So I didn't think I'd get this out today, but when you're stuck in a car for hours there isn't much else to do. However, I never got around to featuring artwork because that kind of slipped my mind with vacationing. 

So uhhh... Fun fact: I took inspiration from a lot of different things, but some of them include:

-Friend That I Might Have Been by Dragonsson13 (AO3)

-And The Universe Shifts by aayaptre (AO3)

-Taste the Magic by Waterfall (AO3) 

-The Vex by fluffy_papaya (AO3)

-Pretty sure there was another Vex one shot, but I can't find it again--

-Someone Named Xelqua by Ariyquila (Wattpad)

-Hermit!Watcher Grian AU by Fluffle (Youtube)

-Featherweight by DoctorSiren (AO3/Wattpad)

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The next time Grian came to, he was much more with it. He easily recalled what had happened in the day prior. His body ached more than it hurt now, and although the sensation spread throughout his entire body, it wasn't nearly as paralyzing as it once was.

He sucked in a breath before he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His body fought back, the soreness giving way to pain that flared in his arms and torso. He couldn't help but let out a bit of a cry as the pain reached its climax before it settled down into the more comfortable ache.

That done, he looked around. Mumbo was gone now, but in his place was another bowl of mushroom stew and a cup of water. The stew was so warm that it was visibly steaming, and although Grian knew if he left it alone for a year it'd still be just as warm, he couldn't help but smile just a little. That man... Jumbo was it? No, Mumbo, he had made it just for him.

He glanced down at himself, noticing that his clothes had been replaced with an equally soft pair of pajamas. The surface of his skin felt like it had been freshly cleaned, his scent fresh. He had been changed again and bathed, taken care of.

A complete stranger was ensuring that all of his physical needs were being met. He should have killed him or have him banned, but instead he took him in and was nurturing him. For some reason, that made tears spring to his eyes. He didn't know why. He was quick to blink them away, his subconscious reminding him that he was not to cry. That Watchers did not cry.

Looking to the food again, his stomach growled. He wasn't sure if he had eaten one bite since he had last left the worlds; he was certainly hungry enough for himself to believe that. He mentally prepared himself before he reached for the tray of food. He groaned as he strained his injured back and brought it to his lap for consumption. Gingerly he took the spoon before beginning to eat one bite at a time. Each swallow burned his throat in a way that he could tell that it wasn't just because of the temperature of the food. At the same time, the delectable taste was enough to make it all worth it.

When he was about halfway through his stew, he began to hear a noise other than the sounds of pistons firing. Footsteps, drawing ever nearer. He paused, looking to the doorway expectantly. In the moments following, a semi-familiar mustachioed player appeared.

"Oh my! You're awake!" He exclaimed before scuttling towards Grian. "I'm sorry I wasn't here. Last time I checked up on you, you were dead asleep!" He paused before muttering under his breath, "Well, not dead, per say... That would be rather problematic..."

"It's... fine." Grian replied, wondering if this man simply talked to himself a lot or something. He had barely held a single conversation with him and this was the second time he had done it. He gave a small smile, which only lasted a few moments before it regressed into a frown. "You've done so much for me, and I don't understand why."

The human's eyes crinkled into a grin. "I think that you're really overthinking this, mate. I found someone that needed help, why shouldn't I help them?"

Grian could think of a lot of reasons. He could be a griefer, or a hacker for instance. He could want to destroy everything on this server. He could be being chased by some of the strongest and most fearsome group in all the worlds and beyond, ones that would surely not only kill Grian, but everyone that worked to help him. Why didn't this man understand that? "But what if--?" He began, but he was cut off.

Mumbo interrupted him with his laughter. "What did I just tell you?" he asked, continuing to laugh so much that his entire body rippled. He took a deep breath before answering more seriously. "I would rather help a thousand people with secret bad intentions than leave one innocent man to die. Maybe that makes me stupid, but I don't care." Suddenly he looked so much more serious, his eyebrows lowered and frowning. Whatever doubts Grian had left, he decided to keep to himself.

The two sat in a bit of silence for a minute. To Grian, it felt normal, familiar. The Watchers would spend years at a time without saying anything. He took the time to finish his food. To the human however, it self-evidently awkward an uncomfortable, his legs stretching and retracting, crossing and uncrossing. His hands moved in his lap, though to try and calm them he held both of them together. It wasn't very effective.

It was the fidgety man who broke the silence. "When I packed for this trip, I hadn't expected to stay here so long... that was the last of it." he began, cautiously peering at Grian. "I could go back and get some more food, but I'm not sure I trust leaving you alone so long. I was thinking of bringing you along with me... I could get a wheelchair. It's a regular world, and I've lived there for awhile so I have a lot of supplies." He explained. He wasn't really sure if Grian was up for it, but the other choice wasn't very appealing either. "I have a room there that's... well, better than this prison." He joked, laughing.

Grian understood the kind of position the overly caring man was in. He still wondered why it was he was even bothering with such trouble, but he decided not to ask again. What he did ask was arguably more important. "Are there other people who live there?" He asked. Other people probably weren't as stupid or kind like Mumbo seemed to be. Even if they were, if one realized he was a Watcher, they'd be even more stupid to not turn him in.

Mumbo nodded. "It's a server, but it's under thirty people and they're really understanding. Don't worry; I can talk to them."

Grian felt his wings close behind his back. Thirty people... that was a large number. There was no way he could survive there. One person not questioning his past or where he came from was a stretch in itself. An entire group of players? Now, that was inconceivable. He felt his breath begin to shallow. "I— I want to stay here." He decided. They could make it work... somehow.

The mustachioed man frowned. He knew that Grian had to come with him at some point, that he couldn't stay here forever. A creative world was no place to live full time. If he went through a near suicide to get here, he doubted that Grian would want to go back into the Main Hub, after all.

An idea formed in Mumbo's head, he would just simply show Grian that it was safe. From there, he could get Grian to introduce himself to everyone one by one. It might take awhile, but it was well worth it. "What-- what if I hide you? No one will know you're there; I promise."

"How can you be so sure?" Grian asked suspiciously. He was gambling with his life on this; he wanted reassurance. The question was enough for Mumbo to pause for a few moments before he could respond.

"I-- I can hide you in one of the rooms in my base! They're completely hidden; they don't even have doors. I built them that way so it wouldn't ruin the look of it that way, you know? No one even knows they're there anyway!" He chuckled a little bit as he shifted, an anxious habit stemming from his white lie. Yes, most if not all of his server mates knew the rooms were there. That being said, they were unlikely to pry into them without permission. Probably. Hopefully. He just had to hope that no one had plans to prank him or something. He watched Grian's facial expressions, noting how they looked somewhere between pained and confused. He couldn't blame him; it was a big decision after all.

"We already ran out of healing potions. You really should have some more..." Mumbo explained, searching Grian's eyes.

Grian had begun to feel that choking feeling all over again. It wasn't nearly as severe, but it was noticeable. This could be a huge a mistake he was making, but what other choice did he have? He was stuck in between a rock and a hard place. "O...okay..." He whispered, subconsciously placing his arms around himself. He did so gently, as to not bother his injuries. As nice as Mumbo was, he didn't want to trust him just yet.

Mumbo offered him a smile. "It's going to be okay. I promise." He assured. He rose, heading to the door. "I'll go grab that wheelchair and be right back."

Grian wasn't quite sure how long it took before Mumbo came back. It certainly had felt like a decent amount of time, but then again even a few minutes without any sort of stimulation would feel long. He nearly went back to sleep, but knowing Mumbo could be back at any time he decided to fight to stay awake.

It was the wheels that Grian heard first. They had made much more noise than the sound of footsteps. He looked to the door expectantly, and sure enough Mumbo appeared with a wheelchair a few moments later.

He had expected the wheelchair to be a simple and generalized one. This one, however looked like it had been made with extra care. It definitely looked more expensive than a regular one. (Come to think of it, why did Mumbo have a wheelchair lying around at all?)

He decided not to dwell on that too much as Mumbo parked it beside the bed. He gently picked the winged man up bridal style and placing him in the chair, he even began to adjust his feet on the footrest before he caught himself. He glanced up ah Grian from his hunched over position after he watched Grian readjust himself. "Sorry Mate, force of habit." He explained. Grian was too tired to ask him about that.

The mustachioed man stood up, going behind the chair. He adjusted the angle the back was at, allowing Grian to recline a bit. While not as comfortable as the bed, Grian had to admit it was rather relaxing. He felt himself begin to be put into motion, moved to the door. As he rode over the bricks, he could feel the small divots in the floor, but in a way that was kind of soothing. If it wasn't for the rising anxiety, the feathered man probably would have been lulled right to sleep.

They both went to the main room, which was made of the same material. It too was a grey box, but this one was larger. Buttons and levers lined the walls just below the window that ran all the way around the permitter. This took too was not very decorated, which Grian supposed he wasn't surprised by. Creative worlds really weren't meant to be lived in full time after all.

From where he half laid, though he didn't have good view of the windows, he could tell that redstone machines spread out further than he could see. If the sounds he had heard before hadn't given it already, this confirmed it: this player was a redstoner.

The main vocal point of the room, however, located in the very center was a large portal. Encased in bedrock, it was easy to tell that this would lead to the main hub. The sight of it was enough for Grian to recognize that choking feeling again, this time accompanied with the feeling of sweat between his palms and the armrests.

He must've tensed up, because he heard Mumbo say, "it's going to be alright. The firewall will protect us, and since you're coming in through me, we'll be teleported to my base. No one should see us."

The man's voice was soothing, and Grian knew that he was trying to comfort him. At the same time, he couldn't help but notice the flimsy word should. It wasn't a gaurentee. Without meaning to, Mumbo's words made Grian feel worse. He had to close his eyes as they entered the portal, noise rushing past his ears. It was probably an effect of the portal, but he suspected it was his rising anxiety as well. He had to remind himself to breathe, trying to calm himself down. His panic attack the other day was terrible enough for a variety of reasons; he didn't need another.

He decided to keep his eyes closed, not wanting to see as they exited the world. He held on as his perception swirled regardless whether or not he could see. It made him feel sick, but thankfully didn't have any outward effects.

He felt the firewall open around them, allowing them easy passage. He reminded himself over and over to breathe as he nearly shook, trying to keep it together.

"We're almost there." Mumbo's voice said behind him. "You're doing just great."

There was something about his voice that legitimately did make Grian feel a bit better; he couldn't find the words to describe it. He felt himself relax just a bit more.

He peaked open his eyes, seeing the main world that laid straight ahead. The barrier around it was thick. He could hardly even make out the portal behind it, and to think, the firewall around all of the worlds wasn't thin either. Come to think of it, why did each world have its own as well as all of them together? That along with the Void that surrounded this place made for an incredibly strong defense. Why did someone have such a strong barrier to begin with? He supposed that would be the perfect place to hide, though it wasn't like there were other ex-Watchers that needed to be hidden. He would always be alone on that front. With his tiredness, he decided to not think more in that and just be thankful he found such a place.

As the two got a few feet from the server's firewall, enough that Grian began to feel its heat, it began to whisp away. The swimming red colors drew back to create a hole that was large enough to grant safe passage. The whitelist had easily recognized Mumbo's code, and determined that Grian was his guest.

Even though he felt his stomach drop, Grian couldn't help but stare at it in wonder. For as many sights as he had seen, he had never witnessed a firewall this strong open up. He stared overhead as they walked right on through.

It was only a few moments before they went through the portal with the words engraved: Hermitcraft Season 5.