𓈊 A Cup of Coffee to Ease the Pain

9: Helpless

"I think our best option would be to go back to the agency and track where Ren's call came from," Mumbo said as he massaged Grian's shoulders in attempt to help him relax. He felt Grian shiver and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "I know, but what other choice do we have?"

Grian sighed. "I can't deal with Bdubs again," he murmured so quietly Mumbo had to strain to hear him. "If I so much as see a glimpse of him, I might start crying."

Mumbo rested his chin on Grian's head. "Scar told me he didn't show up today," he said, his hands rubbing up and down Grian's arms. "And if you want, I'll just take your phone up there so they can track the signal and then you can go get Ren."

Grian didn't answer at first, instead just covering his face with his hands. "I don't know what I want," he mumbled. "I'm tired. It feels like there's adrenaline running through me, but I'm just... tired. I want to find out where he is and just fly there to shoot those bastards in the head, but-"

"Grian, you're not allowed to use firearms on the field," Mumbo whispered.

"I know that, dammit!" Grian shouted, startling Mumbo. "But they deserve it! I wish I could lock them up in a cell and torture them until they go crazy and-" He was hushed when Mumbo leaned over his shoulder to press a quick kiss to his lips.

"They'll get what they deserve, I promise," Mumbo assured his distressed fiance, "but for now we need to keep level heads. Getting emotional leads to making irrational choices, and that gets us nowhere but deeper in trouble. I know you're frustrated. You have every right to be, but you need to relax, my love."

Grian let out a tearless sob. "They're going to kill my big brother," he murmured, leaning into Mumbo. "They're gonna kill him."

Mumbo shook his head and moved his hand to comb through Grian's hair, straightening out feathers that stuck out strangely from his scalp. "Nobody's going to kill him," he said calmly. "We'll find out where he is, and we'll finally be able to take care of the Octagon and give OctaTown the stable government it needs." He pressed a kiss to Grian's hair. "Do you want me to give you a quick preening before I leave for the agency?"

Grian nodded. "I want to go with," he said, then yawned a bit, making Mumbo chuckle.

"Alright, lay down."

* * *

When Ren was finally able to open his eyes, he was met with a wide, open space that resembled a warehouse. But it wasn't a warehouse so much as it seemed to be some kind of secret laboratory from Sci-Fi or mystery movies. Every part of him hurt, from his cheek freezing from the cold, concrete floor, to his ankles sore from ropes that were just ever so slightly too tight. He was uncomfortable with the ropes binding his hands and feet together, not to mention that he discovered he'd been muzzled while he was unconscious.

But the worst part of it all was that a man he trusted - though he was told not to - had betrayed him like this. Was it betrayal? It had felt like it to Ren. He actually felt like he loved Doc. He was vulnerable in front of him, opened up to him, and even got drunk and had sex with him! And it was all just to be stabbed in the back in the end.

"Ah, the dog's awake," Doc said, his voice babyish, like he was talking to a pup. He knelt down to scratch behind Ren's ears, an action to which Ren felt ashamed for wagging his tail. "Awe, who's a good boy?"

Those words made Ren's stomach twist in disgust and regret. Words that were just used the previous night that made Ren happy now made him want to vomit. He wasn't an animal, he was a person. He shouldn't be treated like an animal.