Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was a time where he was so afraid that maybe someone would notice. Now he just wished someone would.

He was far from those times he was always so careful. Careful to hide the bleeding, the eye bags, anything that might give it away that he wasn’t alright. He’d gotten much more reckless. 

“Geeze! Were you even looking out for monsters? You’re out here in the middle of a full moon, you know that’s when the mobs are the most dangerous. You’re going to get yourself killed!”

If only. It was all written off as a lapse in judgement or losing track of time. 

“Man, have you eaten anything lately? You look like you can barely stand!”

He’d passed out earlier but no one had seen him out cold in the middle of the Shopping District. He woke up with a pounding in his head and an emptiness inside him. No one was there. 

No one was ever there.

He had tried to reach out. He’d asked all over if anyone had the time to work on a new project with him or if there was something he could do to help them.

“Oh sorry, I’ve just started a project and Iskall was going to help me.”

“Sorry, what were you saying? Bdubs was just getting back to me about something we’re working on. It’s going to be huge.”

It’s fine. They were all busy. They had stuff to do. He had gotten back to work with his mega brewery. The Hermits would be able to stop by and get any potion they needed, he just needed to add a few more circuits. He could be useful. He could help.

Well, maybe it would be able to help the Hermits when he was gone. They never really needed him anyway, but he wanted to leave some sort of gift for them. 

Would they even find his letters? His goodbyes? They might never even read them. It’s fine. He kept them short anyway. Wouldn’t want to waste their time.

He hopes they don’t find his body. They’d be more at rest to think he’d just gone off to find a new start. Plenty of other Hermits had gone away looking for a new beginning in the past. So many had left him before. He knew almost all of the Hermits kept in contact with the Old Hermits but people had stopped responding to his messages. He couldn’t blame them, they had moved on. 

Everything comes to a close.

And it was time for his story to end.

Chapter Text

It never should have been Keralis. He shouldn’t have had to share the news. Xisuma was gone.

It had been like any other day, the sun was shining, redstone farms ticking, the bees buzzing-- there was no warning. The sound of the firework and the air whooshing past, catching his elytra, filled Keralis’ ears. X had been working on some project that needed tons of carrots and lately Keralis’ farm had been producing more carrots than he could handle himself.

The shulker boxes were tucked under his arms: taking more than one trip would have been tedious, and he’d rather surprise Shishwammy with all of the carrots at once. 

The landing pad of Xisuma’s storage room came into view through the dense leaf canopy. Keralis brought his wings back to try and slow his descent into the room. He wasn’t like Grian. He had a sense of caution when it came to flying. And besides, X could be standing in there and he’d hate to crash into him. 

Disappointment hit when he saw the empty room. It was to be expected though. Keralis hadn’t told Xisuma he was stopping by. He was probably off working on one of his projects. Looking around, a sense of unease came over him. The room was clean, almost spotless, no shulker boxes in sight. It was strange to see someone’s base without some stray shulker box or chest for rubbish and X’s base was usually no exception. Yet here he was in an empty room. 

One box seemed out of place with all of the chests around. It sat over by all of the empty shulkers, tucked away neatly in a corner. The wide eyed man walked over to it and noticed a bunch of letters inside it and one set right on top that read “Hermits”.

He picked it up with shaky hands, unsure of if he should open it or not. He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know what was in it. Curiosity got the better of him and he slowly opened it.

Inside was a single piece of paper, written in Xisuma’s handwriting. It seemed a bit messier, as if it had been written with shaky hands. 

“Dear Hermits, 

If you are reading this, I’m gone. I wish the best for you all in the future, but my time on this server has come to a close. I’ve given Doc and Etho temporary Admin access until you decide on who you want to hold the position of Admin. I feel more than one person should have the power and the responsibility, it can be too much for one person to handle at times. I know you will all do great things in the future and will make the right choice. You all have been the greatest servermates and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to have had the chance to get to know each and every one of you.

In this box I have written goodbyes for each of the Hermits and some of our old friends. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to say goodbye to you all in person. I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. I’m sorry. I wish I was able to talk to you all one last time, but it was too much. My time in this server was coming to a close and it would have been too much to see all of you.

I’ve also finished up a project for all of the Hermits to use. It’s an industrial scale, automatic brewery with more than enough potions for everyone to use for whatever they could need them for. Some things might need to be restocked in the future, but I’ve left a manual on the different inputs. I hope that these potions will help you all, even if I am not here.

It has been an amazing ride and I wish each and every one of you the best of luck in the future.

Farewell,

Xisuma Void”

Tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn’t really be gone, could he? He must have read it wrong. Keralis read it over and over again, the words becoming progressively harder and harder to read through the tears. 

A tear dripped off his chin onto the paper. How would he tell the Hermits? Xisuma is gone, and it doesn’t seem like he will be coming back.

Keralis fell to the floor. How could he do this?

Sobs rang out from a tower that now felt so lonely. A tower amongst others that would never be a home again.

Chapter Text

He wiped his weary eyes. He had been working on this project for so long, and it was starting to take a toll on him. A yawn escaped his lips. When was the last time he actually had a proper sleep? 

He opened up his communicator, and blinked. Since when did he have Admin access? Doc turned it off and back on to the same screen. How did he even have Admin access?!

Doc to Xisuma: Hey X, I think I might have a problem with my communicator, says I have Admin access? Do you know what that’s about?

A system error flashed on screen when he pressed send. 

“What do you mean no player ‘Xisuma’ detected? What is that even supposed to mean?!”

Unease hit him. Something was very wrong. 

Doc pulled out the main chat.

Docm77: Guys, something’s wrong. I have Admin access and the system says that X doesn’t exist in it.

Mumbo Jumbo: What is that supposed to mean? X is gone?

Etho: This is strange. I have Admin access too.

Grian: How come I didn’t get Admin access?

Minutes of confused messages passed. No one seemed to have a clue what was going on and there was still no sign of Xisuma.

“What did Zizuma do this time?”

Nothing like this had ever happened before. X just vanished out of nowhere? 

Another message came in.

Keralis: Meet me at X’s storage room. There’s something everyone needs to see. Please, it’s important.

Doc frowned. Keralis’ message was concerning to say the least, and to make things worse, it sounded nothing like Keralis. Something bad surely was going on.

He looked around to make sure nothing was running that could potentially break and then pulled out his rockets and shot off into the sky. He headed over to Xisuma’s base, a sense of dread coming over him.

Chapter Text

Etho was the closest to X’s base, bar maybe Keralis, so it was natural he got there first. He landed in the landing bay, looking around the familiar base. He’d been here many times before to do some, ahem, Shade-E stuff. It was cleaner than he’d ever seen it. Everything seemed to be in its place.

A hunched figure sat in one of the corners, over by the wall of empty shulker boxes.

“Keralis, is that you?” His voice rang out in the room.

There was a small sniffle and Kerlais looked over at him. “Hi Etho.” He couldn’t decide what was more unsettling, hearing Keralis’ voice void of its usual happiness, or seeing such weariness on the face of a man who seemed to have a permanent surprised look on it. Keralis almost didn’t look like himself.

Etho swiftly headed over to the builder. “Keralis, what’s wrong?” He sat down next to Keralis, ready to offer comfort.

Keralis just stared down at a piece of paper in his hands. “Shishw- X, is gone.” He held out the letter and Etho gently took it from him.

His eyes scanned the paper and the pieces started to slowly fall into place. “Oh.” He didn’t know what to say. A numbness came over him. Was X even alive? His words had been so certain that this would be the last time any of them heard from him. 

He riffled through the envelopes, reading the names. Keralis, Doc, Bdubs- even Zueljin had a letter. Every single Hermit, present or past, was in here, and there were a handful of names that Etho didn’t even recognise. 

His mind flashed to another day. He had walked in to letters apon letters being written. Last time he had been able to talk them down, but this time-- he hadn’t seen the signs. 

“X, no-”

Keralis looked up at Etho with his doe-like eyes. “He’s not coming back, is he?”

It hurt to see Keralis like this and Etho didn’t have the heart to tell him. “I don’t think so.” Etho held out his arms and Keralis clung onto him. He hugged him tightly. The two had never been particularly close, but they needed some comfort. It was going to be a rough time on the server.

Chapter Text

From the moment Keralis sent out the message, Beef knew that something was wrong. Keralis wasn’t one to sound emotionless, even over text. He knew something bad had happened, but he underestimated the weight of the situation. 

Xisuma was gone. For good.

Those words rang out in the room of people you could never get to settle down. Yet with a few words, all there was in that small room was silence. It was almost as if in that moment the life was drained from the group. 

Etho had continued speaking, but Beef wasn’t listening, he couldn’t. The words of a song Xisuma had shown him hit like a truck. He had known what the lyrics had meant, but he didn’t understand them fully. Now he did.

I’m writing this in case I’m gone tomorrow. 

No, no, no, it couldn’t be true. 

I’m writing this in case I’ve moved along.

God, why hadn’t he noticed the signs?

There’s something that I hope you’ll remember.

Fake smiles behind tinted glass. The self destructive behavior-

That life is not a game, it’s a song.

Xisuma had been like a ballad. Raw emotions from heavy metal roots. He had been comfort, he had been pain, he had been sorrow. 

But like even the greatest of songs, he had an end.

So take the best parts of me, locked away without the keys. And know that I’m forever by your side.

Xisuma was the song that made people stop and listen, really listen. He wasn’t a catchy tune that got stuck inside your head. He wasn’t just meaningless repetition. He had been the song that slowly built. Built until the most powerful chord that resonated inside you. He hadn’t slowly faded into the background. He had been amazing and full of a light for others to see right up until the end.

An end that left a void that couldn’t be filled again.

When the lights go down. Know that I am never far away.

It felt so empty and dark. The light seemed to have left the room. The memories of Xisuma seemed so far away and faint. He couldn’t have felt further away.

When the sun burns out, I’ll be waiting on the brighter side of grey. 

The admin’s light was gone. They had lost a friend, a brother, a part of them. The color and life had faded to gray. There was no bright side to this. This could never be fixed.

If you’re reading this, I know you’re feeling sorrow.

The empty void of silence was only broken by the sound of sobbing. Others stood there, shocked and numb.

If you’re hearing this, I know you’re probably scared.

It felt like a dream, like a worst nightmare. Nothing felt real, it couldn’t be.

Just know that all the things you want are borrowed. And all you get to keep is all you’ve shared.

He just wanted his friend back. He’d trade it all for another chance to set things right. 

So wipe away the tears for me. Know that we made history. Remember no one ever really dies.

The last few years have been the best. They had become a family. That would never change. They all still cared. 

When the lights go down. Know that I am never far away.

They would all hold the memories of a better time, a time when the end seemed so far away. A time when Xisuma had been there himself. A time when life seemed to be going perfectly. 

When the sun burns out, I’ll be waiting on the brighter side of grey. 

The worlds seemed to go back into focus and Beef took in his surroundings. Keralis and Bdubs sat on the landing bay, looking out into the jungle. Etho had since moved to sit next to Doc who sat on the floor with his head down, his hands grabbing onto his hair and his elbows resting on his knees. 

Cub was hugging a sobbing Scar who gripped tightly onto the other’s labcoat. They were dressed in their normal clothes, no pharo or mayor, just two friends. Ren sat next to Iskall who was trying to comfort a crying Stress. False stared at an envelope in her hands, left unopened. Zedaph, Impulse, and Tango sat leaning against a wall of chests, getting a grip of the situation. A few tears rolled down their faces. 

Grian hugged Mumbo who still hadn’t moved since he heard the news. His face looked pale and tired. Joe and Cleo each reading a letter with tear-filled eyes. TFC looked much older, sadness covering his face. Wels stood facing a wall with one hand resting on the wall with another in a fist. His head was down, staring at the floor. Jevin looked deflated, barely holding onto his normal shape. Xb sat against a chest with his head back resting against it. His eyes were closed but tears slowly rolled down his face. Hypno was staring at his hands. 

Beef placed his face in his hands. How could X have done this to them?

Chapter Text

The moment Etho suggested that some of them should go search the area, Wels was one of the first to jump at the idea. He needed to get out of his head.

Most of the Hermits were still confused and in shock, but some of them read the situation for what it was. X wasn’t just gone, he was dead.

He, False, Beef and Ren had started a search in the jungle, all of them afraid of what they would find. But X deserved a good burial. They at least owed him that.

Doc, Etho, and TFC all wanted to come. TFC stayed behind because he knew that the others needed someone to help comfort them. Doc had really fought against Etho, but he was in no state to go out there. He was shaking and could barely walk straight. He’d given in when Etho had pulled him into a hug and then Doc just broke. None of them had seen Doc like this before. Etho ended up staying back because he didn’t want Doc to leave his sight.

Most of the others had gone to work to try and contact the others included in the letters. Joe knew many of the older Hermits relatively well and Zedaph was working on contacting EX. They weren't looking forward to that conversation. None of them wanted to be the one to break the news to his sibling.

Wels clenched his jaw and tried to focus on the jungle in front of him. He was fighting back tears because he knew the moment the dam broke there would be no stopping it.

He was searching the stretch of jungle that led towards X’s concrete convertor, which just so happened to be the densest part.

The jungle sounded just as dead as Wels felt on the inside. There was no sign of other life, no parrots, nothing. Even the trees were stilled. No breeze flowed through the jungle.

He wishes he’d have gotten to know Xisuma better. The longest time they spent together was the Civil War last season, but even then Wels hadn’t been around that much.

He refocuses on his surroundings. He didn’t want to think about that right now.

It was like when Biffa died all over again. Those two always were super close. They’d always- no. He couldn’t keep thinking. He didn’t want to deal with the emotions welling up inside him.

That didn’t stop his heart from stopping the moment he spotted a certain helmet.

Then his walls collapsed around him.

He fell to his knees sobbing. He turned away. He couldn’t stand the sight. That just made everything all too well.

He screamed out, a guttural cry of pain that echoed in the trees around him. His gloved hands dug into the dirt beneath him, the mud squelching beneath his fingers.

He doesn’t know how long he sat there sobbing. It was ugly. He let the fat tears fall down his chin. He didn’t even stop when he felt the hand on his shoulder.

“Wels?” He’d never heard Hels sound so soft and so afraid.

“X he’s-” Wels hated how pathetic he sounded, but he let it happen. He just didn’t care anymore. He just shook his head over and over again.

He heard the shift of the footsteps behind him and the sharp inhale. He could hear Hels doing something behind him, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. He didn’t want to see.

After a while Hels sat down next to Wels. “I’ll get some people to help move his body, but for now, you should be back with the other Hermits.”

“I should-” Wels turned a bit and saw the blanket covering X’s body. Everything inside of him froze.

“Wels, go back to the Hermits. You can’t do anything in this state. I know people who could help with the burial. We’ll take care of him.”

He stood up, shaking ever so slightly. Any words were caught in his throat so he just nodded.

Wels started back into the jungle, back to the tower. His footsteps were heavy and he found that the return trip was much more difficult.

Then he spotted the figures flying towards him. Doc and Etho.

Etho descended into the jungle with the grace of a well practiced maneuver. Doc wasn’t quite as graceful and Etho had to catch him as his balance got thrown off by a large branch.

“What happened? Did you-?” Concern filled Etho’s voice. Doc dropped to his feet.

Wels just nodded and looked down. Etho pulled him into a hug as the tears once again rolled down his face.

“I found him. He-” Wels’ words cut off with a sob. He took a second to regain his composure and hold back the tears. “Hels is with him right now.”

Doc sat down on a nearby log, looking awfully pale. He didn’t even think Creepers could get pale. “Where-”

Wels shook his head and pulled out of the hug. “I don’t think you should see him like that.”

Etho rubbed his wrist. “We should tell the others.”

Chapter Text

Out of all the places EX expected to see Xisuma, standing on the ledge of a half finished tower was not one of them. They froze out of shock and fear. “‘Suma-?” Their voice was strained and shaking. The purple visor turned towards them, covered with grime and fifth that had never built up on the glass ever before. X took pride in his helmet, cleaning it off every night and polishing it in the morning, but this- this wasn’t the X that they had come to love and respect. 

Xisuma’s body tensed up like a deer caught in headlights and took a hesitant step backwards, getting ever so much closer to the looming edge. EX’s heart dropped- no. Don’t think about the drop. The image of the beloved admin crashing down into the sidewalk flashed through their head. An unusual wetness pricked at their eyes. 

“Hey X, can you please take a step away from the edge?” EX begged, not even bothering to hide their unease. 

Xisuma’s gaze dropped down his feet as he brought his hands up to his helmet, taking it off. EX felt their chest tighten as they saw the other’s state. X’s brown hair looked like it hadn’t been cleaned or touched in quite a while. Seeing it now made them doubt that it was the same soft hair that made everyone envious. Dull, purple eyes met theirs and sent a shiver down their spine. X was definitely not alright. Their chest tightened as they stared at the eyes that were only a faint echo of the soft, bright, hopeful eyes they had been before. 

“What happened?” EX whispered, terrified of the answer they might receive. 

A broken sigh left the other. “I suppose you are here to finish me off, aren’t you? Well, take your shot, we both know I deserve it.” 

All hostile feelings they had felt towards the admin left them in an instant. EX decided to do something they never thought they would do. They took a step forward and pulled the taller man into a hug. “No ‘Suma, I could never.” 

Xisuma broke down into a sob. “I deserve it, everyone would be better off without me.”

EX didn’t hesitate before punching him in the shoulder. “What did I tell you about lying to me? I have never heard such bullshit. Where did you get such a ridiculous idea?”

“I hurt you.” 

The bluntness in X’s voice caught them off guard. They definitely didn’t expect to hear that today. They opened their mouth, their throat suddenly dry. They needed to say something, anything. They were both precariously close to the edge and they couldn’t lose their brother.

“All I do is hurt the people around me.” God, X just sounded so tired.

“Hey, how about we get down from here, yeah? Let’s go get someone, not Doc or False though. How about Biffa or that Ren fellow? Or Python?”

Something inside of Xisuma broke. Tears flowed down his face. “Biffa, he’s- he-” 

Oh fuck did they say something wrong? “Shh, it’s okay, let it out. We don’t have to get anyone if you don’t want to.” They glanced at the edge. “But we should talk somewhere else. I can get you a nice cup of tea.”

X kept sobbing, shaking his head. 

Every part of EX was panicking. They really weren’t good at this whole feelings thing. Man, this whole thing went way different than they’d anticipated.

One thing was sure though, they needed to get Xisuma as far away from that ledge as they could. “You can barely stand on your own. Please, let’s just get down on solid ground.”

X tried to push himself away from EX, but they held on, terror shooting through them.

“Nope, no, no, no, no, no. We are getting off this roof the safe way. I can and will knock you out if that’s what it takes.” The threat felt dull on their tongue, but EX knew they’d do whatever they had to. They were not about to lose their brother.

Xisuma froze in place, mind clearly on other things. “You can’t tell anyone else, I can’t let them know.”

“‘Suma, we can talk about that all later but right now we are getting onto solid ground. Now . ”

EX pulled X towards them and picked him up in their arms, trying desperately not to think about how thin X was and how passive he was being. He almost seemed- broken.

They set him down when they reached the ground. “We could go somewhere else if you’d like.”

Xisuma shrugged. He sat down and played with the grass, avoiding EX’s gaze. 

They sat next to their brother, worry burning inside them. “Are we going to talk about it?”

“It was nothing.”

“Nothing?!” EX couldn’t help the way they spat it out, though they did feel guilty at the way X flinched. They took a deep breath, trying to hold back their anger. “Xisuma, trying to kill yourself isn’t nothing.”

X kept his gaze down, away from his sibling.

“Why-?” their voice cracked.

“I deserved it.” Plain and simple and so painfully stupid.

“Bullshit.”

X scoffed. “Well it’s true.”

“And what did you think killing yourself would bring?”

“Nothing, it’s just-”

EX’s voice was growing louder. “Did you even stop to think what that would do to the Hermits?”

X’s eyes shot up to meet their gaze. His eyes were full of tears and burned with anger and pain. “OF FUCKING COURSE I DID!”

They took the cue to shut up.

“I’VE SPENT MONTHS THINKING THIS OVER.”

EX couldn’t even think of what to say.

“DON’T YOU DARE SUGGEST I’M NOT THINKING ABOUT THEM!”

They bit the inside of their cheek.

“I’M DOING THIS FOR THEM.”

Oh god EX didn’t expect that.

“BECAUSE I CAN’T HURT THEM IF I’M DEAD.”

X stopped, panting. Tears fell down his cheeks.

“They’d be better off with me dead.”

EX spoke up. “‘Suma-”

“No. You know I’m right.”

Their throat went dry.

That’s when something caught X’s eye and he went pale. “Python-”

EX turned to see the red Creeper Hybrid standing there wide-eyed. “Xisuma-?”

X bolted.

Chapter Text

Everything didn’t feel real. He could hear voices, but they sounded so far away. He could feel Grian hugging him, shaking slightly, but it didn’t feel like he was there. 

X had been there from the beginning. He was one of the founders of Hermitcraft and the only one who was still around. He had been there every new season. Even before then, he had been a part of Geomine. He was the one who introduced him and many others to Hermitcraft. He wasn’t just their admin, he was their friend.

Where would he be if he had never met X? Would he have gotten so involved in redstone? Would he have ever met the other Hermits? 

Where would he have ended up?

There was a faint ringing in his ears.

He didn’t even realize Iskall had put a hand on his shoulder until they shook Mumbo slightly. “Mumbo? You good there dude?”

Mumbo blinked and shook himself back into reality. He looked down at Grian who was still clinging tightly onto him, though he seemed to be drifting off to sleep. He ran a hand through Grian’s hair who relaxed, his face buried into Mumbo’s suit coat. 

“Mumbo?”

“Hmm?” Mumbo remembered Iskall standing right there. “Oh, I’m.. I don’t know. It still doesn’t feel real.”

Iskall gave a small sad smile, looking out of the landing bay. “Yeah.” They turned back to Mumbo, concerned. “You should sit down. You look like you could pass out at any minute.”

He realized he was shaking. “Yeah, good idea, but-” he gestured to Grian, “I’m kind of stuck here.”

“Here.” Iskall peeled away the half-asleep Grian, resting him against their hip like you would with a toddler. In any other circumstances Mumbo might have laughed, but he was still thoroughly impressed. “Now sit down, because I can and will pick you up too.”

Mumbo couldn’t even argue and didn’t have the energy to respond so he stumbled over to one of the support pillars. He rested his back against it and slid down to the floor. 

Iskall followed him and placed the now sleeping Grian in his arms before joining them on the floor. 

Chapter Text

Zed bounced his foot on the floor as he dialed for the fourth time. Part of him really didn’t want EX to pick up, but he knew it’d be better if they found out sooner.

But what would he say if EX picked up? How do you tell someone their brother is dead?

“What?” A grumpy voice came from the phone, making Zedaph jump.

Oh shoot. He just woke them up. “Eve?”

“Zed? Hold up.” There was a pause and some rustling. “What’s up? Is it Tuesday already?”

“No, it’s uhh, it’s something else.”

“What happened?” EX’s voice switched immediately into alarm.

Zed looked up at Tango and Impulse for help, but they both shook their heads. Thanks for being such a great help.

He instead cleared his throat. “It’s X. You should uhh… well, there’s something you should know.”

“Zed, please just tell me. What’s up with Xisuma?”

“I’d be easier for you to come here. There’s something you should see. I’ll send you the coords. You still have access to the server, right?”

Some of the Hermits sent him some concerned looks.

EX huffed. “Of course I do. I’ll head over as soon as I can.”

“Okay, bye, see ya.”

“See you too?”

Zedaph couldn’t have hung up quicker. Impulse and Tango gave him thumbs up in encouragement. “They’re on their way over soonish.”

Xb looked up from his communicator solemnly. “Python's on his way and so are Sl1p, Zueljin, and Jess.”

“Did you get any response from Genny, Hypno?”

Hypno shook his head. “Still radio silence from him.”

TFC turned and faced the wall, wiping his eyes and then looking through the letters. “Well, we still have quite a few people to call.” His voice was shaky.

Zed walked up to the older man and put a hand on his shoulder. TFC turned and Zedaph could see the tears welling up in his eyes. “We’ll find a way to contact all of them.”

TFC nodded and wiped away his tears. “For Xisuma.”

Chapter Text

False started sprinting the moment she heard Wels. His scream shook her down to the core, especially when she realized what it meant. He’d found X.

The foliage, which was dense and extremely difficult to get through on a good day, couldn’t slow her down. She needed to know. It must have all been a mistake. He couldn’t actually be dead. No, he couldn’t.

Her legs burned. She was fit, but the amount of strain she was putting on her body with no thoughts to slow down was starting to wear on her. It felt like a lifetime of bush after bush, tree after tree, before she spotted someone through the trees. 

False closed the distance between her and who she initially thought was Wels in seconds, but paused when she recognized who it was.

Pulling out her sword, she glared at Hels. “Where is Wels?” she practically growled.

Hels had started to answer when she spotted the helmet and covered body between them. She wasn’t listening anymore as she stumbled forward, picking up the helmet.

God no. No no no. No, this wasn’t right. This wasn’t happening. X has got to be okay. No, he had to be alive. 

She stared down and wiped away the mud and what was most likely blood, X’s blood , off of the visor. No. This- this has to be a backup. This couldn’t be the thing that kept X alive.

Her eyes moved down to the body. Hels put a hand on her shoulder, shaking her out of her thoughts.

“I’ll take care of him. You need to be with the other Hermits.” There was actually a sense of concern in his voice.

False gripped the helmet in her hands. “If you do anything-”

“Look,” Hels interrupted. “Not even I would stoop that low. He’s going to get a nice burial. It’s the least I can do. Now go.”

With a heaviness in her heart, False turned back towards the tower. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was leaving him behind.

Chapter Text

Hypno let his foot bounce nervously as his communicator rang. 

“Pick up, pick up, pick up.”

An unread letter sat on his nightstand. 

Really, he didn’t want to have this conversation, but it needed to happen. He’d lost track of how many times he’d redialed, even with an hour break in between. If it were any other situation he would have given up by now. It wasn’t any other situation.

Generikb’s voice came from the communicator. “Hypno, what is it? I told X years ago that I no longer wanted anything to do with Hermitcraft anymore. I’m trying to move on with my life.”

Hypno froze for a moment, completely thrown off by the suddenness. “Genny?”

“Yes, it’s me. Now do you have a reason why you’ve been trying to call me or can I go back to what I was working on because I am really busy and-”

“Xisuma is dead.”

Oh wow, way to break the news gently. 

An uncomfortable silence arose. “What-?” Generik’s voice broke.

“I-” Hypno liked to believe that if it weren’t 3 a.m. after an extremely emotionally taxing day that he wouldn't have been so blunt, but really he had no idea what he would have said otherwise. He held back the tears that had been building up before taking a deep breath. “He’s gone. We’ve been trying to contact any old friends and family, so I just wanted to let you know.”

Genny’s voice fell quiet. “What happened?”

A half-choked sob left his lips without his permission. “We have a letter for you-- his goodbyes.”

Hypno hoped that could say what he couldn’t.

“Oh God.” His voice shook. “When’s the funeral?”

“We’re still figuring out the details.”

A shaky breath came from the other side of the communicator. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Can you make sure I’m whitelisted?”

“X never took you off.”

More silence. “How are the others?”

“They’re handling it as well as they can.” Hypno didn’t want to mention how hard it hit some of them. How much the light from Keralis’ eyes died down and how much it seemed to have aged Joe. Not to mention how broken Doc seemed and how Etho hadn’t rested at all. He wasn’t anywhere close to mentioning how he himself had been avoiding everything and everyone. He just shut himself away with the task to try and contact some of the old Hermits. 

“The Hermits have always been a tough group.”

No thanks to you. Hypno bit back all the things he wanted to say. “I’ve got to go now. I’ll let you know if we get any more details about the funeral.”

Generik sighed. “I wish it were under better circumstances, but we should talk more often.”

“Bye.” Hypno hung up without another word.

He glared down at the phone. Genny always did act like he did what was best, leaving so suddenly and dropping all responsibilities as the server’s admin. 

He never once looked back at the aftermath.

Chapter Text

Grian jolted awake at the sound of a portal being opened. He struggled against the arms holding him, wings fluttering in a panic. 

There was a thud as his flailing arms hit true and a grunt as he was released. He sprung to his feet as he looked around, faintly recognizing the build as Xisuma’s storage room. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden glow across the room.

“Ow.” Mumbo’s voice came from behind him.

He turned around to see Mumbo holding his nose and Iskall blinking their eyes blearily. “Oh, sorry Mumbo.”

A scoff from another part of the room. “Careful there, you could hurt someone.”

The three’s eyes went wide. “Evil X?”

EX rolled their eyes before looking back at Zedaph who stood nervously next to them. “No, it’s the Tooth Fairy. Now, Zed, what happened to my brother?”

“It’s better if you just- here.” Zedaph shoved a letter into their hands.

Grian’s eyes went as wide as Keralis’ when realization hit him. EX didn’t know about X yet.

“Oh um,” Iskall cleared their throat to get Grian’s and Mumbo’s attention. “Let’s go meet up with the others to give them some privacy. The Hermits are over at Beef’s hacienda at the moment.”

Mumbo hurriedly agreed. “Good idea.” He cast EX nervous glances.

The Voidwalker was too busy reading the letter. They shook their head before reading it again. “No.” They let their visor retract up revealing their scarred face, glowingly red eyes, and white hair. “No, he said he was getting better. He was supposed to be getting better!” They read over the letter again. “No. nonono. He can’t- this can’t be-”

Zedaph let them, shaking, away, sending glances over at the three. The message was clear, so they turned and rocketed off.

If any of them heard the broken sobs coming from the tower, none of them acknowledged it.

Chapter Text

Python sat back as he looked at his work. It may not be the best, but for an Ultra Hardcore world he was proud.

He had been right about the flower forest being the perfect atmosphere for the small and cozy house. It was charming and he was loving how the new deepslate looked in the palette he’d chosen.

He was scratching the ears of his dogs when his communicator started to buzz.

“Oh?” He wasn’t expecting any calls, but answered when he saw the name. “Hey xB! How’s it going my man?”

“Hey Python. I’m fine, but I’ve got some not so good news.” Xb’s voice was quiet and void of his normal enthusiasm.

Python frowned. Bad news? “What type of bad news?” His voice cracked in nervousness.

“X passed away.”

Passed away?! Passed away as in dead?! “What? What happened?” X seemed fine the last time they talked. He was getting better, he said he was getting better.

“Um,” xB paused. He seemed to be mulling over his words. “We’ve got a letter for you of his goodbyes.”

“Oh god no.” 

‘They’d be better off with me dead.’

He was supposed to be getting better. He said he was getting help. He’d promised both him and EX that he would contact them if he ever thought about doing something stupid again. X had told him he set up a safety net for himself in case something happened.

That night in Tower Bay was supposed to be rock bottom. Things were supposed to get better.

“Python?” Xb’s voice knocked him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah?”

The voice on the other end was filled with concern. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be okay, but I’ll hurry on over to Hermitcraft. I’ve just got to make sure everything will be fine here without me and stop by Legacy to let them know I’ll be gone for longer than I planned.” He’d probably bring Skiz along since Impulse and Tango probably need a friend. They all needed friends. 

“Well, I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Yeah, see ya.”

Looking around at the flower forest, the colors suddenly seemed a lot duller.

Chapter Text

Tango really didn’t want to have to drag Etho to bed, but watching him walk into a wall instead of a doorway that was a yard to the left crossed the line.

“Alright, that’s it. You need to go get some sleep.”

Etho practically leapt up like a startled cat. Once he landed he paused before turning back to Tango, a sheepish but mostly tired smile on his face. “Oh hey Tango, didn’t see you there.”

He gave him an unimpressed look. “Seems like you didn’t see the wall there either.”

“Oh uh, I was hoping no one saw that.” 

Tango laughed and gestured Etho over. “C’mon, you need to go get some sleep.”

Etho pouted under his mask, but a hint of anxiety lingered. “But I’m busy and I’ve got to keep an eye on Doc.”

“What if I get Ren to keep an eye on Doc?”

“I don’t know…” Etho rubbed the back of his neck, letting his eyes fall closed. 

Tango hesitated. “Is there something that’s going on? I know that Doc and X were close but…”

Etho’s eyes slightly widened like a deer caught in headlights. “I’m just worried because he’s distracted and he might accidentally blow himself up or something.” Etho never was a good liar when he was sleep deprived, especially at this level.

“Etho.”

He gave a small nervous smile, trying to hide his anxiousness. “Yes?”

Tango let out an exasperated sigh. “What’s actually going on?”

The builder’s shoulders slumped and his face fell. “I’m worried Doc’s going to do something stupid. He took X’s death hard.” He looked intently at Tango. “He was supposed to be his safety net. They- were each other’s.”

“Oh.” Tango’s eyes widened as the realization seeped in.

“Yeah.” Etho’s voice was quiet and rough. “I think that’s why X gave him temporary admin access. To give him something to keep him busy and give him something to live for. That’s just my theory though.” His face was blank and emotionless, hiding back anything he was feeling. 

Tango reached out and put a hand on Etho’s shoulder. He looked back up and met his gaze. “Doc’s going to be okay. Bdubs is with him at the moment and I know Ren’s been looking for him. They’ll keep him safe, now,” he paused to make sure Etho was paying full attention, “I think it’s time for you to get some sleep.”

Etho looked out a window at the bright sky. “But it’s day?”

“And when was the last time you slept?”

He fell silent. 

“That’s what I thought.” Tango put an arm around the ninja’s shoulders, faintly noticing how much shorter Etho was than he thought. He always gave off a large presence, but really he wasn’t even as tall as Zedaph. “To the sleepificator!”

Etho gave him a weird look as they started to walk.

“Oh right, you weren’t there.” A grin crossed the redstoner’s face. “Some of the Hermits got together and made a blanket and pillow fort, or as Iskall called it “The Fluffy Fortress of Doom”. It’s got all sorts of little nooks and crannies with nests you can curl up in. You’re going to love it. It’s practically the perfect setup for an epic game of hide and seek which we haven’t done yet because we wanted to make sure you were there, though we all know you are going to win.”

It wasn’t quite a full Etho eye-smile, but his eyes still closed and curved up a little bit. “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you.”

Eventually they found themselves outside of the massive fort. They took a step in and Etho made a small impressed noise. 

“I think I can guess where Bdubs has claimed.” His eyes settled on the place that Bdubs had in fact claimed the night before.

“How do you know?”

Etho gave a small smirk, barely visible from behind his mask. “He’s a bit of a hoarder, but it’s always the same things in the exact same places.”

Tango didn’t follow at all, but he didn’t ask for clarification. He was just happy Etho was looking much more relaxed. “Anywhere caught your eye?”

Etho rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a second as he scanned the room they were in. Something caught his attention. He walked over to one of the walls and lifted up a blanket to reveal a small nest littered with feathers. “Well, I think I found Grian’s.”

“He does love his hidden bases,” he said with a chuckle.

“Have you claimed a spot yet?”

Tango smiled and jerked his head over to one of the walls. “I know you are going to like this one.”

Etho followed behind him like a duckling that had imprinted on him: silently and intently. Tango turned back around grinning before he untucked a blanket on the wall revealing a small tunnel. Etho raised an eyebrow before following him in. 

They exited out into a small hollow lined in various pillows and blankets. Etho gasped as his eyes landed on the pile of stuffed animals, though he did try and hide it. He let his gaze linger on a particular fox before he tore his eyes off of it to continue looking around. He kept his voice level and nonchalant, though he was almost vibrating with excitement. “This is amazing, how many people know about it?”

“That’s the best part. You are the only other person I’ve shown.”

Gratefulness covered Etho’s face. “Really?”

Tango nodded. “Actually, I made this with you in mind. I figured you’d want a place you could hide out in while still being close enough to listen in and hang out and stuff. There’s a few different ways to get in so you could escape at any time.”

Etho was stunned and silent.

“Also, I’ve got some weighted blankets and noise canceling headphones in the corner. Plus there are so many little nooks and crannies inside this room that I’m sure you will find and fill with all sorts of little things. Now if you want I can leave you alone so you can get some rest or-”

Tango got cut off by Etho pulling him into a hug. “Thank you.”

He returned the hug and let Etho tuck his head under his chin. He ran a hand through his silver hair and scratched his head a bit like he would with one of his dogs. “Of course. You are one of my best friends and favorite people. You’ve done so much for me and the Hermits and you deserve a break.”

Etho didn’t respond vocally, but clung tighter onto Tango. A wet spot started to grow on his shirt, but he didn’t mention it.

“Do you want to cuddle?”

There was a small nod and Tango picked him up, faintly noting worriedly how light he was. He carried him over to the current nest, only pausing to shift his grip on Etho to reach down and pick up the stuffed fox plushie. Maybe Impulse and Skizz were right about working out. Being able to pick someone up like this was very enjoyable. 

Chapter Text

“Damn it.”

Iskall carefully set down the helmet before throwing the screwdriver across the room.

They had volunteered to fix up X helmet before the funeral, which seemed like a great idea at the time. Most of the technical minded people were busy taking care of the server side of things, so they figured they could do their part and give it their best shot. Plus it gave them something to do to keep their mind off things.

It was supposed to be easy. Just clean it up and make it look presentable. Xisuma usually kept it clean himself quite regularly, so it can’t be that hard. 

Well, Iskall was just finding out why X kept such consistent maintenance on it. He must have been skipping it, because the grime that had built up had been there for a while. Why hadn’t they noticed? The different latches and joints that made eating possible by letting the front detach from the visor had practically rusted shut. Was he even eating?

They were focusing on replacing certain parts of the joints and cleaning up others they didn’t dare mess with. One particular spot decided to give them grief, stopping them in their tracks.

“Well, I was going to ask how it was going, but I think I got my answer there.” Iskall turned to see Mumbo standing near where the screwdriver had landed, bending over to pick it up. “You need some help?”

They rubbed their tired eyes and stopped to pinch the bridge of their nose before nodding. “I don’t think it’s been cleaned in a while.”

Mumbo walked up to them and picked up the helmet. “Yeah, that’s for sure.” He studied it carefully before running his thumb over a certain part. “I think the big problem is that part of it got bent.”

Iskall moved closer to see what he was talking about.

“Right here.” Mumbo pointed to part of the joint that was giving him trouble. From a brief glance it looked just fine, but under further inspection they could see the way the piece was bent the wrong way. It was jammed into the hinge and stopped it from moving. 

They shook their head in disbelief. “I have no idea how I missed that.”

“Hey, you’re tired and you can barely keep your eyes open. You really look like you need a break.”

As much as the workaholic part of them wanted to keep going, they knew Mumbo was right. “Could you possibly take over things for a second while I take a nap?”

“Oh totally dude.” Mumbo set down the helmet. “Go for it. But you get to deal with cuddle monster Grian. He’s finally winding down again after eating about a dozen or so of Stress’ cookies.”

Iskall shook their head. “Why do we ever give Grian sugar?”

He laughed. “Have you tried stopping him?”

“Ah, good point.” They finally pushed out of their chair to let Mumbo sit. “Well, if you need help you can just wake me up.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Hey, the sun’s still up.”

“Like the time of day ever dictated your schedule.”

“True.”

Chapter Text

“Hey xB, sweetie, can you pass me the- GRIAN GET YOUR HANDS OFF THE CHOCOLATE CHIPS!”

The avian stepped back, looking like a scolded child. 

To Stress’ right xB handed her the bowl of dry ingredients. “Thanks luv.”

“How’s it coming in here?” Cleo lingered in the doorway and looked in at the chaos that was the kitchen. 

She smiled back, but it felt somewhat forced. Gesturing to the various baked goods they’d already made she said, “look for yourself. We’ve had a few disasters and Tango temporarily lost kitchen privileges, but everything’s mostly intact and everyone still has all of their fingers so I call it a win.”

Cleo looked back into the hallway. “Is that why he’s sulking on the stairs with Zed and sharing a bowl of frosting?” 

“Did they-” she gave the kitchen a quick one-over, “so that’s where that went.”

Jevin walked past and grabbed a cupcake that he started to munch on seated on a vase in the corner. 

Cleo chuckled. “I think they got Impulse to steal it for them.”

She sighed. “Of course they did. Hey, do you know where- GRIAN!”

Grian froze from where he was on top of the fridge.

“Grian, luv, please get down from there. I would like to avoid any and all injuries in the kitchen, and I would also prefer that we do not tip the fridge over.” She still has no idea how Ren and Doc managed to do it that one time, but never again.

He pouted, but jumped off and landed gracefully on the floor. 

Stress turned back to Cleo who was apparently enjoying watching all of this happening. “Now what was I– oh yeah, do you know where Wels is? I haven’t seen him for a while and want to make sure he’s eaten something.”

“Wels and False are sparring at the moment, but I can make sure False forces him to eat something after.”

“Oh, and you can let False know I made her favorite cookies.”

Cleo nodded. “Will do.” She paused, and let concern slip onto her face. “How long have you been baking for? I think you should take a break sometime soon.”

“I’ll take a break in a second, once the brownies get out of the oven safely. Burnt brownies are hard to clean up.”

“Okay.” Cleo looked somewhat satisfied with that answer. She turned to walk back into the hallway, saying, “If you don’t then xB’s gonna rat you out.”

Stress looked at xB. 

He shrugged. “You’d want me to do the same for anyone else.”

She moved over and opened a cupboard, pulling out the fondant. “Now Grian, you and Scar wanted to learn how to make fondant flowers, right?”

Scar sat up from where he’d been sketching at the dining table at the sound of his name. 

“Heck yeah!”

Chapter Text

“Hey buddy.”

Impulse froze before spinning around. “Skizz?!” He ran into the outstretched arms.

Skizzle held him close and ran a hand through his hair while making soothing sounds. “Just let it all out, I’m here for you.”

Sobs that he’d been holding back for the past thirty-two hours finally burst through the already breaking dam. It was ugly and part of him felt embarrassed about it, but it was Skizz and he just lost a close friend. 

“He’s gone,” Impulse whispered more than spoke as he started to calm down. 

He sighed, “I know buddy, I know.”

“He wrote letters.” His mind flashed to the envelope still unopened in his pocket. “He even wrote one for you.”

“He did?”

Impulse nodded as more tears started to well up again. “I don’t think he ever got to tell you how much he appreciated your friendship with me and just how amazing of a person you are. He told me once after I got back from one of our Naked and Scared sessions how happy he was to see me so happy. Said I couldn’t have found a better friend.”

“Oh.” That totally seemed to catch Skizz off guard, stunning him into silence. 

“Yeah, he always had you whitelisted just in case something happened.”

Skizz tightened his grip on Impulse for a second and just let them sit in silence.

Which didn't really last long as a thud sounded off in the distance. 

The two exchanged a glance before seeking out the source.

They found themselves looking at Tango up on the roof of the building looking down at a fallen Etho, sticking halfway out of a bush. He looked concerned until Etho mumbled something, pouting. Then Tango burst out in laughter.

“Hey Etho! You good there?” Skizz called out.

The ninja tilted his head back to look over at the two newcomers. “Oh hey Skizzle! I’m just fine, why do you ask?”

“Unless you purposely jumped off the roof to land in that very uncomfortable bush, I’m going to guess you fell.”

Tango was still laughing his head off. “Oh you just missed it. This idiot decided he wanted to race me and was admittedly gaining ground before he stepped on a leaf and slid right off the roof. I’ve never seen this man so ungraceful in my life. His arms were just flailing out and just the sheer panic on his face.” He wiped a tear. “Truly priceless.”

“Are you sure you are good there Etho? You need some help getting out of that bush?” Impulse asked, trying to hide a bit of a smile.

“I don’t know, I think I get why Bdubs basically dresses up like a walking bush. It’s quite flattering don’t you think?”

Imp and Skizz finally broke into laughter. Etho flickered out of the bush and teleported right in between them. “What? I think I’d look good as a bush.”

“I don’t think any of us would leaf you alone if that were the case. You’d hardly branch out from your normal set of shenanigans.” Skizz put an arm on Etho’s shoulder and leaned against him. 

Impulse mirrored him. “A whole outfit change isn’t something that we’d just shrub off. You could have a whole new storyline budding.”

“I guess it’ll grow on us eventually. You might want to moss around at first and beat around the bush a bit but you might just want to take a leaf of faith into the bark.”

Etho looked back and forth between the two of them. “You guys are unbe-leaf-able.”

Skizz patted his shoulder. “Sorry we am-bushed you like this. Maybe we should leaf you aloe-n.”

Tango continued to laugh, especially when Etho looked at him in a way that was desperately asking for help.

And being a completely mature adult he practically pouted in response with a look of betrayal. 

“Sorry dude, you’re going to have to deal with Team Naked by yourself, but don’t worry, I’m root ing for you.”

“Are you not feild-ing the puns? You’re looking a little green there.” Impulse poked Etho’s cheek.

Skizz looked fake offended by that statement. “I beg your garden? Our jokes absolutely chloro-fill your heart with joy.”

“I see plant puns aren’t really your style . Give it some thyme, it’ll grow on you.”

Skizz groaned. “Dude, I already used that pun.”

“You used the ‘leaf alone’ pun twice on your own! How was I supposed to know we weren’t allowed to reuse them?”

“I did not!”

“You did too!”

Etho, trying to take advantage of the situation, tried to sneak away from the two of them, but Impulse firmly held onto him. 

“You wait a second, I need to check and see if you are okay first.”

Skizzle joined in. “Yeah! You fell off a roof for goodness sake! You could have seriously injured yourself!”

“And just like that they are back on the same side again,” Tango muttered over his breath, but quieted under the glare Imp and Skizz sent him.

“Don’t think you are getting off easy on this one either! What were you doing being so reckless? You are lucky Etho doesn’t appear to be seriously hurt!”

The two went on, fussing over Etho who kept insisting that really, he was completely fine. In the end, all four of them ended up laughing over some hot chocolate, the heaviness that had been following them around all day temporarily forgotten. Surrounded by the people they care about, things were starting to look a lot more bearable. 

Chapter Text

“Hey Keralis.”

Xb walked up to where the builder was seated at the top of the building, staring out over the jungle.

“Hey.”

Well, that was concerning.

He cleared his throat. “I brought you some of the cookies Stress and I baked. Figured I’d grab them before Grian and Bdubs ate them all. Well, at least out of the second batch. I had less success keeping those away.” 

Keralis didn’t even respond.

“Wow.” Looking around at the skyline, xB found himself admiring it for the first time. “I hadn’t ever really seen this place from this angle.”

“Shishwam and I would have weekly picnics up here.” There was a far off look in Keralis' eyes. “We would talk about how things were going with the shops and go over building plans, but sometimes we’d just sit up here in silence.”

Xb joined him, letting his legs swing a bit.

“At first we had a lot to talk about; he was busy catching me up about things that had happened when I was gone. It took a few times for him to try and explain the Civil War to me.” He chuckled a little bit. “He was so embarrassed when he showed me Hermitgang. He always was when he would show the music he made.”

His face fell. “Recently things had been quiet on his part. I tried to get him to talk to me, I knew something was up, but I guess I was too late.”

He put a hand on the older man’s shoulder, trying to comfort him. He tried to speak up, but words were failing him at the moment.

Keralis put a hand over his to acknowledge it. “I can’t help but feel like I’m just going to turn the corner and see him standing there or look and see him fly in from a long building session. But it’s not going to happen, he’s d–” his face screwed up in pain and distraught, “gone.”

Tears started to well up in xB’s eyes, but he tried to blink them away.

“Hey- Angel face,” Keralis cupped his face gently and looked into his eyes for the first time since he got there, “it’s okay to cry.” So much warmth, concern, and emotion filled his large eyes.

The tears started to flow more freely down his cheeks and he reached up to wipe them away.

Keralis let go of his face and instead pulled him into a hug, letting his head rest underneath his chin. Wet droplets fell on top of xB’s head. “It’s okay to cry.”

Chapter Text

Cleo grabbed the floral foam out of where she’d let it soak, careful to not squish it too much, though her fingers did leave little dent. The material was extremely easy to imprint and as the water made it reasonably heavy, it had some difficulty staying in one’s grip without applying enough pressure. She set the piece inside the casket saddle next to the other block before making sure they were in all the way. 

Joe and Keralis had already helped pick out the flowers that she was planning on using and the various bundles were set neatly on a nearby table. Next to them were some different filler options including various clippings from ferns.

She’d settled on a split-complementary color scheme with deep purple, light green, and orange yellow, as well as the dark green leaves. Purple and green for Xisuma, orange yellow for his current bee shenanigans. 

Cleo got about halfway through when she decided she didn’t like the shape that she was going for. It was too stiff. It didn’t have enough life to it. Completely starting over from scratch she decided to start with the darker ferns first. 

It was going a lot better the second time around, yet it felt like it was missing something. She folded a few different florists’ bows, but ultimately decided against them. She glared at the extensive pile of mess ups she’d made first just to decide not to use them. 

If anyone asked, cutting up failure bows was a very stress relieving thing to do. 

Sighing, Cleo decided that maybe it was time for a break, as the whole thing was starting to no longer look like a spray, or even any sort of arrangement. Opting to go for a walk, she decided to go out for some fresh air. 

Walking along, looking at the lovely flowers in the garden around her, there was something so complete about it. Something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on. 

She ended up sitting next to the fountain for far too long- if she knew she’d take this long of a break she would have put the flowers back in the flower cooler– just staring at the whole thing. 

Eventually, as the sun was starting to set, Cleo decided that maybe she’d just have to go back, clean things up, and retire for the night. Feet just as heavy as her heart, she made her way back down the path. She was looking at one particular bush when she found her footing being disrupted underneath her. 

She glared at whatever dared to trip her when it all fell in place.

Cleo headed back with much more gusto, hurrying to pull out her enderchest and search through it. With a smile she pulled out a certain shulker box, pleased to find what she was looking for.

—

Cleo went on working through the night, eventually falling asleep right next to the complete spray. Joe and Keralis walked in and took one look at it in awe before deciding to let her get her rest. 

“Those dead bushes really add to the whole thing, don’t you think?”

“Cleo really knows her thing.”

Chapter Text

“Hey Zed! Do you want to help me make pie crust fries?”

Zedaph looked over to where Tango was kneading some dough. “Do you really need my help? You look like you’ve basically done it already.” 

“Yeah, but I still have to knead for a while and my hands are getting tired.”

He shrugged. “Sure, why not?” He walked over to the sink to quickly wash his hands. Sanitation was always the first step in the kitchen. 

As Zed joined him, Tango shifted over and dramatically draped himself over the counter. “At last I’ve been freed from my labor.”

He rolled his eyes at the antics and got to work kneading the dough. A thought popped into his head. “What even are pie crust fries?”

“Oh, basically you make pie crust like normal– the flaky kind, not the crumbly kind– and you roll it out thin on a cutting board. Then you cut it into strips and put sugar and that kind of fun stuff on it before baking it.”

He passed the dough back over to Tango. “Here, how about you show me?”

Tango squinted his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that you are just trying to get out of work?”

“Me? Nooo , I would never do such a thing.”

Zedaph got an eye roll back in response. But he sat back to watch Tango meticulously roll out and cut the dough with relative ease, at least after he remembered to use flour to keep the dough from sticking. The end result was not perfect, but pretty good looking nonetheless. 

The crust was placed onto a baking sheet and after a light (or not so light, depending on who you asked) dusting of sugar, it was placed into the oven. They attempted to do a high five and if anyone were to ask, they definitely did it first try.

A small ball of leftover dough sat on the cutting board, which Tango started eyeing. 

“Tango, dude.”

He looked up sheepishly, setting the dough back down. “What?”

“I feel like I shouldn’t have to remind you not to eat raw dough.”

“Zeeeeeeeddddd. Please? There aren’t any eggs in the recipe.”

He shook his head. “But the raw flour, remember? E-coli is not something to mess with. I think Ren will attest to that.”

Tango pouted. “But then it’s just going to go to waste.”

An idea flashed through his head. “What if we at least cook it a little bit?”

“The oven’s already full.” His eyes lit up. “Unless you’re suggesting–”

“I think we’re on the same brain wave right now.”

Tango moved over to grab a plate while Zedaph walked over to the microwave. 

“How long do you think we should cook it?”

A shrug. “How about we set it for a minute and carefully watch it and if things start to look bad we can take it out?”

“This is an experiment after all.”

The dough was placed in the microwave, timer set. 

The two watched as it spun around. It started by flattening a bit before it settled into a better shape. It was slightly harder to see the detailing of the texture, but it didn’t appear to be burning.

Thirty or so seconds in with no real change and Zed was starting to get nervous. “I think we should take it out.”

“Why? It looks just fine?”

“Yeah, but we still don’t want to overcook it.”

“But it would be interesting.”

“It would be interesting.”

The two looked back at the microwave to see the timer move to zero.

“Oh. Oops.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.”

They pulled it out and sure enough, it looked just like normally baked pie crust. 

Tango was beaming. “A success!”

“Let's test the flakiness first.”

Cutting into it with a fork revealed the flaky outer layers and– a completely burnt center?

They stared at it dumbfounded. 

“How?”

Zed shook his head. “No idea. Does the good looking stuff taste burnt?”

Tango pinched off a little and tasted it. He shook his head. “It tastes like normal crust.”

“Weird.”

“Totally weird.”

Someone cleared their throat behind them. “Whatcha lookin’ at there?”

They froze before slowly turning to Stress, Zedaph hiding the plate behind his back.

“We’re making pie crust fries!” Tango walked over to the oven and turned the light on to show the insides.

Stress looked skeptical, but she walked over and confirmed it herself before turning the oven light back off. “I assume you’ll be cleanin’ this mess up?”

They nodded quickly. “Of course!”

“So,” she looked at them weirdly, “what were you using the microwave for?”

The two froze like deer in headlights.

“I heard it go off?”

“Just a timer,” Zedaph hastily added.

Stress furrowed her brows before walking over to the oven and checking it. “That timer’s way too short. I fink you need a bit more time on that.” She nodded over to Zed. “What’s on the plate?”

Oh no. “Umm.”

“The leftover pie crust dough?” 

The Stress Monster didn’t like that answer. “How many times do I hav to tell ya, don’t eat raw dough!?”

“It wasn’t raw.”

Her eyes whipped over to Tango. “What do you mean?”

“We microwaved it?’

“You what?” That genuinely caught her off guard. “Why’d you even fink about doin that?”

“We didn’t want to waste the dough–”

“But we didn’t want to eat it raw.”

Stress looked like that took a few years off her life. “How’d it turn out?”

Tango and Zed exchanged nervous looks. Zed held the plate out, trying to keep the part they cut into out of line of sight.

She walked over and took the plate out of their hands, staring down at it like a kid seeing homework for the first time. “What the–” She turned it and saw the burnt center. “What the hell?!”

“We’ve got no idea what happened.”

Stress looked between the two of them. “How long did ya put it in for?”

Oh yeah. “A minute?”

She sighed before looking back down at the pie crust abomination. “Okay. Finish your crust, clean up, and then I want you two out of my kitchen. That’s it! If anyone wants to make something they haven’t made before, they do so under adult supervision.”

“But Stress-”

“We are adults.”

“Adultier adults then!” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to go take a nap.”

Tango and Zed stood like kids caught hiding candy. “Sorry.”

“Please, just- I don’t even know at this point.”

Their actual timer for the oven went off. 

“Oh, Stress, do you want to try one?”

Tango tried to use his best puppy dog eyes. “Please?”

“I’ll-” she looked at the lesser loved sibling of the pie crust family. “I’ll pass.”

“Suit yourself. These are going to be so good!”

Chapter Text

It was far too bright of a day for the heaviness it held. TFC wasn’t quite sure what he was thinking, it almost never rained on Hermitcraft, but it felt strange. It was as if the world had no idea that its caretaker was gone, replaced with two others in the meantime. 

A few others trickled in leading up to the funeral. Zloy and Pixlriffs came alongside Python while Generik showed up much later alone. Some, like Sl1p and Zeuljin, moved over to some of the older Hermits, while others like The Pooka ended up standing awkwardly to the side. 

TFC spotted Wels sitting on a bench alone and decided to join him. “Strange seeing all these old faces, isn’t it?”

Wels looked up and gave him a small smile. “Yeah. It’s sure been a while.”

“They’ve sure grown. Makes me feel older in comparison.”

He got a small chuckle out of that one. “I just think it’s strange that it’s been years, but it feels like just yesterday I joined in.”

“Yeah, Season Four, right?”

Wels nodded. “Good times. I still remember when we were building that castle together.”

TFC smiled a bit at the thought. “Man, that was quite a long time ago now. Did we ever even finish it?”

“Is anything really finished on this server?”

“True.” Dozens of unfinished projects of his own flashed through his mind. 

Wels sighed. “It’s hard to not notice all the people we don’t have here.”

“Yeah.” TFC’s heart ached. How many didn’t even know that they’d just lost a friend? Or were some of them just ignoring it?

“I miss Biffa.” Wels’ voice snapped him out of his thoughts. 

Tears started to well up a bit. “Me too, but I’m sure wherever he is, X is with him now.”

The dam suddenly seemed to break for Wels as he broke out into a silent sob. TFC comfortingly rubbed the knight’s back, trying to ignore his own tears running down his face. 

Chapter Text

Bdubs had never seen the moon this high in the sky. It was pretty but honestly– he just wished he could sleep. 

He sat in the pillow fortress, just staring aimlessly at the ceiling. Most of the Hermits had fallen asleep, but today he just couldn’t find it in him. He’d spent most of the time just trying not to think about things, but his stupid empty brain–

A small thump startled him out of his thoughts. He looked over to see a half-asleep Etho on the ground.

When the ninja didn’t move for a solid few seconds, Bdubs went over to investigate. “Etho? You good there?”

“‘Dubs? Wh’t’s up?”

He scoffed. “Not you obviously. What are you doing?”

“Stuff.”

“Very descriptive. Does this ‘stuff’ entail sleeping by chance?”

Etho pouted. 

“Etho,” Bdubs groaned. “Why are you like this?”

“‘M p’rfectly fine.” 

Making up his mind, Bdubs scooped the other up into his arms. “Nope. You need sleep.”

“Nooo.” He slightly tried to squirm out of his grip, but he was no match for a wide awake Bdubs.

“And, you are going to be my cuddle buddy!”

Etho genuinely looked confused for a second. “You don’t have one?”

“Nope! Doc’s with Ren, Beef’s with Keralis because you know he gives the best comforting hugs, Scar’s with Cub, Cleo’s with Joe, and–”

“Okay, I get it!”

A thought crossed his mind. “Where have you been sleeping?”

Etho gave him a smirk. “Bold of you to assume I’m sleeping.”

“Etho!”

“I’m jokin’, Tango made me a spot.”

Oh? “Can I see?”

That smirk. “Nope.”

“You are unbelievable.” Bdubs rolled his eyes.

“Just can’t believe I’m not butter?”

A groan. “Why are you like this? Why do I put up with this?”

“Because it’s all just a part of my charm.”

“Just shut up and go to bed.”

“Okay Mom .”

“I will not hesitate to get Tango, Beef, or Impulse to hold you down.”

“What, you can’t hold me down yourself?”

“I CAN TOO! I, unlike some people, NEED MY SLEEP!”

“So you admit. I don’t need sleep.”

“You are insufferable.”

“I know!” :)

Chapter Text

“So, uhh, it’s been a while.”

Jevin shifted awkwardly underneath a large tree. He looked down at the grave before him. 

“Things started settling down this season. Well, we had a bit of a friendly war over what the shopping district should be made of, but that wasn’t bad. And I might have blown up my base this season a few times. I just couldn’t get the design right.”

He tried to laugh to lighten the mood, but that completely failed.

Jevin cleared his throat. “I meant to come earlier, but things just kind of got out of hand.”

A silence filled the clearing. 

“And I suppose I should say why I came here. Well, we, uhh, we lost X recently.”

Heaviness filled his heart. 

“It- it doesn’t feel real. It feels like we lost you just last year, but I guess it’s been a bit longer now.

“I miss you,” he confessed. “A lot, actually. I don’t come here often because I don’t like going missing to the Hermits too often, and, I mean, being here just solidifies the fact that I’ll never be able to talk to you ever again.”

He wiped away some tears that were beginning to build up. “I hope that you two have each other now, wherever you are. We miss you. It never felt the same after we lost you and now– I don’t know if we can take this. We’re a family and I just can’t lose anyone else. I–”

The tears were pouring profusely down his face now. “I just want you back.”

Jevin fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands.

“Please. I can’t do this without you.”

Chapter Text

Ren was jolted awake by the sound of thunder. He looked around, startled. There was an empty spot next to him. Doc was gone. 

In his panicked state, he ran out of the building, rapidly sending messages. They send through, but no response.

He scanned the skyline, illuminated by flashes of lightning. His gut was screaming at him that something wasn’t okay. 

He was about to run back in for help when he spotted a figure on one of the rooftops.

“Oh god.”

Flying in a thunderstorm? Not the brightest idea, but Iskall once talked to him about why floating builds were safe from lightning. Something about them not being able to conduct the electricity into the ground or something like that. Oh well. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to find that out first hand.

The wind was powerful, and he struggled to make any ground against it. He fired off rockets like they were nothing. He could always buy more.

His landing on the cement tower was rough, but not enough that the figure on the roof noticed him.

“Just do it already! You’ve taken so much from me already, what’s one more thing?!”

“DOC!”

The scientist turned around with horror on his face. “What are you doing here? It’s not safe!”

“Getting your dumb ass off of here.” Ren reached out and grabbed onto Doc’s arm, dragging him along with him. “Don’t make me carry you!”

Doc followed silently along, even as the two glided back down to the forest floor and ran into the nearest opening. 

Ren grabbed onto his lab coat. “What the fuck were you thinking out there?!”

“I– wasn’t.” Doc confessed.

“Yeah you weren’t. Now. We are going to get you dried up and then we’re going to go and find somewhere to cuddle as you get some sleep because you look like shit my dude.”

Doc rolled his eyes, but it lacked a lot of its normal exasperation. 

“And-” Ren continued, “tomorrow we’re going to find a therapist.”

“No. No way. I’m not going to talk to some stranger about my problems.”

He crossed his arms, his previous fear turning to anger. “And what? Deal with your emotions in stupid ways like you were just doing?! No. I don’t think so. We can’t afford to lose someone else so soon, much less like this.”

Doc dropped his gaze, guilt filling it. 

“Doc. My man. We care about you too much to lose you. Hell, I care about you enough to drag you to therapy myself. I’ve done it once and I will do so again.”

He tilted his head much like Ren would. “You have?”

“Yup. But I respect people’s privacy, so I won’t tell you which Hermit. All I will say is that it really does help and it’s nothing to be ashamed about.”

A mumble faint enough that he barely heard it. “Etho threatened to do the same thing.”

“Excuse me?”

“Wait, no.” Doc’s eyes were wide.

Ren tightened his jaw. “Doc. Have you done something like this before?”

He looked away which said a lot.

“When? Is that why Etho’s been practically stalking you a lot lately?”

Doc looked genuinely surprised at that. “Etho’s been what?”

“Etho’s been keeping an eye on you whenever he’s not working out admin stuff. Tango practically had to drag him to sleep a few times. Have you not–?” Ren shook that train of thought out of his head. “Don’t avoid the question. If you don’t want to talk about it right now, just tell me.”

“Well,” he seemed to be debating something, “it was pretty close to when Etho disappeared. That’s why he hadn’t really said anything. Well. He did tell X, and we would talk about it, but…”

Ren pulled him into a hug and he practically melted into it. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t have to be now, but you will be eventually.”

Chapter Text

The shopping district had always been a busy place, full of life. It was the place with the highest traffic and you were most likely to run into someone there. It was a hub of sorts, a nice place to meet up.

That life seemed to die down after the funeral. People were visiting each other more, spending more time with each other, so those interactions usually just consisted of friendly waves and making sure that plans were still happening. 

Jellie rubbed up against his leg, meowing to get his attention. Scar picked up the cat and helped her climb up onto his shoulders. She purred, pressed right up against his neck, headbutting the underside of his jaw affectionately. He gave her a quick scratch under her chin as he surveyed the land.

Mount Hermition had always seemed rather bare, and while he had plans to add other faces, adding X’s just felt right at the moment.

Usually he’d just jump straight into building, but he really wanted to take his time with this one. He laid out all sorts of grey blocks, meticulously picking out the pallet. Once he was satisfied with that he got to work building the outline. 

Positioning the build was much more difficult as while he knew he was going to add much more, he didn’t want it to seem too out of place. At first it was too far forward and then too far back but then didn’t didn’t look right, so he completely shifted locations. He went through the long process of nudging the outline a block to the right and then back and then two blocks to the left before settling with a nice location. 

He’d have to build up the greenery around it a little bit and probably add a custom tree and move one he’d already built, but first he needed to make sure he built this right. 

Halfway through he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was looking slightly off. He added in the visor, thinking that was it, but that didn’t help. 

Scar ended up sitting back and staring at it for long enough that it didn’t really look like a face anymore. 

“Hey Scar! What’s up?”

He turned to see a smiling Zedaph. The smile caught on as he felt it cross his own face. “Hey Zed! I’m just doing a bit of building.”

He spotted another figure standing slightly off to the side awkwardly before their gaze fell on the carving in the mountain. 

“It looks great as always! Anyway, I was just giving Eve here a nice tour of the place.”

Their eyes were still planted on the likeness of their brother.

Scar swallowed. “What do you think? I’ve been working on it for a while, but something just doesn’t look right.” 

He waited nervously as EX shifted their gaze to him before they looked back. “It’s the grills on the front.”

“The what?”

“The-” they paused for a second before just gesturing to the front of their mask in front of their mouth. “This part. ‘Suma likes the look of the grills being horizontal. You’ve built them vertical.”

Now that they pointed it out it all clicked into place. “Oh! Thank you!”

Scar scurried forwards to tweak the mask. Once he got the main bits in place he gently started chipping away at the stone, smoothing out the jagged corners. It was something that he didn’t do too often, but it felt appropriate for the moment. 

He ended up changing a few of the blocks on the pallet to better contrast different parts of it, but the end result was much better than the previous version. He dusted off his pants, noting the slowly setting sun.

He turned around, surprised to see Zedaph and EX sitting in the grass, petting Jellie. EX had even taken off their gloves.

Zed smiled at him. “It looks stunning. You’ve outdone yourself again.”

“Thanks.” Scar rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I didn’t realize you were still here. I would have left the fine tuning for another time if I knew.”

“Oh don’t worry about it! It’s always a pleasure watching you build.”

Scar joined the two in the grass. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

EX cut in. “You really are an amazing builder.”

He found himself stunned into silence, extremely flattered. 

“You did an amazing job. ‘Suma would have loved it.”

Scar felt a pang in his heart, but happiness mixed in with the sorrow. “Thank you. That really means a lot.”

Jellie stood up and moved over to curl up on the Voidwalker’s lap. They looked down at her, surprised. “Well hello there.”

“Looks like she really likes you.”

They pet her with a gentleness that seemed strange coming from someone of their hulking build and menacing aura. 

“Seeing as she has chosen your lap as her seat, it does seem like you might be stuck here for a while.”

They chuckled as she started purring. “You know what? I don’t think I’d mind that at all.”

Chapter Text

With the moon high up in the sky Cub silently snuck out of the fortress. Everyone seemed to have been too exhausted that night, so most of them went out like a light. Even the lighter sleepers barely stirred as he passed them. 

He felt bad going behind everyone’s back like this, but he needed to do this. He could make everything alright. He just needed to make sure no one was there to stop him. 

Cub shot off into the night sky, scanning the skyline for a good place. A roofed forest, particularly the dark oak kind, would be ideal, but if it was taking too long he would settle for any kind of forest.

Luck appeared to be on his side as very quickly he found the perfect location. He landed off to the side, peering into the shadowy forest. It was unsettlingly still: no mobs spawning in sight. He took a couple of breaths to steady his nerves before starting to walk into it.

It was a slow walk, oddly peaceful for the occasion. But that didn’t matter. He just needed to get deep enough in and then he could start.

Cub ended up stopping in a nice grove surrounded by dense shrubbery and a few mushrooms. He reached into one of his pockets, grabbing onto the hard mask. He placed it on his face and closed his eyes, kneeling. 

“I have come to bargain.”

He could feel the Vex magic swirling around him, but he didn’t dare to open his eyes yet. He needed to be in good standings with them if they were going to listen to him.

“Open your eyes little one.”

Cub looked around at the figures around him.

“Why have you come here? You left long ago.”

“I’m here to make a deal with you. Something in exchange for my undying loyalty.”

Surprised whispers filled the air around him. “And what could possibly be worth your vow to us? You do understand that once done, that can’t be taken back?”

Cub swallowed down a nervous lump in his throat. “I understand. I need you to bring Xisuma back.”

The voices turned confused and startled. “Your admin? What about him?”

“He’s–” his voice broke off and he paused to regain his composure. “He’s dead. Permadeath.”

“How can this be? The Void would never let anyone else take her kind?”

He reached into another pocket and pulled out a letter. 

“Oh.”

Cub looked around. “So now you must understand why I need to do this?”

There was a brief moment of silence. “I understand.”

“So you’ll bring him back?” He sat up hopefully.

“No.”

That threw him for a loop. “What? Why?”

“You misunderstand. We may be able to warp reality, but there are some things that even we can’t do.”

“What do you mean?”

Ghostly whispers danced around his ears. “We all have our own places in the universe. We deal in chaos, not death. So, unless the Void herself brings him back, or the Universe plays their hand, your admin is dead.”

Cub stood up. “No. This can’t be true.”

“We have not once deceived you. We do not trick our own kind. Why would we start now?”

“I–” Cub’s shoulders slumped. “So, he’s gone for good?”

A faint breeze blew through the trees. “It is likely so.”

Tears finally started pouring down his face. “But–”

“Cub?” A familiar voice came from behind him.

As he turned around, he noticed the Vex were no longer there. Instead a sleepy Scar holding Jellie stood there.

Jellie squirmed her way out of Scar’s arms and started rubbing against Cub’s legs.

Scar followed, enveloping him into a hug. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s gone. He’s actually gone.”

Scar squeezed him tighter. “I know.”

Cub hugged back. “I thought–”

“Do you really think X would have wanted you to do that?”

“How did you-?”

“I thought about it myself.”

Cub was stunned into silence.

“But–”  Scar continued, “I decided against it because I knew that X cared about us more than anything and I knew he wouldn’t want that for any of us.”

Shame filled him.

“Cub. I know many of us wished we could change things, but sometimes, we just need to let them rest in peace.”

He broke off into sobs. 

A hand rubbed his back. “I know. I miss him too.”

Chapter Text

Joe shifted through the pile of letters, beginning to feel discouraged. 

There shouldn’t be any here, much less the number that there was. It was just too difficult to contact everyone, on top of having to find them in the first place. 

Some of the older Hermits (faces he hadn’t seen in years) had stayed behind after the funeral to help him out, but still there were some people that seemed lost to time. It hit Joe rather hard to realize that it was a possibility that they had also died and he would never even know. 

“Joe.” 

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see a sad looking Hypno standing there. “Howdy Hypno!”

Hypno sighed. “Joe, I think you need to take a step back.”

“But I have to find–”

“Joe!”

He shut his mouth.

Hypno pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think we need to consider the possibility that we won’t be able to find everyone.”

Joe just stared at him in silent shock.

“I know how important this is to you, but it’s been years since these people have been seen. They’ve moved on with their lives and I know many don’t want to look back at their past. And until they want to be found, there is no way we will find them.”

He let Hypno’s words sink in before speaking. “I know.” 

It felt heartbreaking to admit it out loud, but he knew he was trying to accomplish an impossible task. He himself had never even heard of some of these people and Generik had been the only one to recognise some of them. They had no clue where any of them could be, only a name that they could possibly no longer be going by. And, if they were dead, there was no way of finding out.

Hypno cleared his throat. “Well, I’ve asked EX if they’ll come by to look at the names and see if there are any they might recognise, but I think that you need to let this go. You’ve found so many people and with these I think we should leave that to others. I’ve managed to convince Genny to take the ones he recognized and reach out through his contacts and the rest we’ll just have to leave up to EX.”

Joe took one more look back at the envelopes and set them down on the desk. “Okay.”

“You should come hang out with the others. Grian and Scar chose a bunch of games and we’re going to do a bit of a game night.”

He smiled and stood up. “I’d love to.”

“Good. I don’t think some of the newer Hermits have seen just how good at Scrabble you are.”

Chapter Text

Biffa walked around, admiring the new builds. He hadn’t been around in a while and was surprised to find that there was still so much new stuff in that area. It’d been quite a while since they had a new start, far longer than any previous hop, yet walking around the districts, it seemed they’d continued building. 

He’d started in the shopping district, but the sheer business made him opt to come back to it at the end. He moved on into the modern district, smiling at the familiarity. 

Jevin and Python’s houses still stood strong, barely changed since the very beginning and those first few days. He avoided some clearly out of place traps littered around, confused at their purpose. Hermitcraft couldn’t have changed that much, could it? Dust had begun to build up on the inside, its unuse showing clearly. He felt a small pang in his heart at the thought that he wouldn’t be able to see them here. He’d be able to find where they went eventually, but it felt somewhat sad at the thought that they had moved along. He'd followed along for a bit, even to their new world, but who's to know if they've moved on again.

People still had mail in the post office, himself included. He guessed that no one had the heart to clean out his own box. The building itself had clearly been ignored for some time, but with the time that it’d sat there, it made sense that it had outlived its purpose. 

He stopped to stare at some of the builds, chuckling to himself about some of the antics they got up to. Like seriously xB, a water fireplace? The absolute madlad. 

It felt good to be back, though the nostalgia he felt was somewhat coupled with the regret he couldn’t have been around for longer. Strange how a person could regret something they couldn’t control.

When he eventually got to Tower Bay, he was surprised to find the HRN was left unfinished. Ren had seemed so passionate about the project and with all the rails he’d already laid out, it was strange to see them just stop suddenly. In fact, portions of Tower Bay were unfinished as well. The darker and larger towers, undoubtedly X’s, were finished and seemingly functional, but half of the quartz ones weren’t.

He was walking through them when he spotted a figure sitting atop one of the towers. He could feel everything freeze for a moment as a rush of mixed emotions hit him. It was too soon for someone else to have died.

Biffa ran up the stairs of the tower, stopping as he got to the top. “Xisuma?” It was strange to hear his voice out loud again after so long.

His best friend turned around, complete shock written all over his face, visible from the lack of a helmet. “Biffa?!”

The two met in a hug, holding the other like they were afraid they’d disappear. 

“I missed you so much.” X’s voice was muffled from Biffa’s shoulder.

His throat tightened as he felt tears soak into his shirt. “I missed you too.”

They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the moment before the two parted and looked at each other. 

Biffa took the chance to look over X. 

It hadn’t been that long… right? But he looked a bit older than he remembered, a bit more– haunted. His eyes were puffy from crying, but from much more than just then. His hair was longer, much more similar to X’s hair back in season two, pulled back into a messy ponytail but was extremely knotted.

“Let me find a brush real quick and I can do your hair while we talk, just like old times.” 

Xisuma stayed silent, just nodding and following along. 

The silence persisted until X finally broke it with a sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“Why would you be sorry?” Biffa just kept brushing.

“I couldn’t stay alive for everyone else.”

He paused before continuing, mulling over those words. “And why would that be on you?” 

X was stunned into silence, remaining completely still.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

He curled in on himself slightly, tilting his face down to hide it. “I just don’t want to change the way you look at me.”

Biffa shrugged. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“But, I feel like I’m lying to you, letting you continue to think of me the way you do.”

“I understand, but you need your time and that’s okay. I’m right here for you either way.”

X turned to look up at him with glistening eyes. 

He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Always.”

Xisuma opened his arms for a hug which Biffa returned, pulling him tightly into his arms.

The two sat like that for a while, broken sobs leaving the admin while he rubbed his back and said soothing things to him. It was then when he said those few muffled words that broke his heart.

“You don’t understand. I killed myself.”

Everything tilted on its axis. He placed a hand on the back of X’s head and rested his chin on top, wishing he could just take away all the pain his best friend must have gone through. “I’m so sorry you had to do that.”

X’s whole body tensed up. “What?”

“I’m sorry that circumstances pushed you to do that.”

“You– don’t blame me-?” The pure uncertainty in his voice squeezed his heart.

Biffa pulled away for a second to look him in the eyes. “Why would I? I know you always do your best.”

Tears started to pour down X’s face and if Biffa took the second to realize, it was the same for him. 

“But I was being selfish?”

He reached out to hold his face with both hands. “You are the most selfless person I know. I don’t blame you for breaking.”

“You don’t?”

“Not at all.”

-----

Once X had mostly calmed down Biffa spoke up.

“Do you want to go check in on the Hermits? You don’t have to.”

“No. I want to see them.” X stood up on shaky legs.

Biffa followed. “Here. I know the way, but I haven’t been by in a while.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. I’ve picked up a few projects that I’ll have to show you sometime. Mostly just city design and stuff, but I think you’d still enjoy it.”

X scoffed. “Well of course I would. I haven’t changed that much. I mean, my last few big projects have been cities.”

“Yeah.” He pictured the skyscraper he’d last seen X work on. “Though it’s slightly different not having to do a lot of the manual labor and stuff.”

“Huh, interesting.”

Biffa led X off to a pathway, explaining his latest project while they walked.

Eventually the two found themselves inside a jungle.

X sat in silence for a second, staring at the forest around him and the buildings peeking through the treetops. “I don’t know why I thought it’d look different.”

“Surface level, maybe, but things aren’t quite the same when someone’s gone.” He looked at him with knowing eyes. “I think you would understand it well.”

He nodded before turning back to push his way back onto a path. “Here, let’s go towards my central tower.”

“Lead away.”

The jungle was quite beautiful, with a balance of hidden light, carpets, and leaves to keep the area safe. The trees were carefully trimmed along the path to keep it nice and open while leaving spaces to catch glimpses of the landscape. 

“Oh.” X stopped. “That’s new.”

He was staring at a smaller building partially made of wool connected to other smaller rooms. 

They could hear voices and laughter coming from inside.

Biffa put a hand on his shoulder. “Do you want to go in? Or do you need some time?”

“I’m good. I- I need to see them.”

The building was a lot larger on the inside, with the walls lined in pillows and blankets, little beds and nests littered around it. In a space near the middle, several Hermits were gathered around a game board while others hung out around, watching or doing their own things. 

“There is no way that’s actually a word!” Grian squawked as Joe placed down eight tiles. 

Wels was grinning, holding a dictionary. “Oh I can assure you it is.”

Jevin was frantically looking over his tiles, trying to figure out his next word. 

X snorted. “Wow. Joe hasn’t been able to convince anyone to play Scrabble with anyone in ages.”

Biffa just nodded, watching them.

He looked over to where a few people were working on a puzzle. Etho and Impulse were sorting out pieces while Tango and Bdubs fought over who could put together the border. Doc had already picked out all the pieces with words and was putting them together. A new tattoo caught his eye on Doc’s wrist, one that he recognized as X’s helmet. 

“Aww man.” Xb said, looking over Grian’s shoulder back at the Scrabble game. “I was hoping we’d finally have someone to keep up with Joe.

Cleo laughed. “It’s Joe,” they said. “He’s trained for this.”

“Oh! When this is done can we play Monopoly??” Scar was petting Jellie. 

Cub’s head shot over. “I second that!”

“Of course you do,” Mumbo muttered. “I still remember last time.”

“How can anyone forget?” Iskall added, breaking into a laugh Biffa hadn’t heard in ages.

Zed cut in. “Oh! Or how about Sorry-?”

There was an immediate chorus of nos in response to that. 

“How about we pick a game that won’t end up in broken bones?” suggested Stress.

False scoffed. “Where’s the fun in that?”

TFC broke out into laughter. “As long as it’s not Twister again, I’m in.”

“Awww, but that’s the best one.” Ren’s ears flopped as he tried to enact his puppy dog eyes.

“Says you!” adds Iskall.

Hypno shrugged. “Well, either way, does anyone want to play Uno while we wait?”

“Oooo, yes!” Beef shot up to his feet from where he was looking over the puzzle. 

X made eye contact with Biffa.  They both knew that wouldn’t end well. 

There was a reason Uno got banned in season three.

Even then, they stayed to watch the chaos unfold.

And in those moments a weight was lifted off of all of them. Maybe things were going to be okay after all.

Chapter Text

Eve had always had super vivid dreams. Before they were all dark and damaging, but lately they’d looked forward to them. Their dreamscape had grown to become a beautiful space, ground littered with colorful flowers and sky filled with stars. Lights floated around them, flickering in the air, illuminating the area. 

They’d heard most people describe their dreams as events unfolding before their eyes. That had once been a reality to them, back when they replayed their biggest regrets and possible things they could do, but now they simply– existed. 

It was a time where they weren’t plagued with regret and pain and they could just be. They could live and not feel haunted. 

Dreams were a safe space to them, one that they’d needed for the longest time. 

They’d usually be alone, sometimes joined by different living things like Wolfy. Sometimes they’d see him searching for someone, sometimes they’d just hear his cries in the distance. Other animals were around, often just lounging around. Sometimes they’d even let them pet them. 

This night– something was different. It felt different in a way they couldn’t explain. 

It wasn’t until they spotted a figure in the distance when everything fell into place. 

“‘Suma?”

Their brother turned around, and gave them a small smile, his helmet missing. “Hello Eve.”

They ran forward, enveloping Xisuma in the biggest hug, burying their face in his shirt. 

He returned the hug. “I missed you too.” He spoke softly, as though not to disturb the peace. 

“You’re here…”

“Of course. I’m never too far.”