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Thunder cracked, interrupting the steady pound of rain on glass. Biting winds coursed through Grian's open base, tousling his hair. He was working on his potato farm, desperate to finish it before the storm got any worse. The dirt was sprayed across the floor, mixing with rainwater into muddy puddles.
Stress had flown by a few hours ago, while the rain was still light, voicing her concerns. "Grian, you 'avent finished your walls outside! You oughtta do that before we get a big storm!"
"It's fine, what are the odds it'll get worse than this?" He laughed, catching a small raindrop in his hand.
Now he laughed, mocking himself. "What are the odds?~" He grumbled and wiped his forehead, streaking mud across it.
It was just a small splash at first, hardly noticeable through the rain. But one splash led to two, and soon water was pouring down the walls like a waterfall. Already Grian's socks were soaked, and he was realizing the dire situation he was in.
He bolted to his chests, scrambling to save the most valuable materials from the elements. Lighting flashed every so often, counting down Grian's window of time.
Arms loaded with shulker boxes, he struggled to spark a firework as the water crawled up his ankles. "Cmon, cmon..."
His mailbox lit green as he burst past it, marking that Mumbo had sent some mail. For a fraction of a second, nostalgia gripped his chest.
All the redstone he and Mumbo spent hours putting together. His precarious piles of chests that Iskall teased him about-the chests only he could navigate. The poultry cave hidden in the basement, secret from all his friends. The Architech meeting room filled with maps, where he and Mumbo had many, many discussions late into the night.
And then he flew away.
Tears mixed with the rain, making it impossible to see. The violent wind tossed him to and fro, nearly sending him into the sea multiple times. Most of the shulker boxes had blown out of his grip, and fell into the water like the raindrops around them.
Simply by instinct, he made his way to the rocket shop, where he took shelter. For a long time, all he could do was sit. The rain made his body and his soul numb. So he sat. Multiple times the droning rain lulled him to sleep, before the thunder woke him up again. Once, it struck the weather vane on top of iTrade, shuddering the ground under his feet.
Slowly, Grian felt a fuzzy feeling growing in his chest. It was warm compared to the rain, and it welcomed him into its embrace...
—
Silence.
There was no drumming of rain, no claps of thunder.
It was disturbing.
It was too bright to open his eyes, but Grian managed to roll over, realizing he was in a bed. What time did he get to bed last night?
"Ah, you're up! Are you alright?" Mumbo's worried voice met his ears, and gentle footsteps.
"Why're you in mah base...?" Grian slurred sleepily.
A pause. "You're in my base Gri. You've been in the rain too long." He nervously chuckled.
Finally Grian pried his eyes open, taking in his surroundings. There was a lot of acacia wood, so he could only assume they were in Mumbo's basement. But wasn't it flooded before?
Mumbo read his thoughts. "I uh, drained this place a while back, in case of an incident like this. Not you passing out! But uh, like the weather bit." He fiddled with a spare lever on the ground.
"Oh nice, thanks." Grian sat up slowly, blinking away the sleep.
"It's no problem at all! But, may I ask, what were you doing in the rocket shop?"
"My..." It all came flooding back. Literally. "My base is flooded. It's all gone." There were no more tears to shed, so he put his head in his hands miserably.
He felt a weight next to him on the bed, and Mumbo's long arms wrapped around him gently. "I'm so sorry." They sat this way in silence for a few minutes. "Would you like to stay here until we can get you settled again?"
Grian tensed. "I'd hate to be a bother.."
Mumbo squeezed Grian tightly, tears gathering in his eyes. "You are never a bother, Gri. Always remember that."
They sat this way for a long time, their breathing in sync. It was peaceful, with no rain pouring on their heads, no hermits flying around to bother them. At some point, Mumbo fell asleep, but was woken up when Grian pulled on the corner of his mustache. "Oi!"
"Sorry," Grian chuckled, smiling for the first time since Mumbo saved him. "I guess you've kinda adopted me, huh?"
Mumbo stuttered. "I- I suppose? That's a strange way to put it, I mean- I mean it's really not that big a deal, we are friends after all-"
Grian just laughed, falling back on the bed. "Oh Mumbo.. So, does this mean I can build myself a little house on your island?"
Mumbo laid back as well, his head hitting the wall with a bump. "Ah, I assumed you would just hang around the base with me! But, if you'd rather have your own space I understand!" Mumbo stumbled over his words in apology.
"Nah, I'll hang out with you! It'd just be fun to build a little cabin to hang out in! You're invited to visit of course."
"Oh I'm glad, I wouldn't want to miss out on the build of the century." Mumbo jabbed.
"Hey! Says you!" Grian elbowed Mumbo's ribs, eliciting a laugh.
"It will be the build of the century, because you're building it."
No response.
"Gri?"
Grian sniffled. "Thanks for everything man, you mean the world to me."
"Anything for you. Now, what blocks will you need for your cabin?"
Grian wiped a stray tear. "A lot of wood, hehe."
Mumbo stood up tall, helping Grian off the bed. "As if I have any wood! You think I keep that silly stuff lying around?"
"Ha! Right, I see how it is."
They bantered all the way up the ladder, not even stopping to acknowledge the rain.
—
Hi Mumbo! If you're reading this, I went out to the shopping district! Don't worry, I packed extra rockets and I wore a coat, I'll be fine! Be back soon!
Love, Grian
Grian tore the note off the wall as he walked into his new cabin, arms loaded with goodies. After he and Mumbo spent a whole day furnishing the house, they talked late into the night before crashing on the bed and couch, respectively. Grian woke up early, and decided to buy some things for their shut-in.
He dumped the shulker box of supplies on the table, wiping his dripping hair out of his eyes.
"Shower first. Food later."
When he got out of the shower, he discovered a problem. His clothes were still soaked and caked in mud, and he had worn them for three days now. He didn't have any extra outfits either, they were washed away. "Hrm hrm hrm..."
—
Grian waltzed around the kitchen, singing to his apples. It was a common song, which made it easy for Mumbo to sing along as he entered the kitchen. "Good morning!"
"Ah! Morning Mumbo!"
"Lookin fine today." Mumbo noted as Grian grinned awkwardly.
"Ah, you see- and I don't have a spare change of clothes- it makes sense really-" He tugged at the suspenders worn over a plain white tee and khaki slacks. He had borrowed them from Mumbo since his only outfit had been unwearable.
"It's really fine, man! May I ask how those pants fit on you?" He chuckled.
Grian stepped out from behind the counter to display the pant legs, which had been rolled up several times, and still bunched at the bottom. "That's what the suspenders are for!"
"So, unrelated, where did you get all of these.. pies?" The counter was covered in sweet and savory pies of all kinds.
"I went grocery shopping earlier so we could have something good to eat!" Grian grinned ear to ear, pleased with the fruits of his labor.
"They're amazing, but you know I have food at the base, right? You shouldn't have flown all the way to the shopping district by yourself!" Mumbo scolded gently. The pies really did smell amazing.
"I'm a master flyer, you know, I was fine!" Grian waved him off, and set to work cutting up an apple-berry pie. "Pie for breakfast!"
They sat on the couch, plates balanced precariously on their laps. The two ate and chatted loudly, enjoying each other's company. Once they finished they laid on the floor, listening to the rain. It felt as if everything else in the world had melted away in the storm. "I think this is the most relaxed I've ever felt here."
Mumbo shifted to see Grian better. "In this cabin?"
"No, you dork. Just- here." He gestured in the air. "With all of you, in this community."
"Oh. Why?"
"I mean, ever since we chose the locations for our bases, it's just been go go go. I guess I never really stopped to enjoy it all."
"Hmm." They contemplated this for a minute. "I guess you're right."
"Uh, I'm always right." Grian smirked.
Mumbo crossed his arms and sighed. ".....you're right...." He muttered.
"What was that?~" Grian sang.
"I said you're riGHT!" His voice squeaked, making him cover his face in embarrassment.
Grian laughed long and hard at that. Mumbo joined in, and their laughter made each other laugh even more. After a full giggle fit, they sighed in contentment.
"...Do you hear that?" Mumbo whispered as he wiped a stray tear.
"No?" Grian whispered back.
"Exactly."
The rain had stopped. The only sounds to be heard were gentle drips from the eaves of the roof, and birds chirping in joy.
"Oh my gracious, took long enough!" Mumbo rolled to his feet, throwing the curtains open. The sunlight was blinding and beautiful. "Isn't it amazing, Gri?" He grinned ear to ear, beaming as bright as the sun.
Grian, however, frowned like a rain cloud. "I guess."
Mumbo whirled around. "What do you mean, it's gorgeous!"
Grian pouted. "Well now I have to go clean up my base, and we can't hang out all day."
"Why not? Shall we clean your base together?" Mumbo offered Grian a hand up.
"Would you really help me, Mumby Bumby?" He batted his eyes, making Mumbo chuckle.
"Absolutely."
"I'll race you there!" He snagged his elytra as he bolted out the door, laughing like a maniac.
Mumbo simply watched from the door as Grian slipped on the wet glass, landing flat on his face. Mumbo giggled, put on his elytra, and dived gracefully off the platform. "See ya later, spoon!"