Archive of Our Own ^beta

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     There was one rule about the server that was never spoken: don’t ask about pasts. When you entered Hermitcraft, you were staring anew. Running from a past life? Hiding from abuse? Anything that made you flee from your own home was never asked about. It was a secret only the members who wanted their pasts shared let be known.

     Grian had many secrets. He was, after all, the newest member and felt that the others would disown him for some on them, no matter what evidence proved otherwise. While him being a former Watcher was one that he hated, he hated another, major part of him that made him unable to form anything beyond a friendship- he was born as Ruby, the female Avairan. The server didn’t know much about his species, making the dull brown wings much easier to pass off as being natural for males.

     Grian hated hiding such secrets from his friends. He really did. But, he didn’t trust them enough to tell them that he had been lying the day he entered Hermitcraft. He liked to think that he was a good person. He liked to think that he could forever be Grian with no hormones or surgery. However, some part of him wanted to scream that he was a filthy, dirty liar who was living with false delusions.

     He hated how his mind played tricks on him like that. He had no issues living as Grian. Hell, it was the best route for his mental health. His parents had denied who he was at first but that only made him flee to where he could be Grian, not Ruby.

     Right now, Grian was currently mining open a small spot in his base so he could sleep. It appeared to be just his normal wall but Grian knew it hid a bedroom behind it, complete with a shower and spare clothes. He gathered up the two pieces of white concrete that he had mined and set them back up where they once were after entering. He went about removing his shirt and binder, sliding into his bed and sighing at being able to actually breathe again. 

     “God, I think wearing that stupid thing is more tiring than even building this base…” He muttered. His chest hurt from wearing it for so long, though he often refused to take it off until he was able to sleep. No one could bother him in here unless they were messing around too much in his base. More tired than he should be, Grian closed his eyes and let sleep over take him.

     Grian opened his eyes to see the void. When did he get here? He hadn’t been in the void for quite a few years. Out of the fog that the hellish landscape always produced came a Watcher he had come to call Mirror, for she had the ability to create temporary copies of herself and, with massive amounts of energy, clones of others. “Well, it’s nice to see you again, Ruby.”

     Grian shuddered at his birth name. He fucking hated it and Mirror knew; yet, she loved to make him angry. She hummed and lifted his chin with one hand, forcing him to look into her eyes. “Oh, Ruby…”

     “It’s Grian-“ He spat out before earning a sudden slap to the face that sent him to the ground. “I don’t care what you say or think. I’m Grian,” he hissed out.

     “Yes, but your Ruby is showing…” She snapped and his soul glowed a soft blue. “Drinking leads to mistakes, after all.” She snapped again and Grian noticed a tiny soul glowing on his lower torso. Did that mean-

     “…You’re lying! There is no way I’m pregnant! I’ve only had sex with one damn person in three years and that was-“ He froze. It was 2 months ago after a party, where he hooked up with Xisuma. “…ohgod I’m pregnant.”

     “Yes, you are, Ruby. Your friends are going to hate you. For hiding your gender from them. I’m sure your friend would have brought along protection if he knew you were lying to him about who you are.” Mirror hummed and waved her hand, the void becoming a vision of  Evo. “These friends know who you are. They’ll care for you. Just return to your post and we’ll allow you to interact with them, Ruby.”

     Grian saw all old Evo friends all building to get to the new Watcher clue. Netty was playfully arguing with Zee and Sam while Pearl happily asked for more blocks. He could heard Zee speak. “I wonder if Grian is ever coming back…”

     “See, Ruby? They miss you. Come with us.”

     “It’s Grian!” He hissed out, sitting up. “I’m not coming back just to dump a baby on my friends, anyways! I left for a reason, Mirror!” He stood up and began trying to will himself to wake up. “I’m not Ruby! Ruby is dead! Ruby is gone! Ruby was never anybody!”

     Grian sat up in bed and found himself covered in sweat and his stomach churning. “…” He ran a hand over his belly and noted that he had gained a hint of weight. “Was she right?” He mused, nausea rising up in his throat. It made too much sense. Morning sickness. Soreness in the chest. Hormones going a bit crazy… Hell, the last time he had a period was- “Ohmygod Xisuma is going to fucking hate me…”

     Grian sighed and accepted that he’d have to add another secret to his list. He didn’t know how he’d hide a pregnancy nor how this would reveal who he was born as. “Ruby is dead… Ruby is gone… Ruby was never anybody…” He felt warm tears run down his face and resigned himself to facing this alone.

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     ‘I’m safe. I’m whole. I’ve got this under control.’ Grian panted and slid down the slick concrete he had added onto Sahara; the material was always so heavy and, with it raining at the moment, he had even more trouble lifting it. Tired and wanting nothing more than to take his binder off, he stood up but found his legs too weak to stand and only fell into the mud.

     A month had passed since Mirror and the other Watcher- Flare- had began torturing Grian with hallucinations and nightmares. It had a negative impact on his sleep and perhaps even the child he didn’t want. As much as he wanted to say that he didn’t care, something inside of him wanted nothing more than the well being of his unborn child.

     Grian heard someone whisper his name, making his head jerk up. Mirror had created a hallucination of herself with a sly smile. “You have one more chance, Ruby. Come with us and your child will be well cared for. No one will know of the mistake you made.” Before the hermit could protest, Mirror waved her hand and Grian began to hallucinate wildly.

     He was in the void with Xisuma before him, a glare upon his face. “I can’t believe you lied to us, Gr-“ Xisuma paused to chuckle in disbelief. “I’m sorry. You lied to us, Ruby.” Grian’s stomach twisted and jerked at his friend spitting out his birth name with hate. “You can only stay here if you get rid of the child. I don’t care if it’s mine. I don’t want it ever to be born. If you can’t do that, Ruby, then leave.”

     Grian choked out a sob as the hallucination changed to Mumbo and Iskall with hateful glares. Iskall spoke to Mumbo, a vile smirk upon his face. “I don’t know, Mumbo. Maybe we should leave her. After all, Grian never existed. Only Ruby.” He laughed and looked at the sobbing hermit with glee in his eye. “Isn’t that right, Ruby? You lied to us and now we don’t want your kind here. If we see you again, we’ll teach you a lesson that’ll never be forgotten!”

     Grian reached out to his friend and wailed his apologies. “I’m sorry! You don’t understand! You don’t know what it’s like to be like this! To have to hide who you are!” He gripped the dirt and felt the mud go under his nails and heard it squelch around his fingers, grounding him and dispelling all illusions around him. He looked around before curling up around himself and wailing into his arms.

    A voice was barely heard until a hand gently rested on Grian’s shoulder, rubbing it and his back as the other sobbed. It was oddly comforting and, despite fearing that his friend would feel his binder, he let it continue for an unknown amount of time. Listing his head despite feeling weak and exhausted, he noticed that it was Xisuma who had been comforting him, even building an overhang above them to shield the two from the rain.

     This was the man who had unknowingly destroyed his mental stare. Yet, Grian was still comforted by him. He didn’t love him but… Somewhere, deep inside of his very being, he didn’t regret that one night stand. Both had been drunk and both made a mistake. Grian just wondered if Xisuma remembered that night and Grian’s secret.

     “You okay now?” Xisuma asked, his voice soft and caring. He loved every member in his own way- often said they were almost family. He didn’t even know that he had a family being created right beside him. “I don’t know what happened but you kept muttering about someone named Ruby and how you were sorry…”

     Grian sat up and leaned on Xisuma, sighing. He saw Mirror one last time before she walked away, leaving a voice echoing in his head. “I gave you a chance. And now you’ll pay for denying it. They all will…” He gulped and buried his face into Xisuma’s chest with a whimper, his feathers ruffled out to their full and his entire body shaking as he fought tears once more.

     “I… Y-yeah. I just got overwhelmed by building, Area 77, Sahara, and the minigames. It can be too much sometimes.” Grian gave a fake smile and felt Xisuma relax.

     “Good. Because if someone is hurting you, then I’ll take care of it.” The admin hugged Grian tightly and stood up. “You look pretty beat up. Let me take you home.” Grian was too tired to argue and just prayed to be able to take his binder off after Xisuma left and before falling asleep.

     Grian yawned and stretched on bed, getting up and feeling his stomach. He must have fallen asleep before getting to his base because he didn’t even remember coming here. All he recalled was Xisuma helping him into a boat and rowing towards his home despite there being a nether hub. Said it was more relaxing and let them talk; Grian blacked out before he could talk, however. He wondered if Xisuma had noticed his weight gain and found his binder on, though he knew logically that Xisuma would never pry. Perhaps that’s why they were drawn to each other that fateful night… He was a great man.

     He checked his communicator and jumped at how it was full of messages of desperation. They all mentioned the Watchers and that made Grian’s stomach drop. Not quite thinking, he grabbed his stuff and ran outside, gasping at Mumbo’s base completely torn apart with items everywhere. Every instinct told him to run and go to another world. “No. Not again,” he growled to himself, spreading his wings and taking off.

     His extra weight made it a little difficult to fly but he managed, praying Mumbo wasn’t too hurt. He would respawn but the Watchers had a nasty habit of altering someone every time they had to respawn to the point where they were no longer themselves. Grian flew around and sighed when he noticed that Mumbo was nowhere to be seen and remembered that he was meant to be working on Sahara today.

     The flight was messy, at best, but Grian swallowed his fear and passed by completely destroyed builds. He refused to take the nether in case it was a trap. Upon reaching the shopping district, Grian almost crashed. He landed and observed the many destroyed shops.

     Flare walked up behind him; he could tell from their intense energy. Whipping around, he was hit in the stomach and forced to the ground. Worry of his bundle filled his mind but he shook it off. “Fare! Leave my friends alone!” He hissed out with as much venom as he could muster through his pain.

     “You had a chance to come with us, Ruby,” Flare spat back, their creeper like eyes full of anger. “You had a chance for a happy life and for a family to care for that horrid brat you have! But, now…” Flare chuckled and grinned. “I’ll make sure not only the world knows of your secret, but you’ll lose it too!” They swung their diamond axe but Grian rolled out of the way, scrambling up and running. “We’ll always find you, Ruby!”

     Grian checked his communicator as he ran, lungs burning and his body screaming to rest and make sure the child in his womb was okay. He ignored his body’s pleas out of fear and dodged burning bits of shop.

>Xisumavoid: I don’t know who these Watchers are but we need to abandon this area. Gather the bare essentials and meet me at spawn everyone!

>MumboJumbo: My base is completely destroyed so can someone grab me some food from their base?

>Iskall85: Can do! I’m getting stuff for Stress anyways!

>Stressmonster101: Thank you! Has anyone seen Grian?

>Xisumavoid: I put him to bed last night. I haven’t seen a death message so maybe he’s just hiding away. He’ll see us at spawn. I’m sure of it.

     Grian ran into Sahara and raided the many shulker boxes for food and supplies, grabbing as many empty ones as he could carry. He had no doubt that, in their panic, not many would remember to bring those. Once his inventory bad was full, he took to the skies and looked at the world once more, sorrow rising in his chest and forcing tears in his eyes. “…Goodbye, Hermitcraft.”

     He flew towards spawn, knowing full well that this might be the last time he saw the area everyone had made a civilization out of. The last time he’d see what made the world what it was. They couldn’t start over, either. The Watchers would hunt them down until Grian admitted to being Ruby and left with them.

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     Grian coughed and expelled his breakfast, leaning against a tree and whimpering. Mumbo rubbed his back in comfort. “Jeez, it sucks to have a stomach bug while on the run,” his friend muttered. Grian nodded weak and vomited again, cursing himself for eating so early. It had only been a day and they were already halfway to the world border. Xisuma had said that he’d extend it once they got there.

     “I’ll be fine. Soon…” Worry gnawed at his stomach, which still hurt from Flare hitting it. No bleedings had occurred nor did it seem like the pregnancy had been terminated, but the hermit was still worried. This was his child!

     “We just need to let this pass.” Mumbo helped his friend back to the temporary base camp they had set up, unaware of Grian’s secret. “Iskall and I will help you out, don’t worry.”

     Grian silently wondered why he had been drawn to Xisuma rather than Mumbo. They had all been under the influence. Mumbo was, after all, his best friend and he was quite attractive. So, why didn’t Mumbo and Grian lock together in drunken passion that night? Why was it derpy, silly Xisuma? He wasn’t even that attractive to Grian!

     Grian knew. Some part of him wanted to love Xisuma. Some part of him wanted to be “normal” and not aromantic. But, he knew who he was and, in his drunken state, he maybe thought that getting knocked up would allow him to love. Instead, it created issues and mental torture for Grian. Part of him hated himself for it.

     They entered base camp, which was nothing but tents and shulker boxes. The hermits sat around a campfire and prepared for the day. Wels and Python were about to go gathering supplies while Cub and Scar sparred with each other to polish up their PvP skills. Xisuma was talking to Iskall, Doc, and Ren. False and Stress were talking possible battle plans as Keralis talked to Joe and Cleo.

     Mumbo helped Grian over to Joe, letting the tired hermit lay down in Joe’s bed once the other gave permission. Tired and hungry again, Grian tried to listen in on Mumbo talk while pretending to try to sleep. “He got sick again. I’m worried because he can’t seem to keep anything down today…” Mumbo muttered, shuffling.

     “Well, I’ll see what I can do… While he may just have a 24 hour bug, it’d be best to check him out.” Joe got up and stretched, walking into the tent and closing the flap. “Alright, Grian.”

     Grian sat up but felt nausea wash over him and he had to grab the nearest bucket, vomiting up what was left of his breakfast and dry heaving after. Joe rubbed his back and kneeled down next to him. “I’m sorry,” Grian managed to mutter, tears pricking at the edge of his eyes.

     “Don’t be. You’re sick and that’s fine. Now, can you lay back and let me give you a quick check up?” Joe guided the other into laying on the bed and started lifting his sweater. “I’m just going to check for anything odd like bruising or cuts; you have yet to be given a proper checkup since the attack.”

     Grian grabbed Joe’s wrist and whimpered, fear in his eyes. He didn’t want Joe to see his binder or even notice the bump he had! “I-I’m sorry. I’m just…. Nervous. I’m sure I’m fine…”

     Joe blinked before sighing. “For once, I’m going to have to be a little mean and say that I don’t care. You could have seriously been hurt and I will not let a friend continue on hurting if I can fix them!” He jerked away from Grian’s grip and removed his sweater quickly, pausing upon seeing the binder; it was too small to be disguised as an undershirt and the excuse of a bra wouldn’t help at all.

     Joe’s eyes traced down to the bruising on Grian’s stomach and he gently ran his fingers across the obvious swell occurring. “…Grian, are you okay?”

     Grian whimpered and curled up away from Joe, tears running down his face as thoughts raced away from his control. He found himself sobbing out incoherent apologies and begging Joe to not hate him and for him to not tell anyone no matter what. Grian felt a hand on his shoulder and became convinced that Joe was about to drag him out for everyone to see the shameful being that was him; the freak who got knocked up yet still desired to be male.

     “Grian, calm down. I won’t hurt you,” Joe whispered with a soft hum to his voice. “Listen, I’ll keep your secret because it’s not right to out someone like that. However, judging by the look on your face, you know you’re pregnant. You need to come to me once a week to check up on the child and, once you get bigger, we’ll figure it out from there.” Joe gave Grian his sweater back and grabbed a healing potion. “Drink this,” he grabbed a water bottle. “And this. Then rest. If I catch you getting up, I’ll drag you back to bed.”

     Grian sighed and laid his head back, defeated. Joe wouldn’t let him suffer through his mistake alone. While he was glad to have a friend who he could count on, Grian felt guilty for now having this burden on the kind hermit. He decided to rest before doing anything else, closing his eyes and letting sleep overtake him. He was sure that Joe would let no one in the tent while he slept.

     Grian panted as his feet pounded on the ground. He wanted to lead the Watchers away from his friends. In fact, he had been doing this for 3 days now. Grian had barely stopped in that time despite his entire body hurting and screaming for him to take care of his child. He just wanted his friends to be safe!

     He heard Mirror’s voice cackle around him. “Oh, Ruby… You’ll kill all your friends if you keep hanging around them… They’ll hate you once they realize that the coming deaths will be all because of you…”

     Grian tripped and hit the ground, waking up with a start. He had been dreaming. He looked to Mumbo nearby, the mustached hermit twitching in his sleep but otherwise fine. Iskall was on the other side, snoring loudly. Grian came from his tent and jumped upon seeing Xisuma awake. He had taken night shift last night, so why was he awake? “Can’t sleep?” Grian asked, sitting beside the barely lit campfire.

     Xisuma chuckled and nodded, poking at the dying embers. “I had a nightmare. You?”

     “I fell asleep and had a small one. One where I was on my own and running.”

     “I had one where these Watchers took everyone and made them into slaves…” Xisuma looked to the world border, which they had reached 2 days ago. Xisuma was trying to get the code going to extend it but was having some issues. “I was the only one left.”

     Guilt made Grian’s stomach twist and he wanted to vomit. “I… I’m sorry…” He managed to mutter before Xisuma shrugged.

     “It’s just a nightmare, Grian. Don’t know what you’re sorry about.” He turned when Cub came back from patrol. “Cub, I’ll take the next patrol. I can’t sleep.” Cub nodded and let Xisuma wander off before he went to bed.

     Grian whimpered and debated just running. He… he was going to either have to fess up to what was going on or have his friends get killed. Both options were torture.

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     Grian blankly watched as the world border faded out to reveal new lands. He felt numb and tired, though that could be because he hadn’t been able to keep any food down lately; his hand instinctively traced over his growing stomach as he cursed his unborn child for rejecting the food he tried to provide himself and it. “Alright, let’s go,” he curtly muttered, earning a few worried looks as he pushed his way past everyone and began walking to the new lands.

     Everyone hesitated in following but he assumed they blamed it on his “illness.” He wanted them to think he was sick for now. Just until he figured out how to break the news. Joe had been trying to help out the best he could but there was only so much the other could do for Grian’s damaged mental state as it deteriorated further.

     He saw someone walk up beside him and turned his head, curious as to why Python would approach him. The other hermit suffered from anxiety and depression, thus making his appearances somewhat of a rarity. “Hey, Grian!” He happily said rather loudly, excitement in his eyes. “Joe said you might still be hurting from the attack. Said you had bruising. Is it alright if I use a minor healing spell on you?”

     Python knew magic? Sure, many hermits had some basic form of magic but healing magic was hard to do right; too much and you’ll shut their body down while too little would mean their recovery would take longer. Joe knew various healing spells and often used them in place of regeneration or instant health potions. He was a master at that.

     “Uh… you’re a magic user?” Grian raised an eyebrow, being mindful as they crossed a into an oddly dense mega taiga biome.

     Python nodded with his usual, cheery grin. “Joe taught me! When I came here, I was scared of a lot…” His grin faded. “I was afraid of meeting the other hermits and a lot of things made me have panic attacks. But, Joe helped me through a lot of them and I’m surprised it isn’t as well known. Then again…” The creeper hybrid chuckled. “I don’t ever want to relive the part of my life that caused those panic attacks…”

     Grian felt at ease with Python near. He seemed honest enough and being trained by Joe led to his creditability. “How is Joe? I’ve talked to him a few times but it’s never been in depth like others have had.”

     “Joe’s a simple man. Little weird sometimes but we all love him for it!” Python raced ahead to pick some flowers growing. Grian couldn’t help but to chuckle before feeling himself want to get sick. It wasn’t his usual morning sickness, either. Every instinct was screaming at him to run.

     He began looking around before noticing Mirror too late. She had disguised herself as Python at the back of the group and was now dropping her mirroring of the kind hermit, sword heading for Mumbo. Grian acted before he could think and ran ahead. He was too late and, before he knew it, Mumbo was unmoving at his feet with the other hermits looking shocked.

     “Oh, Ruby…” Mirror cackled, sending magic through the crowd and forcing them to the ground. “You really thought I’d let you go on by without some harm coming to your friends?” She was on him in an instant with her sword pressing against his skin. “Let this be a lesson…”

     Grian gasped and his world shifted to see Mumbo above him, worry etched into his face. “Grian? You had a panic attack…”

     It couldn’t have been a panic attack. It all felt so real! Then again, Mirror was known for her vivid hallucinations. Grian whimpered and felt his world shift again. “N-no! I’m sorry!” He screamed out as loud as he could, praying someone would ground him and force him back to reality.

     “I’m sorry, Mirror! I’m sorry, Flare!” He saw Xisuma before him. Despite knowing it was a hallucination, the hatred on the admin’s face felt all too real. Xisuma pointed his sword at Grian’s head with malic in his eyes.

     “You lied to me.” He laughed in disbelief. “You lied to all of us. But, maybe it was for the best… If I found out you had my kid before Mirror did us all a favor… I would have done the job myself…” Grian was confused before noticing blood on his hands and legs. He yelled and sobbed loudly, wailing out his grief.

     “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Xisuma! This was never meant to happen!” He reached out for his friend but found himself weighed down by something as Xisuma walked back into the void surrounding them. “Please… don’t hurt my baby…”

     The world shifted again but Grian was still trapped. Flare was sitting in front of him, anger on their face. “You just had to listen. You just needed to come with us… Now, you’re down a child and a friend. They all hate you…”

     Grian thrashed about and kicked something, lunging at Flare and wrapping a hand around their throat, using the free one to punch as hard as his weak body could do so. “Leave me alone!” He screeched, wings spreading as someone pulled on them. A small wad of feathers were pulled out, the pain grounding Grian so suddenly that he fell back and coughed.

     The world was normal again. He looked around and saw Xisuma on the ground in front of him, coughing and catching his breath as his helmet laid halfway broken near him; his cheek and eye were already starting to bruise and his nose had blood running from it. Grian looked to the other hermits and saw Python getting up, clenching his chest; he had a noticeable footprint there. Mumbo was holding a few feathers in shock, scratches bleeding on his face as Joe wiped his own bloody nose away.

     Had he done this? “I-“ Grian started but Xisuma gently kicked his leg.

     “No. Y-you were having some b-bad flashbacks…” He sat up with Python’s assistance as Scar and Cub check on Mumbo and Joe, Cleo trying to squeeze past them to get to Joe. “It’s ok-okay…” He coughed and smiled, making Grian notice that he had a missing tooth plus a chipped one.

     “I attacked you!” Grian stood up and prepared to fly but someone grabbed one of his wings. He turned his head to see Joe, who only shook his head. Grian understood the message. Joe wouldn’t allow him to run away and possibly harm his child. “I’m sorry…” He whispered

     Python walked over to Grian and sighed. “Don’t be.” The others seemed to agree, for the most part. Grian sat down and laid back, wings spread.

     “I’ll try not to be.”

     “Grian. You don’t have to answer this if it’s too much, but you kept mentioning a baby and someone named Ruby?” Xisuma looked worried and sat in front of Grian. “What’s going on?”

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          “Grian. You don’t have to answer this if it’s too much, but you kept mentioning a baby and someone named Ruby? What’s going on?”

     When Grian had heard those words, he wanted to scream out everything. Instead, he shoved past Joe and ran as fast as he could. Hell, he even flew high into the sky to avoid detection. ‘They can’t know! They’ll hurt the baby!” His mind raced as he realized that he really did care for this child. He really did love it.

     He flew until his body didn’t want to anymore so he glided down to the edge of the forest biome his friends were in. It was oddly huge and even bled into a savannah biome, making some acacia trees large. Judging by the magical energy he felt, someone was nearby practicing heavy magic and inadvertently mutating the land. Maybe hiding with the stranger would be best. The magic would hide his own energy signature.

     He flew down and searched the land for any identifying marks showing where a hidden base could be. He could hear someone but not see them… He noticed a redstone torch in his pocket and remembered that Mumbo and him had been playing with it the other night, Mumbo recalling that he loved to use it or hidden entrances.

     Focusing his senses, he picked up on a hollow space nearby and set a the torch down beside it. A piston pushed a grass block away, breaking the torch, and opening up a staircase. Grian grabbed his redstone torch and ran in, barely avoiding being crushed by the returning blocks. He looked at the staircase he was on and found it nice. Spruce stairs with oak fences on the side, lanterns hanging from the top. The walls were stone until he exited into a large room full of the essentials. It had acacia walls and birch shelves with many chests above and below.

     “Functional…” He muttered, jumping when someone forced him to the ground and made his soul glow. He couldn’t help but to notice that his child’s soul was glowing as well.

     “Give me one good reason why I should rip your soul apart and destroy your very existence!” The homeowner yelled. He had short brown hair, a tank top, sweatpants, blue eyes, and pale skin. He wore a wristband that had the trans flag on it as well as a necklace with a spade symbol decorated with the asexual flag on it.

     Grian recognized his voice as being disguised as masculine and realized that this man was trans, like him. “Woah, woah!” He chuckled nervously. “I just… need shelter. I have some… caretakers after me because… well, I’m like you.”

     It took a second for the man to fully understand what was said but, when he did, he let go of Grian and observed him, releasing the magic and making Grian’s soul fade back to being invisible. “Dude. What the fuck are you even doing out there if you’re on the run?! My base is magically guarded and I’m honestly surprised you found it!” He sighed and extended his hand. “As one guy to another, welcome. I’m Shy.”

     “Shy?” Grian questioned what kind of name that was, though it wasn’t as crazy as Zedaph or Iskall.

     “Yeah, short for my handle. Shylittlestump. You know how some people have unique handles for chats and go by said handles? That’s me. I hated my birth name so I yeet it away and became Shy.” Shy laughed and went into a chest, looking around. “Ugh. I need to organize this again.” He dug around as Grian sat before the campfire, which was nestled into a false fireplace.

     “I don’t know how you can organize your chests. I just toss everything into a shulker box and go.” He noticed Shy stop moving and looked back to see the other with a hilariously horrified look on his face. “Mumbo has the same reaction!” He cackled before his stomach growled, reminding him that he had yet to eat a proper meal.

     Shy walked over and shoved some mushroom stew in his hands. “Eat or I’ll kick your ass,” He sternly told the hermit. “You look like you’ve been flying for weeks.” He chuckled and watched his new housemate eat. “What are you even running from?”

     “…I guess reality. My friends don’t know who I was before I was Grian. I’m afraid they will know because the Watchers-“

     “Okay, first of all, hold up,” Shy interrupted. “Watchers? Dude, those fuckers are on a watchlist! The Council is trying to get them and kick their ass!” He ran to grab what Grian assumed were weapons, disappearing deeper into his base.

     Grian sighed and leaned back on his hands, watching the fire crackle and pop. He just let this stranger know who he was and his secret! But, Shy did seem pretty trustworthy and he had a decent sense of morality. Plus, he didn’t know his friends.

     Shy came back with some odd device Grian had never seen before. It was a small cylinder with countless buttons on its light blue metallic surface; it also had some weird symbol on both ends. Grian made note of that symbol, for he was sure that he had seen it before. Shy pressed a few buttons and a hologram came from the device, static on the holographic screen.

     “Come on…” Shy muttered, smacking the device. “Damn thing always jams up!” He sighed and turned to Grian. “If you need to clean and change, I have a shower area downstairs, down the left hall, to the right. I’ll grab you some clothes.”

     Grian nodded and found the bathroom quickly, getting undressed and hopping in the shower. He did feel pretty icky, considering he had been vomiting for the past week. So, he let himself relax and clean his body as a refresher. His hands traced over his stomach and he sighed, questioning once again what he’d tell Xisuma If the admin ever found him. He hoped he’d be able to flee once more.

Chapter Text

     Grian whimpered at his sore feet but kept on moving back home. He had been staying with Shy for the past 2 months and, despite his growing child, it was the happiest he had been in a long time; the Watchers had lost track of him and Shy did research for Grian when he was scared about the child. Grian took some bread from his bag, which he had used for a villager trading session; he slowly ate the bread and cursed the false contractions he had been having for the past week.

     Shy said they were called Braxton-Hicks contractions, which was basically false labor. He hated it but It was apparently natural. He also said that swollen feet were natural, as well as increased hormones. That did lead to some awkward situations but Grian found that his hormones had more control on him than his friendship with Shy did; that meant that they had become friends with benefits unintentionally.      He set his redstone torch down and opened the door, grabbing the “key” before entering. Shy was cooking some chicken on the campfire and actually had his binder off, which Grian had mistaken for a tank top before. He wore a loose shirt and shorts. After seeing each other naked and more, both had lose any sense of embarrassment about their bodies around each other. It was just two guys who weren’t transitioned yet chilling together.

     “I’m home,” Grian called out, making Shy turn and smile.

     “Oh, hey!” Shy stood up and walked over to Grian, kissing the smaller one’s forehead. It had become a sign of affection between them considering Avairans often groomed each others’ feathers in affection and, since their hair was basically feathers, it was included in that. “I was about to go looking!”

     “I’m fine. Don’t worry…” Grian removed his sweater and the spare bra Shy had given him. “I need to stop wearing that,” he muttered as he tossed on a T-shirt and sat before the fireplace, Shy sitting next to him.

     “I’ve done more research on the Watchers,” Shy told Grian. “You’re nowhere near the first they’ve mentally tortured. The Council is trying to trick them into following one of members so they can lure them into a trap.”

     Grian tilted his head, wings twitching. “What even is the Council? You mention it a lot…” He made his point by motioning to Shy’s odd device. “I’ve seen you talking to that thing too.”

     “Oh!” Shy seemed surprised that Grian asked. “Well, the Council takes care of threats to worlds across the multiverse. I have this because I’m a Warrior!” He puffed out his chest. “I may still be in training but I know I’ll be the best one day!”

     Grian chuckled and leaned onto his friend. “Is that why you run off for a day every week?”

     “Yeah. I don’t want to risk the Watchers picking up on your location so I train elsewhere. Plus, you’re pretty shy about your body around most people. I didn’t want to risk being out with you and your friends finding out your secret!” Shy grabbed some cooked chicken and ate it. “We’ll figure it out.”

     Grian smiled, glad his new friend took his situation and emotions into account when doing stuff. Shy wasn’t very empathetic but he had some sympathy,  though in his own blunt way. He refused to let Grian be depressed and do nothing, often coming across as stubborn or even a little mean. However, Grian knew he meant well and wouldn’t do anything to put him in harm’s way. Part of him wished he had met Shy before and was having his kid. Shy would have made a wonderful dad.

     “Have you eaten yet?” Shy asked, mouth full of food. Grian nodded and took some bread from his bag, which now sat beside him. The trans male nodded and grabbed his device when it beeped. He pressed a few buttons and motioned for Grian to move out of view, which Grian did. He didn’t want Grian to be visible during his calls for some odd reason. “Yo, what’s up?”

     “I hate to be the bearer of bad news simply because I’d rather be the messenger of good or even wonderful news…” Grian felt as if he recognized that voice. It was soft and sweet, like a peaceful song. “The Watchers seem to be in your area, Shy and-“ the voice paused. Grian couldn’t see who was on the hologram from behind it thanks to some off technology he didn’t understand but he assumed the pause was because Shy had taken another bit of chicken. “Shy, I know food is like love to you and we each have our own likes and dislikes, but please… Stop eating while I’m talking.”

     Shy swallowed his food and shrugged. “Listen. I trained my ass off yesterday, Mr Healer-Man. I’m fucking starving. But, tell me the news.”

     “The Watchers have noticed your magical energy. I suggest evacuation as soon as possible.”

     “Aw, what?! This is bullshit!” Shy set the device down and sighed, going to grab some shulker boxes. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, hm?”

     “You do not.”

     “Fuck. I just got comfortable! But, hey. Meet me at the nearby village. I have a housemate in case you forgot and he’s gonna need some help running. Poor guy is…” He looked to Grian. “It’s a long story. But, meet me up and I’ll be ready to skedaddle-skedoodle! Your heart is my noodle!”

      “That’s… not how the saying goes…”

     “Oh, put a sock in it. It makes me laugh.” He grabbed the device and hung up. “Alright. Sorry to displace you again but we gotta go! The Watchers are a bunch of asswipes who don’t know how to chill.” Shy gave Grian a shulker box. “I’ll help you pack up.”

     Anxiety welled up inside of Grian but both packed up what they could. “Who are we meeting?” He asked. “I just don’t know if I’m comfortable meeting someone I don’t even know. Especially with…” He traced a hand over his stomach, which was clearly visible even when he wore his sweater. “Well, with the little bundle coming…”

     “I know, but I’m thinking of your safety right now.” Shy grabbed Grian and exited the base once they were packed and Grian had his normal outfit back on. “Sometimes, I gotta be a dick and say fuck how you feel. You’re gonna live.”

     Grian sighed and knew Shy wouldn’t take no for an answer. He allowed himself to be taken to the nearby savannah village, where some villagers grunted in confusion. He knew they were confused as to why he was suddenly back.

    Shy took Grian to the center of the village and set up a campfire and set a haybale under it, making the smoke rise further. “This should tell him where we are in this village…” Shy muttered, climbing to the top of a tree and looking around. “He should be here soon…”

     “Who are we even looking for?” Grian called out to Shy. “Maybe I can help you look!”

     “Just some guy in a cloak with glasses!” Shy jumped down and landed gracefully. “Doesn’t matter. I see him. Looks like he dragged along his former apprentice.”

     “Who are they, anyways?”

     “They’re both Healers. At the Council, we have nicknames because the multiverse is big and sometimes multiple versions of the same people join. The one in the cloak is nicknamed Poet and the other is Poppy.”

     Poet and Poppy? Such odd nicknames, though Grian had no doubt that they fit the two Council members. He had a feeling that these nicknames were not unwarranted. “I hope they’re okay with… well, who I am…”

     “Ah, don’t worry. They’re total sweethearts. Plus, they’re pretty damn chill with me,” Shy hummed out as the two approached.

     Poet wore a blue cloak with a flower pin and dark glasses, his hair bushed neatly to one side. Poppy had red, freckled skin and wore a scarf around his eyes, flowers sewn into it with vines around the red scarf. He wore a suit with flower vines around his arms and flowers blooming from them. “Good afternoon,” Poet hummed out.

     ‘I swear, I know that voice!’ Grian began trying to compare memories of voices with Poet’s but Shy talking distracted him.

     “Alright. We’re heading on out and y’all are leading, ‘kay?” Shy stretched a few times before giving an exaggerated bow. “After you, my Healers…”

     Poppy waved for them to follow so, despite anxiety telling Grian to run, he followed them. However, he stuck close to Shy and found himself holding his friend’s hand. “It’ll be okay,” Shy whispered to him. “I trust these two with my life.”

     “…I hope I can trust them with both mine and my child’s….”

Chapter Text

     “Where are we going?’ Grian asked meekly due to them entering the taiga biome he had abandoned his friends in. “This place is… making me nervous…”

     Poet looked back and hummed softly, as if he was thinking. “I understand but we must escape this area as fast as we can. The Watchers have surely noticed that you and Shy are gone by now.”

     Grian whimpered and Shy grabbed his hand, squeezing it in comfort. “I’m not ready for the hallucinations again…” He had told Shy of what the Watchers had made him see and the nightmares he had.

     “I’ll ground you as fast as I can.” Shy kissed his forehead and pulled him closer. “We’re in this together. Also, I’ll kick their ass if they try anything.”

     Grian chuckled and leaned his head on Shy’s shoulder, both walking behind the two Council members. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and let the other lead by whispering when there was a rock or sudden drop.

     He froze when Shy stopped and questioned the voice he was hearing nearby. “…Shy?” He opened his eyes and saw Shy glaring at Poet. “What’s wrong?”

     “You tricked us, Poet!” Shy jerked away from Grian and stormed to the Council member, anger on his face and fire in his green eyes. “You dirty bastard! What the fuck were you even thinking?!”

     “Grian needs to be with his friends,” Poet calmly replied. Grian felt his stomach twist into a knot and he wanted to vomit; he didn’t want to be near them! They’d hate him for lying and surely they’d harm him!

     Grian took a few steps back before tripping and hitting the ground, which soon became the void around him. ‘Nonono! Not again!’ He got up and began running through the void, aware of the dips and drops he had to avoid. Flare’s voice echoed around him.

     “Aw, poor little Council betrayed you. They led you to your death!” Grian tripped and slid down a cliff, grunting at the rocks and dirt hitting him before he landed in water. He panicked and tried to find his way up but only seeing a hallucination of the void made it impossible. “You’ll respawn, sure. But you’ll lose your child forever… And they’ll hate you even more for it!”

     Grian felt his lungs burn as the river’s current pushed against him, disorienting the Avairan even more. He was going to die here! ‘Shy will get me!’ He told himself, feeling the bottom of the river. He kicked off of it and breached the surface, coughing and gasping for air before realizing that the void was gone. However, he had been pushed towards some rapids.

     Grian swam the best he could and gripped onto the high shore, though he couldn’t get a strong enough grip to pull himself out. The current tugged on him and the extra weight of his child only made it more difficult to fight it. Hell, he had lost the ability to fly just a week or so ago due to how heavy he was!

     “Help!” He yelled out, feet kicking at the decaying dirt and trying to find a grip so he could get up. “Somebody!” Tears filled his eyes and he dug his nails into the dirt, trying vainly to pull himself to safety. “I don’t want to die! I don’t want to lose my baby!”

     “Grian!” That was Xisuma! Xisuma raced forward with Shy and Poet, all three pulling him up to safety. Grian clung to the first person he could, which happened to be Xisuma. The rest of his friends ran to their location, all clearly worried.

     Poet and Poppy used magic to shed their Council outfits, revealing them to be Joe and Python. “What the hell were you thinking?!” Python yelled out. “You could have gotten killed!”

     “Grian, I thought we agreed no running!” Joe was clearly angry, though made no move towards the soaking wet, tired, and scared hermit. “It’s been over 2 months… Please tell me someone has been giving you regular checkups!”

     Shy cleared his throat. “Yo. I have some basic Healer training.” He looked to Grian, who was close to sobbing as his nails tried to dig into Xisuma’s armor. “Grian, I guess we can’t hide forever. Sorry, man. Might as well say something to your friends, even if two of them are dirty, lying assholes who trick us into coming here…” He glared at Joe and Python, who both looked away in shame. “I doubt we can hide it much longer…”

     Grian wanted to say something. He looked to Xisuma and found himself breaking into loud wails, clinging even tighter to the admin. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry I lied and I’m sorry I put all of you in danger!” He pushed himself away from Xisuma no matter how much he wanted to keep clinging; he wanted to be able to run if he needed to. “I’m sorry the Watchers destroyed our home!”

     He looked at his group of friends, backing away a bit when Mumbo took a step forward. “Truth is… I-I’m Ruby. That w-was my birth name and… I-I have yet t-to have surgery o-or hormones… I got drunk and… Xisuma knocked me up…” He noticed Shy walk up beside him and squeeze his hand. Grian buried his face into his partner’s shoulder and sobbed.

     It felt both wonderful and horrible to reveal his secret. Even if he did get disowned by his friends, he still had Shy and at least the trans man cared enough to not worry about his gender identity. “I’m sorry I hid this from you… I was scared you guys would hate me for it…”

     Xisuma chuckled softly, making Grian want to cry out and accept that they thought he was a joke. “Grian. I’m fine with you being trans. Hell, Ex and I are fraternal twins, which have a 50% chance of being a boy and girl. If I’m honest, he doesn’t care if I out him. He was born a girl.” Ex poked his head out from the group.

     “Sup. Been following you assholes then you left so I came in. Yeah, was born different. Who gives a fuck? X here is a dumbass and half of your other friends aren’t any better! But, they accept me.”

     Grian laughed softly and hugged Shy. “I was worried over… nothing? But…” He looked to his stomach. “You guys aren’t angry about Xisuma being a dad?”

     Xisuma shrugged. “I’m just as much to blame as you. We were both drunk and… Well, if you had told me, I would have figured out how to break the news gently.” He walked up to Grian and leaned down to his eye level with a smile. “Even if I don’t love you in a romantic sense, I’ll help raise my child. It’s the right thing to do…”

     Everyone piped up, agreeing they’d help too. Iskall ran up to Grian and hugged him, cheering. “UNCLE ISKALL WILL BE THE BEST UNCLE.”

     Grian squawked then laughed, looking to Shy. Shy smiled and kissed his forehead. “You have a support system, Grian.”

     Joe spoke up. “As much as I like happy moments, the watchers will keep on torturing Grian and attacking us until he comes with them. I suggest bringing in some extra power to fight them and be rid of them once and for all.”

     Python spoke his agreement. “Warrior is pretty hard headed and strong. He wants to get rid of them, too.”

     “Who’s Warrior?” Mumbo asked as he walked to Grian and hugged his friend.

     Python answered. “He’s an aid to Headmaster, the leader of the Council. He oversees the major parts of the Warrior class, like how Healer works with Healers and Informant does the same with her class. There are…” He counted on his fingers. “5 classes! Warrior, Healer, Informant, Scout, and Negotiator! Their names are pretty self-explanatory.”

     Joe continued. “Python and I belong to the Healer class. We were brought here to keep track of the area in case any threats came to damage this world. Shy was brought here a few months back to give us an idea as to where the Watchers were. It was sheer luck that Grian found him.”

     Xisuma tilted his head. “Are you sure we need the extra power? With Grian… in such a vulnerable position, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to let someone else into this world.”

     “I’m sure. We’re down a fighter because Grian needs to be protected. Warrior will be able to deal the final blow to Watchers anyways.” Joe walked to Shy and held out a badge with the same symbol on it that Shy had on his device. That’s where Grian had seen it!

     “Shy, you have done well. After this, I can see about you graduating to full Warrior. But, for now, I need you to pledge your loyalty in this fight.” Shy looked to the badge and nodded, gently touching it and causing the symbol on it to pulse.

     “I’m loyal to Grian and the Council.” Shy gave a determined look.

     Joe turned to Python. “I have no doubt your loyalty lies with me and the Council but Warrior will want some proof. So, Python, I need you to pledge you loyalty in this fight.”

     Python touched the badge and the symbol pulsed again, smiling. “I’m loyal to my mentor and the Council.”

     “Python. Shy. Do you swear to be ready to give your life for the protection of the people?” Joe’s gaze was hard and cold, making Grian shudder as Python and Shy replied at the same time.

     “I do.”

Chapter Text

    Grian whimpered and held his breath as Xisuma gently led him to their base camp. The plan was simple. Lure the Watchers away from camp and have Warrior give the final blow after everybody weakened them. Warrior had already arrived a few days ago and was currently talking down to Shy; Warrior was almost 7 ½ feet tall, had tan skin, dark hair, many scars, and wore Roman inspired armor with a rainbow jewel on his gauntlets. He had a nasty attitude and often called Joe and Python “flowering fucks.”

     Warrior seemed to spot Grian and his grin made the hermit shudder. “Look, it’s the knocked up fucker.” Warrior went to walk to Grian but was hit in the chest with a stick. Joe glared at Warrior, who gave a hard glare back.

     “Might I remind you that you are here only to fight?” Joe raised an eyebrow.

     “Not my damn fault the tranny got pregnant,” Warrior muttered before Python ran up from seemingly nowhere and kicked him behind the knee, forcing him to buckle to the ground. “JESUS CHRIST! YOU’RE AGGRESSIVE FOR A DAMN HEALER!”

     “You don’t speak about my friends like that!” Python yelled back, anger flaring in his eyes. He kicked Warrior in the stomach and walked over to Grian with a soft smile. “Sorry about him. He’s… not the nicest person around.”

     “I can see that,” Grian muttered. How the hell did someone like him get in a position of power? If what he was told about the Council was true, then this behavior wouldn’t be allowed- even more so for an aid like Warrior. Grian assumed this Headmaster Joe spoke so highly of didn’t know about the slurs Warrior threw around so casually. “What is his issue?”

     “I… really don’t know. He’s always been mean and hateful. I hope he retires soon…” Python glared in Warrior’s general direction before looking back to Grian. “How are you feeling?”

     “Tired. Bloated. Hungry.” Grian hadn’t eaten much since they started staying at base camp about 3-4 days ago. It was hard to keep track of the days because he had barely slept. The baby pushed on his bladder like all of hell, making him have to pee more than he ever wanted to in his entire life.

     “Let’s get you something to eat!” Python gently grabbed Grian’s hand and looked to him for approval. Grian nodded so the other led him to the campfire, where Shy had gone to after Warrior went to bother Grian. “Hi, Shy!”

     “Oh, hey. Great job with Warrior, by the way. I couldn’t have done anything, if I’m honest.” Shy hung his head.

     “Uh… why?” Grian sat beside his partner and leaned onto him. “You could have beat him.”

     “Yeah, but I’m an apprentice. And apprentice attacking an aid is automatically considered treason against the Council. It can lead to you being captured as a prisoner. There are exceptions but… Well, I’d rather not risk it. I want to stay on this world with you a bit longer.” He smiled and scratched the spot between Grian’s wings, making the small male purr and lean into it.

     “I’m nervous about the upcoming fight, Shy. I don’t want my friends getting hurt.” He sighed and noticed Python sit next to him.

     “Joe and I are going to be on healing duty while Stress, False, and Cub will be working on potions. Everyone else will be fighting. Well, except for Mumbo and Iskall. They’ll be taking you to safety.” Python took out a book and flipped through it, showing Grian his drawings of battle plans and rough drafts of it. “We have to keep you out there just before the fighting, but Mumbo will be with you. We want the Watchers to come out of hiding.”

     “…I’ll be safe?” Grian clung tighter to Shy, who rubbed his back in comfort.

     “Yes. As soon as they come, you’ll be escorted away and the others will attack.” Python smiled and offered Grian some bread. “Here. Eat. You’ll need some strength.”

     Grian nodded and ate the bread slowly, listening to Python and Shy talk.

     “So, Shy. How’s your training coming along?”

     “Perfectly! I’m excited to graduate! Joe said that this fight could count as an impromptu graduation test! I’m going to give it my all!”

     “There’s no shame in running if you’re too hurt. Joe and I are Healers for a reason. If Warrior says anything, I’m kicking his ass for you.”

     Shy laughed and kept talking to Python as Grian began tuning them out. He didn’t want to risk Shy dying in the fight but, from what little he knew, it was a risk associated with being in the Council. Why anyone would join such a dangerous line of work was Grian’s best guess but at least it was for the sake of citizens.

     He traced his hands over his stomach and felt his unborn child move about. How would he even handle the birth? Maybe Python and Joe knew some pain management spells? No matter what, however, Grian knew he had a support system that loved him to death.

     Grian clung tightly to Mumbo as he walked into the less dense savannah biome. He knew the Watchers were near, for he had been having nightmares and hallucinations for the past week. Everyone assured him that it’d be over soon, but that didn’t stop him from stressing himself out to the point where he could barely eat or sleep.

     “It’ll be okay…” Mumbo whispered, the taller hermit rubbing his friend’s back in comfort. “We’re almost there…”

     Grian nodded and began their plan, speaking a little louder than what he was used to, but still enough to make it seem real. “I’m sorry, Mumbo. I can’t change who I am…”

     Mumbo pretended to be angry at Grian, stomping his foot and glaring at the small hermit. “You lied to us, Grian! We would have accepted you but you lied to us! Is there anything else you’re hiding from your friends?”

     “I don’t see why it should matter! We all have our secrets, Mumbo!” He gave some fake tears and backed away a few steps. “I’m sorry that you’re a dick who can’t accept that we all need some privacy and I should have to out myself to gain your approval!”

     “Fine! Don’t come back to base camp! I’ll make sure everyone knows you’re a filthy, lying, freak.” Mumbo turned and stormed back to the dense taiga biome.

     Despite knowing it was bait to draw the Watchers in, Grian still felt that those words might hold some truth. He did lie. He was a freak. Sensing their energy, Grian turned to face the Watchers. “…I guess you guys were right,” he muttered.

     “Of course we were, Ruby.” Mirror walked over to Grian and smiled. “Come home with us. Your child will be well cared for.”

     “…I will.”

     “Good choice,” Flare sharply stated. They turned to open a portal back to Evo but Grian ran to the taiga, forcing them to give chase.

     “NOW!” Grian screamed. Mumbo and Iskall grabbed him as the rest of the hermits plus Shy and Warrior ambushed the Watchers. He was almost dragged to an obsidian box under ground and it was sealed with an iron door plus more obsidian. Now sure that he was safe, Grian tried to relax.

     “It’ll be alright, man. I have no doubt everyone can kick some ass!” Iskall smiled. “We’re all here for you.”

     “We won’t let the Watchers hurt you ever again!” Mumbo nodded as he spoke. “Tell you what. After this, you can have my mustache for a week.”

     Grian laughed and hugged both of his friends. “Nah. Just… let’s wait until the baby is born…” He felt happy despite the battle going on about a hundred blocks away. Everything was going to be okay.

Right?

Chapter Text

     Grian paced back and forth in his obsidian box, Mumbo and Iskall trying to get him to come rest. It had been about 2 hours since the fight started and no one could hear anything thanks to it moving away. It wrecked Grian’s nerves and he prayed no one died in protecting him. “I need to check,” He muttered out, going to break through the door and obsidian.

     “Nope!” Iskall grabbed him and dragged him back. “I’ll go check. You stay here.” He mined through the obsidian and exited through the iron door, disappearing as he went above ground. Grian whimpered and clung to Mumbo as the other’s footsteps faded off as he went to the battle field.

     “I’m worried, Mumbo.” Grian buried his face into his best friend’s chest. “I’m worried that someone got too hurt.” He couldn’t describe the sickening feeling he got in his stomach. All he knew was that it felt like something bad happened. “Please… Take me to check…”

     Mumbo looked at his friend and sighed. “Fine. But stay close.” He opened the iron door and walked out, Grian following. They exit the cave and came up to the overworld, Mumbo using his height to protect his friend if needed. “Iskall is going to kill me…”

     Grian followed the clear signs of struggle towards the nearby village. As blood filled these areas and magic still pulsed on the land, Grian broke from Mumbo and ran ahead. “Grian! What ever happened to staying close?!”

     The sickening feeling in Grian’s stomach only got worse as he saw smoke rising from the direction of the village. He ran even faster and flapped his wings instinctively, though that got him nowhere. Something was wrong… Something was very, very wrong.

     He ran past Iskall, who was hiding behind a building, and to the center of the village, spotting Flare struggling with Warrior. Warrior sent a massive pulse of magic through the Watcher and the body turned to ash with only the soul left. Watcher grabbed the soul and pressed it to an odd device that looked like Shy’s but bulkier. It went inside and the device glowed for a moment.

     Warrior looked to Grian as Iskall and Mumbo caught up to the hermit. Warrior had his armor damaged and a massive head wound but seemed otherwise okayish. “Ah, the pregnant one…” Warrior was out of breath. “Good news. Got them.” He held up his device and grinned.

     “Where’s Shy? Xisuma? Everyone?” Grian looked around quickly.

     “Uh… mostly everyone is alive. Even the flowering fucks. Though their attention is divided.” He motioned to Python healing False while Joe tried to heal Ex and Keralis at the same time. Grian ran past them and scanned the injured hermits- some of who were standing and drinking health potions- until he found Xisuma.

     Xisuma was laying on the ground with his armor damaged to the point where it was loosely hanging on his body. His clothes seemed more blood than cloth but his breathing was somewhat stable. “Xisuma!” Grian crouched down to the father of his child and gently shook him. Xisuma opened his eyes and smiled.

     “G-ar-reee-an…” Grian paused before laughing and hugging the admin, tears running down his face. He helped Xisuma sit up.

     “X-e-uma-void!”

     “Listen… Joe healed me but… There’s only so much one can do for Shy…” Xisuma crawled over to Shy, who had lost his right arm and leg, as well as massive trauma to his head and chest. Grian covered his mouth and gasped as Xisuma tossed a splash potion of health on him. His wounds would need countless potions just to survive, let alone recover.

     “I-I…” Grian crouched down and hesitantly touched Shy’s shoulder. “Shy? Come on…” Shy groaned in pain, making Grian jerk his head to Joe and Python. “GET YOUR ASSES OVER HERE AND HELP SHY! THE OTHERS ARE HEALED ENOUGH!”

     They looked to each other and realized Grian was right. The others were stable. Both Council members ran over and focused all of their energy in mending what they could on Shy. “Please. Don’t go…”

     Grian whimpered and laid his head next to Shy’s sleeping body. The male had been in an unstable condition for the past week and had just been stabilized about an hour ago. Grian didn’t want to leave his side. Xisuma entered the room and sat on a chair next to Grian. His armor and helmet were too damaged to wear.

     “…It’s time for your check up, you know.”

     “…I’ll do it later…” Grian gently nudged his partner.

     “No. Shy will live. We need to make sure our kid will too. You’ve been under extreme stress lately…” Xisuma gently guided Grian to Joe’s tent at base camp, where they had gone to recover. Joe smiled as they entered and motioned for Grian to lift his sweater.

     The check up was fairly normal, though Joe used more magic than usual to check on the condition of the baby. “Did you ever want to know the gender? I can tell you now, if you want.”

     Grian looked to Xisuma, who shrugged. “Your pick.”

     “…Yes. I do.”

     Joe nodded and focused his magic. “…You’ll be having… a girl.” He smiled and Xisuma hugged Grian.

     “Xisuma, I know you’re the dad and all but… If Shy passes, can we name the baby after him?” Grian asked, wanting nothing more than to be able to be comforted by the man who had taken him in despite knowing the danger.

     “Of course.” Xisuma smiled, reminding Grian why he had been drawn to him that fateful night- he was a very kind and caring man.

Chapter Text

     Grian tried to be strong. He really did. But, when Shy’s condition took a turn for the worse and he had to be taken to the Council for better healing and equipment, he couldn’t help but to become depressed. Something about Shy just made Grian happy and he loved the trans man, though in an oddly platonic sense; it was intense and Grian imagined this is what love felt like except less romantic.

     Grian whimpered as he stuck close to Joe and Python, who were going to take him to visit his partner at the Council hospital after 2 months of recovery. Joe gently pat Grian and opened a portal. Python was the first to enter, then Grian was led in by Joe. He questioned what their hub looked like.

     He was left amazed by the bustling city with so many different people and creatures that he couldn’t keep track of the species. Shops lined the wide streets as Council members walked about, some even flying. He noticed himself, oddly enough. His other self noticed him too.

     The other Grian walked up to him; he had no wings and appeared to be more Earth based with massive claws and a thick set body. “I know I should be used to seeing other Grians, but this is still weird! What’s your rank?” The other Grian asked, excitement in his hazel eyes.

     Grian felt odd. The other Grian was clearly him but different. He became confused but, thankfully, Python answered for him. “He’s a visitor. Don’t overwhelm him, please. This is his first trip to the Council and, honestly, we don’t plan on making too many trips with him.” The other Grian nodded and jumped when another version of Mumbo called for him; this Mumbo was still as tall as ever but seemed to be a Nether demon like Tango.

     “Well, later lads!” He ran to his friend, leaving Grian even more confused despite Joe having explained that he might see other versions of himself thanks to the multiverse. It felt… unreal.

     His baby kicking his bladder brought him back to reality and he cursed under his breath. Joe gently grabbed his hand and began leading him to the hospital sitting at the end of the street. “On the way back, we’ll visit some shops if you want. I have some extra money on me and I’m sure some goods will help your mental health.”

     Python walked ahead and turned back to the duo as he walked backwards. “I don’t know about you, but I love the little puffs that one shop near the hospital sells!”

     “You do realize those are for those creatures called Pokemon?” Joe raised an eyebrow, pointing out some odd yellow mouse creature at the shop with a human. Grian tilted his head, wondering what the hell a Pokemon was and what the mouse was.

     “And? They’re sweet! You don’t have to have a Pokemon to buy them~” Python grinned. “Mind if I run ahead and make sure they’re ready for Shy to have us?”

     “Go ahead. Just don’t stop at any shops before you go. We’ll go after.” Joe and Grian watched their friend race ahead and slow down once he got close to the hospital, entering. Joe tugged Grian towards a shop with a smile. “Python loves sweets a little too much for me to want him to eat them right now. But, I’m sure those cravings are a pain for you.”

     Jo was right; Grian had been craving something salty for the past month and, while cooked pork did have a hint of that flavor, it wasn’t enough. “I could go for something with salt.”

     Joe chuckled and went up to a street vendor. “Two pretzels, please.”

     The shop owner, who was some sort of alien like creature that reminded Grian of turtles mixed with phantoms and creepers, grabbed the food and Joe paid, taking it to Grian. “Eat up. You need your strength considering it’s been hard to get you to eat lately.”

     Grian nodded and obeyed, knowing Joe would not take no for an answer; the pretzel was amazing and Grian wished that they had something like this back in his world! He savored every bite as they got closer to the hospital, entering as Grian and Joe finished.

     Python was talking to a woman with red hair, clouded blue eyes, and a blue dress with a rainbow wristband. “It’s been a while, Mom!”

     “How are your friends, sweetie?’ The woman, who looked absolutely nothing like Python, hummed as she spoke, her voice as sweet as cookies and as smooth as quartz blocks. “I hope things have gotten better than they were a few months ago!”

     “They’re recovering. Xisuma’s armor is still damaged and Keralis has a noticeable limp. But, other than that, everyone seems to be recovering perfectly.” He turned when he noticed Grian and Joe. “Oh, Grian! Meet my mom! She’s an aid!”

    “I am Healer,” She said as she gave a small bow. “It is a pleasure to meet you. I assume you wish to see your friend?”

     “Yes. I’m here to see Shy. I haven’t seen him in 2 months and I’m worried, m’am.”

     Healer blinked and chuckled. “Darling, I don’t have a gender. All of my children call me mom because I feel more caring just like a mother. But, come with me. I’ll take you to Shy.” They began walking and the group followed them as they made her way to the third floor.

     “So, you’re… Python’s mom?” Grian felt weird calling them a mother due to their agender status.

     “Yes. I found him as a child wandering the woods of an area I was investigating. He did not have the best home life so I took him in and raised him alongside my two other children.” Healer pat Python’s head, making him blush in embarrassment.

     They soon came to Shy’s room, anxiety making Grian not want to enter. However, he shoved it aside to follow Healer inside and looked around before spotting Shy sitting up in bed. The other had a robotic arm and chest to replace the damaged parts he had before. He saw Grian and grinned, getting up and limping towards his partner.

     Both embraced each other in hugs and Grian found himself sobbing loudly in joy. He was afraid that the other had passed during his stay in the hospital! “Shy! You’re alive! And you have robotic parts!”

    “Only way they could keep me alive.” Shy shrugged and kissed Grian’s forehead, making the hermit realize that he had missed such a gesture. “I feel pretty fucking awesome, though.”

     “Does that mean you can come back with me?” Grian was excited, though that faded when Healer cleared their throat.

     “I’ll have to put Shy on an on-call status for him to go with you. That is how Joe and Python were able to come to your world. I’ll have to put some paperwork through.”

     “Please? I can’t lose Shy.”

     Grian whimpered as he waited for his partner to come through the portal, ignoring the pains he was having. It had taken two more months for the paperwork to go through and for Shy to be considered stable enough to leave. “Think he’ll be okay with becoming a member?”

     Xisuma nodded and gently rubbed Grian’s back in comfort. “Yes. He has been excited about it from what you’ve told me. I’m sure he’s fine with it.”

     Grian smiled and hugged Xisuma, wincing at his pain. The portal swirled and Joe walked through with Shy, who now had a redstone powered eye to replace the one he lost. Grian shuffled in place before Joe nodded and he ran to Shy, both hugging each other.

     “Grian! I missed you!” He kissed Grian’s forehead and held him as close as he could with Grian’s rather large stomach.

     “I missed you too! I was scared that you wouldn’t want to come!” Grian whimpered and gripped his partner.

     “Of course I wanted to come! You’re… well, I don’t know what the hell we are but dammit I’d never leave you!” Shy chuckled and let go of Grian. “I’m so excited to be part of Hermitcraft!”

     “I’ll have to show you every build!” Grian grinned before gasping and wincing at another pain.

     “…Alright. Guess that’ll have to wait. I’m taking you for a sudden checkup.” He turned to Joe, who motioned for them to follow. Xisuma stepped forward, as if silently asking permission to come with. Grian nodded and the group made their way to Joe’s base. “Everything will be fine!”

Chapter Text

     Everything was fine. Turns out, Grian had been in labor and had his daughter a few hours later. He was glad that Joe and Python knew some pain management spells, for he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it without some form of painkiller. Xisuma, being the father, had been the first to hold her and broke down sobbing loudly, happy to have a child and muttering about how he loved her already. At the moment, Grian was holding his newborn, who was only about a day old.

     She looked so much like her father with green eyes and brownish hair; her wings were very small and fluffy with baby feathers with even her hair being the same level of fluff. As she grew older, she’d later shed her grayish baby feathers and gain gray-brown juvenile feathers, then later dull brown adult feathers. But, for now, all Grian could do was groom her fluffy, downy feathers. They were so soft and it comforted him.

     Xisuma entered the room with a smile, Mumbo and Iskall quick to follow. Grian motioned for them to speak softly and nodded towards Shy, who had fallen asleep in a chair. Mumbo spoke softly and approached Grian. “Everyone wants to see you but we assumed you wouldn’t want the room crowded.”

     “Thank you.” Grian was grateful for the admin’s consideration.

     “So, have you decided on a name for the little girl?” Iskall asked somewhat loudly, earning a hush from Xisuma and Mumbo.

     “X and I have been talking for the past day and… We like the name Emerald.” Grian smiled. As much as he hated being Ruby, he could no longer deny that Ruby was once who he was; he embraced being trans. He wanted to have a similar name for his daughter, for he was going to tell her his story and let her know that it’s okay to embrace both sides of yourself and that he’d love her no matter what or who she was.

     Everyone took to Emerald well. Even TFC, the actual hermit, liked her and became “Papaw Tin-Tin,” as she called him. It had been about 3 years and little Emerald was growing up fast; Xisuma had decided to delay the trip to the next season before because he was unsure how a child would handle such a change. While there were some protests at first, mostly everyone understood because they had never had a baby in their world before.

     Of course, now they had moved to another season and Emerald had handled it well, toddling about as Shy chased after her and Xisuma watched with a large smile. Both males assumed a father role and even Ex had softened up, though he had taught his niece “fuck” when she first started speaking.

     Xisuma had been so pissed that he just punched his twin in the face as hard as he could. Grian found it well deserved at the time, though he looked back and realized it was just the twin’s nature. Still pissed him off a little, however.

     Shy let Xisuma take over tiring the ever so active toddler and walked over to Grian, panting loudly. “I swear, she has enough energy of a thousand speed potions.” He chuckled and kissed Grian’s head, earning a soft whine.

     “Shy? Do you… do you ever regret meeting me? Coming here and leaving your old life behind?”

     “Not one bit.” Shy pulled his partner close and watched Xisuma chase after his daughter. “Hell, best choice of my damn life. I’m just… fucking happy.”

     “Not in front of the kid,” Grian pointed out. Last thing he needed was Emerald learning more swears.

     They all jumped when a portal opened and Joe stumbled out, covered in massive wounds. He had been on a mission with Python. Everyone gathered around as he collapsed, whimpering. “Python… Python’s dead!”

Chapter Text

     Alright. End of story. I'm so happy that this is finished and I somehow managed to make a story out of a stupid dream I had a few nights ago. Like, wtf???? How'd I do that??? I'm honestly surprised that this story managed to come together so well. And, I do have to thank everyone for their support! I love all of y'all!

     I do have a sequel planned for this that'll explore the Council more and how Python and Joe joined. I had fun with this story. And I'm gonna have fun with the next!

     Thank you all again.