hahaha, what is this, a rare AU with no context. Man who knows, I just think Mumbo and Techno being brothers would be cute an also Grumbo my beloved 3

Mumbo was beyond nervous. Keeping it together all day had already been hard, but for the past several minutes he had gone straight into blind panic mode.

And frankly, he couldn't even feel bad about it. This was nerve-wracking: one of the most important people in his life meeting another one of the most important people in his life? Lesser things had put him on edge before.

What if Techno didn't get along with Grian? What if Grian couldn't stand Techno? What if they hated each other and then Mumbo would feel bad because he loved them both and liked being around them both but they'd abhor him for it and-

Grian squeezed his hand, probably noticing he was silently working himself up for no reason. He always seemed to know, seemed to notice the tiny little tells Mumbo himself didn't realize he had. Squeezing back, he took comfort in intertwining their fingers for a moment.

"I brought him a gift," Grian said, holding up a stuffed pig like the ones you might get in claw machine games. Its big beady eyes stared at Mumbo in silent judgment. "I figure bribery always helps, hm?"

Mumbo exhaled. "Yeah, yeah bribery will hopefully help."

A tiny part of him was thinking about backing out at the last second and calling the whole thing off. But his parents were almost never both out of the house at the same time so it might be a while before such a perfect opportunity presented itself again. Mumbo would never dream of bringing Grian to his place under any other circumstances. It had been a carefully considered event.

Thinking back on the past, Technoblade didn't always do so well with strangers. Mumbo was hoping that if his little brother first met Grian within the familiar territory that was their home, it would help Techno feel at ease and cope better.

And did Mumbo mention he really wanted this to work out?

As they got inside, he tried not to see the way Grian looked around. Tried not to see him take note of the dirty floors or the dishes piled on the kitchen island or the empty beer bottles sorted in some type of Jenga-formation near the couch. Quickly as he could, he herded Grian into the hallway and towards the room he shared with Techno, the only room in the house that was actually habitable.

His little brother was sitting on the ground, surrounded by three puzzles he was all trying to complete at the same time for some reason. When Mumbo entered he started to get up, but seeing Grian right behind made him stop again.

"Hey, Tech!" Mumbo knew his voice sounded a little too high-pitched to be natural but he'd take it in stride. "I brought a friend today. We've been hanging out a lot, so I thought you two should meet."

'Hanging out a lot' - well, that was an understatement. Techno titled his head a bit and inched closer, suspicious of the situation but his tendency for keeping to certain routines won out in the end. They always greeted each other the same way after all, ever since they were young. Techno latching onto Mumbo's sleeve so he could half-hug him and bonk his head into his brother's arm. Mumbo laughed and stroked his hair, returning the embrace.

And Grian - smart, patient, lovely Grian - clearly knew that he should hang back a moment to let them do their thing. Mumbo felt his heart do that weird squeeze of fondness it often did wherever Grian was concerned. He should have gotten used to it by now but he hadn't, really.

When they were done he pushed Techno forward. "Go on then, say hello."

Techno rolled his eyes but let his brother prod him on. He stared at Grian, not looking very convinced yet. "Hi…"

Grian knelt down to be on the same eye level, so Techno didn't have to awkwardly crane back and look up at him anymore. "Hey there. Mumbo told me a lot about you, it's nice to finally meet you." He stuck out his hand.

Techno didn't shake it. "What did he say about me?" he asked instead, voice grave.

"Oh, lots of things. Most of them good." Grian glanced at Mumbo, who was busy trying not to combust from sheer nervous energy. "He told me you like pigs."

Predictably enough Techno perked up at the mere mention of his favorite animal. He rocked back on his feet a bit. "Pigs are cool, I guess."

"They're very cool," Grian agreed. "And I'm glad you think so because I brought this little guy with me." He pulled the pig plushie from behind his back. If Techno's eyes would become any wider they would have fallen out of his head probably, Mumbo tried not to laugh. "I was hoping you could help me find him a home?"

"He can live with me!" Techno blurted, already holding out his hands for it. Then seemingly realizing his own enthusiasm, he dropped them again and averted his gaze. "I-I mean… if it's okay… I have other pigs too."

"Sure!" Grian handed him the plushie. Techno snatched it as if he expected the gift to be taken away again if he wasn't fast enough.

He brought it over to his bed, opening the secret drawer beneath it. All his various stuffed pigs and other comfort items had been shoved inside, safe from the wrath of their parents. It had been Mumbo's idea, a little too used to seeing his own items destroyed during one of their mom's drunken rampages. He couldn't bear the thought of that happening to Techno, so he had made the compartment himself. Nobody except them two even knew about its existence, or how to open it.

"What's his name?" Techno asked, settling the pig safely inside, making sure it was snug and secure underneath one of the towels he used as blankets.

(Mumbo had seen Techno steal them from the kitchen, insisting his stuffed animals would get cold if he didn't. Mumbo didn't question the logic there.)

"Uhm…" Grian faltered, head whipping around to look at Mumbo for help. Mumbo shrugged. Grian was on his own with this one. "Uh, his name is… Oinky?"

Techno frowned at him over his shoulder. "That's a dumb name," he said. Grian had the decency to look only mildly affronted by a ten-year-old tearing down his idea of a good pig name. "But I don't mind because I like him." Then he went back to rearranging his toys.

Grian slid up to Mumbo with a shit-eating grin, close enough that their shoulders touched. It kind of made Mumbo's heart skip a beat. Gosh, he was easy. "He likes him," Grian said, pleased. "And if he likes him, he likes me. Told you bribery would work."

Relieved that it had all panned out, Mumbo would not disagree with him, only grabbing his boyfriend's hand and squeezing it once more.