Chapter Text
Okay. It was a stupid mistake to begin with. Something that only an idiot could pull off after spending so much time getting used to using elytra’s. Apparently Grian was still, an idiot.
He was going to blame the fact that he was currently falling out of the sky and that he hadn’t checked on his wings, due to his brain being set on over drive. Too many things needing to be accomplished in too little time.
Ha, little. What comedic timing for that word.
His headspace seemed to plummet along with his body, crashing, down, down, down. Maybe he had already been slipping before this had happened, Grian wasn’t too sure, and at the moment he had more pressing things to worry about.
He instinctually braced himself for the fall, putting his arms out in front of him. Of course this did hardly anything, other than to get his hands all scrapped. He hit the ground, hard. Losing about half his hearts.
He laid on the ground for a moment. Simply letting his brain catch up to exactly what had happened. And as it did his eyes filled up with tears.
Pressing himself upwards into a sitting position, he tried to take in where he was. He had been trying to get to Iskall’s base, which put him somewhere in between there and Boatem. Taking in his surroundings he didn’t recognize anything, just trees, greenery and scary darkness, and he was quickly becoming overwhelmed.
He had the sense not to panic too much, grabbing his communicator and typing a shaky message into the group chat.
<Grian> hlep I crashed an I cant get back help
<MumboJumbo> Shoot, Grian you alright?
<RenDog> Where you at little dude?
<Grian> forest somewhere I dont no
<GeminiTay> Someone get X
<Xisuma_Void> I’m here. Give me a sec
<Xisuma_Void> He’s closest to your base Stress xxx,xxx,xxx
He got a private message from Stress a couple moments later.
<StressMonster101> I’ll be there in a jiffy, sit tight okay? <3
Grian slumps. He doesn’t want to wait. He wants help now. His hands burn and he wants the yicky feeling to just go away. He flaps his hands rapidly in front of him, not that it does anything to help the sting. He pouts.
He must have been close to Stress’ base as it takes only a couple of minutes before the hermit finds him.
“Hallo there sunshine.” She greats with a cheery smile, on that Grian cannot match himself.
“Stressy, hands ‘urt.” Grian sniffles, holding up his sweater covered hands.
“Oh love, let me see that.” She pushed back his sleeves and gave an appropriate gasp at the scraped skin. “Oh you poor, poor dear.” She pressed a very gentle kiss to his palms, one at a time. “That should help till we can get you back to my base. Think you can walk for me? I promise, it isn’t too far.”
Grian pushed his sleeves back over his hands and gave a small nod.
“Come on now, I’ll lead the way.”
~~~
Too be fair, it didn’t take Stress nearly as long as she thought it would have to make it back to her base with the little. Grian was a bit too upset to get distracted by anything other than his hands hurting at the moment.
It pained Stress that she couldn’t just take the discomfort away right then and there, but she had no supplies really on her. Quite silly considering she had known the other had crash landed, but she wasn’t really thinking about anything besides getting to him as fast as she could.
Once inside the two went into her bathroom where she hefted the regressed hermit up onto the bathroom counter. “Alright, up you get.” She set besides him a healing potion, and a couple of fun band-aids that she thought might brighten up Grian’s down cast mood.
“What were you doing all the way out here and not in Boatem?” She asked, trying to keep him distracted while she applied the liquid to his palms. No doubt the cuts burned on contact if the little wince Grian gave was anything to go by, but still he kept up conversation with her.
“Was tryin’ to see Issy and Efo.”
Stress nods.
“Needed, umm, ting’s I guess. I don’t ‘member doe.”
“That’s alright baby, a little guy like you doesn’t need to worry about that sort of things.”
“Yeah…” The little didn’t seem to agree with the statement.
“Well, how about you pick out a fun bandage?”
Grian only nodded numbly, flexing his fingers to look at the healing scrapes. He pulled out a rose colored plaster with a heart on it, and a blue one with a yellow smiley face, presenting them both to Stress.
The bandages wouldn’t really stick for long, considering the slightly odd placements, but Stress recalls them helping her to feel better when she was younger and got hurt.
“There, we’re all done sweet pea.”
“Tank you Stressy.” He still seemed upset.
“I promise that you’re hands are going to be all better now.”
“I know.”
“Then what’s got you down?”
“Can’t ‘tay, you were doin’ stuffs and I wasn’t meant to be small. I wasted your time.”
“Oh Gri, of course you can stay.”
“But aren’t you busy?”
“I do have some things to get done true but, hmm,” Stress pretends to be deep in thought. “I wonder… nah, you wouldn’t be up for it.”
“Wha?”
“Well it’s just, I need some help. I have all these freshly baked cookies and no one to taste test them. I just don’t know whatever in the world I will do, there’s no one to take up the job.”
Grian instantly perked up. “Me! Me! I can Stressy! I can help taste test!”
The brunet gasps. “Can you? It’s a very important job you know, I don’t want to put too much pressure on ya.”
“I can do it!” Grian hopped off of the counter. “I am a profefinal cookie tester! Show me to da cookies!”
Stress grinned, filled up to the brim with a warm sort of fondness for the boy.
“Alright then, let’s go.”
~~~
Grian gets situated at a kitchen table while Stress pulls out a plate overflowing with cookies. Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, butterscotch, oatmeal… and had Grian not been so enthralled over the treats he might have actually questioned just why it was that Stress had thought it a good idea to bake so many different kinds all in the same day. But really, what did he know about that? There was sweets involved. He didn’t need to start questioning them.
Looking at the plate, only one thing came to mind. There were a lot of cookies. So many in fact that Grian got a bit overwhelmed on where to even begin. Not that he was intimidated by a cookie or anything, cause that would just be silly.
Stress seems to pick up on his hesitation, however. “I think it’s a good idea to start with,” she selects two cookies, “chocolate chip, don’t you think?”
Grian nods, happily grabbing the offered treat from Stress’ hand. He munches on it delightedly.
“Mmm!” He bounces happily in his seat. “Very good!” He says, mouth full.
“I think so too. But is it better than this one?” She hands him a butterscotch cookie. “That ones a new recipe.”
“Jus’ as good,” he still has two half finished cookie when he reaches for a third one, oatmeal raisin. He takes a bite and scrunches up his face.
“You don’t like that one?”
“Blah. ‘aisin very ‘ucky.”
“Noted.” Stress says with a smile.
Bonus:
<StressMonster101> If I may have every hermits attention please
<StressMonster101> Grian and I have made an official cookie list, and I regret to inform you all that oatmeal raisin will not be making the cut.
<TangoTek> Wha? But those are so good.
<StressMonster101> Sorry to disappoint love but the little birb has spoken. <3
<TangoTek> *grumble*