Chapter Text
~~(Grian's POV)~~
It all happened too fast.
They were never supposed to know.
And because of my foolishness?
Multiple lives were on the line.
Including my own..
Xisuma..
BDubs...
Iskall...
...Mumbo...
False...
Too many to continue counting...
All because of my stupid mistake..
And my damned lack of a sleep schedule..
——A few hours ago——
"You really think it'll work?"
"Well, I hope so. But, I've never tried to make a spell like this before. I didn't even know a spell like this existed until you came here in the first place. If it doesn't work, you'll just have to tell him,"
I groaned, my wings drooping, the flight feathers grazing the floor. My glamour started fading, a faint hissing breaking the silence as the bright white feathers were overcome by black, a stark reminder of the crime I'd committed. My horns came into view as Xisuma sighed as well.
I nearly collapsed on the floor when the glamour completely wore off.
"Grian, how much sleep have you been getting lately?"
"Little, if any," I confessed. Xisuma sighed again, shaking his head. He looked over me with a concerned look. "If you need to rest up, stay here and sleep. You can't keep pulling all-nighters or else you'll eventually fall asleep in a place you don't want to be. You're not invincible, Grian. You need sleep as much as any of us,"
"I-I know... but I can't sleep with the guilt of what I've done," I said, gesturing to the wings that adorned my back. They were majestic, but the shiver that reverberated through them was a sour reminder that they weren't mine, and never would be.
"I understand. You feel bad. But you can't wallow in your guilt forever, because it'll only eat more and more out of you. Mumbo is understanding and compassionate. If anyone will forgive you for wanting a chance at freedom, it's him,"
My face heated up lightly at the mention of the mustached redstoner. "I know..." I sighed. "But I don't know if I'll be able to face him again, even with the glamour on, after what I did to him,"
Xisuma looked at the floor. "It can't be as bad as you're letting on,"
"He kissed me, X. He kissed me... a-and... I kissed him back," I bit my lip. "And then I ran away. I was about to confess what I'd done to him, but then he stopped me in the most amazing yet venomous way possible,"
Xisuma scratched the back of his neck. "Okay... well... that just goes to show how much he cares about you. The sooner you tell him, the better, but... don't push yourself to come clean before you know you're ready again.."
I nodded hesitantly, sighing. "O-okay..."
I closed my eyes, spreading my wings to take off. The shiiii'ng of the glamour reappearing filled my ears, but not before I heard shuffling from above. Startled, I opened my eyes, the glamour only half-way on, to see someone staring down at me with only shock and growing evidence of anger on their face.
"Sh*t.." Xisuma cursed under his breath.
It was Doc.
I froze, fear taking hold of my entire body. Me and Doc stared at each other for a good 30 seconds before he launched down into the base, unsheathing his sword and charging at me.
He knows. He knows. And he's going to kill me here and now.
And I can't even move out of the way.
A blur sped in front of my, and my trance was broken as the rattling sound of clashing swords filled my ears. I regained control of my body, and fell back, seeing Xisuma holding his own against Doc.
"It is an unholy thing you are protecting!" Doc snarled.
"He is still one of us, no matter his history!" Xisuma shot back.
"He stole an angel's wings and crawled from the hellhole we call the Nether! He deserves whatever punishment is on his head and more!" Doc shoved X to the ground, glowering at me.
"And I might be venturing onto thin ice, but I'd say those feathered blessings were stolen from the one person I know truly deserves them, yet doesn't have them," He growled. "You say you care for Mumbo, yet you hold his heart in those disgusting demon hands of yours, and you crush it with no remorse. You rendered him flightless because of your own selfish desires to escape the world you truly belong in," Doc sent a swift kick to my abdomen, knocking the wind out of my lungs painfully, and I yelped in pain.
"I-I'm s-so-rry..." I choked out.
"I don't care for your worthless apologies. The only thing you could give me that could even come close to repayment would be your life," Doc pointed his blade at my throat.
I stared down the shining metal, straining as he stepped on my chest to keep me in place.
As the blade neared, I tilted my head, trying to sink into the floor as much as possible, but it was useless to try.
This was the end of me.
But the weight was suddenly lifted off me as I heard a heavy thud and a clanking of metal.
My eyes shot over to see Xisuma tackling Doc to the ground.
"Grian, run!" He shouted.
I scrambled up to my feet, sloppily launching into the air without a second glance at the leader of the Hermits.
He's the leader after all... he can survive this, right..?
Doc wouldn't be so heartless as to kill his own leader...
...right..?
I sped out of the dark prismarine base, the ocean breeze catching my wings and boosting me to gain more speed.
I have to get back to my base. There are places I can hide out and wait for Doc to pass.
I heard shouting behind me, and I made the mistake of looking back.
My heart dropped..
Doc had enabled his metal elytra, but that wasn't the unsettling part.
His sword... it was dripping with dark red blood.
Too many emotions flooded my body. Part of me wanted to halt and destroy Doc for what he'd done. But the rest of me only pushed me forward, my flaps gaining more powerful by the second.
Just before I turned back around to face forward, I saw Doc grab his communicator.
Oh god, I forgot that there are still other Hermits who might want me dead.
And the only one I could trust with my secret was most likely dead already.
I tore through the air, determined to reach my base and find a quick hiding spot before Doc caught me. But, if he called for backup, it'd be obvious what I truly am. My emotions had stopped the glamour half-way through the process. The row of long flight feathers on both wings were still pitch black, and in my reflection on the water below, I believe my left horn was still in view.
But I still pushed forward. I wasn't going to let Doc ruin this for me. I wasn't going to let him kill me.
Because killing me wouldn't achieve anything. Mumbo's wings would still be attached to my body.
I shivered at the thought. I saw Mumbo's base in the distance and bit my lip.
In order to get to my own base, I have to pass by the base of the very person I'm trying to avoid right now.
But he's the next person that I trust the most.
I wanted to run into the spherical base. I wanted to find Mumbo, and leap into his arms and never let go.
But that wouldn't happen.
My wings, despite my will to see Mumbo, had an obvious destination, and that was my tower that had come into view from behind Mumbo's giant egg.
Hoping and praying that Mumbo wouldn't see me in this state, I passed the massive base, a direct path to my tower dead ahead.
But my hope of actually being able to escape this situation died when I heard another set of elytra and wings behind me. I glanced back, and my heart dropped once more; it was Iskall and False.
And both of them held weapons, wearing equally furious looks on their faces.
I tried to fly faster, but I heard rockets being set off, and I knew False was a more experienced flier than me.
I fearfully watched arrows whiz past me and dive into the ocean, hoping I could avoid all of them. But, of course, that hope died when I felt something pierce my right wing. I looked over and saw the arrow sitting comfortably in the center of my wing, sticking out both sides.
It made me sick seeing the blood dribbling down between my feathers and dropping down into the ocean.
The pain didn't help either.
But I continued to flap the injured wing, despite two people I considered close friends hunting me down with the same bloodlust as the one that'd hated me since I arrived here.
More arrows flew by, and it was harder to avoid them, but I managed to. My base was getting closer, and my hope was starting to grow again.
I held it down, though, because if my hope grew too big, then it'd make the defeat just that more painful.
I just need to get to the infinity labyrinth. I could lose them there, and then take the nether portal to a different area of the Hermitlands.
My right wing was starting to go numb as more and more blood started dripping down, wetting the feathers as well as causing every flap to send pain jolting through my body.
The numbness was brutally broken as another piercing pain made itself evident in my right shoulder, just underneath where the wing muscles met the rest of my body.
At that point, I was losing altitude swiftly, my base getting close but not close enough for me to reach the outer ring of the platform.
My left wing was flapping furiously in a desperate attempt to keep me up in the air, but it was no use. I began falling at meteorite speed, closing my eyes and awaiting either the impact of the water, or the impact of more weapons.
I heard flaps get closer, but I also suddenly felt a pair of hands grab me and start to slow my fall.
Maybe they were really just saving me?
Or, maybe someone else came to my rescue?
I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder, hope starting to flourish again.
Iskall was the one holding me.
Oh Iskall, I knew you wouldn't truly want to kill me-
My sigh of relief was cut short as I felt the prongs of a trident against my back, and heard the wavering yet furious voice of Iskall mumble into my ear..
"Traitor.."
..before the trident was stabbed straight through my lower back. I looked down to see the points of the three prongs sticking out through my stomach, and it made me even more sick.
But it also made the pain numbingly worse.
Is this was death feels like?
A numb and yet unimaginable pain coursing through every inch of your body?
Ultimate betrayal by those you considered friends?
Surely death must feel better than this.
Because... at least it ends the suffering..
I felt Iskall pull the trident from my body, my sweater becoming a darker red along my stomach region.
I began to plummet again, except this time, I knew my fate.
I would most likely die before hitting the water but it didn't matter to me. At least I wouldn't have to suffer through drowning, too.
But the sound of another pair of wings and more rockets made me curious enough to crack open my eyes.
The sun was glaring down, so I only saw three blurs charging in from the direction of my tower.
One of them.. began diving down towards me..
While the other two... began grappling with the three of the other flying Hermits....
I felt a pair of strong hands and muscular arms grip me firmly yet gently, before the world around me was encased in darkness.
~~~~~
A shudder echoed through my body, gaining intensity when it ran through my wings.
My eyes struggled to open, but from the burning pain in my right wing, right shoulder, and lower stomach, I knew I was still alive.
I groaned inwardly, but forced my eyes open. The world around me... was pure white...
Is this heaven?
No, I wouldn't be feeling the guilt and betrayal of my "friends" as strongly if I was in heaven, surely.
I struggled to lift my head, but realized I couldn't, so I just hopelessly squirmed in place for a couple moments before giving up.
"Grian..? Are you awake..?"
"Unfortunately..." I mumbled, not really registering who was talking to me. "Honestly, you should've just let me die. I deserve it,"
A figure came into my line of sight, but... from a weird angle?
I didn't pay it much attention when I realized that it was Mumbo who I was looking at, and my body jolted as I tried to leap up and hide, or do something to get away, but I didn't move an inch.
"Don't try to move too much, the healing potions are still working through your system,"
I closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart.
"W-why...?" I choked out.
I heard Mumbo hum lightly in a questioning tone.
"W-why d-did you s-save m-me..?" I wavered, feeling fresh tears start to well up. "A-after knowing wh-what I am... Wh-what I've d-done...?"
"You may be a demon, Grian, but that doesn't lessen how much I love you..." I heard Mumbo say softly.
"I t-took your w-wings..." I said bitterly. "I d-don't deserve y-your love.. o-or even y-your fr-friendship..."
I felt a prodding at my right wing, and glanced over to see Mumbo carefully removing pieces of arrow from my wing. As the sight was still sickening, I looked away quickly.
"I'll be honest.." He mumbled. "Finding out that the man I love is a demon... it was jarring, to say the least.."
I waited for him to continue but he only went quiet. "A-and the wings...?" I ushered.
Mumbo sighed quietly. "I was actually here in your base when Xisuma came to me-,"
"Wait, X is alive?!"
Mumbo, a slightly shocked look on his face from my outburst, nodded.
Knowing Xisuma was actually alive... it already lifted some heavy guilt from my shoulders.
I coughed weakly, feeling something gurgle up in the back of my throat, but I pushed it down and silently ushered Mumbo to continue.
"When Xisuma came to me with a potion and a bloody stab wound, it was already not a good situation. He had to rush through an explanation that I only registered half of before he was pouring the potion down my throat and pushing me outside..." He paused to take in a deep breath. "Apparently, Xisuma knows more about my homeland than I do, because that potion... it gave me back my wings, Grian.. My real wings.. apparently the ones you took were decoys set by the Archangels for instances just like these to protect angels' wings from getting stolen permanently..."
My eyes widened to the size of saucers and I tried to look at Mumbo. It was then that I discovered my head was resting in his lap. I blushed brightly at this, but ignored it when Mumbo shifted to reveal the large, soft, feathery limbs that encircled his arms as he preened the feathers of my injured wing.
I felt the warmth in my face stay at a constant as I watched him rub a little disinfectant on the arrow wound before returning to the feathers that had been soaked with blood.
"It was astounding, really.. but I didn't have much time to register them because Xisuma pushed me out of the base telling me that we needed to save you... It wasn't until I saw Iskall stab you with the trident that I realized how real the situation was, and that... you were a demon,"
I bit my lip at this, almost hearing the heartbreak and betrayal in his own voice.
"I didn't think I'd make it to you in time.." Mumbo started choking on light sobs. "I-I thought I'd lost y-you... to one of m-my close friends, no less..."
I felt him rest a hand on my cheek softly. "When I did get to you, y-you'd already passed out... Xisuma had called on BDubs as well, and they took on Iskall, False, and Doc so that I c-could escape with you... I managed to get us to the infinity labyrinth before Xisuma warned me that Doc had broken through their little setback and was rushing the building..."
I felt something wet land on my forehead, and realized it was one of Mumbo's tears. I struggled to reach one hand up, gently wiping the tear away. He lightly leaned into my touch as I did so.
"I w-was so scared... I thought I'd l-lost you forever, Grian... I thought I'd never be able to express just how much I love you..."
I brought my hand down from his face to his hand that rested on my cheek. I entwined our fingers gently, sending him a faint smile.
"Hey... I'm still here Mumby... I'm still here... I'm not gonna die just yet.."
Mumbo chuckled weakly, leaning down and leaving a small peck on my forehead.
"I know you won't... you're strong... you're Grian..." He trailed off, running his thumb along my cheek.
"My Grian.." he whispered.
"Your Grian," I whispered in confirmation, reaching up with my free hand to grab his tie and pull him down gently to press a gentle of passionate kiss to his lips.
It may have been short, but both of us could feel the emotion being poured into the simple gesture.
After pulling apart, lingering his lips over mine for a couple moments, Mumbo slowly shifted to be laying down beside me.
He carefully wrapped me up in his massive wings, and being wary of my injuries, I snuggled into his chest, accepting the warmth he had to offer.
In the comfort of each other's presence, the bright infinity labyrinth around us became dark as we drifted off to sleep, together.
The way it was always meant to be.