Chapter Text
Grian kept to himself.
Against all odds, against the fact that there were so many on the server with both hermits and empires together, he managed to get away from them all.
He sat at the entrance of his base, staring at the empty one in front of him.
For the past few months, he’d been scrubbing away at the dust and cobwebs, trying to keep it from feeling vacant. With the one month break on Empires, coming back to it made it feel dead.
Maybe Pearl could clean the vault for him, despite it legally being his.
“He’s coming back. He has to. He was always planning on coming back.”
No word. Just… left for some health business. A break from all that was in his head. It was important. Grian knew it was important. He could respect when his best friend needed to take time off and change endeavors for a while, because the negativity was getting dangerously strong. He could fully accept that, knowing that one day his best friend would return home.
He had stopped by once. For a week. And then left again.
Since then, no sign of him.
“No. This is dumb. He’ll come back eventually. He will. People come and go for a few months. He’s been in Hermitcraft since season 2, there’s no way he’d just…”
“I’m in my head too much,” he said aloud. Voicing the thought would make him realize how silly he was being. Overdramatic that something bad would happen. Overdramatic that he’d be alone, that this house in front of him would be empty forever.
Grian would not be alone. He had friends. Tons of friends. So many friends. He could even hang out with Timmy and Joel until they went back home.
It was okay.
It’d be okay.
Mumbo would come back one day, because he hadn’t left for good. And when he’d come back, they’d pick up right where they left off, teasing and messing around and pranking everyone.
But it wasn’t the same. Nobody could be the same. There wasn’t anyone who was like Mumbo – nobody that he could be friends with that could fill that void.
“Silly. Absolutely silly.”
“What’s silly?” a voice, taunting tease in nature, asked from behind him.
“Ah! Joel! Don’t sneak up on me like that.”
“But it’s fun.” Joel grinned.
Grian didn’t smile back, mind still in another place.
“So what’s silly?” Joel asked when there was no retort.
“Just my brain being stupid and stuff.”
“What’s it being stupid about?” Jimmy asked, coming from nowhere.
Grian jumped only a little bit this time. “Stop scaring me.”
“Joel’s right. It is fun.” Jimmy sat beside him, smiling lightly before watching Grian long enough to make the same assessment as Joel… something wasn’t right. He frowned a little, matching Grian’s attitude easily. “Got a problem?”
He shrugged in response. It was pretty dumb to even think of telling those who were practically his brothers about having emotional abandonment issues that weren’t even a “problem”.
“Come off it. There’s something,” Jimmy said.
“Like I said to Joel. Brain’s being silly.”
Joel sat down, forcing Grian with him. Between the two, they had him squished between their shoulders, this being much easier now that Jimmy was of adequate height. Joel followed Grian’s gaze to across the bridge.
“What’s that building over there?”
“Mumbo’s vault,” he answered flatly.
“Not much to it. And you’ve been here… 9 months now?”
Grian fidgeted in place. “He’s been on break a lot lately.”
“Long holiday?” Jimmy asked.
“Said it was to help with the anxiety and stuff. Some of it was therapy. Some of it was new creative pursuits. He’s only been around once since he went on break.”
“So that’s why it looks all… dead.”
Grian nodded. “He messaged me a “will” of the place, in case he didn’t get around to fixing it, he wanted someone else to either tear it down or make it look nice.”
Joel looked over at Grian, and even if Grian didn’t turn to look at him, he could feel the stare. “He’s not coming back for a while.”
“Not that I know of.” He took a heavy breath. “But, that’s okay, you know. He’s doing what he likes, and I’m very happy for him.” Grian stood up, breaking away from the shoulder to shoulder connection. They only meant well, but it was just too close. “I don’t know about you boys, but I’m getting tired of sitting around staring at a shell of a vault. You want a tour of the world?”
He could sense the two give a concerned glance, but they just accepted the offer, letting Grian first show off his area and then take them through the Nether hub.
They never spoke of the missing man again.
Grian continued to live only in his mind during any quiet moment. There was too much thinking for his liking.
Thoughts dwelled on things like how Mumbo was doing. If he was happy where he was. If he was happier than he’d been in years. If he wasn’t coming—
He wouldn’t leave like that. He couldn’t leave. He had friends here.
Grian knew he, if no one else, would be enough reason for Mumbo to stay here.
Right?
They were still good friends. Sure, they hadn’t been as close as in past years. Maybe Grian had gotten more friends along the way — which meant Mumbo did too! He never excluded Mumbo. He never abandoned him. So Mumbo would have no reason to abandon Grian. They were friends and nothing would change that.
A long break wouldn’t change that.
And until Mumbo came back, Grian would wait on him. He would be patient, he would be ready for his return when things could get back to normal again.
When Mumbo got back, Grian could feel like himself.
A few fireworks set off, each louder than before.
Grian broke his gaze away from the vault and flew down to Grumbot. He could make it appear like he was working on a project, instead of sulking in a puddle of angst and emotions. They didn’t have to know he was being silly.
“G, Jimmy and Joel were talking with us,” Bdubs started.
Scar added on, “And you’re not telling us something.”
“It’s fine,” he said flatly.
“You don’t have to be fine,” Scar said, as if permission to feel horrible was needed.
“It’s fine means I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Look, G, I get what you’re going thr—” Bdubs started.
“Mhm? Sure. Sure.”
“It’s not exactly the same, yeah, but… I know what it’s like to have somebody leave for months on end with no word and my experience is enough to say that you need us.”
He needed them? As if. “I don’t. I’m not the one with pathetic emotional health, remember? I may not be perfectly fine, but you shouldn’t have to come over just because I’m feeling sorry for myself. He’s coming back. He has to.”
Both of them held concern in their eyes. Worry and pity.
He hated it.
Grian walked across the room, as if he could run away anywhere they couldn’t get to.
Neither stepped forward, respecting the space. They just watched him and he watched them.
He breathed heavily, angrily, fire in his eyes. The fire died quickly, turning into sadness. “What if… he never comes back? What if he’s gone for good?” His tense position weakened, and he wrapped his arms around himself tightly.
“Can I give you a hug?” Scar asked quietly.
“Yeah, sure.” In seconds he was wrapped up in a hug, swaying him in place. Then another hug from the side, squeezing him tightly in place.
“If he doesn’t come back, which I still think he will, but if he doesn’t, we’ll all be here for you,” Bdubs said very seriously.
“It’s not the same.” The words were pathetic. Childish. He was a grownup that didn’t need to feel so much when people left.
“No, we’re not. Nobody can replace him and nobody should. But just because he’s not on this server doesn’t mean you won’t see him again.”
“Yeah!” Scar added. “Think about Jimmy and Joel and all the other empires people! They’re not on the same server, but we still got to get together.”
“And there’s the life series,” Bdubs added. “We see so many people who aren’t here all the time.”
They pulled him out of the hug, sitting down on the hard floor instead. There wasn’t much distance between the three of them though, close enough that he could lean against one if needed.
“I feel like I lost part of me,” Grian said quietly. “Like, it’s silly, but I don’t know who I am anymore. I don’t ever know what to do with myself. And that shouldn’t hinge on another person, but…”
“It just feels wrong?” Bdubs asked.
“Yeah. Pretty much.” He looked around the room, trying to refocus his mind to somewhere else. “I don’t want to bother you two any longer, especially if you’ve got other things to be getting up to.”
“We were the ones who stopped by, remember?” Scar said. “We’ll leave when we want to.”
“Which, by the way, is never. Ever. We’re moving in. Today. Right in Grumbot’s lair.” Bdubs stood up, plopping down an enderchest and making the place home with a few beds and other pieces of small furniture he just always had on hand. Given it was Bdubs, it wasn’t too surprising. “This way, we can remind you every day that you’re not alone.”
“Thanks. Really appreciate it,” he said sarcastically, not believing Bdubs was serious about moving in.
“Really. Me and Scar and Joel and Jimmy can all move in at your base if you want somebody nearby. That way, if you need to talk or if you need a distraction, you’ve got one right at your doorstep. Or in your cave.”
“But you’ve got project and places to be and—” he faltered at the concerned look they both gave.
“One night and you can say after that if you want us to stick around. If you don’t want us constantly, we can come in and check on you every so often,” Bdubs said, very, very serious.
Grian nodded, able to swallow the one-night promise instead of the guilt towards pulling people away from more important things.