Chapter Text
Scar honestly thought he was free from finding strange people in Mumbo’s bedroom for a few years still. Especially after the disaster of a talk he gave him. If you could call it much of a talk. He thought he got the point across… mostly. Besides Mumbo was 7! He expected this when he was 17!Mumbo flew at Scar acting like a proper child as he snatched the scared child away from Scar. The pair clutched at each other desperately. Scar had no idea who the child was even. He was the same age as Mumbo, fair haired though, skinny and dirty. He didn’t think anyone had a child in the castle at the moment of this age or colouring which left Scar with more questions.
Mumbo in this moment looked very much like his Father. He glared at Scar with a fierce look on his face. “He is mine! You can’t have him.” Mumbo told Scar sounding so serious. Scar could see the way Mumbo had an almost death grip on the child. But he also could see the death grip the child had on Mumbo. The pair clutching at each other like they were anchoring each other. Scar wondered what had inspired such loyalty and need? In such a small amount of time since Scar last saw Mumbo at lunch. And Scar was certain that the boy didn’t have another child stuck to him.
Scar took a rough breath in. He had to be careful right now. He was embarrassed and sickened by his own reaction to Mumbo looking and sounding so much like his Father in that moment. Clutching a blond as well. He could see the parallels too easily. “Mumbo… You can’t keep a human like that. He had a family to get back to… A mother who misses him.” Scar realised in that moment maybe he wasn’t cut out to be a father after all. He was an adult who should had been the bigger person and tried to handle this with care and instead he lashed out at the child verbally, knowing it hurt Mumbo. He felt like an ass who let the past cloud his vision and colour his words. What was he doing? Punishing a child for the sins of his Father? He promised to himself and to Mumbo’s mother that he would make it up to Mumbo, and try to do better.
Mumbo didn’t buckle though. Instead he tilted his head up an arrogant gesture reminding Scar of his Father yet again. “First! His name is Grian not human.” Mumbo told him in a furious rush. “Secondly, he got no parents! He is an orphan and a commoner so he is gonna be my people so I get to keep him.” He told Scar in a rush of righteous sounding anger. “He don’t got no one! Everyone needs someone like you so we gotta take him in. He didn’t have no food and no gloves and he was chasing rabbits around like a hound!” Mumbo switched from anger to pleading. “Please Scar, he was cold and hungry and I got plenty of food and plenty of clothes. Too many. Enough to share, he can have my stuff! He can stay with me please Scar.” He sobbed noisily, desperately pleading with the man. “He got nothing and no one!”
Scar deflated. What he thought was possessiveness was protectiveness. Mumbo just wanted to help another child. He stumbled back to sit down heavily. He rubbed his temple. “Okay, so Grian? Grian is an orphan?” He looked at the child properly now and saw him for what he was. The gaunt look, the body covered in dirt smudges, bruises and cuts, and worryingly Scar saw what looked like the starts of frost bite to his hands and nose. “You don’t have any family?” He asked the boy. Sadly orphans wasn’t that uncommon since the wars had taken a lot of family apart. But that was the last generation. They had been peaceful for a while. No more sending loved ones off to the battlefield and bringing them back to the graveyards.
Grian lifted his head and looked at Scar, hardy and heady of a child who had to survive on their own for too long. “I ain’t got no one.” He spat, glaring at Scar, challenging him to say anything about it. Scar wondered if the child had been questioned about it before or did he naturally talked to others like this? “Well, I got Mumbo.” He finished up and looked at Mumbo with fierce loyalty.
Mumbo grinned proudly at Grian. “You mean ‘I do not have anyone. I have Mumbo.’.” Mumbo corrected the lad who huffed. “People will not take you seriously if you don’t speak clearly. You are going to have to get better at that if you are going to stay with me.” He told him fondly and Grian gave him a fond look back. “We can work on it together. You will like… I mean you may like the lessons I have. You will love Scar. He is the best ever.” He whispered to Grian.
Grian grinned up at Mumbo. “That’s Scar? Your almost-dad?” He whispered before Mumbo shushed him. The pair got lost in their own world soon enough. Scar was forgotten and it let him watch the pair chat between themselves. Scar could see what Mumbo had been missing. Someone his own age to connect to. But they couldn’t keep Grian. It was likely the boy was an orphan or a runaway. However no one came looking for him and it must have been a while judging by the condition of the lad.
Scar listened the pair chatter away. He wondered if he was going to make the biggest mistake of his life…. Well the second. “Come on Grian, Mumbo we are leaving.” He told the pair getting up. The pair clutched each other again, obviously fearing the worst. “Trust me guys. Don’t worry, we are going to see Ren and Doc!”