Trigger warnings: trauma, injection, death

Xisuma didn't understand where he was. All he knew was that the bed was very comfortable, and the beeping to the left side of his head felt in rhythm with his heartbeat.

He rocked his head back and forth to the beat before pouting as his stomach grumbled.

"Mumbo! I'm hungry!"

There was no answer.

"Doooooooc! Give me food!"

He heard quick footsteps and then a beautiful familiar face loomed before his hazy vision.

"Stress!" He cried making grabby hands at her. She relented into the hug.

"Xisuma be quiet!"

X giggled. Quiet? How could he be quiet when his Stressy was back with him.

"I can't be quiet Stress. I missed you too much and now I feel like SINGING FROM THE ROOF-"

Stress slapped a hand over his mouth. The look on her face was a mixture of shock, disappointment, and worry.

X licked her hand and she quickly pulled her wrist back, crinkling her eyebrows in disgust.

"What is wrong with you?!"

X shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know, what's wrong with you? Don't tell me you are like the rest of them now"

"The rest of them?"

"Yeah" X rolled his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest like a child. "Mumbo, Doc, and False are being so mean to me! Look what they did to my poor wrists!"

He held his raw wrist in her face.

"I told them over and over and over that I wouldn't run because my Stressy was waiting for me, but they didn't believe me!"

Stress stared at him for a moment before quietly taking some healing salve out of her pocket. She began to massage it into his wrists, and he sighed at the cool relief.

"My Stressy is so good to me" he chirped.

"X... why are you acting this way?"

"What do you meeeeeeaaaaaaan? I'm acting totally normal!" He stuck his tongue out at the end to emphasize his point.

"Ok ok you're right" she said soothingly, moving to heal his other wrist. "You know what? How about I take a bit of blood from you, and run a few tests. Then we can go from there ok?"

"Oh no!" X grabbed her face and squeezed it. "Am I sick?!"

She pulled away from his grasp.

"Well I don't-"

"I'm dyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiiiiing" Xisuma wailed, kicking his feet in a halfhearted tantrum. "Stressy how could you let this happen?! You're supposed to be a doctor!"

"So are you!" She hissed through gritted teeth. "Please be quiet!"

"I want chocolate"

"You... what?"

"Give me chocolate and I'll be quiet"

Stress felt her mouth fall open.

What the hell is wrong with him? He's acting like a spoiled child!

"Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate!"

"Ok ok ok!" Stress said quickly, looking around. Thankfully Cleo and Scar were at dinner. "If you are a very good boy, and you are quiet while I run my tests, then I'll give you chocolate"

"Yay! My Stressy is the best!" He cried.

Stress arched her eyebrows at him and he covered his mouth with his hands with a giggle.

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse" he whispered loudly. "Squeak squeak! Squeak squeak!"

Stress gave him the best smile she could muster before walking away to get a needle to draw blood.

He must be sick or... something. Anything! This is just... this isn't  right.
_____________________________________________

Grian heard muffled voices surrounding him and he covered his ears.

"Go away..." he muttered.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder and he quickly rolled away from the sudden contact.

"Leave me alone! Please!" He begged. "What else can you take from me?"

"Grian?"

He tensed at the familiar voice.

"Grian it's me-us! We're all here"

Nice try Grian thought. I'm not that stupid.

"I know you aren't real" Grian said, sitting up and scooting back against the wall. He wanted to untie the cloth from around his eyes but it was too tight.

He cried out as his injured back touched the wall. He had almost forgotten...

"Grian!"

"Stop it!" He snapped, putting his attention towards the speaker. "I don't know how you are doing Mumbo's voice so well but you can't trick me!"

He heard whispering and then someone walking towards him.

"Grian, I'm going to take off the blindfold ok?"

Wow they can do Ren's voice too? They really did their research.

"Grian?"

"Why are you choosing now to start asking what I'm ok with? Just do what you want"

The person, probably Scar, sighed and took hold of the blindfold gently. They yanked and twisted the knot at the back until Grian felt the fabric loosen and slide down to his chin.

The bright white light was blinding and he raised a hand to cover his eyes.

"Grian look at us"

Why keep up the charade?

Slowly, he lowered his hand, squinting as his eyes readjusted.

Grian's tongue caught in his throat at the smiling hybrid in front of him.

"R-Ren?"

He nodded.

Grian leaned slightly to look over his shoulder.

"Mumbo? False, Iskall, Doc, what... what are you..." he couldn't get all the words out as his eyes filled with tears.

Mumbo rushed forwards, nearly knocking Ren out of the way.

"Yes yes Grian it's us it's us don't worry! We're here to take you away"

He reached to take the avian's hand but Grian sucked in air at the touch and yanked his hand back.

"Sorry. I-I'm sorry" Mumbo mumbled, backing up slightly.

"We need to get out of here" False said from the doorway where she was keeping watch. "I think someone has noticed us"

They all fell silent and heard the light thundering of feet running over their heads.

Grian tried to stand but cried out and fell as his scarred feet touched the floor.

"Grian!" Mumbo rushed forwards but managed to stop himself from grabbing onto his friend. "Grian... I can carry you, but I need to touch you. I'm really sorry to rush this on you so quick but I promise I will try not to hurt you. I just want to keep you safe. Do you trust me?"

Grian looked up into Mumbo's face. His mouth was set determinedly, his dark eyes filled with sincerity. The crinkle between his eyebrows was resolute and honest.

Of course I trust you.

Grian held out a shaky hand. Mumbo sucked in air and took it gently, feeling the sparks explode beneath his skin and run up his arm to warm his entire body.

"I'm going to put my arm under your knees and the other on your back ok?"

Grian took a shuttering breath. This was going to hurt. A lot.

He nodded.

Mumbo carefully, so so carefully, wrapped his arms around the shivering avian and pulled him close, standing up as he did.

Grian whimpered at the pressure on his fresh wounds. He wrapped his arms around Mumbo's neck to try and mitigate some of the pain, and buried his face in Mumbo's chest. The familiar sent of redstone and pine needles overcame his senses and he felt himself relax. The thought occurred that he had never felt as safe as he felt in Mumbo's arms as his eyelids slid closed.

Mumbo tried not to gasp at the sudden contact that made his legs feel like jello. This was really not the time.

"We have to go now!" Doc said. "They are getting closer and we still need to get Stress"

The rest nodded and followed Doc out the door.

Iskall, False, and Ren surrounded Mumbo on all sides to protect him and Grian from any attackers. Luckily there were none along the way back to the hospital ward.

"What do we do now?" Iskall whispered.

"Just... knock on the door?" Mumbo offered unhelpfully.

"There might be other people in there with her" False griped.

"I'm sorry I just don't know what to do!"

"We really don't have many options" Ren said. "We either break the door down or we try and sneak in somehow. There aren't a lot of other-"

BANG!

Doc's foot collided with the door and broke them open.

"I guess we decided to go for subtlety" False said sarcastically, rushing in behind Doc.

Mumbo looked down to see that although Grian had tensed at the noise, he was still asleep. His lips, slightly pursed, blew warm air softly onto Mumbo's neck making the tall man shiver and clutch the avian tighter.

I won't let anything happen to you.

He stepped into the large room and immediately his blood ran cold at the sight that met his eyes.

False and Iskall had their swords drawn and were pointing them at an older man with grey balding hair and a rather large beard. The man's grandfatherly appearance did not match the malicious smile on his face as he grabbed a handful of Stress's hair in one hand and held a knife to her throat with the other. A scared looking redheaded girl stood behind him, tears falling silently down her cheeks.

"Cub stop! What are you doing?"

"Let. Her. Go" Iskall growled, ignoring the redhead's question.

The older man, Cub, let out a shrill laugh and tightened his grip on Stress's hair, making her wince.

"How can you possibly think you have the upper hand? I will give you one option. Give me back that half-breed, and I will let your pretty friend go"

"Over my dead body" Ren snarled.

"That can be arranged" Cub snapped, glaring at Ren. "Filthy dog, how dare you speak to me! You should be in captivity just as much as your winged mutant. Oh excuse me. Not winged anymore"

Ren made a move to run forwards, but Doc held him back as the knife's edge was pressed lightly into Stress's neck.

"Don't be reckless" Doc urged. "He's trying to make you angry"

"Not true" Cub interjected. "I fully believe what I said"

"Just shut up!" False growled. "We aren't going anywhere, and you don't really want to hurt Stress, do you"

Cub considered her.

"You're pretty too" he said in a sickeningly sweet drawl. "You don't see a female soldier everyday. Quite bright too, much smarter than all of your friends. Yes blonde-y you're right. I don't want to hurt her"

He caressed Stress's face with the knife.

"She's a hard worker and much more competent than my other lousy healers"

The redheaded girl sucked in air.

"Shut up Cleo! You know I'm right" Cub snapped, not even bothering to look at her as the girl lowered her eyes to the floor and nodded. "Anyways, yes. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to hurt any of you! If you didn't insist on protecting these creatures I'm sure we could all be friends"

He clicked his tongue and shook his head as though he was disappointed.

"Alas, you are, and thus, I will reaffirm my deal once more before I take drastic measures. Leave your half-breeds here and go, or I will slit her-"

Cub's words were cut off and he gasped. Mumbo furrowed his brow. What had happened?

Stumbling backwards, Cub dropped Stress and grabbed helplessly at his back. As he struggled, he turned and Mumbo's eyes widened in realization.

A large needle stuck out of Cub's back, and behind him, stood a smug looking Xisuma with his arms folded over his chest.

"No one threatens my Stressy!"

"X!" Stress gasped, running over to throw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

X giggled like a child, completely ignoring the sputtering gasping man writhing on the floor at his feet.

"What did you give him" Cleo whispered, looking as though she wanted to help and kick Cub at the same time.

"Sarin" X stated proudly, holding up a small jar with a hazardous chemical symbol on it.

Stress and Cleo both seemed shocked while the rest simply watched as Cub jerked around on the floor. He seemed like he wanted to scream but couldn't, gasping and clawing at his throat as though he was burning from the inside out.

"Stress what's-"

"It's a toxin designed to be used as a chemical weapon" Stress said quietly, watching the convulsing man on the floor. "It's a nerve agent that prevents the enzymes in your body from controlling your muscles, making them seize up. It makes it so you can't breath"

Shouts from down the hall echoed behind them and they snapped back to their senses.

"You guys need to go" Cleo said.

"The way we came in is blocked!" Iskall cried, struggling to close and lock the doors that Doc had kicked open.

"There is another way out. I'll show you"

"Why?" False said, eyeing Cleo suspiciously.

Cleo sighed, looking at her hands then at her now unconscious boss laying on the floor, his skin blue from oxygen deprivation and claw marks of his own making bleeding from his neck.

"I've never seen... he's never... I never knew..." she couldn't seem to find her words. Shaking her head, she looked up at them with determination. "You don't have long before they break down that door. You have to follow me"

"We don't have a choice" Stress said. She grabbed X's hand and dragged the still giggling man behind her as the rest followed uneasily.

Cleo led them through several doors and down a hallway until they were all crammed into a small dark closet. She pushed a large case away from the wall and dragged her hand across the floor until she found what she was looking for. She heaved open a trap door, just big enough for two people to squeeze through.

"This tunnel will take you to the edge of our territory. I'm sorry, it's not clean and it doesn't smell good, but I promise the guards don't know about it. And I'll cover for you, I promise"

Stress took Cleo's hands.

"Thank you" she whispered.

Cleo just nodded once before dropping her hands and turning on her heel. In three strides she was out the door and walking back towards the hospital ward which was now inevitably filled with guards.

Several seconds later they heard her scream, "Oh my god! Cub! What happened?! Which one of you did this?!"

"She's distracting them" Doc said. "Come on. We need to go"

Mumbo and Grian were the last to descend, the smaller of which was still clinging to Mumbo's neck in an unconscious state.

Mumbo held him close as he sat at the edge of the platform, legs dangling down.

"Mumbo come on!" He heard False hiss below him.

He looked down at Grian his eyes sparkling with adoration.

"We're coming"

Bit of a long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please consider leaving a like and a comment to let me know what you think.
Also, votes are in and it looks like I will be writing the God AU AND the Harry Potter AU, so look forward to the beginnings of one of those in the coming week.