"Seriously, bro, are you sure about this?"

"C'mon G! It'll be fine!" Taurtis laughed, climbing up the tall jungle trees.

"Alright....RACE YOU!" Grian laughed and started climbing up the tree as fast as he could.

Taurtis increased his speed to try and beat his buddy. Somehow his headphones stayed on, even as he pushed through the leaves.

Grian lost sight of his friend as he went through the foliage. Everything was fine until he heard a cry.

He looked up to see Taurtis falling above him. As his friend fell past him, G turned and grabbed Taurtis' arm, catching him. 

Grian was pretty short and small, but he was undeniably strong.

Taurtis' breathing was erratic as Grian pulled him up into his arms.

"I've got you. I won't let you go." He held his buddy tightly in his arms, sitting on a strong branch of the tree. Taurtis hugged him back.

"Ohhh my goshhhh....thank you so much bro-" Taurtis laughed.

"No problem dude." G smiled.

His face went pale as a loud screech could be heard through the jungle.

"Oh no..." Taurtis looked at Grian.

"Not the Thunderbirds-" Grian looked afraid.

The last thing he saw was the giant black bird swooping towards them

"GAH!"

Grian shot up, breathing quickly, his heart racing.

He hated that dream.

He thought he was OVER that dream.

But it must have come back because of his wings and...well, because of what happened with Mumbo.

He looked at the clock. It was almost 4 am.

Grian was too spooked to go back to sleep, so he decided to see if his terrible wings had gotten bigger.

He got up and went over to the bathroom, flicking on the light.

Yup. Bigger.

He wasn't sure if he could even hide these under a sweater anymore without breaking them.

He stepped up to the mirror and blinked hard.

His eyes....

They weren't their usual blue anymore.

They looked almost purple...

And not only that, but his face was now dotted in these purple freckles.

"AH!" Grian jumped back in surprise. He had no idea what was happening to him, or why.

"I gotta get away. I gotta get help." He started freaking out.

He thought about Mumbo, who was going to be coming over that day. He didn't think Mumbo would be able to help him. He needed the help of someone who would understand.

Grian looked out the window and saw that it was beginning to rain.

He sighed and walked out of the bathroom and into his room.

He grabbed a few essential items, like his sword and his elytra, and put them into his inventory.

It was still dark out, but he was sure that his friend would be up this early.

He always was, for some reason.

Grian didn't think that he even slept at all.

Grian went up to the roof of the mansion, into the rain, which was starting to come down.

He spread his wings and took off, even faster than before. He was able to get a handle on it quicker though.

Flying in the rain felt so nice. The water danced off his slick feathers and it was nice and cool. It made his scars stop burning.

Grian soared through the dark and cloudy skies that were only slighter lighter than normal, since the sun would be rising in a couple of hours.

He flew for a good amount of time before he reached a base that was themed around bees and towers.

He swooped down through the rain and the trees to land in front of the main building. The lights were on, of course.

Xisuma never slept.

Grian, soaking wet, stepped up to the door and knocked.

After a moment, he heard footsteps, and a tall yellow-clad man opened the door.

He was just as bee-themed as his base. Bees were new, and X loved them to bits.

"Grian! You're...soaking wet and half naked, is everything okay?"

G looked at Xisuma with a pleading expression.

"P-please X, I need your help."

Xisuma looked a bit surprised. He stepped aside and motioned for his friend to come in.

"Well, let's get you outta the rain first. We can talk as you dry off. I'll start a fire for you!"

Grian stepped inside, his pants dripping around his ankles, his wings feeling cold, and his hair against his head.

Xisuma hopped off to go start a fire in the fireplace, but not before giving G a soft towel.

He dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his arms. He walked over to the fireplace as X was done lighting it.

"Alright, now that that is done." X spoke and sat down next to the fireplace, patting the ground beside him for Grian to sit.

Grian took his place next to Xisuma. He shivered, but the fire and towel were helping.

"Now-" Xisuma started to say as he began to remove his helmet. "Why were you out in the rain at 4 am?"

X took his helmet off and shook out his hair. It was quite fluffy and dark brown. Xisuma had scars on his face just like the scars Grian had on his torso and arms. There was one the went across the bridge of his nose, and another that went through his left eye. They made him look like a warrior, which he was.

The only detail that didn't seem to fit Xisuma's battle-scarred vibe were his glowing, purple freckles. They were in the same patterns as constellations, and seemed to change every now and again.

Grian could make out the Big Dipper on X's right cheek.

"Grian?"

G blinked. "Oh, uh, sorry, I got distracted."

He brought his hand to his face, remembering the sudden appearance of his own freckles.

"Something's happening to me." Grian said.

X patiently waited for his friend to continue.

"You know my fear of birds....right?"

X nodded. He knew all about the birds. X was the only hermit who knew Grian's past, which was why Grian chose him for help.

"Well..." G slipped the towel off of his shoulders, letting his wings open. They shimmered in the warm firelight.

Xisuma looked amazed at them. He sat up to get a closer look.

"These...these are incredible!" X exclaimed.

"I'm glad you think so...I hate them."

X sat back down. "Why do you-...oh."

Xisuma recalled the birds again, and took a look at the scar on Grian's right shoulder.

"I totally understand."

Grian couldn't help but give a small smile. Xisuma understood.

The problem with Mumbo was that he didn't understand why Grian was ashamed of the wings. Mumbo didn't know Grian's past, and G would rather not get into it with him. He didn't want to torture himself by recounting his painful backstory to his best friend.

"So...why do you need my help?"

Grian thought for a moment, trying to think of the right way to ask. "I was wondering if by some small chance...you could use your admin powers or something to get rid of them?"

Xisuma closed his eyes and sighed. "You know I can't do that, G."

Grian looked down at his hands. "Yeah...I know...It was worth a shot though...I also came here because I just needed to talk to someone who understood."

Xisuma looked up again. "What about Mumbo?"

The winged man shook his head. "He...he knows about the wings and my scars, but...I just don't want to tell him why this all hurts."

Xisuma set a gloved hand on Grian's shoulder.

"You can't avoid these things forever."

Grian looked X square in the eyes.

"I can if you help me."

"And why would I help you run away from your problems?"

"Because you've done it before. That's the whole reason why I'm here, and why I'm still alive."

X looked at his friend. He wanted to help Grian, but this wasn't the right way.

"Please...hide me for a day or two. I need time to think without Mumbo trying to talk to me." Grian's pleading expression broke Xisuma.

"Fine. But only for a few days. People will start to worry after even a day, but I'll reassure them that you're okay."

Grian smiled and threw his arms around his bee buddy.

"Thank you"

X was surprised again. Grian never gave people hugs, but he gave one to him. It felt...special.

Xisuma hugged back. "After this though, you have to talk to Mumbo."

Grian let go and looked away.

"Okay." He replied solemnly.

"Good. Okay then!" Xisuma clapped, "Are you hungry? I know it's only 4:30 AM, but I'm hungry."

Grian chuckled. "Yeah, okay. Let's eat then."

Xisuma got up and headed over to his kitchen.

Grian sat for a moment longer by the fire, feeling its warmth.

He couldn't help but feel like this was all going to be a terrible mistake.