(WC: 1831
Category: Hurt/comfort, angst without a happy ending
Warnings: Death

Man I feel so bad. If anyone deserves a happy ending it's these two, but I haven't given them it ;_; This is the only oneshot in this multishot without a happy ending either aaaaaaaa

NPG and Jrumbot's dynamic is so great, I might write about them another time too (side note, since Grian helped make both of them, would they be half brothers? Grumbot too? That hurts even more now

Enjoy :'D)

When you're lost I will guide you

I'm right there beside you

Like a map of your memories

Things outside of the closet weren't much better than when he was inside.

At least, in the closet, he didn't have to deal with the cold.

NPG winced as his joints groaned and creaked, not doing so well in the snow.The weather was messing with his robotic parts, making them freeze up. His inner circuitry was warm enough to not be affected...

...Not like it mattered. His circuitry had been broken for a long time, and he doubted it would get any better.

Not only was he stuck out in the cold, but he had absolutely no idea where he was. For a bit, all he'd seen was ocean in all directions, though it was easy to traverse as the ice had frozen the water over. Finally, though, after slipping and sliding across the thin sheets, he found a large landmass and gratefully went onto it.

Now all he had to do was deal with the snow. Much better.

NPG pushed through the snow, which was piled up enough to almost submerge him. The snow messed with his circuits even more, and he knew he'd better get inside before it got any worse.

At this rate, he'd shut down even faster than he expected.

Luckily for him, this island seemed to have a number of buildings, all of which seemed to have their own unique style and clashed with one another. Without looking, he pushed through the snow in the direction of the nearest build, which was a small monotone square structure. It was almost buried halfway. Snow powdered a bit of the build that was jutting out from the top, though he thought he saw a bit of red underneath.

NPG stumbled out of the snow finally, entering the building. For some reason, whoever built this didn't add a door, so the snow leaked in behind him.

The inside was simplistic: Hanging sea lanterns illuminated the room nicely. The walls were a metallic gray, made out of something sturdy. Three chests were laid out evenly, though when he looked inside the middle one there was nothing of interest--just some kind of leather tunic dyed black.

NPG groaned slightly as he realized the inside wasn't much warmer than the outside. He could hear the sharp wind blow outside. Even though he didn't feel cold like normal people did, the cold was still dangerous to him.

It was like his own version of frostbite--but instead of his skin and tissue freezing, it was his circuitry and metal parts. Stay outside in the cold for too long, and he wouldn't be able to move or function because of the cold.

He tried to reach up to the sea lanterns to warm up, but that kind of lighting barely gave out any warmth. As he brought his arms down, he flinched at the sound of his elbow joints groaning in protest. He sighed and leaned against the building's walls, flexing his right arm and listening to it creak.

Well. This wasn't what he was expecting to come out of today.

"...Hello? Is someone there?"

NPG startled, looking around quickly to see if someone was in the room with him. No...he didn't see anyone. Had he just imagined the voice? He went back to bending his other arm, hoping to loosen up the joint. More creaking, and no luck.

"Hello? I hear creaking. Who's there?"

NPG glanced around again. So he hadn't imagined that voice. But there was no one here, so where was it coming from? "Hi? Where are you?"

"I knew I heard creaking!" the voice came again. It sounded oddly excited, though NPG didn't know why. "Who are you? I don't think I've heard your voice before."

"I'm..." NPG hesitated. "I'm new. I haven't been around this place before. I was stuck in the snow and decided to come into this building to take shelter."

"Oh. I didn't see you come in, the snow's covering my eyes."

NPG looked around the shop confusedly. "Where are you, anyway? I don't see anyone in here with me."

"I'm the building itself!" the voice said brightly. "My name is Jrumbot. I was built as a shop, but I'm also a little robot."

"Ah." NPG tried to wrap his head around the fact he was sitting in a robot's insides. Now that he listened to Jrumbot's voice more, there was a similar automated, not-quite-human tone that he had that matched NPG's own. "Um...thanks for letting me stay inside here, I guess. Does the cold not affect you?"

"No, my creators made sure that they put a layer of insulation so that way I wouldn't freeze up in the cold."

Well, at least one of us isn't affected by the cold. "Who made you?" He tapped the metal insides of Jrumbot's body, listening to the hollow echo from inside. The metal plating was much better than what his was--smoother and thinner--and the space inside that held the wiring was smaller, which meant compact circuitry. "They obviously put a lot of effort into you."

"Two people, actually. One did the redstone inside me, and the other built my body. It was a joint effort--I have two dads! Grian and Mumbo!"

NPG did a double take as he processed Jrumbot's words. "Sorry--did you say Grian?"

"Yes, do you know him?"

NPG had to laugh a bit at the irony of the situation. What were the chances he ran across his creator in a place he'd never been before? "Uh, yeah, actually. He's my creator, too. I'm a robot, just like you. My name is NPG, short for NPC Grian."

"Oh, really?" Jrumbot sounded surprisingly pleased. "I didn't know dad made other robots before! But if you were made by Grian, how come I haven't seen you before?"

NPG winced at the direct question, knowing Jrumbot wouldn't like the answer. "Well...remember how I said I was new here? That wasn't a lie. Grian made me, what, a few years ago? So, compared to you, my circuitry isn't nearly as advanced. And he didn't exactly do the best job with the wiring and coding--it's really sloppy and glitches out sometimes.

"And because of that, I, uh...started to malfunction, to the point where I'm just beyond repair. Grian stored me in a closet and just kind of...forgot about me after a bit."

NPG sighed inwardly--he wasn't doing a very good job at explaining this. "I somehow managed to find my way out of the closet and wander over here, and that's when I met you."

Jrumbot was silent for a long time after NPG finished his story. "But...he's never abandoned me..."

A pang of sharp sadness hit NPG as he sympathized with the robot. "Hey. He hasn't abandoned you before, has he? He probably visits you every day and checks up on you."

He fell silent as he realized that's what he'd wanted ever since he was left alone in the closet.

"Anyway. You're not going to be abandoned. He does visit you, right?"

"...Of course!" Jrumbot was trying to sound peppy, but NPG could tell that his story jarred him. "I mean, he always passes by, he doesn't always talk to me, but...NPG, he's not going to abandon me, too, is he...?"

NPG didn't want to worry him even more, but he decided to tell the truth. Much better than living out a lie or trying to convince yourself things were going to be okay.

"I don't know. But, hey, you're not completely alone. You have me."

Jrumbot sighed, his voice echoing in the room NPG sat in. "He doesn't talk to me much anymore. Mumbo doesn't, either. And if he's left you alone...what's to say it can't happen again? I don't want to be lonely anymore..."

NPG didn't know what to say. Jrumbot was mirroring his own thoughts, things he asked himself too many times.

scoffed under his breath, trying to ignore his joints creaking as he shifted around. "What a Christmas it is for us two, huh?"

"You mean...it's not always like this?"

NPG hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"This is my first Christmas. I haven't experienced it before."

"...No," he replied. "It's not like this. Not at all. You don't spend Christmas alone. Usually, you spend this holiday with your loved ones, giving gifts and spending time with one another."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "Not like I would know anything about it."

He was silent for a moment before confiding in Jrumbot. "Hey, I know what it's like to be forgotten. I know what it's like to feel alone, like nobody's there for you. I've went through it myself. The best thing you can do is be positive that it'll get better. It might not be as quick as you wish, but in the end, it'll get better."

"You really think so?" Jrumbot asked. "Even after everything you've gone through?"

"I do," NPG replied, hoping it would make him feel better. Things hadn't gone the best for him, but hopefully the little guy would have a better experience than him. "It'll get better for you. Anyway, you're not alone. You already have one friend in me."

"...Well, at least I know that I got to spend my first Christmas with one friend. Maybe next year I'll have more."

"That's the spirit," NPG said reassuringly, relieved he could make him a bit happier. He couldn't help but feel a bit sad, though, as he realized that he wouldn't be there for Jrumbot next year. Who would be there for him next Christmas?

He knew he didn't have much time left. Even as he was talking to Jrumbot, he could feel his power draining, his voicebox glitching out every time he talked. His vision was starting to cut out. Jrumbot probably thought that it was because he was an older model, but the truth was, he was breaking down.

Not much longer now.

"...NPG? NPG, are you okay?"

NPG cursed under his breath as his right arm froze up--he couldn't move it how much he tried. "No, no, not yet--I'm not ready--"

Jrumbot's tone turned nervous as he listened to NPG's words. "What's happening in there?"

NPG couldn't say a full sentence without his voicebox glitching out in the middle. "I'm--crud, I'm shutting down--"

"No, what? What's going on? What do you mean?"

"I'm shutting down--I mean, I would have happened--sooner or later--but--"

Jrumbot's voice was on the verge of panic now. "Wait, what? Say that again. You can't be shutting down! I-I'll be all alone again--"

"Hey--Jrumbot. Listen to me--"

"No, NPG, you can't leave me too, please!"

"Jrumbot. Tell--tell Grian I'll miss him, okay?"

Silence.

Jrumbot started to panic as he listened for his new friend. "...NPG? Are you there? Please tell me you're okay, I can't lose you too..."

He waited in vain for an answer. Anything. Just so he'd know NPG was okay.

But nobody came.

"You said things would get better for me..."