Grian had been living alone for a while now. He had spent most of his time in single-player worlds, and even if he got together with friends, he always ended up alone at the end of the day.
This meant that he was accustomed to having to take care of everything himself. He got pretty decent at tending to his own injuries and making sure nothing got infected. Illness usually just meant he'd be out of commission for a while, spending it in his bed, trying to eat and drink when he had the energy. Health potions helped when he had access to them, though that was rare.
Back then, no one would really notice his absence unless he had had a collab planned. He usually had enough foresight to notify his friends if he wasn't going to be able to show up, so that didn't make much of a difference either. Telling people you had been a little ill usually satisfied them enough to not poke further if you looked well enough by then.
Hermitcraft, as it turns out, is a little different. Grian fell ill after only four weeks on the server, suddenly having been in contact with a lot more people than usual. He didn't think much of it, considering he didn't have anything planned with the others anyway. So he just stayed in his bed, mostly just staring at the ceiling or sleeping, waiting for the fever and pain to pass.
He quickly found out, however, that the Hermits didn't work like that. Within the second day of him being "missing", they begun to worry. On the third day, Mumbo decided to go looking for him, deciding that Grian likely wouldn't be so engrossed in his work for THAT long. Usually, he would at least read the messages sent to him, even if he didn't reply. He found his base easily and dove into the water to check on his friend.
He found the unconscious man lying in his bed, pale as a ghost, hot to the touch and clearly uncomfortable. He freaked out, immediately calling in X to help, as he trusted him a lot more than he did himself. The admin gladly helped him look after his friend and made a mental note to ask Grian why he hadn't asked for help with the state he was in when they found him. The hermits did already have healing potions by now.
When Mumbo first placed a wet rag on Grians head to lessen the fever he was sporting, he startled awake, confused as to why there were multiple people in his room. He tried to convince them that he was fine and didn't need assistance, but did eventually cave and let them help him. He wouldn't admit it, but it was nice being taken care of for once. It certainly made him feel a lot less miserable during his recovery.
When he managed to convince his friends that he was well enough to get back to work, X requested that he come visit his base before he started work again. "Just want to have a quick chat about something," he had said. He would be lying if he said that it didn't make him feel nervous. His mind was racing to try and figure out what might be wrong. Was he mad? Had he done something? Was he in danger somehow? It couldn't be anything good. Talks like that never were.
He gathered his courage and followed his admin without voicing his concerns. Might as well get it over with. Also, he was afraid he'd try to dip out due to the anxiety if he didn't force himself to do this right away. He was led into the little kitchen in Xisumas starter base, where the admin made them both tea and offered him biscuits that looked homemade. It didn't manage to calm him down completely, but the calm vibes of X and his cute little kitchen certainly did help.
And then it was time to talk. X looked serious, but his eyes were kind. There was, however, worry barely hidden behind his gaze.
"Are you ok? You seem nervous."
Grian nodded and made a quiet sound of affirmation, avoiding looking at the admin at all costs.
He decided to let it go. "Alright. I invited you here to talk about your behaviour."
Grian looked up at that, confusion and anxiety lacing his face. "What?" His voice was quiet and unsure. It made Xisumas heart ache.
"It's nothing bad! We're just worried about you and want to make sure that you know that you can reach out for help when you need it. All the Hermits are always willing and gald to help. You don't need to do everything alone, yknow?" X took a breath, realising that he had been rambling without taking any time to breathe.
Grian was looking at X, hus face not portraying any particular emotion. A quiet "Oh" was all that he managed to say.
"Sorry. Got a bit rambly there." X chucked quietly, rubbing the back of his head. He hadn't meant to talk so fast but Grians anxiety had made him anxious as well. "Just. When you're ill or injured or just need company. We will always be there for you, okay?"
"Yeah." Grian was nodding, finally having understood why he was here. "Sorry about not asking for help. I kinda forgot that was an option.." Now it was his turn to scratch his head and chuckle awkwardly.
X looked concerned: "Wha.."
"It's not you." He interrupted X quickly, sensing what he was thinking. "I've been living alone for so long I just... forgot, I guess? Just got used to having to tend to myself alone." He gave a small smile and a shrug, hoping to convey that this wasn't a big deal.
"Oh." X looked thoughtful, as if searching his memory for something. He shook his head lightly and smiled, saying, "That makes sense, then. I was worried you didn't think we would be willing to. Just know that we would love to help, yeah?"
"Yeah." He nodded and was a bit surprised at himself, as he had not expected to trust these people so quickly. But everyone here was so sweet and considerate that he somehow didn't doubt it for a second. It would take some getting used to, but he was willing to try.
Both the men felt relieved. They fell into a comfortable quietness, both sipping at their tea occasionally. Eventually Grian remembered that he had actually meant to ask X about a couple things he had noticed, so they chattered on about random observations and funny stories for a while after both of their mugs had been emptied.
It was nice. Xisuma was glad to be talking with his new Hermit, happy that they now knew to ask for help. Grian had mostly kept to himself, so both of them savoured the easy conversation. Grian was just glad that his concerns about having a one on one talk with the admin had been unfounded. Eventually, they did part ways, getting back to work on their individual projects. Neither of them forgot that conversation, though.