AN- All rights to the song goes to Trading Yesterday.

Mumbo POV-

I trudge up the stone stairs of Grian's mansion. I hadn't seen him for most of the evening and now, as the sun began to set, I decided to check one final place. Wiping the sweat from my forehead from the climb (I didn't want to fly in case it scared him off), I glace around the platform. I admired the terraforming Grian and Scar had put in place before seeing a flash of red in the green and grey. I step quietly towards the contrasting colour and soon find Grian sitting over the cliff, his legs dangling gently as his eyes are closed, turned towards the setting sun. A peaceful look rested on his face but tears traced down his cheeks, sparkling silver in the orange and red light. I feel my heart fill with the love towards my boyfriend. This would be the perfect time if he wasn't crying, but I quietly place down my ender chest to retrieve the velvet box I had stored carefully in the back corner.

I standing under the shadows of the mansion while watching my boyfriend as he lies back into the green grass behind him, his hand wiping away a couple tears before resting gently behind his head. His other hand rested gently on his chest as he took deep breaths. The sun was even lower in the horizon casting dramatic shadows on his form.

There you stand
Open heart open doors

I pocket the velvet box before lightly stepping out into the sun, enjoying the evening warmth. The soft ground silenced the tapping of my dress shoes as I reached up to gently fix my tie and run my fingers through my hair to calm some of the loose strands. I run my hands down my suit, smoothing a couple wrinkles and wiping away some of the sweat that was building up on them due to nerve.

Still studying the beautiful form of Grian lying in the grass, I gently sit beside him. He shifts, apparently sensing my presences before opening an eye at me, "Mumby?"

I rest a hand on his leg as my other returns to my pocket to fiddle with the box, "Hey Grian."

He sits up on his elbows to get a better look at me. I study his face, tears still gently tracing down his cheek as his ocean blue eyes study me. The red of the setting sun is turning his blond hair a beautiful golden, which was covering his eyes, just better highlighting the sharp contours of cheeks. My eyes trace down to where his lips sat, a sad smile formed on them. The back of his red sweater, that I can see, is grass stained from the fresh grass him and Scar had laid.

Full of life with a world

That's wanting more

After a moment, he launches himself into my arms, knocking me down into the grass, just along the edge of the cliff. I feel fear flutter lightly in my stomach as I notice the cliff on my side before I'm distracted by soft lips on mine. Grian's curly hair falls in my face as I kiss him back, letting my hairs gently hold at his hips. He pulls away, as fresh tears sparkle on his cheek. I carefully sit up and help him stand so we are no longer at the cliff edge.

I take Grian's hand in mine, squeezing it gently as he leads me to a birch tree. I sit down as he takes the opportunity to sit in my lap, his head against my chest as we watch the last light of the sun disappear into the horizon.

But I can see
When the lights start to fade

I breathe slowly and calmly as he continues to lean into me. I wrap my arms around him to hold him in place and he intertwines his fingers with mine. He soon turns to me to look up at me, his smile having disappeared with the sunlight. I lean to kiss him again and I taste the salt on his lips during my soft and loving kiss. I pull away just as he closes his eyes and sighs, turning all the way to me, to cry softly into my suit jacket.

The day is done
And your smile has gone away

I hold him. It's all I can do. If he wants to talk, he will. I never push him, he's had a hard life and he's experienced things no one should ever be forced to go through. I made a promise to myself that I will never leave his side. I will always be there for him each and every day. I want to make that promise to him. It's why I want to marry him. I love him; he is my heart's desire.

Let me raise you up
Let me be your love

Wrapping my arms protectively around the smaller man, I plant the occasional kiss to his head, enjoying the smell of his hair. I rock gently as the moon rises behind us, casting enough light (combined with lighting Grian had used, to prevent mob spawns. The silver light surrounded the tree we were leaning against, turning the green grass a mystic metallic shade. When the moonlight hit Grian's hair, it turned a calming silver.

A sigh forces me to look down at my boyfriend in my arms. His hands have crumpled my suit as he clutches to it, clearly afraid of letting go. I run a hand through is hair soothingly before resting it at his cheek to wipe away some final tears. His large blue eyes stared at me pleadingly so I shift him up closer to me before whispering quietly into the night air, "what is it Grian?"

May I hold you
As you fall to sleep

His grip on my suit tightens, turning his knuckles white as he pulls his legs in closer to himself and me, "I'm so scared. So scared."

When the world is closing in
And you can't breathe

My heart hurts to hear him saw those words. I want to protect him from the world; I want to make him feel safe. I hold him as close to me as I can and gently kiss his forehead. I wait for him to continue but when he doesn't and only turns his head into my shoulder I urge him gently to tell me why.

May I love you
May I be your shield
When no one can be found
May I lay you down

He whimpers lightly into my shoulder so I resume my gentle rocking. He will talk when he is ready. I kiss down his ear and his cheek as he silently cries into my jacket. My shoulder is getting cold from the tears as the warm air begins to gain the nighttime chill. I don't mind until I feel Grian's sobs combine with mild shivering. I try to pry him away from me but this just makes him cry allowed and claw to desperately hang onto me. "Grian, I'm not going anyway. I just want to give you my jacket. You're freezing." It's true, his face felt icy under my hand and he finally let me shift him to sit in my lap. I slipped my jacket off as he rubbed a hand under his red nose.

All I want is to keep you safe
From the cold

The moment I place my jacket around his shoulders, he dived back into my chest. I've never seen Grian this desperate for me, and I fear for what is wrong. I wrap an arm around him, slipping it under my jacket to hold him closer while my other hand slips back into my pocket to gently pull out the velvet box I had nearly forgotten about. Maybe tonight was not the right time.

To give you all that your heart
Needs the most

Grian finally stopped crying as he resting his hands and head on my head. He was clearly shivering from the cool air on his still wet face, but I felt nothing but the warm inside of my heart. I carefully shift the jacket to better cover his smaller frame before leaning all the way into the tree to cuddle him up to my warmth.

Let me raise you up
Let me be your love

He is clearly tired from whatever mental or emotional situation brought about this break down. I stay wrapped around him until I feel him breathing settle into regular patterns and see his eyes flutter closed. I grab the velvet box I had left on the ground beside me before standing up, ensuring to keep Grian close to me and covered in my jacket. He shifts a couple times, letting out a couple heart breaking whimpers before he's fully settled in my arms. I begin the long walk back to the stone stairs and then down them.

May I hold you
As you fall to sleep

The moonlight highlighted each object dramatically as I utilized its light to traverse down the slick stairs. My arms ached at having the dead weight of Grian in my arms for so long but I ignored it as another quiet sob escapes Grian's lips

When the world is closing in
And you can't breathe

I glance down at the sleeping hermit, my heart aching to be with him forever, and admire the light pink on his cheeks, caused by the cool air. His hair tickled my neck where his head rested on my shoulder. He looked peaceful as he sleeps, and I want him to have the look forever. It's not the façade of joy he puts on for the others, it was perfect contentment.

May I love you
May I be your shield

I lightly shift Grian in my arms before entering the hallway leading to his storage system and main bedroom. In the silence of the night I can clearly hear Grian's soft breathing mingled with the tapping of my shoes on his wooden floor. The yellow lights of the room we comforting and I quickly found myself becoming drowsy.

I lay Grian on his bed, gently tucking hi into the red covers. I pry his fingers off of my shirt, ensuring not to wake him up, and walk to the connected restroom. I wasn't going to leave him tonight so I began prepping for bed.

When no one can be found
May I lay you down

I hear a violent sob from the bedroom and I rush out to see Grian rolled over, sobbing into his pillow. I immediately put a hand on his arm and he flinches before see that it's me.

"Mumbo? I-I... I thought you left me." His voice was filled with so much fear I felt myself begin to cry.

"Why would I leave you Grian?" I gently picked him up, sitting him back on my lap as I sat on his bed. He kissed me desperately and I kissed him back, running my thumb over his cheek. I rest my forehead on his as he pulls away.

His breath hitches as he tries to suppress another sob, "It's just... I'm not... You're too..."

I kiss him again as he stumbles over his words, trying to figure out how to say what's on his mind.

"I'm so broken and I'm not worth your love," He finally spits out through sobs, "but I can't bear to lose you, I love you too much... and I always fear that one day, I'll be left alone again."

His eyes were so filled with worry I could feel it within myself. I wanted to take it all away. I wanted him to be happy. I would never leave him. I go back to fingering the box in my pocket before I pull it out, knowing that there would never be a more perfect time and right now, right here, I needed him to know that he didn't need to fear losing me.

All that's made me
Is all worth trading
Just to have one moment with you

Replacing the box in my pocket, I gently lead him to be sitting on me, instead of leaning. His face filled with more worry, if that was even possible. I could see the thoughts running through his mind as he worried that he had just push me away further. He worried he had gone too far. I plant a gentle kiss on his lips to try to help his fears but he begins crying into his hands when I move him off of me so I can stand by the bed. I grasp his hands to gently pulling them away from his tear stained face, forcing him to look at me, "I love you Grian. I love you more than life itself. I can't imagine ever leaving you."

So I will let go
Of all that I know
Knowing that you're here with me

I release one of his hands as I gently kneel on the floor, his eyes widening in surprise. My now free hand reaches into my pocket to pull out the velvet box, "I want to make sure that you know that. I promise you, Grian, that I will never leave. I will be here through everything because you are not too broken for me, and you deserve so more than my love, but it's all I have to give."

I gently release his other hand to open up the box to reveal a simple golden band with a small ruby adorning the top, surrounded by one word, 'forever.'

"Grian, will you marry me?"

For your love is changing me

His eyes overflowed him more tears as he nodded his head vigorously. I slip the ring onto his left hand before he finally found the words I was waiting for, "Yes Mumbo. Forever yes. Oh my gosh, I love you!"

Once the ring is settled on his finger, I gently lift his hand to kiss it before I lean in to kiss him for real, lacing in as much love as I could. Salty tears stung my tongue as Grian grasped at any part of me he could. I gently stood, lifting him with me to not break the kiss. I sat gently onto the bed, no longer caring that I'm still in my formal attire.

Our loving kiss broke as he leaned into me, gently examining the ring in front of him. I slip both of us under the blankets as he sighed and promptly fell asleep.

May I hold you
As you fall to sleep

I stayed awake a little longer, feeling his breath against my chest. I had finally told him of my promise to never leave him and I swore to myself that I would always remind him of it. I would do everything in my power to show him how much I love him.

When the world is closing in
And you can't breathe
May I love you

I would do everything in my power to protect him from his past demons. I would do everything to make his future bright. I know it won't be perfect; there will be hard times and we will struggle but everyone does.

May I be your shield
When no one can be found

No one was perfect, but right here, with Grian against my chest, the ruby on his hand sparkling in the moonlight, he was. To me he was perfect, flaws and all. I pulled him closer to me, as he sighed into my scent and I soon fell into dreamland myself, dreaming of our future.

May I lay you down