there, they started to watch as hermits stepped though the portal one by one, before he had properly entered the world grian decided to hide being a watcher and dyed his wings a soft brown colour he sat quietly next to xisuma watching as a man with a mustache tripped over a zombie that had been stiched together and then a man with green eyes and brown hair fell over both of them
"oh god I'm so sorry!" The one with a mustache said while trying to get up
"MUMBO" The brown hair one laughed as the hugged mumbo to ground
"Mumbo?" Grian said to himself
Xisuma looked at grian and smiled, he looked a like a child
"Yes, that's mumbo jumbo he's pretty cool the one who fell onto him is scar he's quite clumsy" suma chuckled thinking of all the times he died and all the times he's fallen
"You two,oh my god" the zombie said shaking her head
"And the zombie is cleo" xisuma now sitting next to grain watching at the hermits get up hug and start talking they begin to look around as the final person came through the portal.
Xisuma pulled grian up and told everyone to listen as he explains about the world they would be living in
"The different districts decide the style you will build in!There are many and of course the shopping district" he pulls out a map of the island and beings to point at all the districts
"Any questions?"
"Yeah," Scar asked "who's that lovely looking fella next to you?"
Everyone began looking at grian who's face was now red
He heard people begin to murmur between them selves
"Yeah who is that...."
"They look cool.."
"Whoa look they have wings like me"
Grian noticed a blond man with red eyes point at some small wings on his back to the others
"OK ok it's time to introduce our newest hermit"
Everyone was silent
"This is grian! Say hi grian"
Grian mumbled out a hello and then hid behind Xisuma
Grian didn't know at the time but everyone there thought he looked cool,they saw how shy he was, how worryed he looked.
Soon after people started heading away while grian and sum stayed behid.

"Here" xisuma said while handing him a device
"What's this..?" Grian replied
"It's a communicator you can see some things others do like here" he turned on his own device and show Joe Hills achievement of getting wood "and you can message people by typing here"
Suma wrote out a hello and people began replying saying hello back and asking how other where doing
"All you have to do to set it up it type your name in and then you can use it right away!"
Grian looked at the communicator and typed in his name and typed hi in the chat then put it in his pocket
Xisuma smiled "I have to go do some work on my base I suggest you do the same and heres a map so you know where you are going." X gave grian a map of the island then he ran off to collect materials

Grian was left alone
Grian thought about his wings for a moment a possible way to look at where he would want to build but he couldn't
Couldn't bring himself to do it couldn't try and fly even if he wanted to
He hated his wings he hated flying he hated them so much some of his feathers are missing when he tried to cut them
He cut his wings and couldn't fly untill they grew back and he didn't know how long that would take
So he walked to the futuristic area collecting items on the way

Chapter Text

Grian got to the futuristic area and he loved it already then he saw the ocean, grian immediately jumped in to swim he loved the feel of the waves around him it calmed him he loved it so much
While swimming he saw a person the one xisuma called mumbo he obviously hadn't noticed grian and he wanted to keep it that way so he dived down to take shelter in a shipwreck until mumbo had gone
His wings wet and hair now all over his face he realised there are lots of air pocket down there and even a chest!
"Wow..." he said to himself
"I love it..."
He knew he wanted this to be his home for now
And decided to start building right away
///////////time skip//////////////
Grian finished building his starter base and how he loved it

Hearing the ocean waves while laying on his bed,
It was the first one, proper one, since evo with a red covers and white pillow he loved it so much
He layed down for a minute then turned on his communicator while building he died a lot and his hands,neck,torso and wings where all scratched up




He looked at the communicator with lots of messages
Grian was slayed by drowned
Grian drowed to death
Grian was injured by drowned
Stress: hey you ok?
Grian drowned
Iskall85: is he OK?
Grian was slayed by a drowned
Mumbo jumbo: I'm not sure maybe we should go see?
Grian drowned
Mumbo jumbo:I'm gonna go see




He was embarrassed about how much he had died but the others seemed nice, stress, one of the people that messaged in chat.he though back to when X had introduced him to everyone and wondered what stress looked like

Then there was a knock at the door to his room "Hi!Grian you ok?..." Mumbo said not sure what else to say "Am I in the wrong place...?" He whispered wondering if this was a good idea Grian wanted to hide away and never talk to anyone, he was so embarrassed and scared what they would think. No one else had died this much. "OK um... Grian if you are in there I'm going to come in now ok?" Grian didn't make a sound as the door slowly opens to show the mustached man. Mumbo is a tall man with a loving face and the best mustache anyone had ever seem his suit is normally dry however after being in the ocean was completely soaked.



"Hi..." grian said slowly sitting up
"Hi there! I'm Mumbo jumbo but everyone calls me Mumbo. Are you ok?" He said with a worried look
"Oh I umm... they don't hurt to much I'm ok"
He replied
"Well we better get those patched up anyway." Mumbo smiled pulling bandages, platers and some wipes he walks closer and grian flinched
"Hey..." mumbo said sitting on the bed next to grian
"Please let me help you I promise it will only hurt a bit", mumbo said kindly
"...ok, but please warn me if you are going to touch my wings" Grian said
"Got it"
So they sat there together on grian bed mumbo wiping away blood and putting a bandage or plaster on the wound while being careful to never touch grian wings. Mumbo and grian began talking a bit about hermitcraft and how amazing it was mumbo was telling storys of the previous seasons and how fun they where How there was very few people at the beginning and how much everyone here loves it
"We are like one big family"
mumbo said "and now... you are part of the family to we already love you and we know how that the more we get to know you the more we are going to love you"
Mumbo said with a slight tear in his eye
Grian sat in shock
"I'm part of the family...?"
"AH I'm sorry!"
Mumbo said quickly
"if you don't want me to call you part of a family I can always
call it somthing else I'm so sorry I wasn't thinking I was just saying you are one of us now you are a hermit..."
mumbo apologised
"No I like it I've never really been part of a family before... Well I have just not...one like hermitcraft. You speak so kindly of everyone you really love them a lot..."
grian began to cry a little


"You never had a family that really love eachother...? you don't have to tell be but just know that no matter what your past is or what you have done that we love you so much and I know that soon you will love everyone to"
Grian began to sob
He turned to mumbo and huged him mumbo surprised but hugged him back they sat there together grian crying
"It's ok grian, it's ok." Mumbo said
"We love you, I love you grian you will just fine"
Mumbo comforting him the best he could
*Ding* his communicator went off grian didn't notice but mumbo picked it up

Whisper from Xisuma: is grian ok?
Whisper to Xisuma: yeah i told him that we all loved him and he started crying do you wanna come here and help comfort him I think he needs it
Whisper from Xisuma: on my way


"Hey buddy..."
mumbo said "X is gonna come here with us so we can comfort you and hang out and help you set up anything ok?"

Grian quietly said ok he was still crying with mumbo hugging him
"Hey are you both in here?" Xisuma said Slowly opening the door to find grian and mumbo hugging while grian cryed,he ran in
"Hey hey grian" xisuma said
"We are here, grian is ok" X spoke to him as grian slowly
stopped crying
"I'm so sorry both of you, I'm sorry mumbo I didn't want the first time we meet properly to be like this I'm so sorry X i didn't mean to drag you all the way here just for me..." grian rambled on apologising
"No no it's ok grian I'm glad you are ok"
Mumbo said
"You didn't drag me here. I came because I wanted to know if you where ok" X told him
"Grian it's ok you don't need to be sorry"

"...hermitcraft reminds me of...I don't want it to end up like..."
Grian didn't want to finish his sentences
"Hey its ok...We will support you...do you want to tell us about your last server?" Xisuma asked quietly
"Evolutions" grain replied
"Evolutions?" Mumbo sat cleaning grian wounds again
"I'm going to be touching you wings now ok grian...?" He said carefully
"Got it." Grian said "be gental..."
"What was Evolutions like for you grian?"

There was silence other then grian making a small hiss sound whenever mumbo touched a particularly sensitive spot

"It's ok if you don't want to talk about it grian if you want we can just sit in silence or if you want we can talk about somthing else"
X said softly

"Lets talk about somthing else please..." grian wisphers

"alright then, how about we talk about your new starter base!" X replied
"It looks really cool right now, it was so smart to use the ship
wreck" Mumbo added to the conversation
"You really think so?" Grian asked surprised
"I thought it was kinda lazy of me to do it"

"No way! It was smart this way you can get other things sorted out easier and quicker" X said "I wish I had thought of this" They continued to talk for a while and help grian get some food and blocks until Mumbo and Xisuma had to go back to their own bases grian was alone again But this time he was much happier he thought about mumbo Mumbo seemed so nice So accepting,so caring, he went all the way to grians base, a total stranger, to check if he was ok grian definitely want to be closer to him

Chapter Text

The sun rose up and so did the hermits.
Grian in his shipwreck base opened his tired eyes. He had slept as if he had never slept before.
It had been a week since the “incident”. That’s what grian calls it. An incident,accident, mistake. But really he was just embarrassed. Embarrassed that he cried,embarrassed that’s he mentioned evolutions. He was embarrassed he had cried infront of mumbo and xisuma. He was so embarrassed that fall week all he did was work on his base. With only taking short breaks to eat and sleep. But he couldn’t sleep but he tried. everytime he feel a sleep sharp flashing purple imagines burned into his vision. He couldn’t sleep for the past weeks he’s been sleepless and barely eating three meals a day. But he was ok. He believed he was ok, that soon he will move on.soon he can live freely.

But until then he will work on his base day by day making his shipwreck into a ship in a bottle adding statues near by he worked and worked and finally he slept. A dreamless sleep that he has now just woken up from. “Nhhh” Grian moaned as the light in his room felt blinding to him. He slowly woke up his wings a mess with brownish feathers poking up in every angle. The dye was slowing fading from his wings showing hints of his horribly pretty purple wings he is so ashamed of. So he got up. He got up and all he wanted to do was work. To get his mind off the incident. He didn’t care what he looked like. He didn’t care what he smelt like. He’s been avoiding everyone anyway they won’t notice. So he got up out of bed wearing the same clothes he was yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. His hair a mess of knots and his clothes with stains and dirty from all the work he’d been doing. And so grian got to work.

*Mumbo*
The man in his well washed suit smelling as always like roses, looked down into the ocean on his island,deep in thought. Last week he met Grian. Last week this man he didn’t know anything about was crying in his arms. Last week he felt sorry for him and he felt angry at the people who must have hurt him. But he didn’t know grian. He didn’t know anything about grian. Why did he feel angry? Mumbo repeated that question in his head over and over. Why?why? Was it just empathy? Or did he care about grian? He just met him how would he care.

Or was it that *feeling* he had. The one when he first saw grian. The one when they had just arrived in the new season. The one that felt like *fire* like he was filled with warmth and joy just by looking at the short,winged man. The one that felt like he was alive more then alive. Like he *knew* he *knew* grian was important he just didn’t know why.

Mumbo shook the thought away turning back to his little tree house.He played with the thought of working but he turned back to the ocean instead.he lived near and Grian was all he could think about. He tried to look for him yesterday but he was not where to been seen. *maybe* Mumbo thought *maybe I will have better luck today...No. I should work on my base I...screw it.* and he dived into the vast blue sea. Diving down deeper and deeper heading towards the ship in a bottle. Where he could see a dishevelled man inside.

Grian

He placed block by block setting out chest by chest. The glass bottle was almost complete.he put his hand through this knotted hair but it only got stuck he quietly cursed under his breath. He needed to shower, he needed to get cleaned up but everytime he thought of it he just felt to worn out. Then he saw mumbo. Mumbos wet tie floating with the man speeding towards his home. Grian froze *oh no. Damn. Uh what do I do? What do I do.? He can’t see me? I can’t see him like this? Oh no.* grian though as mumbo came through the opening of the bottle. He smiled as his now dripping wet suit and dark black hair now stuck to his pale skin.

“Hi.. uhh sorry did I...did I...” mumbos words trailed off as he looked at grian
“Sorry for bursting in...” he said sincerely
Grian said nothing just stared that’s all he could do. he the man he just met the man who was there for the mistake he made a week ago he was infront of him.
“Sorry...should I.. come back later?” Mumbo said looking at his soaking wet shoes.
“no...” Grian wisphered
“what?”
“no.” He said again louder this time
“don’t leave.if you don’t want to.”
“I’ll stay then I... came to see how you where doing...” mumbo said staring at Grians messy hair,wings and clothes.
Grian again said nothing as an awkward silence took its place between them both
A communicator went off they both looked.

Joehills: Hey mumbo and Grian i see you are online! How are doing this morning?

Mumbo: I’m good! Just been working on my base got to get some redstone done soon!

Grian: I’m alright almost finished with my ship in a bottle!

Joehills :sounds great! Hope it goes well for both of you!

“Why did you lie” mumbos voice spoke before he could think
Grian looked up, slightly shocked.
“What?” now is was his time to ask what’s he was going on about
“Why did you like just now to Joe?” Mumbo kept going thinking about what he was saying this time.
“You lied...you don’t have to. We can help...”
Grian looked at his feet.
“I’m sorry its just-“ mumbo cut grian off
“Don’t. Don’t say sorry...let’s just go inside..how about we get to know eachother. This way...this way you can trust me more...so I can help” mumbo looked into grians eyes this bold move wasn’t planed none of this was. Why did he care so much? Why?

Grian didn’t try and argue. He thought maybe it was a good idea not to gain trust but to know this guy better to know if he was just playing with grian or if he actually cared about Grian.
“ok..come this way” with that grian turned around. And walked into his base. And mumbo followed excited to know grian better but scared. He just did that. He just *said* that. To grian. Going through all the possibilities of what could happen and if he offended grian.
“Lets...lets go to my bedroom is the only comfortable place here...sorry”
Grian said shyly

Mumbo said nothing just looked at the small ships insides and grian opening the bedroom door the bedroom he’d been in a week ago. With its brown wooden walls and floors with some chests thrown around and a couple clothes on the foor. With a double red bed in the centre of the wall the door was on.

Grian offered mumbo a seat on a chest in the middle of the room as he sat in his bed.

"What would you like to know" grian said looking at his feet once more

"Uhh...well" mumbo hesitated not planning this at all let alone getting this far was not helping so he asked the first thing that popped into his mind

"What's you favorite colour?"

Grian gave a small smile "red...what about you"

Mumbo returned the smile "same. I love redstone so it's got to be my favourite"
Grian giggled at mumbos reason "so.. If I loved texturing mountains or love to build things in grey that would be my favourite colour?"
Mumbo blushed and laughed with grian
"Well of course! It's only reasonable!" Mumbo said sarcastically

Laughter filled the beaten ship as grians walls broke down a little. He laughed with mumbo tears in there eyes The morning dawn turned into midday of them in grians ship laughing and eventually mumbo gave a suggestion

"Hey, hey why don't we go prank some one I think that would be hilarious!" Mumbo said wiping tears of laughter in his eyes.
Grian laughed at the suggestion and agreed but then he remembered. Remembered the state he was in. The way he looked and smelt. How his wings where slowly loosing the dye slowly showing his true colours.
Mumbo noticed the mood change, he noticed grian glance at this wings, he noticed grian put his hand on his head and touch his messy hair.
"Are you ok?" Mumbo asked curiously
"Yeah I just..."
"Do...you want me to...help? Mumbo asked cautiously he didn't want to over step infact wasn't sure why he asked maybe it was guilt maybe it was somthing else but it was to late he asked now. He wasn't sure if he was distraught at the question or the possible answer or if he was going to gladly help.

"What- I well I mean" grian stumbled over his words trying to comprehend what mumbo has justed asked
"I mean I...it maybe help?" Grian mumbled and he looked at mumbo expectantly
"I'll help if you want me to that is, I don't mean to over step!" Mumbo said the words spilling out of his mouth.
"Just...just don't jugde" grian said shyly he was worried being near mumbo made he happy, made he feel better but as soon as mumbo leaves...grian wondered whether he will be able to get this done. To get cleaned up. But infront of mumbo? He was regretting this decision already when he remembered his wings...thoughts race through his head as he grabbed mumbos hand and lead him to the medium sized bathroom, with the same brownish wall but a shiny white bathtub opposite a toilet and a sink. Shower gels and shampoos on the side of the bath with a shower head above the bathtub.
Mumbo thinks * a bath would be better...maybe? What am I doing right now? Its fine he's a great guy...he just need some help.*
Mumbo starts to put the water on to run a warm bath.
The silence is thick as mumbo sits on the floor with grian following him

"...thank you..." grian mutters un his breath while fiddling with a feather fading to purple at the tip
"It's ok but can you answer a question for me?"
Mumbo asks looking at grians wings "Well two really"

Grian looks in horror questioning what he's going to have to say or if he tells the truth.
"S-sure.."
"Your wings...are they purple?"
Mumbo asks not noticing gruans hesitates
"...yes." grian says worried about the next question
"Why did you dye them? They purple parts look beautiful..."

Grian surprise takes mumbo attention this time
"Did...I over step?" Mumbo asked confused
"No no! Just..no one's every called it beautiful...I dye them because well its..." grians thinks on the spot "chickens! Chickens can't see purple so I dyed them so chickens can see...the real colour of my wings?" Grians poor excuse makes them both burst out laughing
"That was...terrible" mumbo says out of breather laughter over taking him again
"I definitely just love chickens!!" Grian trys to defend himself though the laughter. The sounds of joy slow as mumbo checks on the bath it was just about the right hight
And luke warm.

"So should I...turn around and just let you do your thing or...either way you can always ask for me to...help or to stop." Mumbo said worriedly

Grian laughted at his nervousness and tell him to turn around.
"Would it be ok if you...helped with my wings?"
"Sure but I can't say I'll be good at it..." mumbo says quickly as he turns around he can hear the sounds of grian taking off his clothes jumper falling on the floor, the sound of the buttons in his shirt his the ground. And then water moving grian getting into the bath.
"Oooo warm" grian says smiling at the warmth of the water.
"You can turn around now" grian said his back to mumbo as he turns
"Do you think...you could try and get some of the dye off..."
Grian said

"Of course I will..." mumbo wisphered worred about touching grians wings let alone getting the dye out.

The silence was thick and neither wanted to break it.it was both uncomfortable and comfortable both unsure what their next words should be as mumbo hands carefully washed the feathers of grians wings slowing turning from brown to a deep purple and mumbo noticed. He noticed the deep purple feathers missing the ones that's look like they have been cut?he noticed some dried blood never fully washed out and he noticed the slight glow they gave off he put that thought to the side and examined where there should have been feathers and grian could feel it.

"I cut them." Grian said
"What?" Mumbo confused voice speaking before he could think
"I cut them...the feathers...my wings.MY wings" Grian Said empathising the my.
"Your wings...why..they are...they are so beautiful why would you...you don't have to talk about it but...since we are friends now I...would like it know" mumbo spoke softly to grian hears the words soothing the man he hands on his knees pressed to his chest the water up to his chin.his brownish blond hair wrt and suck to his face.

Mumbos suit jacket was on the floor and his white sleeves rolled up his red tie hanging down between the bath and mumbo. His mustache slightly wonky and his short black hair a mess.

"I mean...we are friends yes?" Mumbo asked unsure jf he wanted to answer
"Yes...I...I think so I hope so." Grian Said trying and failing to hide the joy in his voice his smile shining through as he looked at mumbo happily. A friend. Grians friend. Mumbo liked grian and grian liked mumbo.

Then grian turned around again his smile falling
"I'm going to tell you something...and as my...friend. you can't freak out. Or leave me. You can't leave me because I tell you this.ok?" Grian said quickly

Mumbo Bearley understood what grian had said as he had said it so quickly but he got what grian was saying mumbo understood the importance of this. To grian and possibly their new friendship that had faced mutiple things already.

"OK. I promise. And I promise I won't freak out" mumbo said trying to make grian feel safe enough to say whatever it was

"I came from evolutions smp. I joined last year but soon the watchers came and they..."
Grian stopped for a moment the thought flashing through his head. Portals,statues,dragons and he remembered the pain of getting those wings. Then running. Running far running so they can't find him running and running and running. Then he returned into a bathtub with mumbo silently scrubbing his wings softly waiting for him to speak.
"They...gave me these wings. They hurt me."
"I see. Grian...May I hug you?" Mumbo asked sadness in his eyes.
"Yes." Grian basically wisphered.
Mumbo stopped scrubbing at grians wings and moved closer to grians body and he huged grian,tightly his shirt getting wet and his tie dipping into the water his face buried onto grians shoulder and neck. And grian lifted his arms around mumbo. His white shirt basically see-through now. And they stayed like that a comfortable position for both grians faced now sat on mumbos shoulder a few tears trickled down onto mumbos shoulder. Minutes passed by that felt like hours and they let go.

"Your wings are all done..would you like to get out now?"
Mumbo said
Grians nodded and mumbo stooded up and turned around facing to corner as grian got dressed
"Thank you..for telling me. Thank you for trusting me I won't tell anyone unless you want me to..." mumbo told grian
"Don't...tell anyone and thank you...for listening and not freaking out about the watcher thing..." grian said calmly as he finished by putting a clean shirt on.
"Of course I did promise" mumbo said. However in reality mumbo had no clue what a watcher was. He pretended to know but he had no clue. But he wanted to know now he was going to discreetly ask the other hermits about them first and if they had no answers he would start to look for some books.that what he planned to do.
However grian had the thought pass through his head *does he know what a watcher is?* but passes it off as lots of people know. But mumbo did not

So they got out of the bathroom and sat on grians bed together and the day turned to night with mumbo helping grian make some food laughing and almost causing a fire.and they ended up on grians bed chatting under the duvet as they slowly fell asleep arms wrapped around one another

Chapter Text

Mumbo woke up to the sunrise into his tree house base. He loved sun rises but he preferred grians bed. He had slept in it with grian monday- two days ago. It was now Wednesday and mumbo had plans for his base he needed to get dome soon. He and grian had spent all of Tuesday walking round the island together it was surprising but they didn't run into any hermits other than scar who had been quickly speeding away saying something like "Got an idea I'll talk later byeee"
Thats all Mumbo heard and then scar was gone. They had laughted about how fast scar had been going.

But that wasn't the conversation mumbo had him mind on as looked at his communicator pondering what to do. No the conversation he was thinking was grian talking about "watchers" mumbo had no clue what they where but he didn’t like them or at least he didn't like the ones grian had come across.He then typed on his communicator a message to only Xisuma. He was an admin he was sure to know what a watcher was.

Mumbo: hey X I got a question
Xisuma: What is it?
Mumbo: what's a watcher?
Xisuma: huh?
Mumbo: what?
Xisuma: don't you already know? Everyone knows what a watcher is.
Mumbo: ok but I don't so...what is it?
Xisuma: a watcher is normally very dangerous they have strong powers I've heard of them invading servers.
Mumbo: oh uh we don't have any big scary watchers right?
Xisuma: Nope! No evil watchers here!
Mumbo: good good you've just give me nightmares for a week now thanks anyway X

And mumbo put his communicator down. He breathed a sigh of relief no watchers on here, no evil ones atleast

He was especially happy that grian wouldn't have to see one. Mumbo wasn't sure why he was so glad that grian would be ok but he was. He was happy and he wanted to know more. To know what a watcher looked like. So he walked to a library.he had heard of one just opened recently in the fantasy district. So he walked there considering all the information he might find. He walked and walked he even cane across zedaph and helped give him ideas for future plans. And finally he arrived
There was a sign tell him to be quiet but mumbo hadn't seen it. Without hesitation he headed to the nonfiction area and looked for book about watchers. There was a sea of purple books of all different shades a couple of book names caught mumbos eye.
"Beware the watchers"
"How I met a watcher"
"Why are watchers like they are?"
So he pulled a handful of books down from the shelf and sat down on a not so comfortable chair with tables either side. Mumbo puts a stack of books on his right and picks up the one on the top. "What are watchers?" The perfect book to start on.
He read the book thoroughly. The words in the book telling him information about watchers. Lines played throughhis head trying to memorize it. *Purple wings and some even have halos...*
*they often eat emotions if they where born a watcher or are a full watcher.*
*they can turn people into watchers all they need is a spell..*
*related to the listeners*
Mumbo read each and every word and his only thought was grian. Was grian a watcher? He didn't know so he kept reading.
*some can't not be transformed fully into a watcher and are only turned into part watcher. Gaining wings and somtimes halos, however the halos are a very rare occurrence.*
*if the spell in not fully complete and stop part way, someone could be turned into part of a watcher.*
*watchers mostly turn humans into watchers as the spell works better on humans but it does work on other species leaving a select few immune to watcher spells*

Mumbo thought raced. Grian. Grian, was a...watcher? The purple wings. His beautiful purple wings. Was he turned into a watcher...he said they Hurt him. Was it a spell? Mumbos thoughts ran through his head over and over.

He couldn’t believe it. So he looked more.
He picked up another book adjusting how he sat as he did.
"Watchers and how to survive one"
Mumbo looked at the thin book and thought it looked like one of those fake survival guides, but he decided to not judge a book by its cover.
Mumbo opened the book flicking through the pages until there was a picture...it looked nothing like grian
Infact the only common factor was the wings. *Maybe*
Mumbo thought to himself *maybe it's just a coincidence...* as he looked at the picture studying its every feature until he noticed somthing interesting
A mark one that has two dots and two lines in a rectangular shape it looked odd. Mumbo had thought it was a mistake at first. But as he read the book said "even people changed into watchers have this mark." He hadn't seen it on grian or at least had not noticed it. Mumbo put the books away and left his thoughts swirling away in his mind.* What if...what if grian was a watcher? Do I ask? Is it sensitive was he born a watcher or was he changed into one like the book said?*

Chapter Text

Grian stepped out into the sun rising over the land of Hermitcraft, it have been three weeks since he had arrived here on this foreign land, Though his social circle had only grown by three people, no two. Mumbo jumbo his new...friend and Xisuma. Though he had spoken to scar he had not stayed long not wanting to disturb the builder from his work. So two friends in Hermitcraft, the man sat in his favourite red jumper in the shopping district quietly placing down blocks as he begins to build a small shop he was planning to call "lazy sod shop" he chuckled silently to himself as he sat on a piece of wood and looked over the district, not yet full and yet definitely not empty. He could hear the water of the small pond near him. Shops had been popping up left and right, these hermits tend to work fast as Grian had begun to learn

The shops where small, and as far as Grian had been told this is normally the smallest these shops will ever ben, Xisuma has explained to the shorter man about previous seasons of Hermitcraft, mega bases and profitable shops all around. Xisuma had suggested Grian join in with the shops "a way to draw more hermits attention, meet them all in a less formal setting" or so X had put it.
out of the corner of his eye Grian noticed some fiery hair- no, Hair that is fire... Oh what was his name, Grian begged his mind to remember, the guy with the red wings...

"Tango!" a voice called out to the fiery man as he turned a bright smile spreading across his face as mumbo and someone else walked up
"Stop gawking at the newcomer will ya'"
the zombie spoke. This one Grian recognised, the zombie Xisuma had mentioned when they first came through the portal, Cleo.

"well I just wanted to see what he was building!"
Tango protested before meeting eyes with Grian and flashing a smile, nodding at Grian who had a surprised look spread across his face
Tango. TangoTek, the...blaze? Grian struggled to remember all the details of the hermits, to many to keep track of especially for a new comer such as himself

"What do we think it is"
Mumbo chuckled looking at the half build structure

"A shop."
Cleo replied plainly a cheeky smile on her face as tango let out a laugh

"W-well yes but what kind!"
Mumbo stuttered sitting down on a bench besides the pond and looking at Grian who had hesitantly begun to work on his tiny little market kart.
The three hermit talked more and quietly on the bench allowing Grian to work in peace as he put the final touches on his market kart along with the sigh hanging off the roof "Lazy sod shop for grindy blocks" He smiled proudly at the creation as he begun the job for stocking the shop, a pair of pale hands and a warm presence found their way into his chests

"can I help?"
Tango look down to Grian who jumped in surprises before giving a shy and quick nod
"Thank…you."
The man stared in awe as the tall blaze like being lifted up a stack of gravel and moved it into the chest in the shop
"Thank you tango.."

Tango glanced back before laughing a little "It what you do for a fellow hermit right? if I asked I’m sure you'd help me to"
Tangos red eyes flicker with joy as he looked at the newest of their family,
Grian looked up with his soft brown eyes and nodded before letting a small smile spread across his face, taking the opportunity to grab some gravel and hide his embarrassment.
Soon enough without Grian even noticing Cleo had joined along with Mumbo, they had stared on the sand that needed to be moved over and although it had not been a huge job these hermits jumped at the opportunity to help Grian out, to give him a good impression of them all, their smiles and chuckles infectious not only making the job easier but fun for Grian, his quiet laugh as mumbo tripped spilling the sand into his pitch black hair, before holding out a hand to the taller man and pulling him up, Grians wings flapped just a little out of joy as they continued to work, Cleo making sure the two men tango and mumbo had been putting the items into the correct chests.

Once the job had finished the sun had gone past the midday mark and deep into the afternoon, the sun cascading it beautiful light over the land shadows casts just perfectly framing mumbo, his suit jacket long forgotten on the bench and sleeves rolled up, his dark eyes watching tango and Cleo as they spoke, a relaxed and some what tired smile on his face. He looked so amazing just stood there Grian refused to avert his eyes from the sight of this man. A man who had been nothing but kind to Grian, a man who decided that he would be Grians friend despite his obvious faults and flaws a man who hadn't once forced his to speak of his checkered past, it almost made Grian want to hug him, to let him in to all the pain, to let mumbo talk for hours on end.

"Grian?"
Mumbo's soft voice broke The winged mans thoughts "You ok? you looked lost in thought!" Mumbo smiled kindly as Grian stepped closer, slotting himself onto the end on the bench Cleo and Tango sat down on

"Y-yes! sorry..."
Grian smiled up at the kind man before glancing over to tango and Cleo who had a book in their hands, clearly from the inside of mumbo's suit pocket a small book with a purple cover.

"Is this what you where in the library for the other week? Learning about the dangers of the world huh?"
Cleo asked unaware of the look on the two men's face as her and tango quietly read it together
They look up at where Grian was sat only moments ago in confusion, then at each other. Quietly shutting the book and handing it to mumbo, the title of the purple book on full display

'What about Watchers'