Set in season eight
—
"Come onnnnn!"
"No, Hels. I have to go mining for materials. My mega base isn't going to build itself."
The knight let out a long, exaggerated groan, though Mumbo simply rolled his eyes. He buttoned up his Hawaiian shirt, the redstoner quickly taking a comb to brush through his knotted hair. Hels let out another loud sigh, clearly trying to get his boyfriend's attention.
They had met at the beginning of the season, Hels having an immediate interest in the mustached hermit due to his fire-starting habits. The knight fell in love the moment he watched Mumbo set a herd of cows on fire.
It was odd, especially since Mumbo had to hide Hels from Xisuma and Wels, but otherwise, their relationship seemed almost perfect. The knight was clingy and cruel, while Mumbo was trusting and kind. Somehow, opposites really did attract.
"Can't you take one break? I haven't hung out with you in weeks!"
"Oh please, it's only been a few days." Mumbo smiled with a roll of his eyes.
"Yeah, well it felt like weeks. Unlike you, I can't go out and have fun with the hermits. I'm stuck in here until Xisuma and Wels stop looking for me."
"And that should be any day now." Mumbo said as he turned to his boyfriend, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "You'll be safe once my mega base is at least halfway done. I swear, no more hiding once my base is ready. Just wait a bit longer, 'kay?"
"Fine.. but only 'cause I love you." He admitted quietly, the knight's response making Mumbo grin happily.
"Perfect! I'll be home later tonight. Stay out of trouble, alright?"
"I'm gonna wreck your base!" He yelled as Mumbo flew out of the base, the mustached hermit unsure if he was joking or not.
The knight's helmet rested on the nightstand beside the bed, his weapons and armor resting in the chest that sat on the shelf.
He didn't feel motivated to do much, Mumbo was basically his whole life now. Not that Hels was complaining about that, in fact he loved it. The Brit was much more chaotic than he seemed, which the alter loved about his boyfriend.
Hels opened the drawer in the bedside table, digging through Mumbo's blueprints and redstone plans, before pulling out an unopened bottle of rum.
He sat back onto on the bed, leaning his back against the camper van wall as the knight unscrewed the top of the bottle of alcohol. Mumbo didn't drink, but Hels had managed to sneak a few bottles of liquor into his base.
The knight barely noticed that he was halfway through the bottle, Hels beginning to slightly sing one of the dumb sea shanties that Wels liked.
"Soon may the Wellerman come to bring us sugar and tea and rum—" He mumbled underneath his breath, Hels taking another long swig of alcohol before continuing.
He sung for what felt like hours, staring up at the ceiling with nothing but a few drunken thoughts that passed through his head every so often. Hels glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table, frowning as he noticed that barely an hour had passed.
The knight stood up, stumbling towards the window to look for Mumbo. He didn't spot the redstoner, instead, Hels managed to catch a glimpse of Wels and Xisuma, clearly looking for something.
"Oh sh.." The alter trailed off, quickly ducking beneath the window to prevent the two hermits from seeing him.
Wels and Xisuma shared a look with one another, the knight giving the Brit a slight nod. The knight opened his elytra, flying into the camper van. When he entered the empty vehicle, Wels quietly crept through the darkness, glancing around for his alter.
He foot accidentally kicked some sort of bottle, the knight bending down to investigate. Wels picked up the empty bottle of rum, frowning as he took one final glance around the van.
When he heard Wels leave, the evil alter let out a quiet sigh of relief. He was hiding in the hollow interior of the tree monster that Mumbo had turned into apart of his base, Hels using a few oak logs to make a wall to hide behind.
He crept back into the van, flicking on the light switch to activate the string lights that Mumbo had hung up. When the lights flashed on, Wels was standing with an empty bottle of rum in his hands, frowning at the alter.
"Come on, Hels. This was way too easy to find you. Everyone knows Mumbo doesn't drink, so tell me, why are you living in his base?"
"Oh please, why would I love— I mean live in that idiot's base?" The evil knight slightly slurred, Wels raising an eyebrow at the mention of love. It was very clear he was drunk.
"What are you, in love with Mumbo?" Wels laughed jokingly, though he froze when he noticed Hels' cheeks slightly flush with color. He couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or from the mention of Mumbo's name.
"Why do you even care? I haven't done anything!"
"Yet." Wels corrected.
"Whatever! The point is that I'm not going to hurt anyone! I'm just here to support my b—" Hels managed to stop his rambling before he said too much, but Wels already knew that the evil hermit was going to say, a grin spreading across the knight's face.
"So, you and Mumbo are dating, hm?"
"Shut the hell up! It's none of your damn business!" He hissed at the knight, who crossed his arms with a laugh.
"Alright, alright," Wels began, "I have a bit of a deal for you. It's better than the punishment Xisuma has in mind for you."
Hels raised an eyebrow, which caused for Wels to continue. "Instead of getting banned, you leave the main hermit island and never come back."
"And why would I do that?"
"Because, maybe instead of banning you, we'll ban Mumbo." The knight said with a grin, causing the ground around Hels' feet to erupt into flames, the alter grabbing Wels by his neck.
"If you even lay a finger on him, I'll burn this entire server to the ground!"
"So then leave," Wels hissed at his alter, who let a cuss slip underneath his breath.
After a moment of thinking, Hels rolled his eyes and let go of the knight's throat. "Fine," he said, crossing his arms. "I'll go peacefully. But only if I can leave Mumbo a note."
Hels dug through one of Mumbo's chests, pulling out a book and quill. He took a couple moments to scribble down everything that he wanted to tell the redstoner, before signing the note and placing the book on the Brit's bed.
"Alright. I'll go now." Hels grumbled as he shot a glare at Wels. The knight grabbed his alter's hand, the two jumping out of the caravan before slowly gliding to the ground.
Hels pulled away from the knight as they landed, scoffing underneath his breath. Xisuma opened one of his admin panels. "Alright, let me just set up the command—"
"That won't be needed," Wels began, causing the admin to glance up from the screen. "Hels has agreed to leave the main island, for good."
"And what's stopping him from coming back? Do you really trust him, Wels?"
The knight looked to his alter, a cold gleam in his eyes as he nodded. "He won't be coming anywhere near the hermits, Hels knows what will happen if he does."
"Alright then." Xisuma began, turning to the evil copy of the knight. "I'll take you to another island where you can set up your home."
Hels glanced from the admin to Mumbo's base, his eyes slightly saddened as he turned back to Xisuma, nodding quietly. As the Brit and evil hermit headed towards the shore, Wels turned back to the van that the large tree monster was holding.
He fired a rocket, flying back into the van and landing gracefully. Wels smiled at the note on Mumbo's bed, lifting the book off the bed.
"There's really no need for Mumbo to read this." Wels said with a chuckle underneath his breath, tucking the handwritten note into his inventory.
Wels pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen, scribbling down a new note. With a grin spreading across his face, the knight placed the paper onto the bed.
He quickly flew out of the van, Wels heading back to with no remorse for what he had done.
—
Mumbo arrived home from grinding all day for materials, the sun slowly beginning to set over the boatem village as he flew into his van. "Hels, I'm home." The Brit called with a yawn, flicking on the lights.
"I was thinking about what you said earlier, about how you can't go out," he began, unbuttoning his Hawaiian shirt. There was a white tank top underneath, the mustached hermit tucking his dirtied item of clothing away back into one of his drawers.
"and I know how boring it must be to hang out alone all day, so to make up for it, I was thinking that you and I could go out and get dinner. I'll get cleaned up and we can go!" Mumbo said happily, though he frowned when there was no response from his boyfriend.
"Hels? I thought you would've loved the idea to get out of the house. Is something wrong?" Mumbo asked as he entered the tree monster extension of his base, looking around for the evil knight, although he was nowhere to be found.
Panic set in when Mumbo realized that his boyfriend was gone. The redstoner ran back into the van, noticing that Hels' helmet was still resting on the nightstand. He opened one of the chests that sat on the shelf above their bed, all of Hels' tools and armor still in the storage box.
'This doesn't make any sense...Hels wouldn't go anywhere without his weapons and armor..' Mumbo thought to himself, the corner of his eye catching a glimpse of the note on his bed. The Brit lifted the note off the bed, reading the words in his boyfriend's handwriting.
Mumbo,
You're kind of dense, aren't you? You were a fool to trust me, I still can't believe you think I'd love someone as moronic as you. You were nothing more than someone I used to escape Wels and Xisuma, but now I don't need you anymore.
You're just a nuisance.
Mumbo's eyes scanned over the last line of the letter, over and over again, trying to make sense of what Hels was trying to say.
It wasn't like the evil hermit to leave all his tools and armor behind, but the Brit couldn't deny that the note was written in his exact handwriting.
He was just a nuisance. Was that really all Hels thought of him? The redstoner felt like his heart was about to break, Mumbo clutching the paper note close to his chest as he began to sob. The globs of tears poured out of his eyes, running down his cheeks before dropping onto the floor.
Mumbo had never had feeling for any of the hermits. He had never felt anything romantic towards anyone, Hels had been the first person to make his heart flutter.
Now Hels had been the first person to break the man's heart into thousands of little pieces.
—
The Brit laid in bed, staring at the empty spot next to him as he listened to the pouring rain beat against the roof of the van.
Mumbo had put Hels' helmet in the spot where the knight normally slept, hoping that it would make him feel less lonely. It only made his heart ache more.
"I know it hurts," Grian said quietly, the strawberry blond sitting on the edge of Mumbo's bed. He was the only person who knew about the redstoner's relationship with Hels. "but it'll get better, I promise."
Mumbo shut his eyes. He appreciated the fact that Grian was here to support him, but he needed time to be alone. The Brit hadn't eaten, nor had he gotten out of bed. It had been three days since he had found the note.
As if he had read the taller Brit's mind, Grian stood up, equipping his elytra while turning to the door, preparing to fly through the storm to return to his base.
He looked back at Mumbo one last time, whose back was facing the builder. The raven haired male didn't even mutter a goodbye as he flew off.
As the sound of thunder rumbled through the village, Mumbo moved closer to Hels' helmet, clinging to the headgear while holding back tears.
His communicator buzzed, probably another call from Xisuma or a worried text from Iskall, but the redstoner didn't care. But the buzzing didn't stop, it repeated over and over again, Mumbo getting fed up with the noise.
The Brit snatched his communicator off the bedside table, Wels had been calling him repeatedly. Mumbo wiped the tears from his eyes, but they remained red and puffy from crying for so long.
"H-hello?" Mumbo answered weakly, still clinging to the evil hermit's helmet as he answered Wels' call.
"Hey Mumbo," the knight began, his voice a painful reminder of Hels. "I was wondering if I could come over. You sound like you need some company."
Mumbo stayed quiet. Wels was like Hels, right? But nicer? Was it wrong to replace his ex-boyfriend with the other version of him that wasn't completely evil? Probably. But Mumbo was too hurt to care about what was right or wrong.
"Yeah," he said quietly, tears rolling down his face as a broken smile came across his face. "It'd be nice to see you.."
"Great. I'll be over soon." Wels said before hanging up, Mumbo setting his communicator down onto the bedside table. He looked back at Hels' helmet, the Brit pulling himself out of bed with the armor in his hands.
Mumbo opened the chest above his bed that held all of Hels' old things, the redstoner carelessly dropping the helmet into the chest. The note that the evil hermit had written was sitting on top of most of the armor, which made Mumbo's stomach tie into a sour knot.
He snatched the paper out of the chest before slamming it shut, Mumbo gripping the note in one hand while the other dug through a few storage chests. He smiled as he found what he had been looking for.
The redstoner pulled out a flint and steel, striking the two materials against one another to spark a flame. The note that Hels had wrote slowly turned into nothing but ash, which felt like a weight had been lifted off Mumbo's shoulder.
Though, something still felt wrong. Mumbo shrugged it off, turning to get ready for Wels' arrival. He took a quick moment to comb through his hair, but by the time that the redstoner had finished, the knight had arrived.
"That was rather quick," Mumbo smiled, noticing the sudden flush of color in Wels' cheeks.
The Brit looked down at his appearance, remembering that he hadn't changed since he had read Hels' note. Mumbo was still in his black dress pants and white tank top.
"s-sorry," Mumbo managed to stutter, quickly opening one of his drawers, digging through his clothes to try and find a clean shirt. He almost jumped when Wels put a hand on his shoulder.
"No, it's alright." He said, the knight's hand running down Mumbo's shoulder, then down the Brit's arm. When his hand reached the redstoner's, Wels intertwined his fingers with Mumbo's.
"I saw Hels before he ran off," Wels said, the mention of the alter's name making Mumbo's stomach tie into knots. "he told me what happened, how he pretended to love you."
Mumbo heart felt like it broke again, but only for a moment, the redstoner nodding his head as he squeezed Wels' hand.
"How did you first meet him?" Wels asked as Mumbo's eyes moved to the floor, the Brit letting a quiet sigh slip from between his lips.
"It started when I was building my van. Grian was helping me plant flowers to make everything look more natural. We were talking when Hels stumbled out of the nearby taiga.."
Mumbo's attention was drawn to the knight that stumbled out of the forest, the male resembling Wels, but with darker hair and armor, as well as deep crimson eyes. The redstoner found himself getting lost in the dark shine of his red eyes.
"Mumbo!" Grian suddenly yelled, which made the taller Brit let out a yelp while stumbling over his feet, dropping the potted flower that he was holding.
Helsknight watched the man stumble over, letting out a small chuckle. The two seemed easy enough to fool, which caused the evil alter to walk over to the two hermits.
Grian suddenly spotted what Mumbo had been so entranced by, the builder giving a wave to who he thought was Wels.
"New outfit for the new season, huh Wels?" The strawberry blonde asked, while Hels gave a shrug.
"Yep, you know me." He said casually, his voice causing Mumbo to raise an eyebrow. It wasn't the same as Wels' normal voice, it sounded..darker.
Hels glanced down at Mumbo, who had been on the ground, covered in potting soil, staring at the knight with flushed cheeks. The redstoner stumbled to his feet, wiping the soil off his Hawaiian shirt as he struggled to look presentable.
"Look, I was wondering if I could bunk with one of you this season." 'Wels' said with a warm smile, which Mumbo quickly jumped at the chance.
"U-uh yeah! You can stay with me!" He said, causing Hels to smile.
"Good. Mind if you could show me around?" The knight asked, Grian quickly gaining the feeling that he was third wheeling whatever strange and confusing mess that he was watching unfold.
"After a while...Hels just started to, well, trust me I guess." Mumbo explained, the Brit now sitting on the edge of his bed while fiddling with his thumbs.
"I think it was went mobs started to set themselves on fire, which obviously had nothing to do with me." He said with a wink, which made Wels' face heat up again. "But.. Then he told me that he wasn't really you, and then we just grew closer and closer."
"I'm sorry, Mumbo.." Wels said, rubbing the Brit's back to try and comfort him. "Hels is evil, I wish you didn't have to suffer through his cruel manipulation. If I had found him sooner, this wouldn't have happened."
"It's not your fault.." Mumbo said with a yawn, his head resting on Wels' shoulder. Due to the fact that the redstoner hadn't eaten recently, he had much less energy to stay awake.
Wels smiled at the sleepy male. "You should get some rest," he said, Mumbo nodding slowly. The knight gave a slight kiss on the Brit's cheek, which almost instantly sparked the redstoner awake, his face a bright shade of red as he glanced to Wels' equally-red face.
"I-I'm sorry, I know you're still trying to move on—"
"Nono, t-that was nice." Mumbo admitted breathlessly, placing his hand on top of the knight's.
The two both hesitated for a moment, but eventually Wels leaned in, intertwining his lips with Mumbo's. The storm outside the van let out another loud crack of thunder, Mumbo shutting his eyes to let himself float away in the kiss. He could feel his stomach doing somersaults, his surroundings melting away, to the point where the redstoner couldn't hear the rain that was pounding against the roof. It was more than a perfect kiss, it was flawless.
Maybe moving on from Hels wouldn't be as bad as Mumbo thought.