HIATUS|| Schooled- a Hermitcraft high school AU(with watchers and stuff)

Hoodie Strings

T/W: murder, orphans, 

POV: Grian 

At around 11pm i head to my 'place o' residence'. Xisuma kept me late for questioning, but me and Even answered to Xisuma's satisfaction, and so I'm heading home. 

I make sure no one's watching, and then i head to my alley. There, I lay down and think about everything that happened today. I found a warmer coat I can wear with my sweater in a dumpster, I had some tea for the first time in ages, i went to a party, ate cake and pizza, found Xanthus again, and got to listen to some of the best music ever. 

That night, i fall asleep with warmth in my heart, cake in my stomach, music in my ears, and content, everywhere, despite my living situation.

###and POV change: Mumbo 

I head home, head whirling with thoughts like "Grian knows EX?" "What does Grian know about possession?" And "why did Xanthus take off his helmet?"

I add all of this to my whiteboard, and am left with confusion. I have two options. I can, A, continue like this, figuring stuff out slowly, or, B, i can straight up ask Grian what happened. 

As soon as the thought crosses my mind, I already know the only option is to play this like a mystery. no straight up asking him. He clearly has trauma, and I don't know his triggers. Besides, he doesn't trust me fully. I don't know why, probably has something to do with the trauma.

I sigh, rolling over in bed, restless thoughts keeping me awake. 

Eventually i fall asleep, holding his hoodie string close. 

<###flashback>POV: third person

The night before Grian disappeared, he acted weird. He acted like he would never see Mumbo again, which, now that he thought about it, was not only suspicious, but also a warning, as that was the last day they saw each other until ten years later. 

That night, Grian's parents had died. He didn't tell Mumbo because he had been told to keep quiet. They were murdered by the Watchers, the Admin's enemy. Apparently, Grian had magic potential, and so after he was orphaned, they told him they would take him, train him, help him. 

So that night, the memory of his parent's death still fresh in his mind, he had said goodbye. 

He tried to be less obvious, but he knew if Mumbo looked back at the memory, he would know something was wrong. They knew each other too well for it not to be the case. So he had given Mumbo something to remember him by. The string from his hoodie. And Mumbo had done likewise. 

To this day, Mumbo still wore the hoodie string around his wrist, and, Grian didn't know why, as he had no memory of Mumbo giving him his string, but he still wore it as well. 

To this day, on Mumbo's wrist, and Grian's upper arm, out of sight, they still wear the strings. 

<###end flashback>

Ah, done! 490 words. Written 6/14,2022

Inspection was low. This took awhile.