Chapter Text
It turned out that the machine had a lot of flukes that allowed it to either explode, catch on fire, or just stop working when Grian was the one operating it. They spent the next week messing with it, the blonde going over everyday to help test, although Mumbo was very explicit about the Avian NOT going near any of his important contraptions now that he’d seen ‘the curse’ in action.
After about a week Grian walked over to the base to find Etho and Mumbo at their workbench carefully editing the designs for the drill.
“What are you doing? I thought you weren’t gonna edit them until we were done?”
They looked up at him, redstone dust coating their clothes and faces as normal.
“Didn’t Scar tell you? We’re getting ready to move on to the next season. We’re gonna re-build the machine there and continue testing.” Etho asked, looking back down and continuing the design.
Grian winced, “Oh yeah, I forgot he mentioned something about that…”
Grian stood there for another minute then walked out of the base to leave them to it.
*>·◡·<*
*ding*
Grian jolted, still not used to the noise. Xisuma had given him a brand new communicator since with the next starting he would officially become a Hermit.
<XisumaVoid> Everyone please meet at spawn. It’s time to leave!
The blonde had been expecting the message, and quickly hopped off the tree he was perched in, noticing for the first time that his wings were beginning to hurt a little more whenever he moved them. That didn’t seem good…
He quickly walked towards spawn. He’d been waiting nearby since about sunrise so he wouldn’t be the last one to the portal since he was the only one who had to walk, everyone else used an elytra. He was still almost the last one there, tying with Mumbo who practically dive bombed the group as soon as he arrived.
“Okay everyone! Now that we’re all here, are we ready to move on to season nine?” Xisuma asked, grinning underneath his mask.
Cheers rang out from the whole crew.
“Alright then! Lets g-!” The rest of his sentence was cut off as he stepped through the portal, the crowd of Hermits following close behind. Grian and Scar the only ones left as everyone else disappeared. As Scar moved towards the portal, he noticed Grian wasn’t following and turned to look at the Avian, noticing he was trembling slightly.
Frowning, he asked, “You ok G?”
The blonde just stood there for a second silently before tentatively replying, “I- last time I stepped through a portal I was captured by Them…”
Scar’s eyes widened in shock! This was the first time Grian had talked about any of his past since the meeting with X a week earlier.
“Oh, Grian, I…”
The man had no clue how to reply to that, so he just walked up and grabbed the Avian’s hand, smiling softly.
“Come on, we’ll step through together.”
Grian hesitated for a moment before slowly taking a step towards the portal, then another. When they were standing right in front of the portal, he shut his eyes as he took the final step, the weird feeling of the portal’s power surrounding him for an instant before he once again felt the warm Overworld air.
Opening his eyes, he smiled. He saw exactly what he was supposed to. The Overworld stretching out in front of him. The large group of Hermits chatting and a little ways to his left. And Scar, standing next to him smiling like a madman at the blonde.
*>·◡·<*
“I know, I know! But it’s not my fault, I was born with the curse!” Grian huffed good-naturedly.
Mumbo laughed at his friend’s expression, “You do not seriously expect me to believe that ever since you were born, you have broken every redstone device you come in contact with.”
“Mumbo, we have been on this server for all of two days, and I have already exploded the entrance of your base trying to get through the redstone door, caught you auto tree farm on fire, and released all your sheep out of their pens with a misplaced water bucket. All I’m saying is that you should find a way to either Grian proof it or just have a normal door so I can visit you without destroying your hard work.”
“I still don’t believe that the sheep thing was an accident.” the man muttered as he continued repairs on what used to be the entrance of his base.
Suddenly, they heard a noise behind them and, seeing a portal, both stopped what they were doing and silently took up defensive positions in front of it, ready to attack whatever came through. What walked through the portal made them both freeze, one in confusion, the other in shock.
As Grian locked eyes with the Avian standing before him unsteadily, the newcomers eyes widened in amazement. He whispered, “Grian?” before his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out, Grian lunging forward just in time to grab him but falling to the ground under the weight of the familiar figure.
The blonde stared at where the portal had been, arms coming around the other as tears streamed down his face, not wanting to look down for fear his eye were deceiving him. He willed himself to look down at the man laying in his lap, letting out a sob as he recognized the boy.
“Timmy…” He sobbed, holding the other close to him.
Mumbo just looked on, not knowing what to do to help or if he should interfere in the first place. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Grian’s sobs of joy turned into small sniffles as he tried to get himself under control.
“Mumbo, message Doc, tell him to get a cot ready, please.” he almost whispered.
The human quickly sent a message before walking over to help his friend and helping him lift the limp figure.
They picked him up, Grian grabbing his legs and Mumbo his arms, and hurriedly carried him to Doc’s base. Since the dock of his starter base was on the opposite shore, they had to set the man on the ground and wait as Mumbo built a one-block cobblestone bridge across the water and to the side of Doc’s boat where he proceeded to break a hole in the wall. Doc protested loudly until he saw the limp figure and helped them inside.
As they set the new Avian on the cot Doc had just set up, the creeper hybrid’s communicator dinged twice. He checked the messages on it and frowned, walking over to the supplies closet and getting out two more cots.
“What is it?” Mumbo asked, Grian too preoccupied with their ‘guest’ to be paying any attention.
“Xisuma and Scar both just messaged me separately. They both told me to get a cot out and that I would be getting a new patient.”