Work Text:
Grian wants to annoy Mumbo. Problem is he hasn't seen the man in two days.
He flaps his wings as he lands in front of one of the many storefronts that make up Mumbo's base. He folds his wings behind his back as he walks up to the store that Mumbo resides in and knocks on the door.
When there's no answer, he knocks again. His feathers ruffle impatiently as he's ignored yet again.
He then let's himself in, the door's unlocked so Mumbo must be home.
"Mumbo? Where are you?"
Grian doesn't get an answer, but he sees slight movement out of the corner of his eye. He walks over to the slightly ajar door to Mumbo's bedroom and pushes it open.
Mumbo is curled up on his bed, blankets tangled between his legs and draping over half of the man's body.
As Grian walks closer, he notices how heavy Mumbo's breathing is. He gently presses his fingers against Mumbo's neck, checking his pulse. His heart is racing too fast to be healthy while Mumbo's doing practically nothing. The younger whines, seemingly in pain.
Grian's no doctor, but something is clearly wrong. He pulls up his comm and quickly contacts Joe.
Xisuma sat next to Mumbo's bed as he waited for Joe to come back with results. He was called as soon as Mumbo was brought to the hospital.
He had to get Scar and Joel to drag Grian back to the mountain. Mumbo was awake, staring blankly at the ceiling and occasionally flexing his fingers.
Joe came back with a somber look on his face. He started to speak, before changing his mind and rethinking his words. That couldn't be good, Joe always knows what to say.
"Mumbo is... probably not going to make it. We're gonna do the best we can, but..."
Xisuma hears a slight stutter in Mumbo's breathing. He processes what Joe has said. Mumbo? Dead? Why? Mumbo hasn't done anything to deserve this.
Joe helps move Mumbo to Xisuma's base and gives him weakness and strength potions for Mumbo.
Over the next few weeks Xisuma doesn't leave Mumbo's side. He gives him the potions when needed and comforts him throughout the night. He only gets worse.
Stress comes over to check on them both. She restocks Xisuma's potion cabinet and gives Mumbo a check up. Before she leaves she pulls Xisuma away to talk to him.
"Doc and Zed are working on a cure." She explains. "I'm not sure they'll have it ready in time."
The decision was made when Mumbo spends an entire night crying and writhing in pain. Joe gives Xisuma a bottle filled with a sickly grey liquid.
"What is it?" Xisuma asks as he holds the bottle.
"It's a mix of slowness and weakness. The weakness will keep him calm and painless and the slowness will stop his heart."
"Do we have to?"
Joe sighs. "Unfortunately yes. We can't save him, and euthanasia is the least painful way for him to die."
Xisuma nods sadly, and Joe gives him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.
Mumbo's awake, painkillers off and silent tears running down his face. He perks up when Xisuma enters, gently turning to look at him and smiling as best he can. Xisiuma smiles back, though much sadder.
He sits on the edge of the bed and cards a hand through the younger's hair. Mumbo brings shaking hands up to Xisuma's shirt, grabbing fistfuls of cloth. He clings onto the comfortable clothes Xisuma replaced his armour with like a lifeline.
"Suma..." He whines. Xisuma shushes him and helps him sit up. Mumbo curls into Xisuma and he gently rubs the dying man's back. "Make it stop.." He whimpers into Xisuma's neck.
A few tears slip down Xisuma's cheeks. "I need you to drink something for me." Xisuma whispers. Mumbo slowly lifts up his head. Xisuma uncorks the bottle, helping him drink and then gently laying Mumbo back down. He holds Mumbo's hand and plays with his hair as he waits for the potion to work.
Soon Mumbo closes his eyes. Then his breathing slows. Then his breathing stops all together and the hand Xisuma is holding grows cold.
He cries for the man taken before his time. As he cries his comm pings with Mumbo's last death message.
MumboJumbo died