I'm going to be deleting soon, likely tomorrow, but I felt that before I did, I deserved the opportunity to finally talk about what happened in this fandom, and why I'm choosing to walk away.
This is a full timeline of the events that happened in October, to the best of my knowledge and memory.
CW// for mentions of "problematic" fiction regarding age-gap pairings, graphic death threats, rape threats, descriptions of suicide baiting, descriptions of suicide ideations/attempts and examples of doxxing.
October 2023 Ectoslab Twitter Discourse Recap This is going to be a doozy of a post, and it is going to include some things that may be tri
You can send in requests, sure
I just don't know how many I'll do
I wanted to open them again for Nano but I feel so guilty for only doing like two or three every time then :')
But yeah whoever wants to can send in requests. If it hits me with inspiration, I'll write it. I don't do it in order. Just be prepared to not get it or wait until Nano2024 XD
Based on Grian's Secret Life Episode 4. Contains heavy spoilers.
That episode was just too inspiring, I couldn't stop myself
~*~
Grian heaved a sigh as he looked at the small hut, but that sigh was quickly followed by a fond smile. Well here he was again, going to Scar to team up with him. It was really becoming a thing. Their thing. He almost giggled to himself at that. No matter how much he had protested being Scarâs soulmate, he had actually never minded. Sure he had hoped for Bigb, but then listening to Scarâs heart race alongside his own had become one of the best things that had happened to him in that world.
And there had been something there between them. They had shared some special moments in the deep of the night. And it might have gone somewhere if there had just been more time. But then Grian had made the stupid mistake with the Warden and they had both been ghosts for way too long, unable to see one another let alone talk. And back on Hermitcraft he had been far too busy to think about Scar and the moment had passed without them ever being able to work out what had been there between them.
But maybe now⌠Maybe this was their time to continue where they had left off. Unlike last time where they had been on opposing teams they could work together and share those soft nights again. They had almost kissed so many times⌠or at least Grian thought that was what had happened.
One thing was certain though, Scar would never turn him away. With the others he couldnât be this sure. They had already formed alliances, and even with those on their own Grian was afraid they might decide to turn him down. And he didnât want to face that sort of rejection right now.
He opened the door, smiling at Scar.
âScar?â, he called out in a sing-song voice and he heard hurried steps right away and a second later Scar was standing in the doorway, smiling brightly at him. And seeing that blinding smile made him forget all about his plan on pretending he had to sing, so lost in those deep emerald eyes.
âHey there.â
"Hey, Grian."
There was a moment of silence between them as they just looked at one another over the small wooden counter. And it was the most comfortable silence there could be between two people. They were just too relaxed around one another to get awkward silences between them. Him and Scar just clicked from the second they had met one another.
âSoâ, Grian started, looking down at the counter and then up at Scar again, tilting his head slightly to the side in a way that he had been told looked quite adorable and he knew from the way the corner of Scarâs mouth twitched upwards that he thought so as well. âHow have you been doing? I heard you have settled here all alone so far.â
Scar nodded in confirmation looking around the small hut that barely seemed big enough for him. âI have been rather busy so far. It is very different from the last few times, but I do enjoy the changed pace. It feels less dangerous and more fun at the moment. And Iâm not the first at yellow, thatâs always a bonus. Maybe Iâll actually win the game of life this time.â
He laughed at his own joke and Grian couldnât help it but laugh along as it was just too infectious. âI know what you mean. I have been meaning to build something nice. You know. Something iconic like our desert home.â
They both shared a look full of emotion and it was as if he could see their memories reflected in Scarâs eyes.Â
âBut oh well. So far Iâve burned down two of those⌠âbasesâ Iâve begun building. My mind is just too occupied with the tasks and having fun with everyone else to even think about doing some more elaborate building than a wooden egg.â
âI mean⌠uh⌠It was a pretty egg?â
Grian giggled, lightly hitting Scarâs shoulder over the counter. âOh hush. It was not and we both know it. It was the weirdest thing Iâve done in all of our Life Games. And thatâs okay. IâM enjoying the building break. My base back home drives me crazy enough with everyone getting on my case about the back.â
âI mean⌠The pestering did wonders to the back of your base. I quite like your backside.â It should have been an innocent comment about his base, but the tone in which Scar said the last sentence, his voice lowering ever so slightly, becoming more rumbly. It was quite clear it was not the backside of Grianâs base he was talking about, but another backside belonging to Grian.
He decided not to humour his friend, pretending not to have noticed the double entendre.Â
âAnyways. Iâve come here with a question. A favour reallyâ, Grian said. He was smiling hopefully up at Scar. But as he did he saw the smile slowly fade from Scarâs face.
âA- A favour you say? Maybe nowâs not a good time to do that. I feel like I couldnât be of any help right now. And I really need to get my task started. Yep. I really need to focus on that. No time right now. I mean tonight would be good, yeah? After we handed in our tasks. After I got my hearts, yeah?â
Grian frowned. It was unlike Scar to not even ask or be curious about what Grian had to ask. Him so blatantly trying to gently let Grian down was weird.
âOh, donât worry. I wonât take much of your time. I just need a quick answer.â Grian looked down again and he felt his heartbeat quicken a little. He took a deep breath and then smiled. âI know I might have not given this impression in the past⌠But I really did enjoy the time we spent together as soulmates. And we make such a good team-â
âGrian. Whatever you want to say, please-â
But Grian wouldnât stop now. If he stopped now he just knew he wouldn't dare to ask again in fear of being turned down.
âScar, do you want to team up with me?â
He gazed up again, expecting to see Scarâs face light up or see his cheeks blush, just like back then, when Grian had told him they were soulmates. Maybe this would be the perfect moment for their first kiss to seal that deal of them becoming a team once again. Three times was the charm after all is what they said. And it had all started with three lives as well.
But the moment he saw Scarâs face, his heart sank. Scar looked⌠Sad. Almost heart broken and Grian really had no clue what he might have said that deserved such a look.
And for the first time between them a silence felt uncomfortable.
âScar? Say something please. Talk to me.â
Scarâs face fell even more, a look of guilt and regret washing over his features as he simply turned around, walking to the backdoor without a single word being spoken.
âScar! Donât leave!â
He could hear something that sounded like an annoyed whine and the steps got even more distant as the backdoor opened and Scar just walked out of the little hut.
Grian felt frozen for a moment. Did Scar hate being on a team with him that much? It was true that Grian had gotten him killed through their soulmate bond. But he had apologised many times and Scar had to assure him constantly that it didnât matter a bit. Had that maybe just been Scar being nice and not wanting to hurt his feelings?
But how could he turn around then and just walk away. A simple explanation that he wanted to work alone or team up with someone else would have hurt, sure, but it would have been easier to accept than this cold shoulder.
Grian hesitated another moment, but then he decided to act, rushing out the backdoor after Scar, who hadnât really gotten that far yet, walking at a very slow pace, so he was quickly closing the gap between them.
âScar stop! Just tell me whatâs going on? Is this your task? Do you have to run away? Or do you just hate me? Tell me!â
Scar only let out another frustrated sound as he kept walking.
And it stung so badly to not even be acknowledged by the man he had grown to love so deeply and who he had thought loved him just as much. He felt a whirlwind of emotion hit him all at once. Hurt, betrayal, pain, anger.
When he finally caught up to Scar he grabbed his arm and spun him around. âFine! Run away! Donât talk to me anymore! If that makes you happy!â
Scarâs eyes widened and he put his hands on Grianâs shoulders. âNo! Grian! You donât understand. I- This is difficult. Iâm so sorry.â
âYouâre hurting me, Scarâ, Grian admitted and he hated how small his voice sounded. How vulnerable and full of emotion it felt.
âI know. And Iâm sorry. But we really should not be having this conversation now. Itâs not a good time. I canât-â
âI love you!â
Grian didnât know why he had said that. It was dumb. Scar clearly was in a weird headspace and didnât want to be close to him. He should have obliged, but the words had just come straight from his aching heart.
Scar seemed surprised, taken aback even, his eyes opening wide, his mouth opening a few times as his brain must have been catching up with what Grian had just said. Sure, they had been getting closer and closer, but they hadnât even been dating yet and Grian had already dropped the big L.
He lightened his grip on Scarâs arm, letting his hand drift down slowly to grab a gentle hold of Scarâs fingers.
âI know you feel the same, donât you? Please tell me you do.â
And again Scarâs face fell. He went through a myriad of emotions, his features changing so quickly it was hard for Grian to get a good read on him. Though when the whirlwind stopped, the emotion Scar apparently decided on was determination.
âWait a momentâ, Scar simply said and started walking away again. Grian looked at him in confusion for a moment, but then walked after him. When he was next to Scar he opened his mouth to say something, but Scar glanced at him, holding up a finger to his own lips and the unusually serious look he had made Grian want to obey the unspoken order.
Though he didnât wait, silently walking after Scar, watching him in confusion, still feeling a slight pang of hurt.
He didnât even know aht was going on. Sure, they all behaved strange on this server due to their secret tasks. But those tasks were mostly funny and didnât involve emotionally hurting one another. He wanted to keep asking. He wanted Scar to say something. Say anything. To not leave him hanging like that, his feelings out in the open.
But he didnât ask.
He just followed Scar, soon realising they were going in the direction of the rock formation of the secret keeper. Had Scar just managed to succeed in his task? But why would he? Surely there was no task that had you try and get a heartfelt love declaration from someone else. That just seemed far too cruel even for otherworldly beings that used them as a form of entertainment.Â
âScarâŚâ, he started when they had almost reached the buttons, but Scar sharply turned around to look at him, vehemently shaking his head and making a shushing sound. And Scar had never shut him up as forcefully as that. Usually Scar blabbed out any plan he had. He had even told them his first task after all.Â
When he was sure Grian wouldnât keep talking he turned back around towards the buttons. Grian expected him to walk towards the button that indicated they had managed to finish their tasks. He didnât. Instead he walked right up to the button in the middle - the one for the harder quests - and hit it. The rocks lit up around them, making a multitude of eerie noises and finally the red light lit up below Scarâs feet and an equally red glow seemed to surround him. And a moment later there was a brand new book in Scarâs hands.Â
Scar heaved a sigh of relief and with a twist of his wrist that book disappeared into his inventory.
âYou donât even want to read it?â
Scar finally turned to him, smiling softly. âNo. I donât care right now. I just didnât want to do the other task anymore.â
âWhat was your task?â
âI- It would have broken your heart, Grian. I had to disregard anything you said. Do you know how painful that was?â, Scar asked, his voice shaking ever so slightly. He stepped up to Grian, putting a gentle hand on his cheek. âDo you know how happy I was when you asked me to team up? I thought weâd never team up like that again. It was never by choice anyways. Not even becoming soulmates. And now some magical taskmaster wanted to deny me a shot with you⌠I just couldnâtâŚâ
Grian leaned into the touch, looking up at Scar with bated breath. âThen⌠You changed that task because of what I said?â
Scarâs smile only got brighter and he nodded eagerly. âSay it again, Grian. Please. I want to be able to answer this time. I want to be able to have this moment and not have it taken away by anyone.â
Grian swallowed, now slightly nervous. It had been a spur of the moment thing earlier. To be put in the spotlight like this now made him so unsure about his words. âBut what about your new task? What if youâre failing it by doing something you shouldnât be doing?â
Scar shook his head. âIf my task would hurt you again I would fail it anyways. No need to read it. Now say it please.â
Grian cleared his throat, giggling nervously. âYou want to team up with me?â, he said in a joking tone, both of them very much aware that hadnât been the thing that Scar wanted him to repeat.
But Scar humoured him, not calling him out right away and it helped him calm down. âOf course. Iâd love nothing more than that. Teaming up with you makes me happier than anything else does.â
They both smiled silently at one another and as Scar put his other hand on Grianâs other cheek, he finally felt brave enough to repeat those words. He didnât have a reason to be nervous after all. It was pretty obvious by now what the answer would be. There was no doubt about their feelings. There should have never been any doubt in the first place.
âI love you, Scar. Iâve loved you through all my lives, ever since I met you. I loved you as the charming boy next door. I loved you during our little war. I loved you in those desert nights below the starry sky. I loved you in that ridiculous fancy hat of yours. I loved you every moment I heard your heart beat alongside mine and love you now and in every future world.â
Scar listened to him silently, his smile becoming even softer as his eyes filled with adoration and love. And when Grian finished instead of answering he pressed his lips gently against Grianâs.
And it was perfect. Scarâs body was warm against his. He could feel Scarâs shaven beard scratching lightly against his chin, a stark comparison to those unbelievably soft lips and hands that were slowly caressing him. And he in turn put his arms around Scarâs body, pulling them closer together.
Grian didnât know how long they stayed in their embrace, lips moving against one another, breathing in each otherâs scent. When they moved apart both of them smiled and they were so close he could see his own reflection in Scarâs eyes.
âI love you too, Grian. And no task could ever stop me from being by your side, no matter what.â
The mcyt fandomâs obsession with âboundariesâ is a thinly veiled excuse to feel morally superior to and bully other fans by whiteknighting for their Favourite Internet White Guy, and completely misunderstands why we set personal boundaries and how they work.
A boundary is a personal limitation or set of actions communicated and enforced by a person for their own well-being.
What the fandom thinks are boundaries are actually ultimatums. They are the expectation that people adjust or limit their behaviour to make the boundary setter more comfortable, and that this behaviour will be enforced under threat of public duress or harassment for not doing so.
Essentially, if a content creator says âI donât want to see shipping stuff.â then it is that creatorâs responsibility to enforce that boundary for themself by blacklisting tags or avoiding spaces where they may come across that content. They cannot reasonably expect the fandom to stop creating ship content with their character in it, because then they are no longer sharing a personal boundary, but extending an ultimatum to the fandom.
This doesnât even take into account the sticky nature of mcyt fandom and how a LOT of content creators donât seem to understand that fandom exists because of their content, but it does not exist for them.
The biggest problem is, every fan wants to be their Favourite Internet White Guyâs special little soldier, and therefore clamour for those peoplesâ âboundariesâ so that they have an ultimatum to use as an excuse to feel morally superior when they bully fans out of fandom spaces for âboundary breakingâ.
Grian stood at the small grave, looking at the name with a pained expression. His heart ached for the friend he had just lost, even when he knew it wouldnât be forever. He hadnât meant to kill Bigb. He had managed to convince himself they were secret soulmates so much that he had forgotten Bigb had still been connected to Ren after all. He probably wouldnât have built that trap otherwise. Or maybe he would have done it, but he would have apologised to Bigb before they had perished. This way he had actually celebrated his secret soulmateâs death, indirectly, but still. He had cheered.Â
Grian almost felt as if arms were embracing him and he wondered if that was really the case. He remembered being a ghost last time. He had still been able to stay in that world and while he had just watched, maybe soft touches were possible. Him and Scar had been able to hear the shouts of the dead in their first game after all. Sometimes the wall between the dead and the living got thinner as emotions ran high.Â
âIâm so sorry, B. I didnât mean to kill you. I wished things could have been different. I really⌠I really wanted to be with youâ, he whispered into the cold night air.
âYou wanted him to be your soulmate instead of me, didnât you?â
Grian jumped, whipping around so quickly he almost fell, the feeling of the soft embrace immediately disappearing as a cold shiver ran down his back. How hadnât he heard Scar walk up to him? It was so unlike him to not pay attention and Scar usually wasnât one to hide his presence well enough. It took him a moment to overcome the shock to realise Scar was still waiting for an answer, his eyes looking deep into his and it was as if he was pulled into these brown pools filled with uncertainty and sadness.
âYes. I wanted him to be my soulmate. He was the one I was disappointed about most when we discovered he wasnât my soulmate.â
Scar let out a small laugh, but there was no joy in it, it sounded so hollow.
âI mean⌠I knew that. Why am I even surprised? I just never thought youâd admit it just like that. But yeah, itâs true. Nobody would have been happy having me as a partner. Iâm irresponsible, I mess up stuff and I donât think before jumping into action. Iâm the worst at this and anyone would have been better. Iâm a walking, talking catastrophe.â
Grian could see something breaking inside Scar as his voice reached a higher pitch as he spoke, cracking every now and again, his words making him spiral downwards even more.Â
âScar-â
âNo. Donât you dare deny it now. You know itâs true! I pretended I didnât hear you scream when you found out. I pretended it was something else that made you this upset, but I knew. I knew we were soulmates before you did. I knew the moment I stepped foot into this weird world. Because how could it ever be anybody else other than you?â, Scar ranted on, a shaking hand pushing his hair from his forehead as he looked at Grian, his eyes a mixture of sadness and madness. He was losing it quickly and Grian was too overwhelmed to know what to say to him.
âScar, pleaseâŚâ
Scar just shook his head, eyes moving from Grian to the grave behind him. âI thought this time we could win together. Me and you until the end. This time we wouldnât have to fight to death. I didnât want to see you cry again like last time. It was so hard to keep pretending then and not just hug you. I promised myself to protect you.â
âWait⌠pretend?â
The glint of madness seemed to disappear and Scar smiled softly, but still so sad as he recalled the memories of their first game. âGrian. Iâm not that bad at fistfighting. Iâm a clutz, but even I donât stumble that often and fall face first into a cactus. I didnât want to hurt you. I let you win. Had I known youâd cry over my dying body like that I would have just accidentally fallen into a ravine before we ever reached that damn ring of death.â
Grian only stared at him, thinking back to their encounter in the desert, not trying to linger too long on the memory of the screams and blood. Now that Scar had said it, it seemed so obvious. Not even Scar was that much of an idiot when something was important to him. Apparently winning had never been important to him.
âI- Thank you, I think?â
Scar just shook his head and Grian was pretty sure getting gratitude wasnât the reason he had brought it up.
âItâs in the past now. We were a great team back then. Not so much anymore. What happened to us, G? I thought you enjoyed being with me, even if I can be an irresponsible buffoon sometimes. We hang out all the time on Hermitcraft. We have lots of fun together, donât we? Why do you hate being my soulmate so much that you want to team up with someone else?â
Grian pressed his lips together, glancing everywhere but at Scarâs face. He hadnât known his attitude would hurt Scar this much and he knew he owed his partner an explanation, but he had a hard time admitting it out loud, when he had only ever told Bigb about the way he felt.
âI didnât want to be the one to kill you againâ, Grian finally whispered, looking up from uncertain eyes at Scar who seemed slightly shocked at his confession. âIf you werenât my soulmate I could have tried to do the same thing I did last time: Stay as far away from you as possible and make sure weâre not on the same or on opposing teams. I know this is a game and I know we all respawn⌠But I didnât know back then. The first time. I thought I had killed you. And I couldnât⌠I couldnât fight you again. A piece of me broke that day, Scar, and I have been unable to repair it.â
âWhat?â Scar just gasped out, looking at him as if he was processing those words for a moment and then a bit of the sadness disappeared and he seemed less lonely and broken as a hopeful glimmer appeared. âSo you teaming up with BigbâŚ?â
âHe was helping me, Scar. We spent so much time together because heâs one of my best friends and he knows me. And I tried to replace you with him and Iâm sorry. I didnât know it would hurt you this much. Itâs not that I donât like you⌠I like you too much.â
Scar seemed to stop, all thoughts coming to an abrupt halt as his wide eyes looked straight into Grianâs. And then suddenly his cheeks started to turn pink as his shocked expression morphed into a small shy smile. It was an expression that made Grianâs heart race faster again. It was funny how the smallest of changes on Scarâs face could make him react like this.
Scar finally stepped up, taking a hold of Grianâs hand. âYou donât have to do this. Keeping your distance. I promise Iâll make sure nothing happens to you. We donât have to fight and even if we dieâ, Scar took the hand to his lips, kissing it softly, looking up from the hand at Grian, âWeâll be right back together. I will be there when you wake up on Hermitcraft. Weâll be together. This is not real, Grian. We arenât dying.â
âI knowâŚâ, Grian whispered, looking at Scar, those bright green eyes looking at him from beneath long eyelashes. âI just. Iâm scared. What if I make enemies and you die because of me? What if I stumble and fall? What if some mob gets to me?â
Scar just shrugged, smiling fully now as he lowered Grianâs hand once more. âGrian. Do I look like someone who thinks he could win this? I cost you two lives already. So if you stumble, Iâll just have to catch you and put you back on your feet again. And if we die, Iâll be happy knowing we did our best together as a team. And once this is over we can be together without worrying. Back home.â
Grian smiled back at Scar. He just couldnât help it. Seeing that smile was always too infectious. There was still a deep worry inside him, but yet he felt calm as well. Yeah, he might die and hurt Scar. But Scar wouldnât mind. Scar would still be there waiting for him once he woke up again.
Scar lifted his free hand up, letting it rest softly on Grianâs cheek and Grian leaned into the warmth of that touch, closing his eyes for a moment, allowing his constantly racing mind to slow down for the first time since this game had started. When he opened his eyes, all he could see and think of was Scar. Scar with his soft locks and bright smile. And with those deep eyes that looked at him with so much affection. It was truly a miracle he hadnât suspected before that his feelings weren't one sided.
âPromise me, Scar⌠Promise youâll stay by my side. Donât sacrifice yourself for me this time.â
Scar smiled and nodded.
âYouâre not alone. Not in this world and not in the next.â
And as they both leaned forward their lips touched to seal the promise and Grian could feel a spark running through his whole body and he just knew that even if they didnât win, he had gotten everything he ever wanted in this miserable world. He had found something precious that would stay far longer than the time theyâd spend here. He had finally found love.
Replying to this because there's been some asks like this lately and I just picked yours
If you want to join my Hermitship discord - and yeah that's still around - please don't send an ask but message me directly. It's way easier to answer.
I also want to let you guys know that I check every person who messages me and if you have a new and empty profile and I've never seen you in my notifs, I won't be able to let you into the server for security reasons, sorry :(
If you're new to tumblr and still wanna join you can also just send me a link to your twitter/ao3
I just wanna know if somebody is a real and seemingly nice person before I let them lose on the server.
We're always happy to welcome new people that love to talk hermitship and other things <3
Also, I'm sorry I'm not writing anymore. The creative juice just ain't there :( But I'm still there, still seeing the likes/reblogs/messages/comments and they all make me so happy <3
Looking for a nice Hermitcraft/Hermitshipping Community?
Look no further!
The pirate AU discord is the place for you - even if youâre not into the Pirate AU. We are a pretty general Hermitcraft and Hermitshipping discord nowadays.
We have:
Way too many channels
Way too many bots (rip groovy)
Way too many emotes
1 (one) sticker
Way too many gremlins
A monthly activity contest with art/writing prizes
Unreleased Writings and Art as well as many wip and sketches!
And just the right amount of love.
Drop me a DM if you want in. And then donât be shy and just join in conversations! Weâre always happy about new people. Donât be scared!
This request is a little old, I hope youâre still hanging around and are happy with this take, anon :)
Recommended Song for this story. I listened to it on loop while writing.
~*~
Grian smiled fondly, looking over to the field from the wall he was sitting on. Their little Empire was slowly but steadily beginning to grow. Well⌠Slow for the Hermitsâ standards that was. Jimmy had been rather shocked at seeing all their underground farmwork. He should have known from Grianâs stories, but then again, seeing it was a whole different thing than hearing about it. Maybe he should invite Jimmy over one day just to get to see the stupid face heâd make at all the farms there.
Impulse was in the middle of a rather boring discussion with Doc about how to build a farm that was efficient enough for their needs, but not so efficient it would crash this worldâs economy. Grian was pretty sure Jimmy would be a bit mad if they did that. Though if the rift stayed closed much longer it would happen sooner or later. The Hermits were rather bad at holding back. And some of the worst offenders had come along with him.
Impulse drew something onto the parchment that was laid out on the table between them and Doc made a thoughtful face, his sharp teeth biting down on his bottom lip, one hand ruffling his combed back hair.
Grian was pretty sure he didnât even realise he was doing it. But it was really an adorable sight. Nobody ever really believed him, but the moment he had fallen in love with Doc was when he heard him talking about complex redstone. Not that Grian understood a word he said about his world eating machines and complex circuits. Just the sight of Doc being so passionate about the most complicated redstone that he lost his usually so stoic demeanour, his eyes sparkling, hair slowly getting messier as he kept touching it in thought. Well nobody could blame Grian for thinking it was a rather attractive sight to behold.
Impulse glanced over in his direction and the moment they locked gazes, he laughed quietly, turning to Doc to mutter something, which made Doc look up at him, his thoughtful features softening into a smile. He put down the pen, muttering something to Impulse before walking over to him, the soft smile only growing.
âYouâre doing it againâ, Doc just said the moment he stood in front of the wall Grian was sitting on, their faces for once being on the same level so Grian didnât have to look up at him.
Doc let out an amused huff. âWell according to Impulse youâre looking at me like a love sick attention starved puppy. His words, not mine. Though I see what he means. Itâs adorable.â
Grianâs smile just got a little wider, his heart fluttering at the compliment.
âYou canât blame me. I rarely ever have the opportunity to watch you like this in Hermitcraft. Weâre always so busy building the next big thing back at home. Iâm enjoying it very much.â Grian glanced past Doc at Impulse and then back to Doc. âThough I will let Impulse know that Iâm certainly no puppy.â
Doc hummed, leaning forward, resting his hands on Grianâs legs to lean in between them. âYeah. Youâre much more like a fox. Sly, smart⌠Probably why I like you so much. Iâve always been fond of foxes. Though youâre still not as quick in a fight as a fox. You think too much.â
Grian put a mock pout on his face. âHey. I can fight. I beat you in like⌠a couple of wars. And I won the little murder game me and the others were part of!â
âYou win because youâre smart. And that is not a bad thing. Not everyone can be a great fighter. But you donât have to worry. If anything ever happens Iâll just follow your brains and be the muscles you need.â Doc then fully leaned in, putting a gentle kiss onto Grianâs pout, making him melt below the touch, a little content noise leaving Grianâs mouth. And suddenly he was being lifted up, letting out a high pitched squeak of surprise, clinging onto Docâs body like a panicked koala. Doc just chuckled, holding him close, never once breaking the kiss as he held Grian up as if he weighed nothing.
Grian smiled softly once his racing heart had calmed down, not letting go until Doc finally let him down onto the ground gently, following him with his lips, bending forward until Grianâs feet touched the ground only then separating.
âI love you, little guy.â
ââm not that littleâ, Grian grumbled in slight annoyance, though he had to admit that in this new world the Hermitâs fell a little below average size wise which made him even smaller in comparison now. Doc on the other hand fit right in, his tall height now just the average like all the other men here, that is if you didnât count Joelâs godly form or Jimmyâs toy size. Grian still didnât get how these lore revealing potions worked, but then again⌠He didnât understand a lot of things in this world.
âWell. Youâre big in all things that countâ, Doc said in a teasing voice that made Grian blush and stutter at first, until Doc gleefully went on, âI meant your heart Grian. What else would I be talking about? Get your mind out of the gutter.â
Grian grumbled some choice word under his breath, hitting Doc in the stomach softly. âYouâre an idiot.â
âI know. But Iâm your idiot, am I not?â
Grian couldnât stop the smile from returning back to his face and he got on his tiptoes, barely able to land a kiss onto Docâs cheek.Â
âNow⌠While I think itâs cute to have you watching me work I think I remember you having a date with Scar and Jimmy in Tumbletown. You told me yesterday, remember?â
That made Grianâs heart drop as he quickly looked at the sky. âOh fudgeâ, he just exclaimed, giving Doc another quick peck on the mouth before hurriedly taking out his Elytra.
âThanks, love, see you later. Donât explode our base with your redstone.â
âWill try!â, Doc called after him as Grian took off quickly, flying over to the little Western Town. Â
His eyes lit up when he finally reached the small town and he could see those two and Tango already standing by a large train that Grian knew at first glance had been built by Scar. That man was just too talented. His builds just stood out, even back home with a bunch of talented builders. Scar was always special. He just had the perfect attention to detail.
When Grian landed he looked over at Tango, smirking at him when he realised how close Tango was standing to Jimmy, his tail resting around Jimmyâs waist. Well, well, well⌠He had never given those two much thought but maybe something great would come out of their accidental trip to the Empires World.
Tango must have noticed his gaze, as his cheeks turned a slightly dark blue and his eyes darted off to the side, his fingers twitching so close to Jimmyâs hand, his tail wiggling a little, but yet he didnât move away. How cute. Grian could work with that. Playing matchmaker would be so much fun. And Jimmy would need it with how daft he was when it came to emotions.
They were in the middle of a deep discussion about how to connect Tumbletown to the Hermitâs area, when multiple beeping sounds came from Jimmyâs communicator. Jimmy looked at his wrist in confusion and then pressed a button to see the little holographic screen.
âFwhip. Weird. He doesnât really message me anymore lately. Rather comes over to bother me and-â Jimmy stopped, his eyes darting over the messages, eyebrows furrowing. âHe says something weird is going on over at the portal. It apparently activated again, but itâs no longer purple. Itâs⌠gold.â
The moment Grian heard that it felt like someone had grabbed his heart in an iron grip. âWhat?â, his voice sounded far too high, almost foreign to his own ears and Jimmy gave him a weird look.
âItâs gold. Do you know whatâs going on? Itâs yours after all. The rift on your side I mean. Is it supposed to do this? Does it mean you guys can go back?â As Jimmy asked that question, his eyes darted to Tango, looking slightly sad.
Grian didnât answer right away, his mind running in circles, but his silence was enough for Scar to get worried at least.Â
âGrian. Whatâs going on? Youâre as white as a Ghast. What does the portal turning gold mean? Is it⌠is it bad?â
And finally Grian moved into action, head whipping around to Scar, looking at his bright blue eyes. He then turned to Tango, his face becoming more and more worried. âYouâre in danger. You need to hide. Theyâre coming. I need to- I- The portal. We need to block it. We need to destroy it. Theyâll come through.â
Another beep from Jimmyâs communicator. He looked at the screen. âFwhip said some people walked through. Him and Sausage are gonna try and talk to them.â
âTell Fwhip to run! Tell him they canât see him! Heâs not human! They canât know!â
Jimmy looked at him in confusion, not reacting to his words and Grian felt almost helpless. âJimmy! NOW!â Hearing Grian use his proper name and raise his voice like that must have shaken something inside the other man and he quickly typed a message into his communicator, sending it off.Â
âGrian, mate, what is going on? Youâre scaring me.â
Grian shook his head, fumbling through his inventory. âNo time to explain. You need to take Tango and Scar and hide them somewhere. Get as far away from spawn as possible. In some cave or some area that doesnât look inhabited. Somewhere where they wonât look.â
âGrian? Whoâs âtheyâ?â, Tango looked worried as well and Scarâs head was tilted to the side, his face full of confusion. How did they not understand that there was no time for explanations? They needed to leave now.
âThey hunt non-humans. They shouldnât be here. Jimmy. Please. Promise me that youâll protect them. I canât worry about everyone here. That is one less person I need to protect.â
Jimmy glanced at Grian and then his face hardened as he nodded. âMake sure my friends are safe, yeah?â
Grian nodded and that seemed to be enough as Jimmy started running, pulling a very confused Tango behind him, Scar throwing one last confused glance at Grian before running off as well. He was lucky Jimmy knew him well enough to see that this was serious. Any second he lost discussing the situation would just make it worse.
Finally, Grian pulled out the rockets from his inventory, rushing up into the sky and darting off into the direction of the portal. He needed to warn everyone. He needed to stop the portal. He couldnât let them in. Not again.
While flying at a neck breaking speed he somehow miraculously managed to get out his communicator and shoot off a quick message.
<Grian> Danger! You need to hide! Theyâre coming!Â
<Grian> Theyâre after non humans.
Grian could hear countless beeping noises after he sent his message off, but he kept going. He didnât have the time for explanations. If he would manage to close the portal before they came through there would be no need to fight. Theyâd all be safe.
His mind drifted to Doc. His fingers twitched, the urge to drift off to their area almost overwhelming. He wanted to go there so badly. He needed to make sure his boyfriend was safe, but in moments like this⌠He couldnât risk the life of everyone on the server just to save Doc. So many of his friends were in trouble. Not just Doc.
And if they got FwhipâŚ
He just prayed they didnât figure out he was the admin of this world. Fwhip looked inconspicuous enough. They would underestimate him for sure. Fwhip just needed to pretend someone else was the admin and maybe they wouldnât gain that advantage. Grian had seen admins be forced to teleport everyone over under threats of torture before, he didnât want to witness it again.Â
Finally, after flying over a mountain range he could see the portal glowing in the distance. The eerie golden shimmer might have looked beautiful to him a decade ago. But he knew better now. It meant nothing but destruction and suffering. The glow made him feel sick, a coldness spreading inside all the way to his bones.
When he was close enough to see shapes by the portal, he stopped in the middle of the air, out of breath, looking down at the figures, dread slowly filling him. As quickly as he could he landed in one of the trees, hidden behind the leaves, looking over at the portal.
He was too late.
Multiple people in uniform were standing right outside the portal. They had weapons drawn, pointing them at a group of people sitting on the ground, their hands folded behind their heads. Their weapons were emitting a golden glow, containing the same magic that powered their portal.
He peeked through the leaves. Fwhip was kneeling there alongside Sausage, Pix and Xisuma. He felt almost guilty at the relief he felt when he realised Doc wasnât there. But if he didnât stop them it was only a question of time until Doc was their prisoner. They rarely ever stopped until they had every inhabitant of the world captured. He needed to stop them before it came to that.
Someone landed next to him on a branch and Grian whipped around, his hand glowing purple as he thrust it forward only to hit a light icy blue mist that stopped him in his tracks.
âScar?â, he hissed, looking at the man leaning against the tree trunk standing on a branch next to him. His eyes were glowing brightly, his own hand held out in defence. âYou were supposed to hide! You and Tango! Donât tell me youâre all-â
âTango went with Jimmy. I couldnât go without knowing Cub was safe. You wouldnât abandon Doc either, so donât expect me to run. Cubâs a vex as well, so that means heâs in danger if what you said is true. Looking over at the portal it seems to be.â Slowly the blue mist dissipated and Grian realised that Scarâs eyes were now focused on the purple magic surrounding Grianâs hand.
âCare to explain?â
Grian sighed, his eyes darting off to the portal again. Maybe having someone help him wasnât too bad. He was pretty sure he could take those soldiers, but if they were to call for backup⌠It had been a long time since he had been in a proper fight. Practising magic from books and against mobs just wasnât the same
âIâm a Watcher.â
Scar let out a short quiet huff of amusement, but he must have realised Grian wasnât joking. âBut⌠That is just a fairytale. Nothing but some old people's stories to scare children into behaving. Telling them of the ever present Watcher in every world that punishes you if you misbehave.â
Grian shrugged. âWell itâs true. Iâm your Watcher. Not you as a person. Your worldâs. I wish the part about every world having one was true, but weâre a bit understaffed. No Watcher on Empires at the moment but me.â
Scar followed Grianâs eyes to the portal, eyes darting between all the figures moving around as more soldiers stepped through. Commands were being shouted, but they didnât quite reach them. Though Grian was pretty sure it was orders to search for more people in this world. Calls to find the admin they already had. Luckily they musnât have figured out they already had him or they would be torturing Fwhip right now instead of just guarding him.
âSo what are they? Whatâs going on here?â
âTheyâre what we call the Hunters. They believe that non humans are⌠below them. They capture them and take them from their worlds.â
Scarâs eyes widened. âWhat?! What will they do with them.â
Grian remained silent, watching their friends, his heart sinking as he saw two soldiers drag a struggling Cleo and a very unconscious Joe towards the place in front of the portal. Cleo was quickly tossed to the side where Xisuma and Fwhip were kneeling while they put Joe on the ground next to the other humans. So they were already separating them into groups. They knew Xisuma wasnât human.
âGrian. What will they do?â, Scar hissed, a low, almost threatening tone that Grian had never heard before.Â
âThey sell them. Itâs human trafficking, Scar⌠Well not so human, but you get what I mean. Once theyâve rounded up everyone- Once they leave through the portal, theyâll all be gone, scattered over the worlds, sold for a fortune. We need to stop them now.â Grian turned to look at Scar. âListen. Iâm sorry I didnât tell you guys what I am, but thatâs kind of part of the job. Iâm just meant to watch. I wasnât even meant to stay as long. I kind of took an extended leave to stay with Doc.â
âSo the Watchers arenât really there to stop misbehaving children, huh?â
Grian shook his head, smiling bitterly. âNo. Weâre⌠The Watchers were formed to fight them. Most of us are just liberated slaves with a talent for magic.â
âSo youâŚâ
âThereâs no time for all that nowâ, Grian interrupted the question. While it was indeed true that they couldnât just sit here and watch for much longer, he already despised the thought of talking about his own past with the Hunters. âWe need to hurry before any of them are transported through the portal. Even with our magic we wonât be able to bring them back.â
Scarâs muscles tensed again at the reminder and Grian could feel his magic well to the surface. If heâd ever had any doubt of Scarâs strength, the amount of magic radiating off of him now would have proved him wrong. It wouldnât be enough. Sadly. But this wasnât Scarâs fight. It was his.
âListen Scar⌠I need to ask something of you. Something dangerous. Will you still trust me?â
They looked at one another again. Scarâs eyes searched his for something, some sign that he was lying or that this was some elaborate prank.Â
âWhat do I need to do?â
âI need you to distract them. Not for long, donât worry. Half a minute should be enough to disable the portal if you manage that long. Any more would help, but I donât think thatâs possible.â
Scar raised an eyebrow, looking at Grian questioningly.Â
âYou think you can defeat them?â
Grianâs eyes darted from one soldier to the next, looking closely at the weapons they were carrying, taking everything into account, thinking of every possible scenario.
âYesâ, he finally stated, his voice full of confidence. He wasnât saying this to make Scar feel better. He was sure he would be able to take them.
âGrianâŚâ Scar hesitated for a moment. âHow strong are you exactly?â
Grian just smiled cheekily instead of giving an answer. And it seemed to be enough of an answer, because Scar nodded. âOkay if you tell me how you plan to go in, I think I can-â
A scream stopped Scar mid sentence and in the way his magic flared to the surface Grian could immediately tell whoâs scream it must have been.
He tried to stop Scar, to grab a hold of his arm, but even with the difference in power between them, an enraged vex was too fast for even Grian. There was barely anything that could stop a vex protecting its mate.
Scar jumped from the tree before Grian had even fully grasped the situation. He could just watch as Scar burst right into the middle of the soldiers, where Cub had now been dragged to, bleeding from a wound on his head.Â
The soldier holding on to him fell without even a sound as Scar pounced on him, a glowing blue claw ripping into his body and practically tearing his heart out. Grian was frozen in shock. He had seen a lot of violence in his life, but Scar had always been so calm and gentle that Grian had thought his vex nature must have been rather dormant. This proved him very wrong.
Grian thought of jumping in as well and helping Scar in the fight, but he saw almost no way they could get out of it without losing. If he were to dive in now without a plan heâd lose most of his advantages. With the portal still open theyâd immediately call for backup. How much more of them could he handle before even he would fall? And he knew this time he wouldnât be so lucky to be rescued. The experiments theyâd do on an imprisoned Watcher⌠He didnât even want to imagine it.
Grian cursed silently, balling his hand to a fist, watching as multiple other soldiers were on Scar a moment later, their weapons sparkling with magic energy as they pressed them into Scarâs body. A shiver ran through Grian. He remembered how those felt. How they drained your magic and felt like electricity running through your whole body. Scar kept trying to fight, taking down another soldier before he went down, soldiers jumping forward to put him in chains. He felt so helpless, just being able to watch. He felt like he was somehow betraying Scar by letting him fight on his own.
And finally as the chains bound Scar completely they were able to fully subdue him, throwing him towards Cub where Scar stayed lying on the ground, breathing heavily, covered in bruises.
Damn it. That meant the âeasyâ route was out of the question now. There was no way Scar could help him in the condition he was in. Grian needed to get close to the portal on his own. There was only one way he could think of that would get him close enough. Though that meant he couldnât go guns blazing to destroy the portal.
He summoned a small gem from his inventory. It was a deep purple and he knew that they might realise what it was once they saw it. They might see it inside his pockets so Grian did probably the stupidest thing he could and put it in his mouth instead before jumping out of the tree. It was tiny enough, just as small as a candy⌠In this difficult situation, it was the best place to hide something like that. It would make destroying it all the more easy.
He could feel his heart racing as he started walking along the roads, not even a single weapon in his hand. It felt like he was knowingly walking into a trap. But he wouldnât. He knew what was lying ahead and he needed to go there to make sure everyone was safe.
It didnât take long, walking up the road before he heard the shout of a soldier who had spotted him and seconds later two were running towards him.
âStop right there, put your hands up!â
Grian froze, eyes widening, looking at them as if he had not expected their presence, feigning complete innocence âWhat is going on? Who are you?â
The soldiers didnât answer, instead rushing forward, pointing their weapons at him. Grian quickly raised his hands, eyes darting from one to the other, doing his best to look confused at their presence.
âWe discovered another one along the road. He looks human enough. Weâre gonna take him over to the others to check him.â, one of them spoke into a little microphone stuck to his ear and he must have gotten some reply as he pressed the weapon against Grianâs chest, not yet activating it. âIf you know whatâs good for you, youâll follow our orders now, boy. No funny business. Weâve got some of your friends waiting and they might get punished if you misbehave.â
Grian just nodded hurriedly, pretending to stumble forward in his hurry to walk over. One of the guys snorted, giving him an unimpressed look. Good. Let them underestimate him and lower their guard.
The Hunter that had just spoken walked up to him, patting down his pockets, making sure he hadnât concealed any weapon below his sweater. They didnât check for the gem hidden inside Grianâs mouth and seemed happy enough with this more rough search.
âWalk. Now.â
One of them walked behind him as Grian followed the first hunter. They hadnât even bothered chaining him up like Scar. But then again, none of his human friends were. How stupid of them. They were just inviting magical beings to mess up their plans. Not everyone looked non-human. If he didnât want to comply and walk up to the testing with them he could have easily just killed them. They even knew there was multiple vex in this world and still decided to underestimate someone like that. They had always been so sure of their power as their sheer number overwhelmed a world. Like true bullies hiding in a crowd.
As they rounded the corner to the place in front of the portal multiple eyes were locked on Grian. He could see devastation in his friendsâ eyes as they believed another one of them to be captured. Grian knew that nobody had expected him to be the big rescue. But in Xisumaâs face he saw some sort of hopelessness. Maybe X had thought heâd come up with a plan after all. Xisuma didnât know he was a Watcher, but maybe he thought Grian would be the one to rally the troops. He wished he could signal his admin that he had a plan, but he wouldnât take any chances.
He was shoved forward towards one of the hunters who had a sceptre in his hand that looked different than any of the other weapons. It was a long metal staff, a yellow shining gem attached to the top, magic swirling inside. A detection device. Grian just hoped they hadnât advanced any further since he had last encountered them during his training days.Â
When they were in front of the man they stopped and Grian was shoved forward. He let himself fall with the momentum, landing on his knees. The sharp intake of breath at the stinging sensation in his hands was the only thing he didnât fake at that moment.
The sceptre touched his head and he could feel a cold wave wash over him. It felt like slimy cold tendrils were creeping all around inside him. It felt like last time. He knew they were searching for something. Some magic or something else that gave them the evidence they needed that he might not be fully human. Grian closed his eyes, pretending to be overwhelmed by the feeling when all he did was focus his magic to evade the search that was going on. He had been trained for a situation just like this, but it still took a lot of power to control his magic to move in such a precise way inside of him. When the feeling finally receded he took a shaking breath, looking up at the hunter with the staff again who looked at him slightly less hostile.
âHeâs worthless. Put him with the other humans. Continue your search. There has to be more than those five. They always flock together on these kinds of worlds where they are welcomed as if theyâre human.â
âCanât we just make them talk?â One of the soldiers groaned, apparently annoyed by the inconvenience of having to do some work to enslave this world. It was almost baffling to Grian how much they always treated their hunt like the most boring and necessary job.Â
The sceptre carrying hunter stopped, let out a hum and then smiled, stepping back to Grian who still hadnât stood up, grabbing a hold of his hair and pulling his head back.
âYou want to tell me how many more monsters are in this world?â
âNot a single one except for you guysâ, Grian hissed through gritted teeth and if he didnât have the gem still in his mouth he would have spit right in that manâs face for even daring to ask him a question like that. None of them would betray one of their friends.
âThen tell me who the admin is. We just want to have a little talk with them.â Grian forced himself to keep looking at the man in front of him as his eyes automatically wanted to dart over to where Xisuma and Fwhip were being held. From the way the guy was watching him he had hoped for that sort of reaction as well.
âKiss my arse.â
He earned himself a slap in the face. His cheek was stinging but he still smiled at the man, getting a weird sort of satisfaction from the annoyed look. He was pushed over to the side where his human friends were still kneeling. He wondered if the distance was close enough for the gem to shut down the portal. He wasnât sure and he couldnât risk anything. He hadnât used this kind of magic a lot before, only ever in training. But if he waited too long things might turn sour as well. Grian looked around. He needed a distraction, but only Scar knew about his plans and he was knocked out cold.
Grian was pushed to his knees as well, right behind Joe who was lying on the floor. A quick glance showed Grian that the man wasnât as out of it as he had assumed. So he had woken up and was just pretending now. They locked eyes for a moment but Grian slowly looked away again, not arousing suspicion.
There were so many paths this could go on. He didnât know which one might work. He couldnât reveal his hand too early or he knew alarms would be sounded and things would change for the worse. If he spoke to Joe to clue him into any sort of plan, they might hear him and watch more closely.Â
He gazed over at the ânon humanâ side of the prisoners. Scar was out. Cub was probably not able to fight as well as he usually did. Especially not with Scar in danger. Cub was holding onto him tightly right now, throwing glares at anyone who stepped a little too close to his unconscious mate. Xisumaâs powers were more defensive and passive, not suited for what he needed. Fwhip⌠Grian wasnât sure of his powers. Cleo was strong, but sheâd prioritise Joeâs safety if it came to it. Not that Grian could blame her.
Grian didnât need to think any further.
There was an explosion close by and a loud shout of a voice that he recognized too well. His head whipped to the side to where a group of people were charging at them, weapons drawn. Doc was right there at the front, yelling bloody murder, a trident in his hand, the enchantments on it letting electric sparks fly, his eyes both glowing a bright red in his anger. And there behind him were the rest of the server. Everyone. Even Tango and Jimmy, whom he had sent away, were there, fighting side by side as they clashed against the soldiers.
This was perfect. This was the distraction he needed. And he needed to be quick. This was a situation that would make them call for backup as soon as they realised how strong the others were. Grian let his leg fly out, taking out the legs under the soldier guarding the prisoners that was closest to him. He fell forward and Grian jumped forward, over the fallen body, darting in between enemies and their weapons, rushing towards the portal. He had almost reached it, when a hand grabbed him, pulling him around and if he hadnât been pressed against a heavily armoured body he would have certainly fallen from the sudden impact.
âStop! Or I will kill him!â
There was a weapon at Grianâs neck. A simple iron sword. He was out of breath, looking over at where Doc was fighting, suddenly stopping in the middle of his tracks. They locked eyes and Grian could see the utter devastation and a fiery rage. The others seemed uncertain as well and Grian wanted to roll his eyes. They were sort of adorable. Had they really charged in without thinking of the possibility of a hostage being taken? Sure⌠The others who had been imprisoned had reacted quickly in a sensible way and ran away from their guards to be tossed weapons by their friends and pulled the wounded out of danger. Only Grian hadnât. He had run right into the enemies.
So now he was the hostage.
And he could see his friendâs weapons being lowered slowly one by one. They were ready to give up to make sure heâd be kept alive. It was sweet, but also kind of stupid. Even if he had been human⌠They shouldnât just throw their lives away like this.
The guard pulled him back a little towards the portal. Grian didnât struggle. He could see the soldiers now pointing their weapons at the others, encircling them, making sure they couldnât run over to free him. Another step closer to the portal. He looked at Doc. He could see a desperate look in his eyes as fear overtook him. He expected them to pull Grian through the portal to never be seen again.
âGrian!â Doc screamed for him and Grian smiled. A wide victorious smile. The gem was in between his teeth now. One of the soldiers looked at him, noticing it, but the moment he opened his mouth to shout out a warning it was too late. Grian bit down on the small crystal. It shouldnât have been possible, but the gem was a special artefact and the moment he put pressure on it it exploded into a wave of pure magic that sent an explosion like wave into every direction from where he stood. The soldier behind him flew away from the force, hitting the wall hard and crumbling to the floor. The others were far enough away to just be pushed away.
The moment the wave hit the portal it turned off. There were screams of shock and a multitude of weapons pointed in his direction now. But he didnât mind. Every weapon pointed at him meant one less hunter threatening his friends. He let his magic flow free. Purple wings of moving energy sprouted from his back, glowing eyes appeared on every uncovered part of his body, opening up one by one.
âA Watcher! Heâs a Watcher! Get reinforcements!â
âWeâre cut off!â
âAttack!â
A mix of screams and shouts rang around the area. Grian knew he should focus on the soldiers, but instead his eyes were zeroed in on Doc. He had always been scared of this moment. He should have told his partner before, but it had somehow never been the right time. He had always managed to pull up some sort of excuse.Â
Docâs mouth was open and his eyes wide in shock. Grian averted his eyes, smiling sadly before raising his hands when the first hunters ran up to attack, making them fly through the air and land unmoving a few metres away.
âThis world is under my protection. Now let me tell you what I think about you attacking my friends.â
He was pretty sure he heard a delighted cheer somewhere from the side and it made his lips twitch upward as Jimmyâs voice filled him with warmth and comfort. At least one person would still be by his side after this was all over. Even when he was sure Jimmy was just as shocked as the rest he had already recovered, calling out encouragement.
They changed their focus from Grian now, trying to get a hold of his friends, probably trying to hold them hostage against him. But as one grabbed a still slightly dazed and distracted Doc, Grianâs magic started flowing around him like tendrils, swelling up with his anger, grabbing the attacker around the waist and throwing him up into the sky. His magic was swirling freely around him now and it felt so good. He hadnât been able to let it run this free in so long, always having to hold it back and contain it. He could hear the power in him rejoice as it spread further and further.Â
The fight was over before it had even begun.
He still stood close to the portal, breathing heavily, feeling the drain of using this much powerful magic had put on his body. All his muscles were shaking and it was a wonder he could still stand up after all of this.
The ground all around him was littered with bodies, none of them one of his friends, not a single new scratch on their bodies. When the adrenalin finally stopped running through him he realised that all eyes were on him and the purple haze dancing around him.Â
He wished he knew what they were thinking right now. If theyâd hate him or fear him. He didnât know what to do. He had just single handedly whipped out a small army after all. This was not a thing normal human beings did. Not even non-humans. After being granted the Watcherâs blessing and being trained for so long, he was ridiculously overpowered
He tried to call his magic back to at least look like his old carefree self, but now that it was unleashed it didnât want to retreat. It always had a bit of a mind of its own. It would probably take at least a few hours or a few days to get the eyes on his skin to disappear. He gave a little glare at them and they only looked back at him. If he wasnât so used to it, heâd be creeped out by his own power, so who was he to blame the others if they were?
His head was hanging low as he was still breathing heavily. He didnât dare look at them. He had lied. His whole relationship was built upon lies. Doc had enjoyed being the strong one and protecting him. Every other love declaration had been filled with promises to always protect him after all.
âGrian.â Docâs voice was soft and there were steps. Slow. Hesitant. Grian didnât dare look up, not even when Doc entered his field of vision. His eyes were locked onto the green feet sitting inside those ridiculous pink crocs that Grian had once gifted him as a joke.Â
âLooks like all those wars against you really had no chance of ever being won, huh?â
Grianâs head snapped up. âIâd never use my magic for that!â
When he finished his sentence he looked right at Doc and saw the softest and kindest smile there.
âI know. That sounds just like you. Making things unnecessarily hard on yourself just to have more fun. You always loved challenges. If someone were to hold back their overpowered magic it would be an idiot like youâ, Doc said, his voice warm as he put a gentle hand onto Grianâs cheek, never once flinching as the purple haze around Grian moved, snaking around Docâs arm. He knew the eyes would be moving as well, looking at the fingers touching him or right at the man in front of him. It should have been unnerving and disturbing, but Doc seemed to be completely unfazed by it.Â
âI- I lied. I lied to you. Weâve been dating for so long and yet I have never told you the truth about who I am. I should have⌠I just thought- I trusted you, I swear. I was just afraid. And it was against the rules. I couldnât. And it was a convenient excuse not to and-â The hand moved from his cheeks to his lips, a single finger pressing against his lips making him stop mid sentence as Doc made a shushing noise.
âGrian. It doesnât matter. You saved all of us. You ran straight into danger to save us. Why would we fear you? Are you scared of Cub and Scar?â Grian shook his head. âAre you scared of Tango?â He shook his head again. âAre you scared of me?â
At that Grian let out a soft laugh as the tension slowly left his body. He could feel tears well up in his eyes as relief flooded him. âHow could I? Youâre the biggest softie in the whole wide world.â
âThen thereâs no reason to think weâd be afraid of you. Surprised? Sure. But I could never be scared of the man I love.â
âWouldnât you prefer I was just a human that you could protect? You always loved that.â
Doc chuckled, shaking his head the way you might at a small child, as if Grian had said something so very obviously stupid.
âSure. It was nice to think youâd need me. But then again, now I never have to worry about you. Iâm not with you because I can protect you and be a strong man. Iâm with you because I love you. Whether you need to be protected or you protect me. What does that even matter when we love one another?â
âSo you donât care?â
Doc smiled and shook his head again, putting a finger under Grianâs chin to tilt his head back ever so slightly before leaning down, stopping right before their lips met. âI love you. Then, now, and forever. Nothing will change thatâ, he whispered before moving the rest of the way, as if sealing his promise with a kiss. Grian could feel his magic move on its own, the purple mist slowly surrounding them, pushing Doc forward, as Grian went to put his arms around him and all of the eyes closing, as Grianâs own did.
He could hear his friends cheering from the side and he knew that he should have never worried. They accepted him just the way he was, no matter what that might be.
Grian hummed to himself, walking through the new shopping district, looking at the shops that had started popping up everywhere. He still needed to build his own little shop he had reserved a spot for, but planning his mansion took all his time and resources away. And with Scar as his neighbour he got so easily distracted from that as well, so it always ended up with barely anything getting done.
Grian giggled, thinking of his latest prank and the way Larry had glared at him over the huge moustache now attached to its face. It could glare all it wanted, Grian knew that Larry had let him do it. Otherwise he would have gotten a big bite mark as a proof of disdain, just like the time when Grian climbed it, assuming it was just a very well made statue and not actually alive.
And he just knew Scar would be amused at the prank as well. Scar was the sweetest and most fun loving neighbour he had ever had. Even Mumbo didnât come close to how good natured Scar was and how well he handled the constant pranks hitting him and his base.
His thoughts drifted from Scar to his shop as he walked up to the little lake he would begin his emporium on. He had to really start out small this time. Last time he had gone overboard with his pickle shop and barely ever made a diamond. This time though, he was gonna end up rich. Sure, it was no bookstore or rocket shop, but when it came to grinding the Hermits were just as lazy as he was when it came to building farms. So now their laziness would be supplying him with the much needed diamonds. His addiction to flying by Elytra wouldnât cost him all his wealth this time.
He glanced at the lake again, his mind working at full speed. For now heâd put something simple there. Just something to get started on and earn himself some diamonds. And then heâd fill in the lake and build a gigantic shop⌠If he ever found the energy to do so.
Maybe for now heâd just build something that fit the area. A small hut? No, heâd have to drain the water for that. A barge would probably work best at the moment.
It didnât take him too long to finish his little floating shop. He had built castles and towns, this was like a walk through the park. He could have done it in his sleep. Well⌠Looking at it now, maybe it looked like he had done it while half asleep. It was just⌠so simple.
He made a thoughtful noise, unsure if his on the spot design really worked well. Because even if it was meant to be temporary, he still didnât want to put something ugly in the middle of their shopping district. He couldnât lose face in front of his friends like that.
For a few moments he glanced around. Nobody was in the Shopping District. It had been empty this whole time while he had been working on his barge. The Hermits were all busy building their starter bases after all. There were barely any shops that pulled them to the island. And he could see the portal from here. If somebody stepped through he could just hide. He probably shouldnât do it, but he had yet to get an Elytra.
Grian hesitated for another moment before feathery wings sprouted from his back, his sweater opening holes for them as the fabric responded to his magic. He glanced around once more before a strong beat of those wings catapulted him up into the air. It was so different from flying with an elytra. Getting into the air always required more work than just firing off a rocket and jumping up. But once he was in the airâŚGrian stopped mid air, his wings spread far apart, almost parallel to the ground, the wind keeping him afloat in position, letting him hover high above the land. This made it far easier to look at his shop from a distance. His eyes moved over the lake and the wooden construct, darting to the portal every now and again, making sure nobody was coming over.
It didnât take him long to assess his build. It looked good enough to his liking for a temporary build. Not too big or too small for the lake, and if he needed to make it a big bitter before tearing it down he still had enough room. He knew how lazy he was sometimes when it came to starting large builds.Â
With one last glance to the portal he sank down to the ground, his feet gently touching the ground as he landed without making a single sound. He was about to hide his wings again when he froze, staring at a person standing right in front of him. Etho had just walked out of one of the stores and frozen up just as much as Grian did. How had he not noticed Etho being here? He had watched the portal so closely and he had seen nobody come through and go into one of the shops.
Neither of them said a word, though a thousand excuses were running through Grianâs mind. It was a prank. It was a costume. He drank some weird potion. A witch put a curse on him. Etho was dreaming. Nothing left his mouth. Etho wouldnât buy it. He was too smart for that. The only way Grian had to get out of this mess was using his magic once more. Erasing the short term memory wouldnât be too hard to pull off and solve all of his problems. He took a small step forward, his wings fluttering as his muscles tensed.
But just when he took his second step Etho disappeared without a trace within the blink of an eye, a small stick lying on the ground where he had just stood. Grian blinked in confusion, not comprehending what had just happened.
A soft touch on his right wing startled him as a shiver ran down his whole body. There was a hand on his wing, softly moving down the feathers, gently caressing them. For a moment his brain just stopped working as the hand kept moving, his eyes drifting shut. He felt like he was melting below the touch. Nobody had ever touched his wings before. And it felt⌠good?
A soft chuckle came from behind him. âI didnât know youâd purr like that.âÂ
Grian wanted to reply, to deny that he was making any sorts of noises, but now that Etho had brought it to his attention he realised he was indeed purring like some little kitten and somehow even though he tried to, he was unable to stop that noise leaving his mouth.
A pause as the hand moved to his other wing, tracing the upper part all the way to where it connected to Grianâs skin. âSo they are real wings, huh? Fascinating.â
Grian should have run, he should have hidden his wings. Why was he still just standing there? He should have hated this, should have been scared. But it felt too good. He leaned back a bit, his wings moving to press against the hand caressing it. Ethoâs hand just kept moving, softly, carefully, making him feel so warm inside.
A sound from the portal startled Grian, his wings suddenly flapping in panic, throwing Etho back. His wings glowed and then shrunk back into his body, his sweater mending itself hiding the feathery tattoo that was left behind on his skin. The portal did spit someone out a moment later, though not another Hermit, it was just a stupid pigman. Grian felt himself get disappointed at the fact that this thing had made them stop, only realising a moment later that he had wanted Etho to keep going.
Grian turned around slowly, eager to learn if his disappointment was mirrored on Ethoâs face, but when he did, nobody was standing behind him anymore. Damn. He looked around, slightly panicked, but nobody was there anymore and so he hurriedly took out his communicator, frantically typing a message to send to Etho. He couldnât have him tell the others. Nobody could know. It was troublesome enough that Etho had found out already.
Before he could send the message a soft hand touched his, stopping him from going on. He looked up into Ethoâs face who had somehow reappeared in front of him once more.
âI wonât tell anyone. We all have our secrets after all.â Etho paused for a moment, looking past Grianâs shoulders where the wings had been earlier. âTheyâre beautiful by the way. Very fitting for a man like you.â
âWhat-â, Grian started but just like that Etho disappeared for the final time. It took Grian all the way home to his base until he realised that Etho had not just complimented his wings but called him beautiful. Larry looked over towards him with much more annoyance than ever before when Grian let out a loud embarrassed squeal, his whole face turning bright red.
~*~
Grian was in trouble. He hadnât planned on this happening. He had just tried to get away from the enemy and now he was sitting in a cave, holding his breath, hoping nobody would come in. He was half tempted to go deeper into the cave system to find a creeper lurking in the dark tunnels that killed him so heâd respawn. Even turning into a yellow life was better than his wings getting discovered.
He tried to push his magic inside them again, but once more a pain flared up in his left wing, making him cry out and stopping the magic. He tried to reach the arrow still stuck between the feathers, but the spot was way too close to his back. They had aimed for his heart after all. He was in so much trouble right now. They were still searching the area, he was pretty sure about it.
He couldnât escapeâŚ. Not without help.
Grian took out his communicator, staring at Scarâs name. They had become really close lately, being neighbours and then getting thrown into this murderous game together and pairing up. Maybe it was time Scar knew about his secret. He was sure he could trust Scar with that. Scar would never betray him, right?
<Grian> Help me. Iâm stuck in a cave. 2453/765
He hit the send button, blankly staring at his communicator. This had been stupid. A mistake. Why had he decided to do this? Why did he think he could trust him of all people right now? He should move away from the cave he had just given out the coordinates to. It was too dangerous even with the agreement they had.
He didnât move.
He could hear steps get closer and hear voices in the distance.Â
âCheck everywhere. He canât have gotten far bleeding like that!â
Grian began shaking. He needed help. Ren couldnât see him like that. Not now. Not when the games had gotten to him so much. What would he do with this knowledge when the red life had made him just as distorted as Scar.
When steps came closer Grian moved back a little, letting out a small whimper as his injured wing hit the caveâs wall.
A figure stepped through the entrance of the cave, looking at him directly. Grian could barely breathe, his wings moving to cover his body as he shrunk into the dark.
âThereâs nobody here. The caveâs empty. No trace of Grian. Move on. Iâll go back to base to restock my food and then Iâll join you again.âÂ
A confirmation was shouted and the voices got further and further away again. Only one pair of steps moved closer and closer, stopping right in front of him, a soft hand touching his wing, slowly moving it to the side until Grianâs face was no longer hidden behind it.
âEthoâŚâ, Grian whispered, his wings fluttering a little at the relief he felt.
âI got your messageâ, Etho just stated, voice unreadable as he searched Grianâs face. âYou do know weâre on opposing teams in this? Do you know how stupid and dangerous it was to send me your coordinates? What if I had betrayed you?â
Grian shrugged. He didnât even know. He had just changed his mind at the last second, pulling up Ethoâs chat instead of Scarâs. âI knew you wouldnât if you saw me. I just knew. You promised to keep my secret. You promised.â
Etho nodded to confirm just his words and Grian breathed a sigh of relief, his muscles relaxing slightly. He hadnât even realised how scared he had been that his trust in Etho might have been displaced.
âWhy didnât you just hide them? Like last time. They were gone pretty quickly without a trace.â
Instead of giving a reply, Grian just turned around slowly and the gasp he heard meant Etho had seen the problem. âThe arrow Ren shotâŚâ
âI was about to take off. Nobody here has an Elytra so I knew they wouldnât be searching the sky and the forest was dense enough to hide me taking off. I didnât expect Ren to shoot and hit in a situation like that. He sometimes acts so aloof, but he is a good fighter.â
A soft warm hand touched his injured wing and Grian let out a soft sigh. It still hurt like hell, but somehow this simple little touch made him feel better already. Just like the last time when Etho had caressed his wings.
âIâm- This will hurt. I need to pull it out.â
âCanât hurt worse than being shotâ, Grian said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he was making light of the situation they were in.
âI think I still have some shears in my inventory. Maybe I can cut it in half.â
Grian could hear the sound of the inventory being opened and after a moment an item materialised in Ethoâs hands. He looked so hesitant with those shears, staring at the arrow, his free hand still absentmindedly tracing Grianâs wing.
âI wonât break. Youâre not hurting me, the arrow is. Just do it.â
Etho seemed to be calmed slightly by his words and nodded, moving Grianâs body gently with a hand on his shoulder so he was standing with his side to the wall, his wing stretched out parallel to the wall, his other wing tucked in to give Etho some room with the arrow. A hand gently moved the feathers out of the way before putting the shears to the wood. He paused and then the shears closed down, snapping the wood in half. The vibration it sent through it and the wound made Grian whine as pain shot through the whole wing and his back.
âSorry. Iâm so sorry.â
âNot your faultâ, Grian mumbled, trying to catch his breath. The worst part was still to come though he was really glad Etho had managed to cut the arrow or it might have been so much worse. âGet it out. I can do this.â
Grian tried to sound brave, but it was kind of scary to anticipate pain, he clenched his hands to fists, trying to steel himself for what was coming. When the arrow started slowly moving forward it felt like fire was rushing through all of his nerves. He felt his muscles spasm without being able to stop it. The hand that had been so gentle on his wing now pressed against it, pressing it against the wall of the cave to stop it from moving. The pushing stopped as he could feel Etho become hesitant again.
âStay strong. Weâre getting there! Iâve seen you take worseâ, Etho encouraged him and Grian let out a huff half in pain, half in amusement.Â
âYouâve been watching me, Mr. Ninja?â
Etho stopped for a moment and then chuckled. âI might have been. Youâre⌠certainly interesting. Now⌠Take a deep breath. Iâm gonna push it all the way through on the count of three. One, T-â
Before Etho had even finished the second count he pushed the arrow out. Grian screamed, his whole body shaking as waves of pain shot through him. He would have collapsed, had Etho not noticed his legs getting weak. He was caught by strong arms and both of them slowly slid to the ground. There were arms around him, a body pressed against his back and Grian leaned back a little, catching his breath.
âItâs out?â
âYeah. You did well. Iâm sorry. I thought it might be better to do it quickly after all. The slow way seemed to hurt worse.â
Grian just nodded.Â
âCan you move a little? I got some healing potion on me for emergencies. I feel like this counts as one, even though I donât think this is what Martyn meant when he gave it to me. But oh well, what the king doesnât knowâŚâ
Grian chuckled softly, still breathing heavily, but he still moved forward slightly, to give Etho access to his wings again. The warm hands were back on him once more, but again so soft, so gentle as they moved through the feathers.
âItâs sad. They looked so pretty in white.â
Grian huffed, smiling fondly. âI am capable of washing my wings, you know that?â
Etho just hummed. One hand moved back and a moment later it came back, coated in what must have been the potion. The moment the fingers touched his wound, Grian could feel the familiar healing magic entering him, knitting his skin together slowly but surely with each coat Etho applied. Grianâs eyes drifted shut. It felt so good. The gentle touch, the warm magic, the pain fading.Â
And then Etho started humming softly. It was a tune Grian didnât recognize. It sounded so melancholic, filled with sadness and sorrow. Grian knew the wound had healed enough by now, but Etho didnât stop caressing the slightly bent feathers and Grian didnât stop him.
There was a short pause, an inventory being opened and then a wet rag touched his feathers. They didnât speak. Etho just kept humming as he carefully wiped the half dried blood from the feathers.
After about the third repetition of the melody Grian joined in, quiet and uncertain. The humming stopped for a second and Grian was worried he had somehow destroyed whatever moment they had, but Etho started up again and Grian was pretty sure he could hear his smile in the melody even if that was impossible.
The hands on his wings moved away from the wound after a while, no longer wet, no longer cleaning, just moving along the feathers, carefully caressing them, setting them straight where they had been slightly ruffled.Â
Grian could have stayed like this in the cave forever and Etho didnât seem any more inclined to move and get back outside. But they were in the middle of a war and time for peace and quiet wasnât a luxury they had. A loud beep came from Grianâs communicator, making him falter and stop humming and when he took it out Etho stopped as well.
âItâs Scar⌠Heâs worried. Ren might have taunted him a bit about me lying somewhere dyingâ, Grian gave a soft sigh as he smiled fondly at the message. For all the trouble Scar caused him, he was a good and caring man. Grian shot a quick message back, assuring his partner that everything was fine. That he was hiding and coming back soon. His only reply was a bunch of happy cheering faces that made him giggle quietly. He could just imagine the look on Scarâs face, lighting up with joy.
The moment he had let out the sound, Ethoâs hand twitched, moving away from his wing. Grian could barely hold back a disappointed noise. He just wished this moment could have lasted longer.
âWhy did you message me? Why didnât you call Scar. Heâs your partner after all, not me.â
The question came out of the blue and it made Grian stop a moment, thinking about the reason Etho asked now and not earlier when he had come to the cave
âI knew youâd be close by. Ren was chasing me after all. Scar would have run in guns blazing. Heâs on his red life. I canât have him die trying to save me while Iâm still on my green lifeâŚâ He stopped, hesitant, but he felt like he had to be honest with Etho after the moment they had shared. âAnd I couldnât let Scar see.â
He glanced over his shoulder and he could see the confusion in Ethoâs eyes. âYou havenât told him yet?â
Grian just shook his head, almost feeling guilty that he kept holding on to this secret so badly. The Hermits wouldnât shun him. They wouldnât judge. Theyâd listen him out and nobody would ban him unlike in all those other worlds he had been in.
âGrian⌠You should tell him. Itâs important to be honest in a relationship. If he finds out his lover has been hiding a secret like thatâŚâ The touch against his wings was hesitant now and he swore he could hear a hint of guilt and sadness in Ethoâs voice. Though it was hard to focus on those emotions when what had been said caught up to his brain.
âWait⌠His what?â Grianâs head whipped around once more, staring at the man behind him, mouth slightly agape.
Ethoâs eyebrows knitted together, the confusion clear even when half his face was covered by a mask.
âYour lover. No need to hide it. Unlike your wings it is not a very well kept secret. Scar let it slip on accident that he had a secret relationship and you guys being mushy like that all the time⌠It was pretty obvious.â
Giran let out a laugh at that, his wings fluttering a little in amusement and he turned around, fully facing Etho now.
âWeâre not. How could you ever think that was the case? Almost everybody back in Hermitcraft knows heâs dating Ren. They started flirting during the Civil War interviews. Heâs just pretending itâs a huge secret in this world. Itâs part of their little game here. I thought youâd know as well. Youâre usually so observant. Their fighting is just over the top flirting. Ren even went red for Scar, so he wasnât the only one, so he would have an enemy to have fun with. Me and Scar? No way.â
As he explained everything, he saw Ethoâs cheeks turn the slightest hint of red. But there was something else. Something that looked akin to hope. Just a glint. A hint of something hidden. A secret kept behind a mask. Grian knew that feeling all too well. Gently, Grian lifted his hand, touching the fabric on Ethoâs cheek, looking him right in the eyes as he took hold of the mask. He gave Etho every chance to move back and stop him. Etho didnât, not even flinching.
Grian slowly pulled the fabric down, revealing soft lips he had never been before.
âWhy? Why do you look at me like this?â, Grian just asked. He wasnât even sure what he meant by this question. He couldnât even put it into words what Ethoâs face told him. The emotions were only stronger now that he could see the otherâs mouth. And it was intriguing.
âI donât know. I- I was over this. I thought. And yet I canât forget that time in the shopping district when you landed in front of me like an angel. I thought you were with him. So I didnât dare⌠Iâm a loner. Iâve been for so long, ever since- it doesnât matter now.â
Grian felt hesitant. He was pretty sure now, where this was going, but while he was so certain on what Etho was feeling he didnât know about himself. What was he going to say? What would Etho want him to say?
Etho smiled softly as if reading his mind, leaning forward a bit and planting a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Before Grianâs brain had even registered the action, he had moved back again.
âI like you, Grian. I have for a while. But I think we both know this is not the right moment and certainly not the right place. After this is over⌠After weâre done and back home⌠Let me tell you properly and then you can give me an answer.â
Grian could feel his whole face heat up and somehow that heat spread down his body and into his wings. It was something he had never felt. His wings felt so warm and it was like his magic was vibrating inside.
Etho let out a chuckle, tilting his head to the side a little to look at his wings. âThey do that when youâre flustered, huh? Cute.â Grian looked to the side, following Ethoâs gaze to look at his wings where all his feathers had somehow fluffed up, all standing up ever so slightly, giving his wings a weird puffy look. It only made him blush a little more.
So instead of answering to Ethoâs observation he gave an answer to his earlier statement. âI think⌠Iâd like that. When weâre done. When this is all over.â
Etho nodded, leaning forward and Grian closed his eyes, somehow expecting another soft kiss, but instead a warm hand touched his wing again, gently bending some of the feathers back down. Grian didn't know whether to be disappointed about that or not.
âSee you, little bird.â
When Grian opened his eyes, Etho was gone already. He had disappeared as always so quickly that Grian wondered if he possessed some sort of magic of his own.Â
Grian smiled softly, taking a deep breath. He almost didnât want to magic his wings away. He wanted to stay with the lingering feeling of Ethoâs touch. But still he slowly let his wings disappear, waiting as they slowly turned into nothing more but painted feathers on his skin.
Now more than ever he really wished that their game was already done. Because he knew that for the rest of their days in this world there would be nothing on his mind but that sweet chaste kiss they had shared. And he was pretty sure he already knew what answer he was going to give Etho when they met up back in Hermitcraft.
First of all thanks for the recent increase of notes <3 It has motivated me a lot.
Iâm trying to do Nanowrimo this year but with multiple Fanfiction. Just getting in the 50k during November in any way I can.
I still have all requests from my asks saved, but I thought with more choices to pick from I might have less of a hard time getting motivated :D
The stories are gonna be short and there is no guarantee I will write your request (sorry), but anyone can request via ask, donât be shy.
What you can request: SFW, straight/queer/poly, Hermitshipping, Trafficshipping, some other mcyt ships of Grian and MCC teammates he had
What gives a request a better chance to be picked?
Grian, lol
Give me some theme or something to go with the ship, but donât give me too many details.
Since Iâm trying to get my words done in November, I might not have much time for editing, so donât expect too much to be actually posted this month
[MASTERLIST]
Iâve rewritten the scene from their meeting on Empires slightly and changed some things to make it more gay than it already was. Enjoy :D
This is part of me trying to do words for Nanowrimo, so maybe if weâre lucky I will manage some more stories the coming weeks :)
~*~
Tango pushed up the giant hat he was wearing again as it kept sliding down his head. He wondered how someone even smaller than him could wear it. But then again, Shubble seemed like the type of person who didnât mind just disappearing into her hat and forgetting the world around her. Impulse was chattering happily in front of him as they walked through some sort of tunnel with unfinished tracks.
He gently held the horn he had just stolen- no - borrowed - from one of the chests. The rough surface was warm in his hands now after he had been holding it for a few minutes. It felt familiar, making his whole body feel a little warmer and lighter. It reminded him of good times⌠When he had seen it he hadnât been able to leave it there in the clutter of that chest, even if it didnât make the right sound.
He smiled to himself sadly. After their weird game had ended⌠After they had died they had tried to cling together, but as the last of them fell a force stronger than anything he had ever faced had pulled them apart. Ever since the moment Tango had crash landed back into Hermitcraft his heart felt like it was missing a piece.
JimmyâŚ
He wondered what the joyful man was up to. He missed him so much. The soft blonde hair, those sky blue eyes, the excited energy, the way he looked at Tango like he was the most amazing being in that world, the way his whole face lit up when Tango praised him.
âTango?â
Tango looked over to Impulse and smiled softly. ââm good. The horn just reminded me of some stuff.â
Impulse looked at him almost as sad as he felt, and it made Tango avoid his gaze, looking at the horn instead. It wasnât even the right horn. The tone was all off. It wasnât their sound. And yet holding it hurt and felt so good at the same time. âYou know we went along on this trip to get you thinking of something else, right? Maybe you should put the horn away and-â
Impulse stopped right in the middle of his sentence, making Tango glance up at him in confusion. But Impulse wasnât looking at him anymore. He was looking past Tango at something ahead where the tunnel ended.
It felt like time itself slowed down as Tango turned around, following his friendâs gaze. The horn slipped from his fingers, falling to the ground. Everything seemed blurry and unrecognizable. Everything was just background noise in his vision. Everything that is, but the blonde man standing right in the middle of the tracks. Sure, he was in a different outfit than the last time they had met, the hat he was wearing just as ridiculous as Tangoâs, but it was definitely him. Tango stopped in his tracks and the second their eyes locked so did Jimmy.
For a moment the world around them seemed to disappear. He was pretty sure somebody was grumbling some annoyed comment, but it was all just distant noises. Jimmy looked him up and down in disbelief and Tango felt almost shy. He had changed a lot since they last met. His whole outfit was so much more over the top than his usual attire, and his hair was bright blue. Impulse had teased him endlessly about his âedgy phaseâ. Maybe Jimmy wouldnât recognise him. Or he would and wouldnât like the changes. MaybeâŚ
âIs thatâŚ?â
The words were a soft whisper, but Tango could still hear it as if Jimmy had shouted them and as his lips turned into a smile the spell that had frozen both of them seemed to be broken as Jimmy darted forward, arms flying around Tango. âMy rancher?!â
Tango laughed loudly as Jimmy squealed.
âMy rancher buddy!â, he just exclaimed to answer the half question. The moment he did Jimmyâs squealing just got louder and those strong arms lifted Tango off the floor as if he weighed nothing, spinning him around in circles as they both laughed. When they stopped Jimmy put him down gently, but he was still not letting go, pulling Tango close against his chest.
âYouâre hereâ, Jimmy whispered softly and Tango just nodded, clinging onto the body he was being pressed against, those strong arms finally around him once more. Oh gods how he had missed this. When he took in a deep breath it felt so familiar. The earthy scent was almost the same as back on their little ranch.Â
âIâm hereâ, Tango just replied, moving back a little to look up into Jimmyâs face. What he saw was his own emotions mirrored back at him. The joy of seeing one another again when they had not known if they ever would or could.
âI tried to find you. I built machines, made plans. I tried everything I couldâ, Tango said, thinking back to his desperation right after they had been ripped apart. It had taken him far too long to accept that he wasnât able to get to Jimmy without knowing which of the endless worlds he was in. âI thought I would never see you again. Even Grian didnât know where you had gone.â
Jimmy nodded, a deep sorrow hidden below the joy. He opened his mouth when somebody next to them groaned and suddenly Tango became aware of the world around them again.Â
âJust kiss already and get this mushy romance show over with. I think the Sheriffâs squealing made my ears bleed a little.â Tango looked to the side where Joel stood. Though he almost didnât recognize the man. He was taller, almost not fitting into the tunnel and he was wearing some white toga like dress. Tango wondered how he could have even overlooked a giant like him. But all he had seen that moment was his rancher.
âJoel!â, Jimmy all but screeched and when Tango looked at him his face was the brightest of reds.
âWhat? I know you want to do it. Heâs been all you were talking about. Itâs even worse than when you were with Scott and you guys are not even dating yet. So hurry. We got a tour to finish.â
Tango could hear Impulse snort in amusement, throwing him a glare that promised pain if he did a similar speech to Joelâs, though he knew his friend really wanted to do just that. It hadnât been any different for them after all.
âI canât just kiss him. Stop talking nonsense. Youâre ruining my reunion.â
Tango smiled softly at Jimmyâs absolutely flustered expression. Well, there was one way to save the poor guy from his embarrassment. Tango gently took a hold of Jimmyâs face, turning it so he was looking back at him once more.Â
Jimmy looked so adorably confused at his action. His cheeks were still tinted red and when they looked at one another Tango could just tell that their feelings were mutual. They hadnât just been buddies on a ranch. They were soulmates, then and now. Even with the bond gone their souls had stayed connected in some way.
âWell if you canât then I will have to do itâ, he said, getting on his tiptoes to press a kiss against Jimmyâs lips, taking in the shock and widened eyes for a second before closing his own eyes. The grip around him tightened as Jimmy tried to pull him even closer, their mouths moving softly and slowly against one another. It was perfect.
When they pulled apart Tangoâs smile was just as wide as Jimmyâs and they shared a slightly awkward giggle. This was new. And weird. And yet⌠just perfect.
âWellâŚâJimmy started.
âWellâ, Tango just repeated and they both giggled again. âI think itâs pretty obvious that feelings are mutual here, huh?â
Jimmy nodded, looking at him like an adorably lovesick puppy. It was just too cute to take.
âSoâ, Jimmy cleared his throat, slowly hesitantly loosening the embrace and letting his arms fall. Even after they had just shared a kiss he looked nervous, taking off his sheriff hat to run a hand through his hair. âYou want to date me?â
Tango smiled. What an idiot. What an absolute idiot.Â
