Trigger warnings: blood, death, torture.

-

"I think we need some time apart."

It was painful for Mumbo to say the words, to watch as the joy and bubbly excitement in Grian's eyes disappeared, now confused and hurt. But the mustached Brit needed time, he needed to have some time away from the prankster. It wasn't for long, Mumbo just needed a break from his best friend's antics, he wanted to spend more time with other hermits.

"Did I do something..?" The shorter male asked with a quiet voice, his words shaking. Mumbo shook his head.

"N-no! Of course not! W...well..." his voice trailed off, the builder biting his bottom lip as Mumbo looked to the floor to escape the guilty look in Grian's eyes.

"I-it's just, we spent so much time together in season six and at the beginning of the season, and now..." Mumbo gestured to the giant robot that sat on the platform, as well as the smaller robot that Grian clutched close to his chest.

"We made robots who think we're their parents. T-this is getting out of hand, okay? I-I just...I just think that we should take a break, hang out with other hermits for a bit."

"Take a break from what, Mumbo?! Being friends? Cause that's all we're ever been!" Grian snapped, eyes beginning to water. The Redstoner's gut twisted with regret.

"I j-just think that our friendship is getting...out of hand. We have robotic children! Isn't that a bit crazy to you?" Mumbo argued, Grian holding Jrumbot closer to his stomach. The builder moved his hand towards the off-switch, putting the robot into sleep mode so that they wouldn't have to watch their dads argument.

"Maybe it is, okay? But it wasn't intentional, we made them to help with the mayoral race! So is it really about them? Or is this about me?! Are you sick of me!?" Grian shouted at Mumbo, the Brit scoffing quietly while loosening his tie. He moved past the builder, his back facing Grian as he studied the large robot sitting on the platform before him.

Grian froze as Mumbo ignored him. His voice was cracking as he let out a choked sob. "Answer me!" Grian shouted, almost desperate to know. The Redstoner unbuttoned his suit jacket, letting it drop to the ground. His head was aching, Mumbo rubbing the temples of his head to try and soothe the pounding of his thoughts.

"Maybe I am," Mumbo finally answered as he turned around to face Grian, leaning his back against Grumbot while using his thumb and index finger to rub his eyelids.

"Maybe I am sick of you, okay? Your shenanigans just get out of hand sometimes, and you can be so clingy and annoying and-" Mumbo froze as he stopped rubbing his eyelids, opening his eyes to realize that Grian's expression was broken and sorrowful. Tears rolled down his face, the anger and annoyance fading from Mumbo's face, regret now swimming in his eyes.

Grian threw the small robot against the concrete ground, Jrumbot's screen shattering into hundreds of tiny shards. Pieces of the machine broke out and spilled onto the ground, Mumbo quickly running over to the small bot.

He got on his knees, lifting the small robot off the ground and studying all the broken parts. Mumbo dragged his thumb across the shattered screen, Jrumbot's peaceful sleep-mode expression now looked sad and broken. The raven-haired man looked up to where Grian was standing, only to find that he was gone.

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean it." Mumbo said while clutching the broken robot close to his chest, the man softly sobbing. He just wanted a bit of space, the Redstoner wanted to spend time with Iskall or Scar or Stress, but most of his time was spent with Grian and his shenanigans.

Still, he felt awful.

-

"There, good as new." Mumbo smiled while wiping his brow, a content sigh escaping from between his lips. He glanced around at the redstone circuits one last time to ensure everything was working properly before he stepped out of Grumbot's redstone brain, gliding down and onto the soft grass that replaced the hard concrete.

Mumbo had lost the mayoral race. Horribly, at that. Not a single vote. Not from Iskall, definitely not from Grian, and not from himself. After everything that had happened, with the way he treated his best friend, the Brit knew that he didn't deserve to be mayor.

Truthfully, he had neglected the robot. Jrumbot's shattered body was stuffed away in a shulker box and Grumbot had overheated months ago. With nothing else to do, Mumbo had only now decided to fix the robot.

Grian had built something for the bot, a sort of false reality to keep Grumbot happy, which clearly didn't work. His redstone was fried, everything completely broken after he overheated. It wasn't too difficult to fix, the robot as good as new.

Mumbo smiled wearily. He wouldn't be back to visit Grumbot, Grian was here enough, and the taller man didn't want to risk an interaction with the builder. He didn't even see the large robot as a son. Just an invention. Just a mistake.

Grabbing his elytra, Mumbo left the box that the mayoral bot sat in. He flew off without looking back, eyes focused on nothing in particular while gliding over the shopping district, the tall Brit unfocused while his eyes scanned the shopping district below. When he determined that it was safe, no signs of Grian, the mustached hermit dove down, landing in front of the town hall.

"Mumbo!" A voice called, the Brit looking back as he saw Scar approach.

"How can I help you?" Mumbo asked, the mayor grinning as he placed a hand on the taller male's shoulder.

"I want you to join HEP," Scar began, "I want you to join the fight against Grian and his resistance! We could use your expertise to build some tunnel bores to find the resistance HQ!"

"F-fight?" Mumbo stuttered, his eyes drawn to Grian's barge for a moment before glancing back at the mayor. "No. I-I-I can't. Grian and I aren't doing to well friendship-wise, but this could make it worse!"

"Come onnnnnnn!" Scar begged, pulling on Mumbo's tie and choking him slightly. The Brit shook his head.

"N-no. Grian would hate me even more." Mumbo said quietly, his voice quivering. Scar's face turned into a crooked smile, an evil glint in his cold eyes.

"I knew it, that whole fight was just an act!" Scar exclaimed while Mumbo stepped back, his expression perplexed and concerned.

"I- w-what?"

"You're working with Grian and his resistance, aren't you? That's why you're on these posters! That's why you won't join HEP! That whole fight is over, you and Grian are just faking it now so that no one suspects you as a resistance member!" Scar exclaimed, Mumbo frowning.

"S-Scar, that isn't true. Grian w-won't talk to me and I-"

"That's enough." Scar said while snapping his fingers, the hilt of a blade slamming against the side of Mumbo's head, causing the Brit to stumble and fall unconscious against the ground. As his thoughts turned fuzzy and his vision began to blur, the Redstoner could see Cub step into view, he and the mayor staring at Mumbo.

"Take him to the dungeon," Scar commanded to his enforcer. "He'll be staying there until he either admits to being apart of the resistance, or when he join us."

-

Grian let out a quiet sigh, breaking through the wall with his pickaxe to enter Grumbot's home. He'd been spending most his time with the robot, despite it having overheated and broken down after Mumbo left. Though, it had been a couple weeks since Grian had visited him. It felt nice to be with Grumbot, somewhere quiet where Mumbo would never go near.

The builder's attention was pulled to the robot's smiling face, which was odd since Grumbot was supposed to be broken. It had been quite some time since Grian had visited the robot, maybe one of the hermits decided to fix him?

Scribbling down a note and attaching it to a Diamond, Grian submitted his question to his robotic son. 'How are you fixed?' He asked, hitting the four buttons while tapping his feet against the grass, a small piece of paper popping out of the machine.

'DAD #2 FIXED GRUMBOT'

"Mumbo? But why would he do that...?" Grian wondered aloud. Mumbo knew that the shorter male had been spending his spare time here, so maybe he fixed their robotic son to try and make things up to Grian?

The Brit sighed. It had been too long since he had spoken with his best friend. Maybe Grian was being too harsh to Mumbo, after all, it had been months from their fight. He had to forgive the spoon eventually.

Grian quickly left Grumbot's home, strapping on his elytra and flying over the ocean. He scanned the shopping district for Mumbo, hopping to catch a glimpse of the mustached male. All he saw were HEP agents clearing up mycelium, which he would have to replace later.

He spotted Scar going off to the town hall, Grian landing in front of the terraformer. Hopefully he had seen Mumbo sometime recently.

"Hey Scar!" Grian greeted with a happy smile, which was met by the mayor's sour expression.

"Let me guess: you've come to get your spy back." Scar growled while narrowing his eyes at the resistance leader, who froze in his tracks.

"Spy? Scar, we don't have a spy on the resistance." Grian said, confused at what the terraformer meant. The mayor simply laughed.

"Oh really? Then what about Mumbo?"

Grian's eyes widened. "Scar, what did you do to Mumbo?" He asked, his voice barely a whisper. Scar's evil grin only seemed to grow.

"Oh, what? Miss your spy?" He asked cruelly, Grian shaking his head with tears in his eyes.

"N-no! He's not a member of the resistance! You're dragging him into this war without giving him a choice! He could be scared or hurt!"

"He's fine. Still, I can't believe it's taken you this long to realize he's gone. We captured Mumbo weeks ago!" Scar laughed, dread filling the pit of Grian's stomach.

"You need to let him go!" Grian demanded, Scar laughing as he turned to the town hall.

"Why would I do that? We're so close to getting the resistance's secrets out of Mumbo." Scar taunted while entering the town hall, leaving Grian dumbfounded.

He needed to rescue Mumbo.

-

"I-I-I sw-wear, I d-d-don't k-know anyth-thing.." Mumbo's hoarse voice echoed in the large obsidian box, the Brit stuttering out a choked sob. The glint of the overhead light shone onto Xisuma's visor, the tinted glass preventing Mumbo from seeing the admin's face. His glove hand hovered over a lever, sweat dripping down the side of Mumbo's head as his eyes were solely focused on the switch.

He was strapped in a chair, Mumbo's wrists and ankles attached to the seat with metal cuffs. His waist and neck were also held in place, the panicked Brit barely able move a muscle.

"Who are you loyal to?" Xisuma's dull voice called, the control panel that he was standing at across from the chair that Mumbo was being held prisoner in. When the redstoner didn't answer the admin's question, Xisuma grabbed the lever, threatening to switch on the device.

"Who. Are. You. Loyal. To?" He repeated his question, Mumbo's eyes darting over the obsidian prison that he was held in. Xisuma was about to pull the lever, tears falling from Mumbo's eyes.

"HEP! HEP! I'M LOYAL TO HEP!" The Brit cried helplessly, thrashing in the chair that he was held in. The admin smiled, nodding his head.

"That's right. That's good." Xisuma said while letting go of the lever, a sigh of relief escaping Mumbo's lips. The admin hit a button on the control panel, the metal cuffs that held the prisoner in place unlocking and releasing Mumbo from the chair.

Stumbling out of the seat, Mumbo's legs quivered as he fell to the ground, barely strong enough to stand. His clothes were dirtied and stained with blood, fresh scars and wounds covering the Brit's body. He hadn't eaten much, just the bare minimum so he wouldn't starve to death. Mumbo had no strength to walk, barely enough to speak.

HEP was training him like a dog. When Mumbo was good and obeyed, he was rewarded. When he wouldn't say anything about the resistance, he was tormented to the brink of death. Since he knew nothing about the resistance, he was tortured more than he was rewarded.

Cub entered the cell, meaning that Xisuma's guard shift was up. It happened every couple of hours, Mumbo had noticed, and compared to all the other HEP agents, Xisuma was nice.

"Did he give up any info?" Cub asked the admin, who shook his head.

"He said that he knew nothing. Although, I was able to break him in one way." Xisuma said, the two HEP agents glancing to the mustached hermit. The admin bent down, eye level with the Redstoner who was on the ground.

"Who are you loyal to, Mumbo?"

"H-HEP, n-n-no one else.." he choked, looking up from the ground for a nod of approval. Cub just scoffed.

"You call that progress? Just because he says he's loyal, doesn't mean that he really is." Cub sneered at Xisuma, who rolled his eyes at the pharaoh.

"I've made more progress with him than the rest of you combined. All you do is torture him over and over again, I'm actually getting through to him."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Cub growled as Xisuma left the obsidian prison, sealing the exit behind him. The enforcer grabbed Mumbo by the collar of his shirt, throwing him back in the chair and strapping the metal cuffs around his body. The very few moments of freedom that Mumbo had experienced was the best thing that he had felt in weeks.

Without hesitation, Cub immediately pulled the lever that Mumbo dreaded. Pistons fired, the ground below the prisoner opening up and dropping the chair down into a pit. Mumbo's screams echoed through the cell, Cub barely reacting.

Hundreds of wither skeletons dig their swords through Mumbo's flesh, their wither effect burning his skin. Potions of healing and regeneration were rapidly firing out and onto Mumbo, making it impossible for the Brit to die. He was forced to sit still while the wither creatures mauled his body, being healed over and over again, but that didn't make the pain go away.

After what felt like forever, metal chains began to pull the chair out of the pit, Cub hitting the button to release Mumbo from his metal restraints. The pistons reactivated, sealing the ground up as the Brit fell out of the chair and onto the obsidian floor. He was stained with blood, new scars covering Mumbo's body, the wounds instantly healed before being torn open once again by the aggressive mobs.

"You said you're loyal to HEP, right?" Cub asked while narrowing his eyes, Mumbo nodding his head.

"Y-y-yes, I-I'll do anything, I s-swear.." Mumbo begged, his eyes pleading for mercy. Cub grinned.

"Good. The mayor has a task for you."

-

Grian broke through the wall of Grumbot's home, glancing around the dark box with a frown. After spamming Mumbo with messages, hoping that the Redstoner would respond, he got a simple response from the man.

'Come to Grumbot. Alone.'

It sounded like a trap, which is why Grian was prepared to run if something was amiss. But so far, nothing was out of place. The box that held Grumbot was dark, but there were no signs of Mumbo anywhere. He was about to turn and leave, but Grian could see a figure stepping out from behind Grumbot.

"Mumbo?" Grian's voice questioned, the builder stepping forward towards the taller male. He stepped forward, the Redstoner's legs shaking, the Brit tumbling to the ground as his legs gave out on him. Grian ran over to the mustached hermit, kneeling beside Mumbo's body.

"What did they do to you?" The builder asked quietly while slightly lifting Mumbo in his arms, the Redstoner smiling weakly at Grian. His face and arms were stained with dry blood and long, deep scars. Tears formed in the resistance leader's eyes.

Mumbo reached out his hand, gently dragging his thumb across Grian's cheek. "It's been so l-long since I've seen y-you.." he said quietly, his voice cracking as he spoke. "I m-missed you."

Grian's hands cupped Mumbo's cheeks, the builder placing his forehead against the Redstoner's while sobbing happily. "Oh you spoon!" He cried while laughing, running his thumbs against the scars that littered Mumbo's face.

"I-I-I'm sorry.." Mumbo finally said after letting Grian sob happily for a couple moments, the builder shaking his head while keeping his forehead against the Redstoner's.

"I don't care about you said all those months ago, you don't have to apologize. It's been hell without you, I can't stand being in a world where we aren't friends, where we don't talk." Grian said, his nose touching Mumbo's. The Redstoner looked like he was about to cry.

"That's not what I meant," he said, Mumbo's voice barely a whisper. Before Grian could ask what was wrong, something sharp pierced his skin. He let out a shuttered breath, the builder's eyes slowly moving down to his chest.

Mumbo's hand held a dagger, the taller male having plunged it through Grian's chest. Blood rolled down the blade and the handle, staining the Redstoner's hand that held the weapon. His eyes were as shocked as Grian's, Mumbo slowly removing the dagger from the shorter Brit's skin.

Grian's hands pulled away from Mumbo's face, color draining from the resistance leader's expression. He fell off of Mumbo and onto the grass, clutching the bloody wound while gasping for breath. A pool of crimson liquid leaked out from his chest, staining the ground.

Mumbo was on his knees, lifting the smaller male into his arms while shutting his eyes, tears rolling down his face. "I'm so sorry.." he said with a choked sob, repeating the three words over and over again. The Redstoner took Grian's hand in his own, Grian slowly intertwining his fingers with Mumbo's, holding the mustached Brit's hand while shutting his eyes.

Tears rolled down Mumbo's face as he watched Grian's labored breathing, his chest slowly rising and falling, before the movement stopped completely. The Redstoner held Grian closer, wrapping his arms around the shorter male while sobbing into his bloodstained chest.

"You did well." Scar said as he entered Grumbot's home, Mumbo's back facing the mayor while he slowly set Grian down on the grass. The Redstoner got to his feet, legs shaking with his eyes still locked onto the bloody corpse of the shorter male.

"What's the point," Mumbo asked, staring down at his blood-soaked hands. "What's the point, Scar? I just killed the person who actually cared about me! And even though he's dead, you're still going to torture me and make me suffer!"

"Mumbo-"

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Mumbo asked, interrupting Scar before he could speak. "This is where our friendship died months ago, and when things finally get better, when Grian finally talks to me again, I'm forced to kill him. He died in the place where THIS MESS STARTED!"

"Calm down, Mumbo. Let's just get you back to HEP HQ and get you cleaned up."

Mumbo laughed at that. "You're acting like my friend, when you made me kill the person that I missed more than anything. Having Grian ignore and hate me, I thought that was worse than death, but you've managed to top that, Scar! Just when things were finally okay, just for a moment, I actually felt happy! And I don't think that I can stand another moment being tortured by you!"

"What are you saying, Mumbo?" Scar asked, watching as the Redstoner pulled out the bloody dagger that he had stabbed through Grian's chest. He extended his arms out, holding tight to the dagger, the tip pointed towards his heart.

"I tried to fix things," he laughed, tears in Mumbo's eyes, although his face was smiling. "I fixed Grumbot because I wanted Grian to talk to me again. I regretted EVERYTHING for every second of every day that Grian wouldn't speak to me. I don't know why I listened to you, I don't know why I KILLED him!"

"Put down the knife, Mumbo.." Scar said softly, hatred and anger beginning to burn in the Redstoner's eyes.

"So you can bring me back to HEP, lock me in that chair, and torture me? I'd rather let the hermits see the monster that you really are." Mumbo said, Scar opening his mouth to argue, but froze as the Brit stabbed the dagger through his chest.

He fell to the ground, removing the dagger with a groan of pain, Mumbo's vision beginning to turn blurry. Blood puddled onto the grass, a weak smile spreading across the mustached hermit's face as he reached for Grian's hand, the builder laying on the bloody grass beside him.

Mumbo's body went limp as his fingers intertwined with Grian's hand, the two holding hands as Mumbo bled to death on the grass.

-

Kinda long, and not really Grumbo, but I couldn't make this entire book fluff