Cub stepped out of the house with a sigh, shutting the door quietly behind him. Stress had taken over watching Ren in the early hours of the morning, and Cub was exhausted. Xisuma had returned to his own base so he could work in a bigger space, so Cub had been left to stew in his own thoughts for hours until Stress relieved him of his duties. And honestly, he still wasn't sure what to think.

Obviously he didn't want it to be Doc's fault, no one did. However, he was a scientifically-minded individual, and he didn't deny that Doc fit a lot of criteria for being the culprit. After stewing over it for a couple hours, Cub had decided that a conclusion couldn't be drawn until Xisuma found more information. What had really been nagging his brain all night was Scar's position in all this. Doc and Scar were definitely together, wherever they had disappeared to, which was curious. If Doc was the one to injure Ren, what part did Scar play in it? That was what truly upset Cub the most. Scar had never shown aggression in any form beyond mild annoyance, and Cub couldn't imagine him taking part in something like this. Then again, maybe this was the moment that Scar finally snapped.

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Cub picked up his phone. He had been receiving notifications for hours now, but he couldn't find the willpower to look until now. A single glance told him that he had received over 100 texts from the group chat, and that didn't take into account the private dms and missed calls as well. Skimming through the group chat, he noted that it started frantic and concerned, but once Xisuma placated everyone about Ren's condition, it was pretty tame.

One name that stood out was Zedaph. Zed had called 4 times, and had texted even more. If it was anyone else Cub might have ignored it, but he knew Zedaph had a big heart.

Zedaph: CUB I HEARD YOU GOT TO SEE REN IS HE OKAY??

Zedaph: okay, X says he's fine so that's good

Zedaph: are you doing alright tho? I know you've got a lot on your mind lately 🥺

Zedaph: Cub, I'm more worried about you than Ren, coz Stress bandaged him up

Zedaph: How can I help bandage you Cub?

Cub smiled. Stress was good at fixing physical injuries, but Zedaph was really good at healing mental ones.

Cub: Shall we go play Duck? I've been promised a round with the inventor of the ingenious game.

Zedaph: hey that's me! Meet u there!

When Cub arrived Zedaph was already there, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Zed waved wildly, a grin splitting his features, so Cub managed a weak smile in return.

"Cub! It's good to see you! How are you feeling?"

The simple question caused a dark cloud to form in Cub's thoughts, so he shook his head. "None of that talk, I'm here to win a game."

Zedaph's eyes flashed with concern, but he just as quickly grinned, covering up any concerns he had. "Ooh, that sounds like a challenge if I've ever heard one! And I've heard a lot of challenges in my day, let me tell you," He winked.

"..I don't even want to know."

A quick summary of the course was all Cub needed, and the pair lined up at the entrance. "Alright Cub, wait ten seconds and then follow me in. Fastest time wins." Zed instantly shot forward, sliding into the maze and disappearing quickly. Cub patiently waited before crawling in after him.

As the name of the game suggested, Cub was doing a lot of ducking. There were pistons shifting some of the obstacles and changing the course, impressing Cub. He paused, taking a moment to spot some redstone hidden behind the clinging shrubbery with a proud smile. That is, until one slammed a block into the side of his head, and he decided to focus on the task at hand.

He crept out onto a one-block ledge on his hands and knees cautiously. He noted how high the ledge was above the ground, and gripped the block a little tighter. Cub didn't consider himself a fearful man, but something about ledges worried him. It wasn't even heights that irked him, because he flew all the time, but edges without rails made his stomach flutter. Safely creeping to the other side safely, Cub rushed to catch up on lost time. He flew through the rest of the maze, stumbling as he splashed into the muddy pig pen.

The pigs cooperated fairly well, moving away with an indifferent snort, allowing Cub to army crawl through the space with relative ease. He stood slowly, the exhaustion creeping into his bones again. It had been nearly two days since he slept- Xisuma spoke with him that night he fell asleep with Zedaph in the library, and he hadn't gone back to sleep since. He pulled a lot of long hours, but even he could admit that was too long without sleep.

He also couldn't decide if it was a good or bad design choice to put the water maze after the pig pen. On one hand, his lab coat was now soaked, and his sweater clung to him uncomfortably. On the other hand, it also washed off all the mud from the pigs by the time he crawled out the other side. He stumbled past the finish line, an also-dripping Zedaph catching him with a laugh.

"You finally made it!"

Cub wrung his beard quickly, flashing Zedaph a smile. "It was really fun! What were our times?"

"Well I got 55 seconds, and you got one minute 46 seconds. That's a great first run!"

"Maybe, but you still thrashed me," Cub laughed.

"It was your first run, and I made the game! Wanna try for a better time? Or maybe we should play another game?"

Cub only wanted to sleep, but he knew that was a bad idea right now. If he tried to sleep his thoughts would run rampant with ungrounded worries and terrifying theories. So instead, he shook his head. "Let's try a new game, shall we?"

"Yes! We should play Dig Straight Down, Grian made that one right?"

The pair began meandering over to the game. "Yeah; I heard Joe is basically a master now thanks to all his training."

"Of course he did," Zedaph laughed. "I'm just hopeful to break even! Admission is five diamonds, right?"

"Yeah, but I'll pay for you, don't worry."

"Cub, you're too sweet!" Zed gasped, wrapping Cub in a tight hug. "Oh hey Grian! Fancy meeting you here!"

Even from across the lot, Cub could tell Grian was a sorry sight. He was curled up against the wood wall in the far corner, his eyes dark with exhaustion. Seeing the pair meander in caused his head to rise in surprise, and everyone stared at each other for a moment.

"Uh, hello Grian," Cub managed to say. A silent 'Good to see you again so soon.' Was tagged on as well, which Grian seemed to catch based on his curious blinking.

"Now a minigame seems like a poor place for a nap, isn't it?" Zedaph chuckled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Yeah... uh, I'll get out of your way." Grian threw his wings on and sparked a rocket in a fraction of a second, disappearing before Cub could react.

Grian didn't look good, so Cub could only imagine how he looked in a mirror. At least Grian had gone home to sleep last night; Cub practically felt the phantoms swirling around his head by now. He couldn't dwell on that though, not now. The server was looking to him as a source of information for this strange, scary situation, and he had to be brave. Technically Stress, Grian and Xisuma were also there, but Cub couldn't shirk his duties. He had to be brave.

"I hope Grian's doing alright... I heard he was the first one to find Ren,"
Zedaph murmured.

Cub nodded slowly. "Yeah, but Ren's going to be okay. We should relax and play some games."

Zedaph took a step closer, and Cub leaned away nervously. "Cub, if you're still worried about Ren, we don't need to pretend to be happy. Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No, it's okay. I kept an eye on Ren last night, it's all going to be okay."

Zedaph made a sound of protest at that statement. "Wait, you were up all night? You need sleep, come on now!"

Zedaph grabbed Cub's arm gently, but he stumbled away. Even the mention of sleep sent a huge yawn racking Cub's body, and he pulled his shoulders up defensively. Everyone knew Cub could pull insane hours for projects, and now Zed is babying him over lost sleep? He wouldn't allow it. He wasn't weak, and everyone needed to know it. He could manage a corporation by himself, he could see his friend at death's door, and he could still stand as a solid rock for those around him.

He wouldn't expect any less from himself.

"Talking always helps me sort my emotions out. Cub, how is Scar? When was the last time you talked? Is he-"

"Stop." Cub snapped. Logically, he knew Zedaph was trying to help him work through his negative emotions, but he couldn't help the tears streaking down his cheeks. He took a step back, and Zedaph hesitated before stepping toward him again. He said something in a gentle tone, but Cub was too busy thinking about Scar again to pay attention. Scar couldn't be a cause of Ren's condition, even if it looked like it. Scar would never. He was a bad business man, but he wasn't an idiot.

"Cub, are you listening?" His name caught his attention. "My goodness you're in poor shape. Cub, it's okay to rest. You've had an insane month worrying about Doc and Scar, and now Ren too. Please, go sleep. If not for you, then for me." Zedaph's voice was broken, and the soft tone he used made Cub want to cry in exhaustion. He felt Zedaph wrap his arms around around him, and Cub melted into the warm touch. He didn't remember much after that, except Zedaph helping him into his warm, soft bed, where he fell asleep instantly.

Sorry for the impromptu hiatus this last month! Hopefully I can get back to a regular pace, but I never set schedules for myself so y'all just get to suffer with me.

Love you, my little stars!
-RaeTheStar