Grian sat at the foot of his bed, lost in thought. All he could think about was yesterday, with Mumbo.
He had acted so strangely, almost like he wasn't himself. Grian began to worry, wondering if something was wrong.
He had been different, and Grian was curious as to why. But he also knew that maybe it would be better to leave this unsolved. After all, Mumbo would tell him if something important came up, right?
Just as Grian had thought this, he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and was greeted by Mumbo with a small parcel in his arms.
"Uhm, hi Grian," he said. Grian smiled and replied with, "Hello Mumbo!"
Mumbo looked at the ground for a moment, before handing the parcel to Grian. "I, well," he began, but before he could finish Grian gestured for him to come inside. Mumbo nodded cautiously.
They both sat at the dining table. Sunlight began to flood through Grian's windows as the sun rose above the horizon. Grian wore a small, comfortable smile. "It's a nice morning," he said.
Mumbo nodded, though Grian noticed he seemed somewhat distant, almost lost in thought. "Is everything alright, Mumbo?"
Mumbo shook his head. "No, actually, I," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "I wanted to apologize."
Grian cocked his head to the side in a confused manner. "For what?" Mumbo sighed and looked at the table.
Grian decided to buy him a little time as he composed his thoughts. "Are you hungry?" Grian asked, standing.
"Starving," Mumbo replied.
"Anything I can help you to?" he asked, rifling through his cupboards.
Mumbo shook his head. "No," he said.
"Oh?" Grian responded, "Is it something I don't have here?"
"No, I'm sure you have it here, all right."
Grian let out a little laugh and jokingly asked, "Then what's the problem, Mumbo Jumbolio?"
Mumbo began to fiddle with his tie, trying to compose his thoughts. "I guess.. it's just more of a me thing, y'know?"
Grian nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. But really, I can get you whatever you'd like. It wouldn't be a problem."
Mumbo's eyes glanced up and down Grian's figure. "It just might be," he mumbled.
Mumbo just sat at the table quietly as Grian pulled a couple of apples from his cupboard. He grabbed a knife from the counter top and turned to Mumbo.
"Are apples alright?" Grian asked. Mumbo nodded quietly, but avoided eye contact. He instead stared down at the table, looking almost distant.
Grian carefully placed the items down on the counter before stepping towards the table. He leaned his arms onto the table and looked at Mumbo for a few seconds. "Are you sure you're alright, mate?"
Mumbo nodded again, this time looking up at Grian. "Yeah, just.. lost in thought, I suppose."
Grian nodded again, although he still looked at Mumbo with a worried expression. "You look a bit pale, Mumbo, you should really eat something." Mumbo stiffened at the comment, although not enough for Grian to notice.
Grian turned back to the counter and laid one of the apples on a cutting board. Meanwhile, Mumbo began to speak, still fiddling with his tie.
"Again, I wanted to apologize for.. how I acted yesterday," he said, burying his head in his hands, "I'm not quite sure what got into me."
"That's alright," Grian smiled, paying careful attention to his own hands. He had begun to slice into the apple, and he made sure to remain cautious as he cut. "I'm sure I'm also partially to blame, considering the fact that I broke into your house and robbed you of your copper."
Grian turned and offered Mumbo a friendly smile. "Think nothing more of it," he said, before returning to his tedious apple-cutting.
God, Mumbo hated how forgiving Grian was. He was always so... understanding.. so kind. It made Mumbo sick thinking of how easy it would be to hurt-
No. No, he wouldn't think about that.
They both sat in silence for another minute, leaving Mumbo to just sit and watch Grian carefully. His eyes mentally traced every line of his body, watched every muscle move, every breath taken.
He watched Grian almost obsessively, tracking every beat he heard his heart make.
"You know, Mumbo," Grian began, "I've been worried about you."
"Worried?" Mumbo asked, his eyes still watching every movement carefully.
Grian sighed, bringing the knife down in smooth, fluid motions. "Yeah," he responded, "Worried, Mumbo. You've just been acting.. strangely.. is all."
Mumbo kept watching Grian, his eyes fixated on the builder and his movements. "How so?" he asked quietly.
Grian sighed again. "Oh I don't know," he said, his eyes beginning to drift away from the apple and towards one of the windows, "You've been," he began.
"You've been distant," he stated. The knife glided down again, slicing the apple flawlessly.
"And.. moody, I guess.. irritable," he said, pushing the apple slices to the side. They landed with a 'thud' into a bowl. Grian and Mumbo barely noticed. Both were beginning to lose themselves in thought
"And you seem jumpier, lately. Like you're on edge, almost guilty," Grian began to slice into the other apple, but as he brought the knife down it caught the tip of his finger.
"Agh, dammit," Grian mumbled through gritted teeth, "I cut my finger."
Grian turned towards Mumbo, although his attention still remained on his finger. But when he looked up, he was met with Mumbo's wide eyes.
Once again, Grian found himself getting lost in Mumbo's gaze. He felt lethargic, almost, like it was impossible for him to move. He held his breath, feeling a drop of blood well from his cut and run down his finger.
Mumbo stared at Grian, his eyes moving from Grian's light blue gaze to his finger. He watched as the drop of blood glided down his finger and dripped onto the floor.
Mumbo dug his fingers into the table, his already pale knuckles turning white as paper. His eyes were locked onto Grian's own.
God, Mumbo wanted to-
He wanted to tear Grian apart.
They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity, although in reality it was only about 30 seconds. Mumbo jumped from the table suddenly. "I should get going!" he exclaimed, making a beeline for the door.
"Mumbo, wait!" Grian called. He reached out and grabbed Mumbo's wrist, trying to keep him in place.
In response, Mumbo whirled around and grabbed Grian's own wrist tightly. Grian stared at Mumbo for a second, confused.
He attempted to tug his arm away. "Mumbo," he said, "What are you-" Grian's words trailed off at the sight of Mumbo's eyes. Their previous smooth obsidian appearance had melted away, revealing bright red eyes glowing in their place.
Grian pulled his arm again. "M- Mumbo, you're hurting me," he said, once again yanking his arm, desperately trying to free himself from Mumbo's grasp.
Mumbo held Grian's arm firmly, his grip tightening as he heard Grian's heartbeat excelerate. Grian looked down at his own wrist before looking back up at Mumbo.
Mumbo could hardly control himself now. He held Grian tightly, and felt how fragile his arm felt in his grasp. Part of him was tempted to just-
'God, Mumbo, what are you doing?' he thought to himself, 'You're gonna hurt him!'
Mumbo quickly released Grian's arm, his head beginning to clear of whatever had been influencing him in the first place. He stared at Grian, who was rubbing his wrist. "I- I'm so sorry Grian," he said, turning towards the door. "I need to go."
This time, Grian didn't motion to stop him. He just held his wrist in his hand and watched the door shut with a 'click.'
He sat at his table, thinking quietly. Blood was still running down his finger, although Grian was too distracted to care.
Now Grian was sure Mumbo was hiding something, and his behavior definitely reflected it. He was acting... impulsive, almost. Which were words Grian never thought he would associate with Mumbo, making this situation all the more strange.
He was determined to figure out what exactly was happening with Mumbo. And he was sure he would get the answers soon enough.
Right after he cleaned up his hand-