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Mattholomule sat on the branch of the large tree, one of the last remnants of life before. On Grom night it was just a sign of victory over the night and the blooming (no pun intended) relationship between Luz and Amity. Now it was a symbol of hope, the sigil of the resistance.
Below him, children slept on the ground. A few feet away from their sleeping bodies the adults tried to come up with a plan to defeat a god.
'The Collector', Kikimora had said after the first time the world crumbled before their eyes. 'A child from the stars.'
A leaf fell on Mattholomule's head, landing in his hair. He shook his head and watched the leaf fall between where Boscha and Bria were whispering to each other.
The girls looked up and glared at the boy.
He awkwardly waved to them and they resumed their chatter.
After everything that happened nobody had the time or energy to fight each other anymore. The two meanest people he knew were now thick as thieves, seen regularly exchanging gossip.
Even Kikimora and Terra Snapdragon we're being civil to the Owl Lady.
Almost every adult had been captured by the Collector, forced to play as his dolls. A few children were missing too and one could only assume they were in the same position.
Another leaf fell. This time sailing past him getting swept away in the gentle breeze.
Nobody knew the whereabouts of Luz, Willow, Amity, Hunter, or Gus.
Mattholomule pulled his knees up, burying his face to hide the tears in his eyes.
Gus.
Gus, his best friend.
Gus, the nerd on all things human.
Gus, the illusionist prodigy.
Gus, one of his favorite people in the world.
Gus, missing, presumed dead.
Mathomomule sobbed into his knees until he collapsed from exhaustion. The tree branch would have to work as a bed tonight.
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Steve rubbed his eyes, staring at papers and helping Lilith with research was exhausting. But it was necessary. His parents were declared missing and he wasn't going to lose his brother to some crazy space child.
"Lil's?" He called from his side of the makeshift bench littered with papers.
The woman lifted her head snorting awake from her sleep. Her glasses were askew and a small note was stuck to her forehead.
She cleared her throat and adjusted her glasses.
"Ah, what is it, Steve?"
"I think it's time to get some sleep."
She exhaled, her proper exterior melted away exposing her exhausted core.
"Yes. Perhaps that would..." She yawned. "Be good."
The two of them headed to the spot meant for each of them. Lilith crawled under her blanket and set her glasses safely to the side.
Steve shifted under his bedding nervously.
"What's the matter?"
"It's Matty." He sighed. "Im worried about him."
Lilith sighed.
"As an older sibling myself, my advice is to just talk to him."
Steve smiled at her and slipped out of his covers.
"Yeah, I guess your right Lil's."
"Of course I am."
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When Steve found his brother's spot empty he started to panic.
Did he wander off and get hurt? Did he fall into the boiling sea? Had The Collector found him?
"Can you hyperventilate somewhere else?" A snide voice called from the ground behind him.
Steve hadn't even realized his panicked state yet.
He turned to find a pink girl with three eyes glaring at him.
"I was finally ready to sleep." The purple-haired girl next to her chimed in.
Steve's heart was still racing.
"Matty-"
"Is up a tree." The pink one rolled her eyes.
"What?"
Purple rolled her eyes this time and pointed to a low-hanging branch on the tree the youngest Blight and the Human had made.
Steves's eyes followed, his little brother lay there softly snoring.
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Mattholomule woke up to tucking him into his blankets.
Opening his eyes he saw it was his brother.
"Steve?"
"Yeah. It's me."
He wiggled in the blankets.
"What are you doing?"
"Making sure you don't fall off a tree and die in your sleep."
The boy laughed.
"It's gonna take more than that to do me in. I'm like, super strong."
Steve chuckled.
"Of course you are, you're my baby brother."
He pulled the boy into a headlock and noogied him.
Mattholomule struggled and giggled at his brother's roughhousing.
Steve released him and tucked Mattholomule back in.
"You were crying again, weren't you?" Steve asked.
Mattholomule's smile faded.
"It's Gus." He admitted. "I refuse to believe that jerk is gone. He's probably doing something amazing and super important right now."
Steve gave him a sad smile and kissed the bandage on Mattholomule's forehead.
"Yeah, and when he comes back you can show him the awesome horn you grew while he was doing all that."
"Do you..." Mattholomule blushed. "Do you think he'll like it?"
Before Steve could reply a very annoyed voice shouted:
"Oh my titan! Some of us are trying to sleep!"
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