I wish you weren't my friend (but so much more)

Chapter 9 - Final

Grian sighed as he stepped through the Rift. Traveling through the purple portal still made him nauseous and dizzy. But he had good reason to travel all the way to Empires. He received a message from Joel, asking him to come asap. Something was wrong with his Timmy and the blonde needed him. He stretched his wings and took off into the sky.

Joel hadn't told him all that much, but it was enough to make him insanely worried. It was nothing like Tim to distance himself, the man practically thrived on the company of others. Even if they teased Timmy endlessly, the blonde encouraged them. He got his energy from spending time with his friends and caring for them. He always had. To now hear that he had been all alone for the past month, made a shiver run down Grian's spine.

He knew that whatever happened at the party was the cause of all this, even tho he could hardly remember how the night went. He vaguely remembered lots of dancing, Timmy freaking out and him comforting Scar. Before he could worry himself more, Tumble Town came into view. For someone who lived off of the energy from others, Timmy sure had picked himself a closed off Empire. He landed, kicking up a dust cloud. Coughing slightly, he brushed sand off of his clothes, looking around town.

"Timmy?" he called out, his voice echoing back at him. Gosh, this place looked more and more like an abandoned ghost town. He checked the Jail, but there was nowhere there. He then proceeded to check the Saloon, broke down the door to Timmy's house when he got no answer, only to find it empty as well. Except for the cats, who greeted him enthusiastically. After giving Norman and Flick some well-deserved pats, he continued looking for the Sheriff. He walked into the Bank, suppressing the urge to 'borrow' some of its treasures. Maybe later, but right now Timmy was in distress and he wouldn't add to that feeling.

As he kept shouting the sheriff's name, a villager rushed over. "Mister Grian," a young girl greeted," I think I know where he's hiding, sir." Grian looked at her expectantly. "He likes to pet the cows whenever he feels upset," she explained," He's been really upset lately. I figure he's in the Barn..." Grian smiled and thanked, walking into the direction she pointed at. It did sound like a Timmy thing to do.

As he entered the Barn, the loud mooing of the cows greeted him. He stood on his tiptoes to see over the herd and he could vaguely make out a cowboy hat. "Timmy," he called out, watching the hat sink lower. He was trying to hide, that wasn't a good sign. "I'm coming over," Grian warned. He moved through the herd of cows, lightly shoving them aside until he could spot Timmy.

The blonde looked dreadful. His hair was a tussled mess with straw sticking out in various places. Eyes red and puffy, a sign he'd been crying. Knees bent and head resting on his arms, trying to hide the sniffles still escaping him.

"Oh, Timmy..."

Grian sat down softly beside the other. He slowly reached a hand out as to not scare the other. It took a painstakingly long moment before Jimmy reached out and grabbed his hand. Once he did, Grian pulled him into a hug. His hold tightened as he felt Jimmy began to tremble.

"It's okay, you're okay," he muttered," I'm here now. You're not alone." Jimmy let out a sob, more and more escaping him. The damn had broken and all of the cries he had held back came pouring out all at once as he burrowed closer into Grian's sweater. The other spoke soothing words as he rubbed Jimmy's back to try and soothe him.

After some time, Grian could feel Jimmy's breathing start to even out as his sobs died down. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked softly. Jimmy pulled back a bit. "I'm in love with my best friend," the blonde said, fresh tears forming in his eyes. Grian's mind went blank. He had mentally prepared for a lot of things, thieves, robbery, financial problems, crumbling under the pressure of leading an entire Empire. He was not prepared for love and despair.