Trigger warning: Violance, Physical abuse, abusive parents, blood.
—

"Grian?"

Phil knocked lightly on his son's door, frowning at the silence. The builder had locked himself in his bedroom, crying to himself after hearing that Mumbo had ran away. He hadn't come out on Christmas morning to spend time with his family, nor would he eat anything.

Pulling the wool blankets over his head, Grian sobbed quietly while ignoring his concerned father. Mumbo was gone, nowhere to be found, and he wouldn't answer any of the messages that his boyfriend left him. It was tearing the blonde hermit apart, not knowing if his boyfriend was safe or not.

"Grian, someone is here to see you. Please, come out of your room."

"I'm not talking to Wilbur!" The builder yelled between his sobs. "You can't make me! He ruined my life!"

"I'm not gonna make you talk to him, okay? What Wilbur did was awful, and I won't force you to talk to him if you don't want to. But, I reached out to one of your friends from hermitcraft, and he says he has an idea about where Mumbo is."

Grian pulled the covers off his head, a bit stunned. Any chance that he could find Mumbo, no matter the risks, he would take. The builder glanced to his bedside table, picking up the silver ring that his boyfriend was going to use to propose.

He pulled himself out of bed while slipping the ring onto his finger. Grian didn't wipe the tears or clean up his appearance, he barely even noticed, he was focused on saving his boyfriend. Unlocking the door, the builder took a deep breath. His father turned the handle for him, Grian's eyes focused on the ground as the light of the hallway leaked into his room. He glanced up, Phil and Xisuma standing in the doorway, both wearing looks of concern.

Grian sniffled, wiping his tears on his sleeve. "I-I'm fine, I swear..." he muttered quietly, though clearly lying.

"Look, Grian.." The admin began, his tone somber and nervous. "We can't force Mumbo to come back home. I have the coordinates of where his communicator was last before going offline, but wherever he is, it's his choice if he wants to come home."

"I just need to know that he's okay," The builder said, his eyes watery and red. "I don't care if he hates me, I just need to know that Mumbo is safe!"

Xisuma nodded slowly. "Alright. Let's go find him."

"I'm coming along, just in case you need the extra help." Phil said, no arguments coming from Grian or the admin.

The door to Wilbur's bedroom swung open, the younger brother stumbling out. "I'm coming too!" He said, after clearly eavesdropping on the entire conversation. Phil shook his head.

"No you aren't. You caused this entire f**kin' mess, not to mention possibly ruining your brother's relationship with his boyfriend!"

"Just let me come, Phil!" Wilbur groaned in annoyance. "I want to fix this, okay? Can't I just have one chance?"

The father glanced towards his eldest son, who hesitated for a moment, before giving a slight nod. "Fine," he sighed. "but you aren't going to say a single word unless it's warning us about something life threatening."

"Can I bring an axe? Y'know, to defend us?"

"No."

"Sword?"

"No."

"Crossbow?"

"No."

"Crowbar?"

"If that will shut you up, fine! Just shut your mouth!"

"But—"

"SHUT." Phil snapped, Wilbur pressing his lips into a thin line as he quickly nodded in understanding.

Xisuma placed a hand on Grian's shoulder, his eyes flooded with worry as he stared down at the builder. "This will all work out, we'll find some way to fix this."

"T-thanks.." Grian mumbled quietly, clinging to his father's side. Phil wrapped one wing around his son, trying to comfort him.

"Alright, let's go find Mumbo."

—

"Oh, why is every nice suit of yours stained with redstone? It's like glitter, it gets everywhere!"

The man formerly known as Mumbo didn't respond, standing obligingly as he watched his mother rummage through his closet for something presentable for him to wear. Oliver had barely registered the time that had passed, by now it should have been near the end of December.

Of course, Christmas must have passed as well. All the decorations in his family's mansion had been quickly taken down, seemingly overnight. The day that Mumbo had planned to ask his boyfriend to marry him had passed, but Mumbo was gone, so what did it matter?

"Now, this is a very important night. Your father and I have started to arrange a wedding with this sweet girl, so you'll be meeting her at dinner tonight."

"Of course," Oliver said quietly, his eyes dull and empty. Sure, the idea of marriage hurt, especially after Grian. But there was nothing he could do, a good son would never argue with his mother. That's what had been engraved in his brain, anyway.

"Your father is off on another work trip, but he thinks that this marriage will be great for business. There's not much you have to do, just look pretty and stay quiet. If you're obedient, all of this will work out."

His mother handed him a clean suit, walking out of the bedroom before slamming the door behind her. Oliver sat down on the edge of his bed, staring down at his fingers.

He imagined a wedding ring on his finger, like the one he had planned to use to propose to his boyfriend. Oli had always wanted to get married, and Grian was always his perfect idea of a husband. But that simple dream was over, Oliver had finally woken up.

All he wanted was to make his mother happy.

It kept him distracted, Oli could feel himself to pull away from hermitcraft and the false identity he had made there. No more redstone, no more building, all of that had been left behind. That part of him was dead, now he was just Oliver Brotherhood.

After changing into a nice suit, he grabbed a comb off the dresser, looking in the mirror as he fixed up his hair. All he had to do was move straightforward, no more regret or looking back.

By now, the hermits had probably returned from the server from their holiday break. Grian had probably told about his boyfriend's disappearance, but at least none of the hermits would look for him here.

"Oli! Are you ready yet?" His mother knocked on the door, bringing Oliver back to the present.

"Yes, I'm coming." He called, the former hermit walking over to his bedroom door. His mother was standing on the other side, inspecting his appearance immediately as the door opened. Her stare was judgmental and cruel, the mother scoffing underneath her breath.

"How much weight did you put on while you lived in hermitcraft? Tsk, I should have known. Hurry up and change out of that awful suit, you look horrible in it. Wear something that makes you look half decent and maybe you'll actually be a little more than worthless."

"I'm sorry, mother.." he apologized, Oliver quickly retreating back into his bedroom.

At this point, he had heard everything hurtful his mother had ever said. The impact of the words had been soften because of it, which made Oliver's emotions numb as a result.

He changed into a suit that he hadn't worn since season seven, the blue suit that Grian made Mumbo wear to trick Grumbot into thinking they had won the election.

Putting on the suit didn't bring back any old memories or happy times with his boyfriend, no, all of that had been buried away. Oliver didn't want to remember any of it. He took off the mayoral sash that the suit had come with, dropping it in the bottom of the closet before shutting the doors.

"Ah! Much better, dear." His mother exclaimed happily as Oliver stepped out of his bedroom. She adjusted his tie slightly, tightening it so that it was basically choking the mustached Brit. He didn't mind.

"You look lovely. Now, as long as we don't have any problems, you'll be married by the end of the week."

That shocked Oliver, so much so that his eyes had a spark of emotion for a moment. "B-but it's Thursda—"

"What have I told you about speaking? You don't speak unless I ask a question, dear. Oli, you should know this by now, it's my simplest rule. Now, you don't want to be a disappointment to me, do you? So hurry and get ready to meet your fiancé."

Oliver's gaze shifted towards the ground. There was that word again, disappointment. That's all he was, and no matter who he was, Oliver or Mumbo, he was nothing more than a disappointment.

He had failed Grian, barely ever spending time with his boyfriend. And he had failed his mother, being anything but the perfect son she wanted. Reluctantly, the former hermit nodded his head. "Yes mother."

"Good boy. Don't disappoint me, Oliver." She said to her son, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked away.

He could hear the front door open, Oli taking a deep breath as he expected to meet the woman he would marry. Little did he know that it would be much worse.

Walking out of the bedroom, Oliver froze in place as he spotted the figure at the door. The sleeves of their white dress shirt had been rolled up, the man taller than Oliver, with fluffy dark hair along with a beard, and deep green eyes that brought back memories that Oliver just wanted to forget.

He tried to retreat back to his bedroom, but it was too late. "Oli! Your mother told me you were back home! So, I canceled my work trip to see you get married." The man smiled, slapping a hand on Oliver's back a little too hard.

"T-thats great, dad.." Oliver wore a strained smile, which his father clearly saw through.

"Why are you getting upset? I did something nice for my only son, I don't think this is the way you should react." He said with a huff, causing Oliver's gaze to shift towards the ground.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean—"

"That's right, you didn't mean it." He said, giving a warm smile as he walked off, as if nothing had even happened.

Oliver quickly fled back to his bedroom, shutting the door so hard that a picture frame managed to fall off his dresser. He let out a sigh, honestly, that was probably his best interaction with his father, ever.

He glanced towards the photograph, the frame shattered into hundreds of pieces of glass. It was him as a child, when his parents actually seemed to love him. Oliver didn't understand right from wrong back then, he didn't know how awful his parents actually were.

And yet, he came running back to them.

Fiddling with his tie, Oli tried to distract himself before his wife-to-be arrived. Was he really about to do this, just to feel loved? Oliver knew that he was running from one life to the other, but he didn't know what else to do, other than to run.

"Oliver! Hurry up and finish getting ready!" His mother called as there was a knock at the door. Not much time to turn back anymore. He took in a deep breath, opening the door to his bedroom.

Both his mother and father were standing by the door, Oliver about to walk over and join them. That is, until he noticed who was at the door.

Oliver and Grian locked eyes. He'd been crying, that was easy enough to notice. The builder opened his mouth to say something, but the former hermit ran off, locking himself in his bedroom.

Grian's heart felt like it broke again, seeing him so close. He turned his attention back to Mumbo's parents, both of which who had a cold glimmer in their eyes.

"Olivia." Xisuma greeted, no emotion in his voice as he spoke. "It's good to see you again, I haven't seen you since I picked up Mumbo for his first day on hermitcraft."

"Don't call him that name." She hissed, "His name is Oliver, not that stupid nickname he made up."

"Look, we just want to talk. This is all a big misunderstanding." The admin said, Mumbo's mother pressing her lips into a line. She was about to speak before her husband placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I think that sounds wonderful." He said cheerfully, which clearly upset his wife. Mumbo's father ignored the angry glares, gesturing down the hallway. "We can talk in my office."

Xisuma nodded, though Phil placed his hand on the admin's shoulder. "I'll be coming along too. Grian is my son, so I'd like to join the conversation about this misunderstanding."

Mumbo's father gave a nod, Phil turning towards his two sons. "Stay here, we'll be right back when all this has been sorted out." He promised, Wilbur giving a silent nod, while Grian kept his eyes towards the ground.

The two followed Mumbo's father down the hallway, stopping at a door at the end of the hall. He gestured for them to enter, which they reluctantly did.

The office was dark, Xisuma barely able to see in front of him. He heard the door shut behind him, with the faint click of the lock, his stomach instantly twisting into knots at the sound. Before the admin had a chance to react, he was struck with something, causing him to slam against the wall.

Phil hit the lights, revealing Mumbo's father holding a bloodstained baseball bat. The blood was old, dry on the wood, but it was practically drenched. The crow father stared in horror, his hands shaking in fear and anger.

"You hurt your son with that, didn't you?!" He yelled in anger, while the former hermit's father smiled, his grip tightening on the handle.

"Only when he needed to be taught a lesson. Oli wasn't the child we had hoped for, but he's been shaping up nicely since he came home. I only have your son to thank for that, it's like he's a changed man."

"S-so, you won't let him come home willingly, I assume.." Xisuma groaned as he managed to get to his feet, a bit disoriented from the hit.

"He's already home, and I'm not letting my son run away again. His marriage is gonna be great for business, but if he starts to hesitate, I may just have to give him a bit of...motivation."

"You make me sick to be a father." Phil spat, but he only laughed at the insult.

"So what? He was a great kid, perfectly behaved, never spoke out of turn. That is—" he pointed to Xisuma. "—until you came along. Suddenly my son doesn't want to listen, acting out, trying to run away. Honestly, if he had never heard that stupid idea of joining hermitcraft, Oli wouldn't have suffered."

"Are you saying I'm the problem?!" Xisuma growled. "You're the one who mistreated your son! The blame is on you for his actions, all I did was see potential in him!"

"His potential was to get married so he could help grow the family business!"

"So what, he was just a tool for you to sell off when he was old enough?!" The crow father asked. The bat was swung at him, Phil using his wings to get off the ground and dodge the attack.

While the father was distracted, Xisuma ran to the door, trying to find some way to break out of the office. Phil quickly tackled the admin to the ground, narrowly avoiding a hit from the bat. The two ended up on the ground, Mumbo's father stepping on Phil's wing to prevent him from flying off.

"Look, I don't think your son is a bad kid." He smiled, green eyes gleaming with malicious intent. "He's just not right for Oli. He's just gonna make things worse, so I'll give you a chance to walk away and leave Oliver alone."

"If we have a chance to get him out of this awful household, we'll take it." Phil hissed in pain, Mumbo's father giving a shrug.

"Fine, it's your funeral."

—

Mumbo's father walked out of the office alone twenty minutes later, his footsteps breaking the awkward silence that had been crushing Grian. Olivia, or rather, Mumbo's mother, hadn't stopped glaring at him.

"Business as usual," he said cheerfully, kissing his wife with a chuckle.

"Where's Phil and X? Shouldn't they be with you?" Grian asked, Mumbo's father raising an eyebrow at the builder.

"They're taking care of a few things, we've come to an arrangement together. It all went smoothly." He smiled, though he sounded passive-aggressive with his tone. Wilbur frowned, but he didn't say anything, sneaking off as the group wasn't paying attention.

Grian stepped forward, his eyes begging with the parents. "Please, before we go, could I talk to Mu— Oliver? I just need to clear things up, I want us both to have some closure. Please."

"Ugh, fine." Olivia scoffed carelessly. "Then just hurry up and leave. We have big plans for Oli tonight, and I don't want any of you ruining it for our family."

Grian smiled, bolting past the two and towards the room where he had seen Oliver run into. He knocked on the door, no response. The builder frowned, though he knocked again.

"Mumbo? Oliver? Look, I-I don't really know what to call you. Just please, open the door. We really need to talk, I need to clear up what Wilbur said to you."

A few moments of silence passed, before the lock clicked, the door opening slightly. Oliver stood on the other side, it looked like he was trying his best not to cry.

"I, erm, I-I didn't think you'd come l-looking for me.." he muttered quietly.

"Mumbo, are you kidding? I've been worried sick! I haven't spoken to Wilbur after what he did to you, and we've been spending the past few weeks trying to find you!"

Oliver's gaze was cast to the floor, though he managed to catch a gleam of silver on Grian's finger. He sucked in a tense breath, eyes fixated on the ring that he wore.

"I-is that—?"

"Oh, y-yeah. I'm sorry, Wilbur told me about your plan to propose, a-and I couldn't help but hold onto it."

Oliver took in a deep breath, before letting out a long sigh. "Gri, look. I think you should go, I just...I can't keep running away from my family."

"Mumbo, you told me about how awful they were to you! I know that what Wilbur said hurt you, but I can't stand to let you get mistreated by your family!"

"I don't want to go back to hermitcraft, Grian! I want to make my parents happy! Because if you don't love me, maybe they can!"

The words shook Grian to his core. "Oh, Mumby.." he said quietly, while Oliver let a few tears crawl out of his eyes. The builder cupped his cheeks, using his thumb to wipe away the tears.

"There is nothing on this earth that can make me stop loving you. I'd do anything for you. I would even leave and never come back if that's what you really want."

Mumbo couldn't help himself, wrapping his arms around Grian's waist to pull the smaller hermit into a kiss. His lips were soft and warm, a familiar feeling that he had missed. The redstoner was so lost in the sensation, he didn't even notice the look of horror and rage on his parent's faces.

"OLIVER!" His father snapped as the pulled away, the man marching over towards his son with rage burning in his green eyes.

"What are you doing?! You're supposed to meet your fiancé in an hour!"

Mumbo took in a deep breath, intertwining his fingers with Grian's to tightly hold his boyfriend's hand. "I won't do it." He built up the courage to say, the rage on his parent's faces seemingly to multiply within seconds.

"I can't force myself whatever girl you picked out for me, and I can't force myself to be the perfect son you've always wanted. I'm sorry, but... But I'm going back to hermitcraft."

In a moment of rage, Mumbo's father firmly slapped his son across the face, which even seemed to shock his wife. The mustached hermit placed a hand on his cheek, but he remained firm, glaring at his father.

"We're leaving."

His father laughed. "Oh, I don't think you are. Unless you want your boyfriend's father to have a slit throat. Or maybe Xisuma. Who cares."

Mumbo watched as the color left Grian's face, horror in his eyes as he desperately looked towards his boyfriend for help. Defeated, the mustached hermit sighed.

"Let them go and I'll stay, okay?"

"Mumbo—"

"GRIAN!"

Phil and Xisuma ran out of the office, both stained in their own blood. The admin's armor had been dented and scratched, with splotches of red decorated all over him. The crow father had a broken wing, along with dark blood stains all over his clothes.

"What the hell?! How did you—"

"CROWBAR, B**CH!" Wilbur yelled with pride beaming through his smile as he ran out of the office and down the hall. Mumbo's father growled underneath his breath.

"I knew I should have killed you two when I had the chance!" He yelled, grabbing Mumbo by the wrist. "YOU AREN'T LEAVING THIS FAMILY, OLIVER! NOT AGAIN!"

Mumbo fought to pull away, but his father's grip wouldn't loosen. Wilbur quickly slammed the crowbar down onto his arm, freeing the mustached hermit with a satisfying snap coming from his father's bone.

"AGH! YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SH—" Wilbur didn't let the father finish his sentence, slamming the crowbar into his knee.

"RUN! GOGOGOGO!" He yelled to the four, dropping the crowbar as he bolted towards the door. No one hesitated, running out of the mansion without looking back.

"Hey, uh! I know this is a really weird time, after your brother just beat up my dad, but Grian, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?!" Mumbo yelled while holding his boyfriend's hand, Phil letting out a cheer in support as he ran a little further behind the two.

"Of course, you spoon! But you could've waited until we got home!"

"I've waited long enough, haven't I?"

"I would 100% kiss you right now if we weren't running from your maniac parents!"

The redstoner let out a laugh, smiling down at his husband-to-be. This was perfect, he was perfect, and Mumbo felt like he was finally leaving behind his old life to start a new one with the most amazing guy in the world.