Warnings: Child Neglect/Abuse, Kidnapping, Hospitals, Sam, Mentions of Murder, Blood
Relationship: Grian/Xisuma (Fatherly)
Extra: De-Aged Grian (Four Months at the beginning), Xisuma police officer
~***~
Xisuma had gone to a domestic abuse call and began to ask questions when he suddenly heard a baby crying.
"Is that a baby?" He asked walking towards the room, Sam desperately trying to stop him, "Sir, I need you to stop fighting me."
When he walked into the room, he saw the baby in an open drawer and a shock collar around his neck.
Xisuma groaned and picked the young baby up, "This is no way to treat a baby Mr. Gladiator!" Xisuma turned on his radio, "7-Johnson-57, I need an ambulance and backup. Inform NICU about a malnourished baby of maybe seven months old."
Xisuma detached the collar, allowing it to fall to the ground. Xisuma noticed a mark on the side of the baby's neck and he covered it. From there, Xisuma cuffed Sam and waited for his back up while he tried keeping the baby happy.
~!!!~
Xisuma watched over the tiny baby in the incubator and watched as the little thing slept.
When the doctor walked in, Xisuma spoke softly, "What's his name?"
"Grian." The doctor replied, "Hes four months old, malnourished, neglected, and has an infection in his lungs which is why he's on the ventilator."
"Is he gonna make it?" Xisuma asked without looking at the man, "I don't want him put in the system."
"He should make it as long as he's bottle feeding. Which we aren't sure if he'll do."
After a moment of silence, the doctor asked if Xisuma was okay.
"Far from okay. You don't treat a baby like that. They're frail." He paused, "Especially a baby from the Void family."
"Isn't that your family?"
"Yeah, but I don't have a brother."
"Well, Sam Gladiator isn't this baby's father."
"Does he have any parents? My folks died when I was fifteen."
"Xisuma, do you have a sister?"
"Yeah?"
"She went missing a week ago-"
"I know, I've been looking at the file."
"Your team found her dead in the yard of Mr. Gladiator. She was his mother."
"She was a kidnap and murder victim." Xisuma looked at the baby, "I'll take care of him. I'm not letting him be in the system."
Weeks later, Xisuma was able to fully adopt Grian and take him to the mansion where all the hermits lived. Grian slept most of the way there, but when he entered the main room, the hermits walked over to him and started aweing at the small infant in his arms.
"He's so tiny!" "He's so cute!" "Oh, Xisuma! Let me hold him!"
The female hermits clamored over the two, Xisuma shushed them and handed Grian to Pearl, "Can you put him in a crib and make sure he's, y'know."
"Yeah, no problem." Pearl said, the rest of the female hermits following her up.
Xisuma sighed, "So, that's Grian. He's my sister's son. And my sister is dead, so, yeah."
"He's adorable, and X, you need to take a break." Scar said, a slight chuckle heard in his voice, "Your sister just passed-"
"Was murdered."
"Right. And now we have a little baby hermit to take care of. Take time off from your little job, we'll be sure that we're all up to Grian's care after you're ready to go back."
~Grian Age 5~
Grian was awake, walking around the large mansion wanting to get a glass of water. Xisuma was on a twenty-four hour shift, most of the other hermits were asleep. We say most because some of the hermits were awake in their rooms.
Grian walked around with his blanket across his shoulders while he drank his glass of water. He saw a taller shadow behind him and screamed, dropping the glass in the process.
The hermits who were awake heard the scream and ran towards the kitchen. There they saw the broken drinking glass and an open window pane. They called 9-1-1 and Xisuma immediately.
After explaining to them what they heard, they had patrol units out searching for them. They already knew who had taken their youngest hermit, some of them wanted revenge.
Three days after, Xisuma received a cryptic message that said, SWeet watchers lay by the bay. It's up to you if he lives.
Xisuma was walking along the bay when he was continuously rereading the note. He realized that the first two letters were capitalized and started walking South West from where he was standing.
After about ten minutes, he found a patch of tampered land and Xisuma ran through the field and he felt a strong sense of fear. He immediately began digging after calling for back up.
When he hit something, he u covered the cap finding a dark wooden box underneath. He jumped down and picked up the box, putting it onto the top of the ground. Xisuma groaned when he noticed the the box was dripping a red crimson liquid. But regardless pried off the cover finding his little boy inside not breathing and bleeding out.
He lightly shook the young boy with tears in his eyes, fearing he wouldn't wake up. Grian was curled up in the small box, his knees were pulled close to his chest. He started fully crying when Grian started coughing, then Xisuma pulled the young one out of the box and held him in his arms until his back up came less than two minutes later. He rode with the paramedics just trying to be sure that Grian was breathing and that he'd stay with him.
The paramedics managed to stitch the bleeding wound that Sam had stabbed into Grian's side. Xisuma authorized a blood transfusion and stayed in Grian's hospital room so when he woke up, he wouldn't be alone.
When Grian woke up, Xisuma was asleep with the young boy's hand in his.
"Suma..."
"Suma..."
"Suma..."
Xisuma woke with a gasp at the tiny calls. He smiled when he saw Grian awake, "Gri... Hey, trooper."
"Hi..."
Grian's eyes had bags under them, Xisuma could tell it was from the blood loss and drainage of power.
"Grian, I'm so happy you're awake."
"'m happy to see you."
Grian's voice sounded so broken. Xisuma urged Grian to go back to sleep, which he did without question. X updated the hermits on Grian's condition but stayed with his adopted son.
