Chapter Text
Grian leaned back onto the cool grass, admiring the few wisps of clouds that were scattered across the bright blue sky. It was almost summer now. Summer meant longer days, days spent on friendly pranks or building or lazing about. Summer days meant possibility. Anything could happen. Anything and everything and all of it at the tip of his fingers. The man grinned, his wings fluttering softly, asking to be free from their stifled position beneath him. He obeyed their silent request, climbing to his feet again and stretching them out to their fullest wingspan before taking off.
In Grians book the sentiment of wind running its fingers through his feathers was one of the greatest feelings in the world. He tore through the cloud layer, emerging above for one breathtaking moment then diving back down to glide over the newly established shopping district. Below, his friend Stressmonster waved to him from the entrance to her and Gem’s prismarine wagon. The avian did a loopty-loop in response, always having a flair for flying and quick to show off to the other hermits.
He touched down his black high tops below the recently relocated entity, coming to a graceful stop that marked up his record of perfect landings. A call from behind him told him another with a less consistent record was coming in hot. “Mumbo!” Grian complained jokingly, a laugh just beneath his words as he struggled under the weight of the larger man. “Sorry!” Mumbo Jumbo scrambled to get off of the dirty blonde haired man and help him to his feet. Grian took his outstretched hand, a joyous laugh tumbling from his lips.
Mumbo almost believed he could live off of that laugh alone. He would do anything just to hear that beautiful noise and see the way his blue eyes lit up. He pulled the avian up and into his arms, holding him for a moment even after he had gotten to his feet. Grian leaned onto his toes and planted a gentle kiss below his moustache. “Wh- what was that for?” The smaller of the two laughed again as his companion's cheeks turned a rosy red. “Can’t a guy kiss his boyfriend? That okay?” Grian spoke through a wide grin. No matter how long it was since the first time Mumbo confessed with an adorable stutter and his heart in his hands Grian loved the little glimmer in his ivy eyes when he called him his boyfriend. Mumbo nodded warmly, assuring him the affection brought him nothing but joy.
The avian flicked his moustache with his first finger playfully. “Your moustache tickles.” Mumbo laughed, spinning him around one last time before letting him go. Grian pulled a blue shulker box from his toolbelt and went to retrieve the profits from the Entity’s chests, which were currently hanging by chains from the belly of the beast. “What brings you to my humble shop?” He called behind him, opening the chest of birch logs to check for sales.
“Would you believe me if I said I came to see you?” Mumbo leaned against another chest, calmly admiring the practiced way his partner's hands moved back and forth. His nails were painted a coppery blue and orange to match his recently dyed wings, his hands made for a builder, small and stocky but not by any means weak. Grian just grinned, pouring a few diamond ore blocks into the shulker. “Alright, I’ve come for some copper for my vault, I just love the blackstone with the blues. Not only will this one be beautiful, trust me, there is no way you’re getting in next week.”
“We’ll see. Don’t count your diamonds before they’re mined, right? Or chickens, whatever.” The avian hummed softly, his wings fluttering with joy as his lover invited him for an evening flight later. Sap. He thought lovingly, fiddling with the cuffs of his sweater sleeves and remembering how long it had been since they’d flown together. “I’d like that.” He told Mumbo softly, feeling warm inside. Grian ended up following his companion to the place where they had begun to build up their mega bases, chattering and joking as they worked the day away.
After lunch Mumbo slipped away, excusing himself to work on some secret surprise with a twinkle in his eyes.
Grian received a message as the sun set behind his base, which he had added two new floating rocks to. It was a set of coordinates from Mumbo. He grinned and took off, having just finished the last bit of cleaning up and getting all of his chest monster tucked away inside his base.
The evening was warm with just a hint of a cool breeze and a clear sky, the perfect day for a flight. Grian remembered the last time his best friend and him had gone flying together as he made his way to the coordinates he had sent him. It was last season, while the moon was coming down on them, and they were both stumbling along on no sleep. He remembered the bags under his beautiful eyes and the way he would always sort of bump against him as they were walking or trail close while they flew. He knew then it was mostly because of how tired he was, not wanting to fall asleep, but the reminder that he was close brought him comfort.
His communicator beeped, he had arrived at the coordinates. The place Mumbo had asked him to meet was at the side of a river beside an ordinary birch forest. He supposed he had picked the place just since it was a bit of a ways off from spawn and would give them a good range for flying, it was nothing special. Spending the night with his favorite person was special enough for the avian. “Grian!” Mumbo waved from the other side of the river, using his elytra to glide clumsily over to where his boyfriend waited.
That was one of the many ways in which they were different, Grian was elegant and Mumbo a klutz, Grian for building and Mumbo for redstone, the two couldn’t be less alike! Yet they just… fit.
“Ready?” Mumbo asked, dusting off his dress pants from his rough landing. “I was thinking just that direction.” He motioned toward the west, “Found a nice spot I wanted to show you.” Grian nodded, preparing to take off again. “See if you can keep up!” He was already gone by the time Mumbo shot out a few rockets and went after him. There was something about a flight like this that was different than short hops between houses and shops, it was a time where the avian could stretch his wings to their full span and test his limits, showing off to no one but his lover and the moon as he swooped over mountain peaks and forests.
The stars began to come out, one by one surrounding them like a sea of shining diamonds. Grian let Mumbo take the lead, almost marking up his record of perfect landings when he saw what he had prepared for them.
“Oh Mumbo!”
The scene before them was simple and breathtaking, a picnic blanket layed out on dark grass, a clearing in a mushroom laden dark oak wood with a gap in the canopy that let moonlight stream onto the scene. There were pillows gathered around the blanket and candles lit scattered around the edge of the place. The whole scene was oddly ethereal and calm, and Grian couldn’t help the smile that turned his cheeks pink despite the warm evening. He looked at Mumbo, who stood awkwardly, looking a bit flushed and fiddling with the back of his dark hair. “So… You like it?”
“Like it? Mumbo I love it!” His wings fluttered excitedly and he bounced on his heels, holding back from tackling his partner for uncertain it was okay. Mumbo nodded, silently giving his consent and Grian wasted no time enveloping him in his best hug. “I love it.” He said more softly, pulling back just enough for Mumbo to press his forehead against his. What he really wanted to say left unspoken, I love you. Did he even need to say it? He wanted to. He wanted to let him know just how much he cared for him. How much he saw, the way his hands always had to be moving, the way his brain saw things in that beautiful way and he was always looking to find the solution to things, to help out even if it wasn’t needed, but always with the best intentions.
He wanted to tell him how badly he wished he could take away all his insecurity and doubts about himself and just gather him up in a big hug and let him see himself as he saw him, the most beautiful human being he’d ever met.
Instead he pulled Mumbos by his hand onto the picnic blanket, sitting them down beside each other. “It’s not too cheesy?” “Mumbo, this is absolutely the cheesiest thing I have ever seen.” The avian said with a laugh, pulling Mumbo's arms around his shoulders and leaning back against his chest. The larger man tensed for a moment before relaxing, and Grian felt a surge of gratefulness toward him. He knew Mumbo had always struggled with physical contact, he had confided in him that it wasn’t because he didn’t like it, but because he felt clumsy and awkward when it came to people; always worried he would do something wrong. He could imagine the differences between delicate and always changing people as opposed to the redstone machines the man often worked with.
Every little touch from Mumbo meant the world to him.
They fell into their routine of soft teasing and chattering, and became a part of another world, the type of world two people can fall away to occasionally, where they are the only people and the only thing that matters is they are together. At some point, Grian wasn’t sure exactly when, he felt Mumbos hands find their way to his wings. Elegant fingers ran through the coppery feathers, gently preening and petting, straightening out any that were out of place and releasing those that were prepared to fall. The avian leaned into the soothing movements, this was one thing they had shared for some time now, a bi-weekly routine of his lover helping him straighten out his wings, which he often found in rough shape since they were hard to care for on his own. It was a task Mumbo claimed he could carry out as confidently as building an auto sugarcane farm; Grian beamed with pride.
The avian let out little purrs and chirps as Mumbo stroked and straightened his feathers, nonchalantly watching the stars overhead. He gasped as a star shot under the moon, quickly followed by several more. A meteor shower, Mumbo must have planned for it. He admitted to their friend Pearl telling him about it, an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. They watched in silence as the stars passed overhead. Just for them, the sky was dancing. By the time the stars seemed to go still, Grians eyes were heavy with dreariness.
“See that big one, over there?” Grian pointed, his voice quiet as if scared to break the calm quiet of the evening. “If you connect that and the ones around it it kinda looks like your moustache.” Mumbos laughed softly. “You’re such an idiot dude.”
“Your idiot.” He could hear the grin in the blonde man's voice as bent his head back to meet Mumbos gaze. His moustached partner pulled his hands away from his wings and slipped one into his grip and the other around his waist loosely. Grian felt warm where he touched him, pride swelling up in his chest that they’d managed to become so close and comfortable with each other. His best friend. His love. His world. The blonde haired man's eyes fluttered shut and his breathing slowed, lulled by the soft thrumming of Mumbos heart beating behind his head. “Always.” Mumbos voice was barely a whisper.
He watched for a moment his sleeping partner, how his features seemed to glow in the moonlight and how the shape of his body moved inward to gather Mumbos warmth. He’d had something he wanted to tell him, perhaps the reason for this whole evening, but a rooted anxiety held him back. What if this wasn’t what he wanted? He held back his burning question, letting him rest and promising himself silently that another day he would tell him. He drifted in and out of sleep for a few moments before he was gone, dreaming with his arms wrapped around the one he loved more than any in the world.