"Oh my gosh," Scar said with a mouthful of steak. "I forgot how good food is!"

He was practically scarfing down the plate of food Bdubs had prepared for him, as if he hadn't eaten in days. It had been a long time since Scar had actually eaten real food, the vexes mostly fed him cake. Even with all the different flavors, it still got really sickening really quick.

Bdubs watched his boyfriend eat, staring at him dreamily while the wings on his back flapped slowly. It took Scar a moment to realize he was being watched, causing him to sheepishly pause in embarrassment and put down his fork.

"Sorry. You probably think I'm a pig."

"Nono!" Bdubs threw his hands up in defense, shaking his head at the accusation. "No it's not that, it's just—, you look good."

"What like, hot?" Scar gave a smirk, playfully teasing the vex.

"I mean, uh, you know what I meant! I mean you look healthy, better than before."

Scar looked back down at his plate, using his fork to move around the potatoes and carrots he was staring at. "I feel better." He said, a bit reluctantly. "Like I'm not on the brink of death, at least."

"Really?!" The vex's eyes went wide, sparkling with hope as his wings flapped with excitement.

"Calm down, please." Scar's face fell into a frown, his eyes serious as he looked up from his meal. "I don't know if I'm going to live or not. Just because I'm feeling better doesn't mean my body can fully recover. I mean, I lived off of vex magic for years..."

Bdubs looked away, his eyes sad and disappointed. Scar let out a breath, reaching across the table to place his hand atop his boyfriend's. "I just...don't want you to get your hopes up."

"You'll live." He said firmly, blue eyes focused on the floor of the kitchen. "I'm gonna make sure of it."

"Bdubs—"

"Please, Scar." The vex looked up from the ground, his eyes welding with tears. "I just...I really love you. I can't lose you when I just got you."

Scar let go of Bdubs' hand to instead cup his cheek. His lips curved upward slightly, his voice soft with sympathy. "I love you too, but I don't want to live if I have to live as a vex." Bdubs sniffled, trying to hide it behind a sleeve.

"But we can save you—" He tried to say, though the human interrupted him.

"You're brainwashed, just repeating what Cub wants you to say." He said, using his thumb to wipe away the tears that rolled down his boyfriend's face.

"Sorry," Bdubs muttered, leaning into his partner's touch. "I just wanna keep you safe."

"Right now, I just wanna be here with you." Scar smiled calmly, staring into the icy blue eyes of the vex. "Let's enjoy the time we have. Let's enjoy each other."

"I think I have a bottle of champagne somewhere." Bdubs said as he grabbed Scar's hand and gave it a slight squeeze. "Maybe we should pop it open, celebrate a little?"

"That sounds much better than moping around." The mayor giggled a little, his green eyes sparkling as they stared at his partner.

Bdubs flapped his wings, hovering slightly above the ground as he began to rummage through the cupboards of his kitchen. He grabbed two glasses for the alcohol before managing to find an old bottle he had stashed away, covered in a thin layer of dust.

"I got this to celebrate our victory against HEP," He explained while popping the cork, beginning to pour the bubbly drink. "But, you know..that didn't exactly happen, heh.."

He trailed off awkwardly, his hands trembling slightly as he handed Scar one of the glasses. He took a seat next to his partner, trying to scoot a bit closer to the mayor while holding his own glass of champagne. "Is it weird that I really wanna kiss you right now?" Bdubs asked, muttering underneath his breath, half-hoping that Scar wouldn't hear him.

"No," Said his partner, setting down his glass before he even took a sip. "I'd like that."

Bdubs moved in slightly closer, hesitant at first. They had kissed before, so it shouldn't have been such a big deal. Still, he felt nervous. Scar placed a hand on the vex's thigh, his touch calming Bdubs in just a moment. The mayor closed the gap between them, their lips connecting softly. It was a brief kiss, just a few moments, but it left Bdubs feeling lightheaded and dizzy, his mind buzzing with happiness.

When they pulled apart, Scar leaned forward again, kissing Bdubs once more, slower and deeper this time. This kiss lingered longer, more meaningful. There were no awkward fumbles or shy pecks of affection this time. It was a sweet, slow kiss with passion. One that felt right, that felt real.

Scar pulled away after a few more long moments, though he kept their foreheads pressed together and their noses touching as he smiled. "I love you." The mayor whispered, his eyes practically glowing with love as he stared at Bdubs.

"I love you too. More than anything in this world." The vex replied, pressing a gentle kiss to Scar's forehead.

—

"You should really take a break," Grian frowned, seated nearby while watching Mumbo work and build. "I-I made cake, I'm not good at baking, but I thought you'd like some."

Mumbo stepped out of the large machine he had been working on, coughing as black smoke poured out of the inside of the machine's chamber. The vex waved the smoke away, shaking his head as he coughed a bit more. "N-no, no. I-I need to finish—"

"It's been days!" Said the human, worry in his eyes. He had been working nonstop, trying to perfect the machine that Doc had made last season, without any guidance of blueprints or designs. The vex was pretty much flying blind.

Shaking his head, Mumbo pulled a pair of mechanical goggles over his eyes, turning back to the machine. "Sorry, Gri. I can't stop. I need to finish this. If Cub finds out we're back on the server—"

"I know, I know." He pouted a bit, "I'm sick of this. I'm ready to just, I don't know, run away."

Mumbo chuckled a bit, though his eyes were still focused on the machinery. "What, and leave all the Hermits as vexes?" He smirked a bit at the idea, though shook it from his head almost immediately.

"Yeah, kinda." Grian threw his hands in the air, defeated as he let out a dramatic sigh.

"Once this is finished, we can run away." The vex hummed, his wings flapping as he worked. "Just you and I for a bit, away from all the craziness of, well, everything."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Mumbo said, finally looking away from his machine. He lifted his goggles above his head and locked eyes with Grian, smiling at him for a moment with red cheeks. He set down his tools and stepped out of the machine, putting his hands on his hips as he studied the chamber.

"Alright...I uh, think that's what Doc's design looked like?" He muttered, clearly uncertain at his work.

"Nono, there were two chambers! And they connected with some funky tubes!" Grian pointed out, though the vex could only shake his head.

"I don't have enough supplies for that. Xisuma hasn't stopped by with materials in a while, I'm practically out of redstone and iron!"

"Do you think he was caught?" He asked, worried at the thought.

"Maybe. But we can't think about that now." Mumbo said, staring at the ground for a moment before looking towards Grian with a sad gaze. "I need to test the machine."

Grian practically fell out of his seat, nearly dropping the plate of cake that sat on his lap. "WHAT?!" He practically yelled, putting the cake safely on the stool as he rushed to the vex. "Mumbo, no, you can't! What if that thing kills you?!"

"I have to take the chance." He said, placing a hand on Grian's shoulder. "You have to activate the machine from the control panel on the outside. If all goes to plan, I won't be a vex anymore."

"But—"

"Grian." Mumbo spoke, his voice calm. "Please, let me do this."

Hesitant for a few moments, it took the human a second before he reluctantly nodded his head. "Okay." He mumbled, "I trust you."

Mumbo bent down, pressing their lips together for a brief kiss. "Thank you." He murmured against his partner's lips, pulling away. "I'll see you on the other side."

He stepped into the chamber of the machine, the metal door shutting him inside. There was only a tiny window that Grian could see him through, but it was enough for him to know that his partner would be safe. He would come back. He had to.

Grian pressed the button, causing the machine to rumble and start up, flashing lights and loud whirs filling the air. He watched as steam began to fill the chamber, fogging up the glass of the window. He wanted to open the door, run into the chamber, grab Mumbo and pull him out of the machine. But he couldn't. He had to trust Mumbo.

After what felt like an eternity of noises that didn't sound quite right, the machine began to slow down, and the rumbling began to stop. Grian pressed another button on the panel, unlocking the door to the machine. Steam and fog left the chamber as he opened the door, finding Mumbo slumped over on the ground.

"Mumbo?!" Grian began to panic, rushing to his partner's side. He was breathing, though he was weak and tired. It took the vex(?) a few moments before he could open his eyes, though he smiled upon seeing Grian.

"Hi.." He mumbled, a bit tired in his slurred speech.

"Are you okay?" Grian asked, almost beginning to cry with panic.

"I think so." Mumbo groaned as he slowly sat up, beginning to rub the side of his aching head. He stared down at his fingertips, which were no longer sharp claws. "Did...did it work?"

"I-I don't know." Grian shook his head, almost in shock. "You still have wings, but—..."

"But what?" Mumbo looked worried now, as if he was about to be told he had grown a tail or something.

"It's not...the same color blue? I-I don't know, it looks more vibrant, less pale. And your eyes—"

"Wha—? What about them?"

"They're the same, you don't look so dark and gloomy anymore." Grian shook his head, almost in awe.

"Wait, look—" Mumbo pointed to the ceiling of the machine, drawing Grian's attention to a vex that was scrambling to find its way out. It looked weak and tired, as if it had been drained of power. "Did that—, did I—?"

"I think you managed to extract the 'evil' part of your vex powers!" Grian exclaimed, his eyes lighting up. "Hold on, let me test it!"

He rushed to his feet, running over to the plate of cake he had prepared. "Here, try this!" The builder said, scooping a bit of cake onto a fork as he tried to feed it to Mumbo. He made a disgusted face and tried to move away, clearly not interested.

"No thanks." He said, a bit disgusted. "I've had enough cake for the rest of my life."

"I think it worked!" Grian dropped the plate, wrapping his arms around Mumbo and squeezing him. "Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"Hehe, I uh, love you too.." Mumbo blushed, wrapping his arms around Grian to return the hug. "So uh, what should we call this thing now? I'm not a vex hybrid anymore, am I?"

"Hm...I guess not. You look like a friendly vex. Like, if a vex was an ally to players." Grian pointed out, reaching out to brush his fingertips against Mumbo's wings.

"Huh. Ally. What about...All..ay?" He shrugged, a bit embarrassed at his naming skills.

"Allay." Grian hummed at the name. "I like the sound of that!"

"Alright, Allay it is." Mumbo sighed, relaxing his body a bit as he leaned against Grian for support. "Let's tell Scar about this as soon as possible. But first, I may need a nap."

"Alright, alright. Can I get you something to eat?" The human asked, kissing the top of Mumbo's head as he thought.

"Cookies." The allay smiled, "Cookies sound nice."