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Season nine of Hermitcraft is nearing its end, and Mumbo can’t wait. He knows the start of a new server won’t magically solve all of his problems, won’t finish the back of his base for him, yet the idea is appealing all the same. He just wants an out, a fresh start, if you will.
Recovery is a process, a long one in his case. Scar is beside him through all of it, the nightmares, the quiet spells, you name it. He and Grian have done an excellent job at keeping Mumbo company. Who else was going to build them a robot to battle against Doc?
The server prepares for shutdown. Mumbo, with no loose ends to tie, or bases to build (Scar keeps telling him it’s fine, that he doesn’t need to do anything else, yet the anxiety still lingers) Mumbo makes his way to the looming castle of Decked Out.
He hasn’t had a chance to play just yet, and thankfully, his episodes are far in between. The night terrors have calmed significantly, his cries for help quieted. Even when they do manage to tear through the self-inflicted walls in his head, Scar holds him through it.
Mumbo’s taken to staying with the Vex more often than not. His base brings forth emotions he’d rather not deal with. That being said, he wishes the hermits would stop skirting around the topic of their bases. Just because he can’t finish his own doesn’t mean he’s going break hearing about other’s.
So he's feeling better, basically, and wants to have a bit of fun. Grian has been talking his ear off about playing Decked out for about a week. Mumbo promised he'd check it out before the season ended.
It's overcast as he flies over. He ignores the dread filling his stomach as the snow starts to leave wet dots on his suit. Thankfully, the flight isn't long. Tango is waiting for him at the front door when he lands.
"Hey, Mumbo!"
"Hello, hello." He takes a few steps backwards to see the grand entrance of the game, "This is incredible."
Tango huffs, amused, "Just wait till you see the noodles."
"I can see the redstone?"
"Mhm," Tango hums, "After you play a couple rounds, sure!" He turns, making his way further inside the building. Mumbo follows behind, marveling at his surroundings as Tango walks him through the instructions.
Eventually they make it to some sort of scoreboard. Off to the side there's a set of doors that open with an insanely cool animation. Mumbo makes sure to let Tango know how impressive this whole thing is.
"So I'm not going through the actual game with you." He pauses, and Mumbo turns to face him after dumping his belongings into a chest. "I have TangoCam set up so you can talk to me if you need any help."
"Alright, okay" Mumbo shuffles from foot to foot. He can't tell if he's excited or nervous. Tango leads him towards a Minecart, and he's on his own from there.
He receives his compass, then creeps through the doors that slide open, again, with an epic animation. His breath is visible, but Mumbo is used to being cold at this point.
It's steady going at first. He follows the compass pretty easily, avoiding the ravagers on the way. He's only panicking slightly. He enters a smaller room, looking from the compass to the floor repeatedly.
"It's gotta be close." It takes him a couple tries, but he finds the right spot to drop the compass, and an artifact is given to him in exchange.
Mumbo turns to leave the room, running face first into a ravager. He stumbles back, trying to go around. He was so close. It rams into him hard, and he falls onto his back. It knocks the air out of his lungs-
He respawns a second later. It isn't as cold now. He can't bring himself to open his eyes. What if he's back there? What if he's surrounded by ice and snow, not the sheets of a bed?
What if he opens his eyes and is faced with fangs dripping with his blood?
"Mumbo?" Tango. Tango is here with him. "It's okay. You did good. Are- Are you okay?"
Mumbo nods stiffly. His eyes are still scrunched up and his hand has instinctively come to rest over the scar on his neck. "Y-yeah." He squeaks out, struggling to intake air properly.
"Do you want me to get someone?" He nods again, a bit frantic. "Okay, yeah- I'll call Scar. You wanna open your eyes, bud?"
Mumbo's insides do some sort of summersault at the last question, but Tango's voice is soothing, and he called Mumbo 'bud,' so maybe there's not a monster waiting for him.
He squints one eye open, then the other. He isn't in a forest, or laying limp on a patch of ice. He turns in the bed, watching as Tango types continuously into his communicator. Probably letting X know that Mumbo had an episode, along with notifying Scar.
Tango looks up, smiles. "There you are." Mumbo's lower lip quivers. "Scar is asking if you're, um, if you're feeling a bit small?" He pulls his legs up to his chest, tucking his face away as best he can. That basically answers Tango, or Scar's question.
Mumbo hears him text Scar back, then the comm is placed on the ground. Tango goes down with it, shuffling over to the bed on his knees. Mumbo whispers, "I was almost done."
"I know. You found the artifact so fast!"
He uncurls a little, "I did?"
"Totally."
"But the-" His eyes are stinging. "The raverger got me."
Tango doesn't correct how he pronounces 'ravager.' "It did, but it's okay. It's just a game, and you can try again soon."
"I can?"
"Of course. I'll kick everyone off the waiting list so you can go first."
Mumbo laughs, finally. Tango tries not to yell in victory. "Grian would be so mad."
"I can hear him complaining now." They talk a bit more, but Tango can see how Mumbo blinks slower and slower. He reaches a sluggish hand out to Tango's hair. He flinches back, which frightens Mumbo.
"M'sorry..."
"No, no, it's okay! My hair is just, it's really hot. I don't want you to get burned." He tries another smile, but Mumbo has recoiled in on himself once more. A thought occurs to Tango. "Are you cold?"
This- this Mumbo reacts to. His eyes well up with tears almost immediately. He nods his head jerkily, not the most talkative when little apparently. Tango thinks back to that time he'd found Mumbo after a nightmare, still panicking, and how he practically melted into his embrace.
Dying and coming back as a vampire will do that to you, he guesses. Tango sighs quietly. He's like a space heater to Mumbo. Silently, he opens his arms out for the guy, and as soon as the tears stop blurring his vision, Mumbo falls off the bed into the hug.
Scar finds them like that. Tango is almost buried under Mumbo, because despite feeling small, he's still physically taller than everyone on the server, save for maybe Doc.
Scar gets down on one knee next to them, "Hey, sweetie. Are you ready to go home?" Surprisingly, he shakes his head 'no' this time.
"Warm."
So, that's how Tango ends up napping away the rest of the afternoon, after they move somewhere more comfortable of course.
Mumbo, as always, feels mortified once he's big again. He apologizes for ages before Tango finally cuts him off, "It's okay, I promise. I needed a break anyway."
Scar laughs, "Well, expect a lot more breaks like that from now on. You are like a space heater."