Grian sighed in relief as he came home. He decided he would drop everything in his inventory off later, feeling much too exhausted to do it now. It had been a stressful few days since the redstone incident with Mumbo at Architech. He had finally mapped out the cathedral and was working on it with a couple of his apprentices, but they were running into a lot of problems. The hill they cleared ended up having a mine underneath it, so they had to fill in a good portion so people wouldn't be hearing mobs under the floorboards. Grian still had a feeling it would come to bite him later. Not only that, but they were finding that while most of the things they had planned look good on paper, it didn't look good in real life. Of course, every build wasn't perfect. He was just worried. This wasn't just any build. This wasn't a market stall or a business for an ordinary person. This was a cathedral the Majesties of the Kingdom had commissioned so they could finally get married!

"Grian, is that you?" Grian's shoulders lifted at the sound of his lover's voice. A smile came to his lips before he followed the voice, finding him just where he expected; the kitchen. Mumbo turned and smiled at him widely. "Hey! There you are!" Grian smiled. He already felt better.

"Hey! How was your day, Mumbolio?"

"Oh, just fine!"

The kitchen was warm from Mumbo's cooking. He often got home before Grian to start on dinner. Grian couldn't be trusted with fire, especially when it came to the furnace. They claimed to be fireproof, but they weren't once Grian touched them. Despite never using it, the kitchen was Grian's pride and joy in the house. It was small but it wasn't cramped, with oak floors and walls. The counters were spruce and the cauldron was a counter space away from the fridge. Grian remembered trying to build this and how aggravating it had been. It was one of the last things he ended up finishing for the house. He and Mumbo were cooking their things outside, which wasn't much of a problem as it had been in the middle of spring. They also made friends with their neighbors that way. He ended up getting it right somehow, for the rustic feel Mumbo liked while making it usable. He wondered if it would've been better to do birch walls, though...

"Finish any projects?" Grian asked as he set his bag down, sitting on one of the stools in front of their breakfast bar. Mumbo laughed as he turned to face him. His tie was off and so was his jacket, hung up in their bedroom. The white shirt he wore underneath was rolled up to his elbows, revealing his forearms.

"A few! We're moving onto the next one's right now, and I'm pretty excited. I'm trying to figure out how to make a moving carriage without any horses since the beasts are so hard to come by around here," he said as he glanced at the furnace, checking the meat before he looked at Grian. "What about you? How're your builds? Figured out that cathedral yet? I remember you saying you were going to start it today!" Grian groaned and burrowed his head into his arms.

"It's so rough!" He claimed. Mumbo coughed into his sleeve but Grian didn't think anything of it as he continued. "I was thinking sleek iron floors at first, right? But it was clashing with the walls!"

"Well, don't churches usually have stone floors?" Mumbo smiled.

"Well, yeah. But you know me, Mumbo! I don't like doing the usual!" Mumbo laughed and looked around their kitchen.

"Yeah, I noticed that pretty quick—" He was cut off by his own cough. It was rougher than last time as he bent over and grabbed the edge of the counter. Grian's eyes widened and he rushed to his feet, hurrying around the counter.

"M— Mumbo?!" He sprinted around the counter and grabbed his arm. Mumbo grabbed his shoulder as he coughed a few more times before he laughed shakily. He straightened up, pounding his fist against his chest a few times as his body trembled with repressed coughs. He looked down at Grian, covering his mouth with the back of his wrist.

"Sorry!" He finally pushed out. "I seem to have got a tickle in my throat!" He laughed. "You know me and my seasonal allergies! Guess it's coming a bit early this time!" Grian stared up at him, worrying his bottom lip. Mumbo could tell he wasn't buying it, so he squeezed his shoulder before he let it go. "It's fine, really!" He turned to the furnace. "The food's done! I decided to make one of your favorites; steak and baked potatoes." Grian brightened a bit at the mention of food, but he still looked worried.

"Mumbo, are you sure you're okay? That seemed pretty extreme for some seasonal allergies... Maybe you should go see a doctor." Mumbo smiled at him.

"Nah! I'm fine! Really, Grian." His tone turned softer as he took in the worried look in Grian's eyes. He hated seeing him like that. "I know what's going on with my body. This isn't anything more than some pesky allergies." Grian relaxed. Mumbo always knew what to say to help him feel better. He was right about the allergies. They always came every year, just as spring was beginning to start. While they had never come this early, he supposed it wouldn't be unheard of. Maybe it meant they were going to have a better spring than usual! He smiled at the thought and smiled wider when Mumbo smiled in return. "Now, can you go set the table? I didn't have time to do it myself."

"Yeah! 'Course!" Grian opened a nearby chest, retrieving a few things before he left the kitchen to go to the dining room. Mumbo waited a few moments after he had left to make sure he wasn't returning before he fell back against the counter beside the furnace. His body trembled with repressed coughs while his throat and mouth burned like he had downed a whole jar of pepper. He pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket and tried to cough into it discreetly, but he knew it was a waste of time. He pulled it back from his mouth and winced as he saw the state of it. The once white handkerchief that Chantel had given him after the accident was now covered in splotches of red.

It wasn't blood. Perhaps someone would think so at first glance, but a master Redstoner like him knew what it really was. It was redstone. He took a deep breath before he pushed it back into his pocket, shoving it down deep so it didn't fall out. He got himself a large bottle of water before he set about pulling out the food and preparing their plates of food. He would be fine. It would be fine. This had happened before. A few more days and it would be all clear up!

He would be fine.