Chapter Text
When the two stumbled out of the portal into the overworld, Mumbo felt the awful nausea again but pushed through it. He looked over to his new companion, who had collapsed on the floor and was coughing violently.
Mumbo waited with bated breath for Tango to recover, to not die a horrid death. For Tango to stop coughing up a lung, and not die, and for it to not be Mumbo's fault if he does.
After what felt like a year, Tango finally stopped, gasping for air now. Still on the ground, they looked up at Mumbo, who was standing near the door of the house . He was looking at Tango with nervous and guilty eyes.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah... You help me?"
"Yes! You're safe now! We need to go meet up with my friends, and go back to my camp. Then, I can help you!" Mumbo reassured Tango, helping them up to their feet.
"It- It's... uhh...?" Tango looked up confused at Mumbo, not having the right words to explain what was wrong. Tango was, however shivering a little bit.
"Oh! Are you cold? Here ehm-" Mumbo took off his suit and handed it over to Tango, who was shivering slightly, watching them put it on before he continued, "-It's not much, but it may help. You ready?"
Tango hesitantly nodded, hair flaring up a bit with a mix of trying to heat themselves up , and also in anticipation. They put on the jacket, and the pair walked towards the door.
Mumbo opened the door, letting in the loud crowd that had been muffled , and the sun that blinded Tango instantly. Mumbo helped them into the street, trying to stay near the outskirts of the crowd.
Mumbo could feel all of the townspeople’s eyes on the two of them nearly immediately. Looking around, confirmed his suspicions of this being a town with very, very few hybrids. Perfect.
It definitely didn’t help that Tango was very obviously injured, limping with every step, and letting out noises of discomfort every so often.
Mumbo ushered the two of them through several alleyways, trying to just get out of the town quickly. They’ll find their way back to the meeting spot when they’re safer.
Mumbo could tell they were only a block away from the fencing that surrounded the whole town, hurrying through the alleyways as fast as Tango could stumble.
Mumbo helped Tango over the fence and was halfway over it himself when the village police finally caught them.
“HEY! YOU!”
“Shoot… Run!” Mumbo didn’t let the two cops even think about catching up, dragging Tango alongside him as they sprinted towards the tree line.
Mumbo’s heart was racing by the time they were fully inside the forest. Tango had pulled the pair to a stop, and they stood for a moment catching their breath, with Mumbo hunched over himself, and Tango using a large trunk to steady themself.
Mumbo eventually stood straight up, followed by Tabgo. The nether hybrid leaned back onto Mumbo, blood stains on their shirt very visible in the bright daylight.
The walk back to the meeting point was slow, with Tango using Mumbo as a human crutch, and having to shade their sensitive eyes from the sun. By the time they made it back to the others, Mumbo and Tango were over an hour late.
"WHERE HAVE YOU- Who is that?" False started to scold, cutting herself off when she noticed the new hybrid.
"This is Tango, and I'm so so so sorry that I was late! They're hurt, though! I couldn't just leave them!" Mumbo exclaimed, walking fully into the forest. The group started to work their way back, and Tango was introduced to False and Keralis.
"Hey, False? Can you fly back to camp to warn them to get the infirmary ready for one more?" Mumbo suggested, now sharing the weight of supporting Tango between himself and Keralis.
"Yeah, sure!" False immediately took to the skies, weaving expertly in between trees, and gone out of sight in seconds.
"Woah..." Tango breathed out weakly, pain evident in their voice. Their fully red eyes looked at where False had just been, clearly awestruck .
"Yeah! She's quite a good flyer!" Mumbo responded, looking a little amused at their new competition.
"Like a ghast " Tango responds, but the last word was in their own language. Mumbo and Keralis shared a quick, confused look.
"Oh- a big... white... thing?" Tango elaborated, clearly struggling to convert into a language they barely knew.
"Oh! You're talking about a ghost!" Keralis exclaimed, excited that he was able to translate the new camp member's thoughts.
The walk back was filled with Tango's questions about usually mundane things. False eventually flew her way back, and got back to her usual routine of flying above to make sure the group was safe.
"What's up there?" Tango asked.
"The trees? The sky? Uhhhh... The blue or the green?" Mumbo replied, a bit confused. They were almost back at camp at this point , which was good, because Tango looked two seconds away from collapsing.
"I know trees. Green? Sky?" Tango questioned, looking confused at Mumbo now, who started to clumsily explain what the color green was .
By the time Mumbo got to the concept of the sky, the four of them were inside the camp and had carried Tango into the infirmary. Mumbo rushed around, getting tons of different potions ready while consulting his new book with limited information on Nether hybrids.
Mumbo was a flurry of movement, nearly tripping over and spilling some ingredients once or twice, as he made a combination of a healing and regen potion safe for all nether hybrids. Mumbo could faintly hear that it was starting to drizzle outside by the time he was mixing the potion for the final time, ready to administer it.
Tango was looking out the window, entranced by the rain, and was asking Xisuma about it. Mumbo didn't know when Xisuma had come in, or when False had ushered everyone else out, but there were now only three occupants in the room.
Tango made a face after a sip of the potion but started taking large gulps of it all after feeling the potent effect that it had on their wounds. Xisuma gave the all-clear to False, who led the rest of the hybrids into the room once Tango seemed to be doing better.
By the time Tango finished the potion, they had gotten a proper explanation of what the large ball in the sky was. Tango also was able to introduce themself to everyone at camp.
They had all crammed themselves into the cramped med bay, Mumbo hesitantly sticking away from the semicircle of hybrids all talking around the bed. Tango looked a little overwhelmed at first but quickly got used to the chaotic nature this group had to offer.
They also had moved on to teaching Tango more common, which was where they learned that Tango can't see the color green, but can see many more different shades of red.
"Is there anything else we should know about?" Xisuma asked once the group got past the issue of Tango's colorblindness.
"Uhh... not that I know of? This... is my... first time... here?" Tango mumbled out, looking down at where their feet were dangling off the bed.
"Like, in the overworld?" Mumbo cuts in, clarifying with a shocked expression. Everyone turns to look at him, then back at the nether hybrid, who sheepishly nods.
"OHMYGODSWEHAVESOMUCHTOSHOWYOU!" False screeched out, wings flaring up behind her with excitement. The other hybrids circling around the bed easily matched that excitement, and even Tango looked excited.
Mumbo, however, simply went over to where his book was still positioned open to the chapter about nether hybrids and their traits and started reading up on their allergies and sensitivities.
By the time he got past the section about no water, False had cohersed Tango off the bed, and the group of everyone else was about to head out the door. Mumbo barely got the chance to look up before Tango stepped out, into the rain.
They staggered back inside, yelping in pain while doing so. All the other hybrids immediately were sent into a flurry of panic, all except for Xisuma. He rushed Tango, who was standing still in shock as large red blisters started to form on his head, to the bed again.
Mumbo turned to look through his book for anything useful in this situation, anything about how to cure the water blisters but found nothing. Xisuma had started trying to calm the crowd, and Tango gently touched one of the blisters on their shoulder, holding back a wince.
Mumbo hated feeling this helpless, as the crowd of Keralis, False, Xisuma, Cleo, and Joe Hills looked at him with expectant eyes. Mumbo could almost cry with how awful he felt about not being able to fix this.
They're going to kick me out. I'm not helpful. I can't help heal Tango, they're going to realize that I'm not of use and kick me out and find out that I've been lying to all of them and kill me and they're goingtokillmeforfunandlaugh. Mumbo thought, spiraling.
Mumbo rushed out of the med bay, into the now pouring rain. Maybe if he left before they could get too mad, they wouldn't have to kill him. Maybe . Mumbo ran into his hut on the outskirts of the camp, which he now realized wasn't properly waterproof when he opened the door to a leaky ceiling.
It's fine, I won't be in here long anyway. I have to pack up and leave now or else they'll kill me. I wasn't valuable to them. I needed to be better, and I failed them.
Mumbo stumbled around his hut, blinded by the tears he didn't realize were pouring down his face, trying to gather all his important belongings clumsily. He didn't hear when someone opened his front door and made their way through the hut.
"Hey, Mumbo? You alright?" It was Xisuma. Mumbo turned around to face the group leader.
"I'm so sorry Xisuma- Just let me collect my things! Please! I'll leave and you-"
"Woah bud, you don't have to leave. Why would you think that?" Xisuma carefully stepped over to Mumbo, before wrapping the younger in a gentle embrace.
"Bec-ause I failed you? I- Tango's hurt and you always talk about how you protect everyone here, and hurt those who hurt us, but I hurt Tango! I'm the healer, and I can't heal them! " Mumbo struggled out, still sobbing.
"Hey, none of that! You didn't know Tango was allergic to water, none of us did! And they're already doing better! I'm sorry, we shouldn't have put so much pressure on you!" Xisuma reassures, leading Mumbo to his bed, and maneuvering the two of them so they're sitting on the side of it together.
Mumbo's sobs slowed down a bit , and Xisuma rubbed circles on Mumbo's back in a soothing motion. Eventually, after what felt like hours, Mumbo calmed down.
"Sorr-y about that," Mumbo apologized, pulling away from Xisuma, gaze locked onto his shoes.
"No no, none of that! We put too much pressure on you as the healer, it's fine if you don't know how to help everyone!"
"If you say so..."
"I do! And look: the rain has stopped too!" Sure enough, when Mumbo followed Xisuma's gaze out of his window, the incessant rain had stopped, leaving his leaky roof slowly dripping residual water down onto the soggy floor.
"We're going to have to fix up your house, you know that right?" Xisuma said with a friendly tone.
"...Yeah, I guess..." Mumbo replied, and the two sat and chatted for a few more hours, until the sun finally tucked itself away for the night, and Xisuma finally left for his base.
Going to sleep that night was the easiest thing Mumbo's done in a long time, having dreams filled with happy memories of the camp. And, when he woke up in the morning, Mumbo was the most well-rested he'd been in his whole life.