Preening

                                    

                                          
Grian POV
I stepped into Mumbo's place, my feet dragging slightly from exhaustion, only to be met with an immediate glare. Mumbo was sitting on the couch, arms crossed, his face twisted into a frown that I could practically feel in the air. I stopped in my tracks, unsure if I was in trouble or if he was just being his usual, overly concerned self.
"Grian," he said, his voice tight. It wasn’t angry, not yet, but the irritation was thick enough for me to feel it. I raised an eyebrow, looking at him in confusion, wondering if I’d done something wrong. Honestly, I felt fine. I had just spent the night with Hot Guy, doing hero stuff—nothing that should have triggered this reaction.
"What’s wrong?" I asked, trying to keep my voice light, but I could feel the weight of his gaze on me. I glanced over at my Grumbot watch just in time to see the warning signs. The first thing that hit me was the magical energy gauge—way past the recommended limit, flickering red. The second, even more troubling, was the list of missed calls from Mumbo. I hadn’t even realized I’d been gone that long.
Mumbo’s eyes tracked the movement of my hand to the watch, and his expression hardened further. "You’ve been overusing your magic again, haven’t you?" he asked, his tone disappointed. "And on top of that, you’ve been ignoring my calls?"
I winced at the reprimand, shifting uncomfortably on my feet. The last thing I wanted to do was face Mumbo when he was mad. Honestly, I’d expected him to be more understanding, but this… this felt different. His concern was genuine, and I could tell he wasn’t happy with the state I’d put myself in.
"I—I wasn’t ignoring you," I stammered, though it wasn’t entirely true. I’d been distracted, and the calls hadn’t exactly been at the top of my priority list. "I was... busy."
"Busy with what?" Mumbo pressed, standing up now, his voice edging closer to anger. "Is it worth pushing yourself this hard? This isn’t just about missing a couple of calls, Grian. This is about you constantly overdoing it with magic and wearing yourself out. What happens when you burn out? You think you can keep running on empty?"
I bit my lip, not really sure how to respond. He wasn’t wrong. I had been pushing myself hard lately. Ever since I started taking on this “Cute Guy” persona, I felt like I couldn’t afford to slow down. The pressure was mounting, and every time I tried to take a break, something else pulled me back in.
"I’m fine," I said, a little too quickly. I waved a hand dismissively, but Mumbo didn’t buy it.
"You’re not fine, Grian," he said, his voice quieter now, but no less firm. "You’ve been running on empty for weeks. I can’t keep watching you do this to yourself."
I could feel my wings twitch uncomfortably against my back, as if they were sensing my growing unease. I was still hiding them, masking their exhaustion with magic, but I could tell Mumbo could see right through it. He always could.
"I’ll be fine," I repeated, but the words felt hollow even to me.
Mumbo’s expression softened just slightly, but he didn’t let me off the hook. "You need to take care of yourself, Grian. I’m not going to let you burn out."
For a long moment, I just stood there, unsure of how to handle the situation. I didn’t want to deal with Mumbo’s concern, didn’t want to face the reality of how badly I’d been ignoring my own well-being. But he was right. If I kept going at this pace, I’d eventually collapse. And I didn’t want to face the consequences of that.
"I’ll rest," I said finally, my voice a little quieter now. "I promise."
Mumbo didn’t seem entirely satisfied, but he nodded, still watching me with a mix of concern and frustration. "Good. Because I don’t think I can stand seeing you like this much longer."