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The sound of his phone going off is what wakes Grian.
With a few bleary blinks, he stares up at his ceiling. Sunlight casts a soft glow into his room through his curtains and he takes a second to allow himself to wake up.
He hums quietly as he moves to rub at his eyes, attempting to chase away the lingering sleep that sits over him and moves clouds into his thoughts. He lets the silence wash over him as a soft little sigh leaves him before his phone sounds again and he blinks.
He rolls over in bed, feeling the blanket tangle around him as he leans forward toward his nightstand. He grabs his phone and turns it on. The light blinds him, and he squints momentarily before his eyes begin to adjust.
Grian looks at his screen, finding he’s received a text from Cub.
Zedaph wanted me to let you know we’re closed today. Enjoy the day off!
Grian lets himself read the text one, two more times, just to make sure he’s not reading it incorrectly because of the sleep fogging his brain. The text doesn’t change, no matter how many times he reads it.
Well. He has a surprise day off from work. What… does he even do with that?
Maybe spend some time with Pearl? Catch up on sleep? Work on his own research? Oh god, clean the apartment? The very thought makes him shudder.
“Wonder what Mumbo is up to today,” he murmurs as he moves to push himself out of bed. He can imagine it now, Mumbo reading in his library or doing er, whatever it is he does in his study. Grian wonders if he cleans his manor. Spring cleaning day and all that. Even if it’s currently July and far from spring.
A sudden thought strikes him and Grian perks up. He looks at the open door of his closet and hurries out of bed.
When Mumbo opens his door, there are a few things he expects.
The first one being the obvious random human at his doorstep getting too curious for their own good. Despite purposefully making his manor appear abandoned and seconds away from collapsing, there will always be those who walk right on in anyways. The number of times he’s had to deal with teenagers coming in because of a prank or dare is absurd.
The second thing he considers is perhaps Ren and Martyn are behind the door, coming for an impromptu visit. It tends to happen every once in a while, with the pair being quite social. They’ve been coming by every few years to encourage Mumbo out of the house. And each time they’re never quite successful. Yet for some reason they haven’t given up on trying, now matter how many walls Mumbo puts between them.
The final thought is Doc. Things got rather messy at the Black Market, and Mumbo wouldn’t doubt it if the Council was already aware. He has quite a bit to explain to the older vampire, like Grian, namely. He had mentioned going to the market, but he made no mention of Grian (in hindsight, he probably should’ve. He knew that humans were forbidden from there, but Mumbo hadn’t thought twice about taking Grian with him. And… his appearance wasn’t expected).
It’d make sense for Doc to stop by after all that. If Scott brought Grian up to the Council already, then neither of them can afford to waste any time in getting the story straight.
Except when Mumbo pulls the door open, it is no one he expects. He makes sure to stand back just a bit to avoid the rays of the sun, and opens the door.
“For a minute I was starting to think no one was home.” Grian grins at him, something excited and cheeky all rolled into one. He’s dressed in his red jumper and jeans, hair in that typical bun of his. Mumbo can see the chains of his necklace peeking out from his collar, the rest of it tucked safely under his top. But perhaps the most unusual thing is the basket held on his arm.
Mumbo stares at him in confusion, “What are you doing here?” He tries not to sound accusatory or bothered. It’s a surprise to see Grian during the day and not at night, albeit an oddly pleasant one. Mumbo still finds it a bit odd to consider Grian a friend, let alone get used to the fact that he now has one other person existing in his bubble that isn’t Grum and Jrum. It’s a bit scary, how it already feels quite natural to have Grian around.
Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Grian is so painfully human. There’s a warmth to him that Mumbo has otherwise forgotten, in his many years of isolation and pain. Grian charges in blindly, runs on emotion and impulse. There’s this fire that surrounds him, a fire that compels Mumbo to want to be warmed by it as well. He wants to sit near the flames, hold his hands out, and allow them to embrace his palms in its gentle warmth.
He wants to hold on to Grian’s humanity for as long as he can.
“Well,” Grian’s voice pulls him back to the present, “turns out the office is closed today! Soooo I figured I’d come by and— hang on.” Grian cuts himself off, suddenly squinting at Mumbo. He takes a step toward him, coming into his space.
It makes Mumbo stiffen slightly, “Uhm, yes?”
“Mumbo, you look absolutely knackered! When was the last time you slept?” Grian asks, staring at Mumbo with a frown.
The vampire looks at him strangely, wondering why Grian is even asking such a thing. He pauses to consider the question, trying to recall when it was. But unfortunately for him, the days have been a little blurry as of late. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how long ago he slept when everything feels like one big monotonous blur.
His lack of answer seems to be answer (heh) enough for Grian, as the human looks at him in a mix of disapproval and concern. “I know vampires don’t really have proper sleep schedules, as evident by,” he pauses to make some vague hand gesture at Mumbo, “but you shouldn’t skimp out on sleep!”
Mumbo stares at him in return, “Oh. I erm, hadn’t realized it got that bad,” he says it earnestly. Ever since he saw Scott he just… hadn’t wanted to sleep.
“Clearly not if I’m pointing it out to you!” Grian replies, huffing at him. “Looks like I showed up at the perfect time. Go get your umbrella! I’m dragging you out of the house,” he demands, and Mumbo immediately looks at him with a frown.
“What?”
“You heard me! I’ve got a little something something planned. Now come on!” Grian grins at him.
Mumbo does not grin back. In fact he stays right where he is and looks at Grian with a deep frown. He really doesn’t want to leave the manor. Leaving the manor (during the day no less!) means interacting with humans, and Mumbo tries to avoid that unless he truly can’t. Grian should know by now that Mumbo doesn’t like humans. His own… bias toward Grian aside.
“Is this really necessary?” he asks instead, squinting at Grian. He doesn’t move from his spot in the doorway.
Grian huffs, “C’mon Mumbyyyy. You’ll like this, promise! Just trust me!”
Had it been anyone else, Mumbo would have laughed in their face. Him trusting a human? Yeah right.
But Grian is plenty of things, and a liar is not one of them. His pleading expression melts down Mumbo’s resistance like fire to metal, and he sighs. He never really stood a chance, honestly. “Fine,” he grumbles quietly, and Grian grins. “Stay there.”
Turning on his heel, Mumbo heads back inside and grabs his umbrella. He’s left it in the umbrella rack right by the door, so he grabs hold of it and returns to Grian.
The human is still grinning, beaming at him as he juts the umbrella outside and pushes it open. He holds it up and steps out of the house, keeping it under his head.
His umbrella isn’t much, but he quite likes it. It’s black with patterned lacing around the edges. Simple, yet elegant. Doc was the one who gifted it to him.
His eyes flicker to Grian, and he sighs, “Let’s get this over with.”
Grian grabs his arm and begins to pull him toward town. “You’re gonna love it, I promise!”
Mumbo snorts, “Sure, mate.”
They take to walking side by side through Aqua Town, Mumbo very pointedly ignoring any human that walks by them. He gets a few odd looks for carrying an umbrella in broad daylight, but he’s long since learned to ignore them.
Grian doesn’t speak much as they walk, though there is this excited energy about him. He’s got a gleeful shine in his eyes that hasn’t left since they departed from the manor. His clear excitement is enough to soften Mumbo’s slight annoyance.
It’s… nice. Seeing Grian so expressive, especially with the last couple of weeks. It’s been one thing after another, and Mumbo finds that he rather enjoys seeing Grian so relaxed. It was a sight he saw whenever they had a few late nights in Mumbo’s study. Grian had a habit of slouching in his seat, propping a book up on his chest.
Between the two of them trying to work together to help Doc and their little trip to the Black Market, things have been a bit tense.
It’s nice to have a moment to breathe.
Grian leads him down the roads in town, and Mumbo doesn’t miss the way he sneaks a few glances at his phone. He manages to catch sight of a map on the screen. He hides his amusement.
Their silent walk continues for a bit longer until Grian visibly perks up at the sight of something straight ahead of them. Curious, Mumbo follows his gaze and finds an open gate just a bit away from them. He looks back to Grian just as the human looks at him, “So! It might not be much, but I found this place while doing some quick research this morning. If you’re going to judge it, wait until after I show you what I’ve got!”
Slowly, Mumbo nods in return, “Erm, right.”
At that, Grian takes hold of Mumbo’s hand and pulls him forward. It’s like Grian moves with a newfound burst of energy, tugging Mumbo along so quickly that he nearly trips on his feet. He’s just thankful he manages to keep a decent grip on his umbrella during the process. Mumbo manages to avoid falling on his face and making a fool of himself after the initial startle of Grian grabbing his hand.
He doesn’t think Grian would ever let him live it down, honestly. He seems like the type.
The two of them pause at the gates, and Mumbo allows himself to take in the scene before him. They stand before a gated park, bright green grass covering the ground. There are trees planted in the ground, branches swaying along with the occasional breeze. He finds a pathway starting from the gates that extends farther down until Mumbo can’t see it anymore. A bit further in, he spots a small lake as well as little flower beds spread throughout.
The place is beautiful.
Grian forces him to tear his eyes away from the sight, tugging on his hand again and pulling him inside. “Come on! Lemme show you the spot I picked out.” His voice is laced with nothing but excitement as the two of them start to walk once more.
They follow the path for a little while before Grian is directing him to the left on the grass. This close to it, Mumbo sees patches where early morning dew still sticks to the green blades.
Grian still hasn’t let go of his hand. And he doesn’t, not until they reach a tree that casts a spot of shade on the ground. Grian stops in front of it, and he turns to Mumbo, “Can you hold this?” he asks, passing him the basket.
Blinking, Mumbo wordlessly grabs the basket. Any sort of verbal response feels stuck in his throat. Grian pays it no mind however, as he opens the basket and pulls out a red and white checkered blanket. He lays it on the ground beneath the shade of the tree before taking the basket back from Mumbo and setting it on top. He then removes his converse and steps onto the blanket.
“Tada!” he exclaims, holding his arms out in a showy gesture. “I got a little picnic set up for us, because the weather is nice and honestly Mumbo, staying inside your manor all day really doesn’t do anything for your skin.” He grins cheekily, causing the vampire to splutter weakly. Grian laughs before looking at the tree behind him, “I know you said that sunlight burned you, so I found a place where we could sit in the shade! And we’re far away from people so you don’t have to be all grumpy about being out during the day!” Grian looks at him, that smile still stretching his lips, and his brown eyes still swirling with excitement. “Okay, now you can give me your judgement. What do you think?”
Mumbo doesn’t know what to think.
Of all the things he expected from Grian today, this is certainly nowhere near the top of his list. Grian’s always seemed rather social, so he assumed he’d be dragged to see friends, or maybe be forced to do errands with him. But Grian has taken the time to plan something for Mumbo, with his needs in mind.
It’s honestly a rather touching gesture.
His chest swells at the amount of thought Grian has put into all of this, and he finds that he’s happy that he let Grian drag him out.
Grian stands, waiting for Mumbo’s reply, but he doesn’t give him one. Not verbally anyways.
Instead, Mumbo steps forward under the shade, closing his umbrella. He rests it against the tree trunk and slips his shoes off. He joins Grian on the picnic blanket, moving to sit down. Grian watches him with poorly disguised eagerness as Mumbo turns to him. “I think,” he says, “that I’m going to need to see what you packed for this picnic before making a proper judgement.”
Grian beams at him.
And of course, Mumbo can’t help teasing him, “Though if there’s garlic in here buddy, I think I’ll have to give this an automatic zero star review.”
Grian cackles at that, head thrown back as he plops himself down right beside Mumbo. “Well then I think you’ll be glad to know that there isn’t a lick of garlic in this food.” He reaches for the basket, pulling it over to him. He sets it down between them and opens it up. “I have only the greatest of buffets planned for you, Mumbo Jumbolio, I hope you’re prepared.”
Mumbo finds himself chuckling, “I’m ready to have my socks blown off.” Though he’s curious. Has Grian cooked something for them? If so, what kind of food has he made? Does Grian even cook? Is he good at it?
Grian reaches into the basket, “I figured an early lunch would be no problem. And from the shelves of the nearest grocery store, I present to you, two fresh sandwiches!” Just as he says this, he pulls two sandwiches wrapped in plastic out of the basket. Grian peers into the basket and hums, “Oh, and I also grabbed cookies.”
Mumbo blinks at him for a moment or so, eyes glancing down at the premade sandwiches in Grian’s hands. He’s surprised, but in a way he also isn’t. Chuckles begin to leave him, yet he’s smiling. “Goodness, I don’t know what I expected, honestly,” he chortles.
“Look! I’m a horrible cook Mumbo, like the worst. No one in my family can cook! Well, besides my dad. But I didn’t want to poison you! And I had to go to the store anyway to pick up this blanket and basket so it worked out!” Grian laughs along with him. “Which reminds me actually, can you even eat human food?” he questions.
Of course Grian got all of this just to use it today. Mumbo fondly smiles. “I can, yes,” he answers as his chuckles die down. “It, erm, doesn’t quite do anything for me nutritional wise, but yes.”
“Oh! Good.” Grian holds one of the sandwiches out to him, “Hope you like tomatoes!”
Mumbo accepts the sandwich offered to him, “I happen to very much enjoy them, actually.”
With that, the pair fall into peaceful company with one another, unwrapping their sandwiches and beginning to eat. They make idle conversation, as Mumbo asks Grian about work and Grian inquires about whatever Mumbo gets up to during the day. Which then leads Mumbo to rambling about redstone projects, something that goes right over Grian’s head. It’s far from the first time Grian has spoken about it with someone, seeing as Impulse likes to talk about his projects from time to time. But it still makes Grian’s head spin.
Even then, he doesn’t understand how it works, and Mumbo quickly realizes that teaching Grian without the proper tools is a lost cause.
He still laughs though, taking a bite out of his sandwich, “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone so confused by redstone!”
Grian huffs playfully at that, “Can you blame me? None of those bits and bobs of redstone make any sense! I’m a writer, not a redstoner!” He looks over at Mumbo as he says it, but the sight of the vampire makes him break out into laughter.
“What?” Mumbo blinks at him in return, noticing his sudden laughter.
“Y-Your face!” Grian laughs, “You look like you’ve just drunk the blood of a tomato!”
And he’s already reaching for napkins as Mumbo frets, suddenly flustered by how foolish he must look. Grian grabs a napkin or two out of the basket, passing it to Mumbo, who takes it gratefully. He’s quick to wipe his chin off, and makes sure to be a little more careful with the tomatoes in his sandwich.
When they’re both done, Grian takes their plastic wrappers and sets them inside the basket, using it as a makeshift trash bin for the time being.
He turns to Mumbo, “Well? What’s my rating?”
“Huh?” Mumbo stares at him, having already forgotten their earlier conversation. “Oh!” he exclaims when it hits him, and he sits up a bit straighter. “I think I’ll give a four out five star review.”
“What?! Only four stars?!” Grian cries, looking bewildered.
“Well if this had been at night I would’ve easily rated it a five out five,” Mumbo replies, teasing him. He does appreciate the effort Grian has put into this, even if it is something small. He’s still incredibly touched by Grian’s thoughtfulness.
Though that does bring him to another question. One that’s been nagging at him for quite some time.
Grian playfully huffs at him, “After all of the work I’ve put into this.” He shakes his head, setting the basket aside so that he can lay down on the blanket.
Mumbo chuckles at him, watching him move. He then hums, “Grian?”
“Hmmm? Have you got more complaints for me?” Grian’s tone is lighthearted as he says it, a give away that he isn’t at all offended by the teasing.
Falling quiet for a moment, Mumbo considers his question. He finds himself feeling frozen in place, wondering if he should join Grian laying down. “Not that I er… don’t appreciate the company, I suppose, but I just wonder why you’ve decided to spend the day with me.” It feels a bit embarrassing to ask Grian about this, all things considered. “I would’ve assumed that you had other people to hang out with…”
A quiet hum leaves Grian as he lays down fully, directing his gaze up to the brightly colored green leaves hanging above him. A breeze blows through, causing them to sway as the branches move. He furrows his brows slightly before making a showing of moving over on the blanket, patting the spot beside him.
Mumbo takes that as his sign to move, and he awkwardly shuffles down the length of the blanket to lay back next to Grian. He feels part of his pony tail slide off his shoulder, resting on the checkered blanket underneath him.
“Honestly? I don’t really have any friends in Aqua Town,” Grian admits to him, making Mumbo turn his head. “I think outside of Impulse, you’re the first person I’ve really connected with.”
Something squeezes in Mumbo’s chest as he looks at the melancholy smile forming on Grian’s face. “Oh,” is all that Mumbo says, because it’s the only thought that comes to mind.
Grian laughs, a sound that is light, “It’s part of the reason why I was so determined to become friends with you! I mean, you seemed just as lonely as I was, and well… I knew there was something more to you than what you were showing. Which I turned out to be right about.” He shrugs with a playful smile. “Besides, even if I did have other friends in town, I still would’ve chosen to spend my day off with you.”
His admittance has Mumbo’s face growing warm, and he can’t help the small noise of surprise that escapes him. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to how sincere Grian can be. How open he is. It’s like watching someone wear their heart on their sleeve, exposed for any passersby to see. It’s admirable, honestly.
“Thank you, then. For erm, dragging me out of the manor,” Mumbo tells him, trying to connect with him just as Grian has done. He sounds so painfully awkward, his isolation having ruined any social skills he may have once had. “I think the fresh air has done me good.”
Grian chuckles, “You’re welcome! I’m glad there wasn’t a second of doubt. My ideas are always great.”
Mumbo snorts, “Mate it’s not good to lie to yourself.”
“Hey!” Grian squawks, “I’ll have you know I’m very honest with myself when the time calls for it!” he defends himself, and Mumbo lifts a brow.
“In the time I’ve known you, I don’t think you’ve made one good decision,” he retorts.
“Yeah? Well then what about this picnic?” Grian challenges him, grinning.
Mumbo splutters, “I– picnic aside, I can count the number of good decisions you’ve made on one hand.” Grian laughs at him before they settle down again.
The pair turn to staring up at the leaves above them, getting as close to watching the clouds in the sky as they can. Mumbo almost wishes the sun didn’t burn him, if only so he could sit with Grian and point out little shapes within the clouds.
“I don’t think I’ve ever properly thanked you,” Mumbo mumbles to him.
“For what?” Grian looks over at him, brown eyes alight with curiosity.
“For all of this. For being you,” Mumbo answers. “I’ve… dealt with a lot of humans over the years, and I’ve always found that they’re the same. But you… I don’t know, you’re different. Kinder, I think. I mean, just look at everything that you’ve done today! A-And this is all incredibly thoughtful. I mean, the things you’ve remembered I think most would have forgotten. And then you didn’t give up like the others even when I tried to scare you off, and goodness me, I don’t know what things would’ve been like if we weren’t working together on the murderer bit and–” he cuts himself off, realizing that he’s begun to ramble.
His cheeks warm, heart stuttering as he realizes he’s gone and made a fool of himself. “S-Sorry! Watchers, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to go ahead and just start rambling like that,” Mumbo rushes to apologize.
Yet Grian laughs softly, “Mumbo, relax, it’s fine!” Mumbo finds himself relaxing at that. “And for the record, I’m glad I met you as well. Ignoring the part where I found out that supernatural beings and magic exist, anyways.” He offers Mumbo a smile, and the vampire returns it.
They lay there for a while, talking about whatever comes to mind. Grian shares stories of himself and Pearl growing up, and what it was like in their hometown. In exchange, Mumbo tells him stories about Grum and Jrum.
Somewhere along their conversation, Mumbo finds himself drifting off. He feels so comfortable like this, laying next to Grian, content under the shade of the tree and talking about whatever comes to mind. His exhaustion surely catches up to him, and his eyelids grow heavy.
Listening to Grian talk, Mumbo drifts off.
Feeling a slight weight against his shoulder, Grian looks down. Mumbo’s head has moved down, his breathing light and airy. He blinks in surprise, lifting a finger to poke at the vampire’s cheek. “Mumbooo,” he says softly, but he gets no response.
Grian sets his hand down, snickering at how deeply asleep Mumbo is. He turns his gaze back up to the tree above him, humming quietly. He tries not to shift all that much as Mumbo sleeps, not wanting to disturb his rest. He sneaks a glance at his phone for the time before setting it down.
A light nap doesn’t sound too bad.