Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was getting quite late and Xisuma was already pretty tired. He had worked almost all day constructing the houses for his villagers and fixing a few bugs some of the hermits had pointed out to him. He wanted to sleep, but still had so much more work to do. X started listing off the things he needed to do in his head. Lets see, I need to work on the redstone to transfer the villagers from one house to another, I need to fix the villager breeder, convert some of them to zombies and back to villagers to get some cheaper trades, I need to afk at the copper farm to finish the roof of the last house, and I need to build the storage room building. 

By the time he was done thinking about everything he needed to do, the sun was already set and most of the hermits were asleep other than the ones who were afk. He decided that he would work on two of the projects and finish them before going to bed. Choosing to work on converting villagers and some redstone, he went towards the second house to hook up a railway system that would eventually connect to the broken villager breeder. 

He put down his enderchest and grabbed his red shulker box which carried his redstone supplies. X plopped it down in front of him and opened it up. He scanned over the contents of the box before realizing there was not enough redstone dust and that he would have to visit his witch farm to gather some more. Then, he equipped his elytra, walked out of the house, took off towards his storage system, and hopped down to his nether portal. Once through the portal he jumped and pulled the string on a rocket to take off in the direction of his witch farm. 

When he got to his witch farm, he looked at the chests that would hold all of the drops from the awful mob that posed to be so useful at times. He opened the first one but there was nothing except a couple of glass bottles and a few bits of glowstone dust. He continued to look through the chests but couldn’t find any redstone dust. To be honest, not many bottles or glowstone either. The chest could practically be considered empty. X was confused as all could get out. He had been doing a lot of redstone recently but for there to be hardly anything in the chests made his worries grow. He was already tired from a long day of work and the fact that it was well past sundown, made him anxious. He was supposed to go to bed after he finished the two tasks. Well, looks like this derp isn’t getting sleep anytime soon. He thought. 

He flew out of the storage area and looked at the farm itself, noticing that one of the layers didn’t have zoglins. The farm had broken. How it had managed to break, didn't make any sense. X pillared up to the second layer of the farm, making sure to set his spawn. He mined some of the tinted glass, and stepped onto the ice, almost slipping. A witch then spawned right in front of him, instantly throwing a potion of poison. The pain exploded from his arm, causing him to lose his balance again. His vision swam as the sorceress continued to throw more potions at him. Xisuma swung his enchanted, diamond sword, striking her multiple times before finishing her off. The potion effect was making him even more tired and dizzy than he would ever admit. He didn’t want to do this, especially at night when phantoms would likely spawn at any moment. 

He started working on the farm, getting the zoglins back to where they were supposed to be. Every time he would turn, though, a witch would be right behind him and throw another potion, making him weaker each time. It was getting more difficult to control the zoglins he had on a lead, and at one point he dropped his warped fungus on a stick causing the zoglins to start attacking. X was exhausted and made no effort to protect himself against the three mobs. 

<Xisuma was poisoned by a Witch whilst fighting a Zoglin>

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His communicator buzzed, startling him out of his afk mindset. He grabbed his communicator out of his pocket and looked at the message in the group chat. Their admin had just died! Grian shook the sleep-like daze out of his eyes and looked back at the chat. 

<Xisuma was poisoned by a Witch whilst fighting a Zoglin>

<Docm77> X you good man?

<Keralis1> Shishwammy why do you wake me from my slumber? :(

<ImpulseSV> Anyone else worried that he isn’t responding?

<FalseSymmetry> Why isn’t anyone wondering why he was working with zoglins and witches at midnight?

<ImpulseSV> That's a good point, false, anyone know what he was doing?

Grian opened up a private message to ask Mumbo and see if he possibly knew what X had been up to. The death message looked like Xisuma was working on a farm of some sort. 

<Grian> Mumbo, do you know what farm X might have been working on?

<Mumbo Jumbo> I think he must have been working on a type of witch farm for redstone materials. He has a nether portal set up in the tunnels, you might want to check there to see if he set his spawn

<Grian> Ok, I’ll check his witch farm and ask the others to look at his base, maybe he respawned there

Grian pulled up the group chat and started typing out his message. 

<Grian> Mumbo thinks that he may have been working on his witch farm. I'm heading over there now. Can someone go and check his base in case that’s where he respawned?

Grian pocketed his communicator and took off in the direction of the nether portal, feeling his communicator buzz with more notifications, most likely concerns about their admin. He flew through the nether portal as fast as he could trying to slow himself down enough so he could make out the signs that indicated which portal went where. It took about five minutes of looking before he found the portal. He walked in the portal seeing the familiar purple swirls come in and blur his vision as they always had. 

As his vision cleared he looked frantically around, searching for Xisuma. The portal was in a small room that held chests. Obviously a storage system to the farm. His admin was not in the room though, making him panic. He bolted out the door to his right.

Chapter Text

Grain scanned the area looking for any signs of life, other than the phantoms that circled in the night sky. Then, he saw a dirt pillar towering to an opening in the glass. Next to said opening, connected by dirt, was a bed with a large lump sprawled across it. Grian grabbed random blocks out of his inventory and pillared up next to the dirt. When he got to the top he rushed over to the bed. There wasn’t enough space for him to move around the piece of furniture and try to help the man who was obviously unconscious. With some extra spruce logs he made the platform bigger and pulled out his communicator.

<Grian> He’s here! Can someone help me!!!

<Docm77> On my way with Impulse

<ImpulseSV> What he said

Grian put his communicator back in his pocket and took a closer look at the unconscious admin. It was scary to see X in such a state. Out of the blue, a bottle filled with green liquid came flying towards him and the injured man. Grian wasn’t prepared. The bottle shattered as it hit him and Xisuma. Grian’s chest flared in pain but he could tell that the admin had taken the brunt of the poisonous potion. He felt terrible seeing X’s brows furrow with discomfort. He hastily walked towards their attacker and swung his sword, killing the witch. Then, he blocked off the glass Xisuma had broken to get into the farm. 

Grian was incredibly worried for Xisuma. Not knowing how many hearts he had or his pain level was terrifying. He had never seen X like this before. To be honest, Grian couldn’t recall a time he had seen the man express even the slightest hint of discomfort. It was a new thing that he didn’t really want to see.

As time went on, the phantoms started to get closer. Trying to swoop in from above to attack the pair. Xiusma was in no way capable of defending himself and couldn't eat to bring his health back up. Finally, Grian heard fast footsteps and blocks rapidly being placed. Before he knew it, Impulse and Doc were beside him staring at Xisuma with the same concern that Grian felt. A few moments passed and Impulse moved to see if he could lift the tall man.

Impulse was strong but not as strong as Doc was, and the two bickered over who would carry their admin to safety. Grain quickly grew tired of it, just wanting to get Xisuma inside. “Doc you grab X, Impulse come with me to make sure the nether tunnels are clear,” he spat harshly, not meaning to sound as inconsiderate as he did. The others looked at him, surprised, before simply nodding. Doc gently lifted Xisuma off of the bed, the man stirring a little in his arms. X looked worse than he could have imagined, weak and unconscious. Impulse moved towards the edge of the temporary platform and started making a staircase down to the ground. The four hermits hopped through the nether portal, Grian and Impulse gripping their swords in case anything attacked.

The group walked in silence until it was time to decide where they would bring the admin to recover. “I don’t think he should be in boatem. It's way too chaotic and loud,” Grian explained.  “I wonder why,” Impulse smirked while scratching his head like he was thinking. “We could take him to Keralis’ base, it's pretty quiet there and not far,” Doc said, shifting his grip on X. 

It was decided, they would take Xisuma to Keralis, knowing that he would be well taken care of. Grian messaged everyone in the group chat telling them that X was safe and they were traveling to Keralis’ now.

<Grian> We found him! He was by his witch farm and Keralis be ready we’re bringing him to you

<Keralis1> WHAT! You're bringing him here! WHY?

<Grian> Your place is the closest and boatem is too loud…

<PearlescentMoon> What!? Are you saying we can’t control ourselves, G?

<GoodtimeswithScar> yeah wdym

<Grian> (rolls eyes) :p

<ImpulseSV> I agree with Grian on this one sorry dudes

<GoodtimeswithScar> traitor!

The four made it to the big eye crew’s nether portal and went through. There were a handful of boats on the other side so they each hopped into one and rowed over to Keralis’ house. Keralis was standing outside his door, obviously anxious about one of his best friends.

They got out of the boats and Doc picked Xisuma up again before walking towards Keralis. The hermit in question rushed forward, searching X’s body with his eyes as if looking for damage. Grian followed Doc, Impulse, and Keralis into the house. He felt guilty that his admin had gotten hurt under his watch, but he couldn’t let the others know. If they thought something was wrong with him, Xisuma wouldn’t have the undivided attention he deserved. The sun started to peak over the horizon, reminding the group just how long X had been injured.  

Doc carefully set the man on a bed Keralis had set up. Xisuma stirred a bit before settling back down into his deep sleep. It was clear that the admin was tired, but the hermits needed to be certain that he wasn't in any pain. Grian pulled out his communicator once more and started to privately message the server’s personal potion queen, Stressmonster101. 

<Grian> Hey Stress can you bring some potions to help X pls? We are with Keralis

<Stressmonster101> yea, of course love omw

<Grian> thanks!

Doc found Keralis sitting next to the sleeping Xisuma with his head in his hands. He walked over, placing his organic hand on Keralis’ shoulder and trying to comfort him. Not used to consoling people, the best Doc could come up with was, “He will be okay,” before visibly cringing at how stupid he sounded. Keralis looked up and smiled a little at his friend. “I know, it’s just hard seeing my Shishwammy like this,” Keralis said, voice wavering. The sounds of rockets made Grian flinch slightly, then, there was a small crashing sound.

Stress came running in with her hair in her face, frizzy from flying. She quickly tied back the unruly strands to check on Xisuma. Impulse decided that he would leave and give their admin some space. “I’m gonna go get some sleep, message me if anything happens,” he said before walking out of the house-turned-hospital. 

Grian watched closely as Stress was working on Xisuma and trying her best to get him the medical attention he needed, but Keralis was asking her a bunch of questions. “Is he going to die again? Will he be okay? Stress, what’s going on?!” Grian walked forward, noticing how on edge Stress looked, and guided Keralis into the other room.

“Keralis, I know you’re worried about X, and trust me, we all are but you need to calm down. Stress can’t take care of him when you're asking a million questions,” Grian said softly, looking at the anxious man with sympathy. “I’m just really scared, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to Shishwammy. What if he doesn’t wake up? What if he doesn’t remember us?!” Keralis said, obviously getting more panicked by the second. Grian gently shushed him and hugged him close. “Maybe you should go to bed, you clearly need a break.” Grian responded, trying to be as calming as he could. Keralis started to protest before a yawn interrupted him. He nodded, defeated, and headed towards his bedroom.

      _____________________________________

Xisuma was fading in and out of consciousness. He heard familiar voices but wasn’t quite able to decipher who they belonged to. Some were loud and others were quiet. There was also a soft warmth under him now, which was different to the cold metal he was lying on earlier. Was it earlier? Who knows.  X could hear soft voices in the distance and wanted to know what was happening. He suddenly felt a rush of pain in his left arm, causing him to try and squirm away before realizing he couldn’t move. Why couldn’t he move?!

Chapter Text

Keralis had finally fallen asleep after dumping all of his worries on Grian along with a few tears. He went to find Stress and Doc who had been looking after the admin while Grian calmed Keralis. Stress was wrapping X’s left arm with wool and Grian caught a glimpse of a scarring burn mark. “That looks pretty bad,” Grian said quietly. “Yeah, I’m surprised he hasn’t woken up with me treating it,” Stress explained while continuing to work. 

They all sat in silence, watching Stress work her magic. It lulled Grian almost to sleep when he shook himself awake. He had been up nearly all night and was extremely tired, but he had to be there when Xisuma woke up. 

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Stress saw Grian jolt and stopped working on X for a moment to study his body language. She got up from her seat and walked over to him. He was drowsy and it was obvious that he needed sleep. “Grian, honey, how long have you been awake for?” she said gently. “Not long, just a little sleepy…” he trailed off. “You don’t look like you’ve only been awake for a little while. Why don’t you get some rest?” she replied. “Nah, I don’t nee…” Grian slumped over, dozing off mid-sentence and Stress chuckled a little. She quietly called Doc over and asked him to find Grian a bed. Knowing the Big Eyes Crew there was bound to be spare beds everywhere for Bdubs to fall asleep in. Luckily, she was correct and led the two towards the spare bedroom in Keralis’ house. 

After tucking Grian in and closing the door behind Doc, she whispered, “Doc, love, you need sleep too. I got this and it won’t take much longer. There isn't much else you can do until X wakes.” Stress could see Doc physically grumble at her words but he made his way towards the couch nonetheless. She knew, that he knew, that he wasn’t going to win this battle. She had spoken the truth that she was almost done and X had to be awake for further evaluation.

Stress walked back towards Xisuma and looked him over one last time. He seemed uncomfortable, so she carefully removed his helmet and replaced it with an oxygen mask from Keralis’ chests. Of course he would have everything to accommodate X, they were best friends after all. She draped a thin sheet over her admin, layed out a bed of her own, and waited for sleep to take her.

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X was awake, he had to be. Why else would his mind be racing with the events that had occurred the previous… previous… He simply couldn’t comprehend how much time had passed. 

Xisuma pushed these thoughts aside and pondered for the millionth time why he couldn’t move. He felt restricted, claustrophobic even, with the light blanket pressing down on him. Was he paralyzed? No, he couldn’t be, a few splash potions wouldn’t do that to him. At least X hoped they wouldn’t. He continued to think, many scenarios playing through his head.

How long has it been since the accident? Would he ever wake up? How were his hermits coping? His mind froze as he listened to a quiet sound. 

Footsteps, he heard footsteps. He was filled with joy at the sound of someone walking towards him. X wanted to say something, anything, to let them know that he was okay.  But his lips wouldn’t move and his voice wouldn’t cooperate. 

…

______________________________

It had been three days of this nightmare. Waking up and seeing his admin, his Shishwammy, in bed and unaware of the realm of the living. Keralis wanted to cry, but he had already done so multiple times. In front of everyone. How humiliating, he thought, beating himself up for letting the others see him in such a sorry state.

All he wanted was some form of movement or for X to voice that he was alright and wasn’t going to leave them forever. No, leave him forever. His Shishwammy was his best friend and ally through thick and thin. How could he lose such a great person to a stupid witch? They were powerful mobs, yes, but Xisuma had never expressed any difficulty in defeating the mini boss. 

How long was he going to be like this?

...

A full week had passed with no sign of their admin waking up. Keralis was heartbroken. He couldn’t think of a world without X. How would Hermitcraft move on? Tango and Cub had filled in for Xisuma while he was unconscious. It was a lot of work to run an entire server. Keralis could tell they were really struggling to balance working on personal projects and helping the others with glitches. 

To be honest, he had no idea how X did it. The man was always so busy but still had time to make room for him and any other hermit that needed his help. Whether it was a game mechanic, building tip, or even just a friend to a friend. Xisuma was always involved in Hermits Helping Hermits, and had been their admin since as far as his memory would allow. Keralis hadn’t counted how many years he had been on the server, but he knew he wouldn’t let it end then and there.

… 

Keralis was spent. It had been three weeks since the arrival of their injured admin. It was really hard to keep up with the daily regimens Stress had assigned. Though she still came by every day to give Xisuma his daily dose of a regen potion. 

Grian had stayed by Keralis the whole time, not wanting to leave until X had woken up. Keralis, at one point, had to force Grian to go home and clean himself up before his house smelled like hippie. The stubborn man had told him, “I found him so I’m gonna make sure he doesn’t get any worse.” Keralis knew this was a cover up. He knew Grian thought he was the cause of Xisuma’s coma. Keralis tried reassuring him a couple of times but you can’t kill a zombie with a broken sword. 

Stress had said to him, “He isn’t getting any better nor is he getting any worse.” Keralis didn’t know what to make of that information, but continued to sit at Xisuma's bedside and whisper encouragements to the man, so that he might wake. It never worked no matter how hard he cried.

… 

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X knew this voice. It was Keralis’, his best friend. Everyday for who knows how long, (Was it days?) Keralis would come in and whisper encouraging words into his ear. Saying that he needed to wake up, that he needed him so badly, that Hermitcraft wasn’t the same without him. Xisuma wanted to cry until there were no tears left, but he couldn't. That was a fact, he couldn't. He tried many times but continued to fail. X wanted to let his best friend know he was being heard. 

X decided he would try one last time. 

He felt as a single tear rolled down his face.

Chapter Text

Xisuma had done it. After what felt like an eternity, his best friend finally knew his pleas weren’t falling on deaf ears. He could feel Keralis sit back from where he was leaning on the bed and temporarily let go of his hand. X heard the tell tale sounds of someone typing on a communicator followed by four pings in quick succession. Keralis, presumably realizing that he should react, grabbed hold of the admin’s hand tighter than he was before. He leaned back down and Xisuma felt the way his hair tickled the shell of his ear as he spoke. “Shishwammy, I’m so proud of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you…”

Next thing X knew there were quick footsteps and ragged breathing as someone stumbled into the room. He would have jumped to the top of Bdubs mountain if he could at the start it gave him. Instinctually, Xisuma began to cry harder, not knowing how else to communicate his fear. “Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe, it’s only Grian,” Keralis said hastily, clearly worried.

X forced himself to calm down as Keralis wiped his eyes with the blanket he often kept around his shoulders as he wept at Xisuma’s side. While Grian made himself further known, “OhmyvoidimsosorryXididntmeantoscareyoupleaseimsososorry…” He continued to ramble on until the admin heard the familiar sounds of one of his Hermits comforting another.

Xisuma was calmer now, even if a little sensitive at not being able to see who was around him. The inability to properly communicate had been taking its toll and he was excited at the new possibilities of his achievement. He noticed two pairs of footsteps approaching and began to grow anxious again. Keralis must have noticed his breathing hasten because X heard a rushed, “It’s Stress and Impulse, Doc is going to be here soon. Stress is just going to check in on you.” Keralis sniffled after finishing his sentence. 

X heard Stress’ soft, kind voice, making him feel safe. “Hey X, Keralis said you were crying, what's wrong, sweetheart? Are you hurting or are you sad, honey bunches?” Stress said calmly. Xisuma tried, he really did, but it was apparent that responding was too far of a milestone to reach. It was obvious that Stress needed an answer, but he didn’t want to cry unless she asked for it. Just so she would know he was still okay. Stress, being the angel she is, practically read his mind. “Dear, can you cry for me if you understand?”

The admin was spent, but he would try and do what his caretaker had asked of him. It was such a small task, but it felt like an eternity just to get a couple of tears to fall. He could feel the warm wetness on his cheeks as it spread towards his ears. Xisuma could hear Stress gasp slightly, as if she hadn‘t believed Keralis before. “Good job, X! You're doing so well! I think my patient is going to be okay,” Stress said triumphantly. 

X felt pride and embarrassment start to creep in. After all, he never dared to cry in front of most of his hermits. Crying was such a small thing no one else thought about, unless they were in X’s current state. Xisuma didn’t know what Stress would do next. All he could make out was, “Great job buddy, you can go to sleep now,” coming from the fatherly voice of Impulse to his left. X was tired, so he did as he was bid, and fell asleep wondering what the next “day” would bring.

…

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The next time X woke, there were three familiar voices. One he recognized immediately to be Impulse’s, the other two taking him a minute to place. Eventually, he figured out they belonged to Tango and Cub. X knew that in any dire circumstance where he couldn’t fix the code, the admin duties would fall on those two hermits, since they had the most experience. 

Xisuma felt terrible that the whole server would be dependent on Cub and Tango, but he didn’t exactly call the shots right now. He hated being “unconscious” for so long, and he genuinely didn’t ever think it would ever come down to this. X felt like he was on the verge of his breaking point. He heard Tango and Cub asking Impulse about something, the only words he could make out being glitch and struggle and not working . 

Xisuma knew that the three of them were trying to be quiet, still acting like he was asleep. X also knew that the others weren’t that dumb, and they knew that he could very well be awake and comprehending everything happening around him. The group shifted a little, and suddenly he was able to hear most of the conversation. 

“The 1879th line was so screwed up that Pearl was glitching in and out of the world. Cub and I fixed it, but it took all night. We are both exhausted, but xB found another problem today and we don’t know how to go about solving it. Have any ideas Impulse?” He heard Tango say, clearly tired from staying up all night. X felt so guilty. Throwing all of his duties on his friend's shoulders for so long was heartbreaking even if he didn’t have a say in the matter. 

Impulse voiced his advice about the other malfunction xB had found, but X knew it wasn’t going to work. They needed to rewrite the line of code back to what it was before the glitch, and then backup the system. Afterwards, they would need to update the software, but he had no way to tell his friends the solution, and he hoped that they would figure it out soon. At least don’t let it make things worse , he prayed.

“I really hope he wakes up soon. I don’t know how much longer we can do this for.” Cub whispered. Xisuma could feel his heart fracture at that, and he wanted someone to hold him while he cried, but they had already done so much for him and he didn’t want to lose his best source of information. He fought hard to hold back the tears and no one would see or hear his silent pleas.

Chapter Text

You caused this.

Xisuma wouldn’t be in this situation if you didn’t let him get hurt.

You made this worse.

The hermits are struggling because of you.

Why are you so useless?

You never do anything right…

Grian shook his own thoughts out of the forefront of his mind. He had been sitting outside gazing into a growing puddle of water for who knows how long. The rain was cold and made him shiver. Once, he thought he saw a brown set of eyes staring at him but he chalked it up to his imagination. His hair was soaked, and so were his clothes. Grian felt miserable and disgusting. He knew he was crying, but no one would be able to tell because of the water droplets running down his face. Grian should probably go inside, but his brain wouldn’t let him move. He felt as if this was what needed to be done to pay Xisuma back. Even if it would never be enough.

Grian continued to kneel there as the rain got heavier. He listened and did nothing as his mind beat him up for what happened to their admin. He knew he shouldn’t do this, but he felt incapable of moving. Grian hadn’t slept in days, his body not allowing him a single moment’s rest. He was tired and cold. Grian didn’t even flinch when lightning struck a little while away. The loud boom of thunder threatens to kill him, and force him to respawn. 

His red sweater would have to be washed, but he could do that later. When he wasn’t sulking. Grian continued to shiver. At this point, he had fully lost track of time, and was left to wonder if it was night. This question let him think about something other than the growing guilt that had been building up throughout the last three weeks. Impulse had kept telling him that it wasn’t his fault, but Grian didn’t believe it. He couldn’t believe it. Grian wanted to see Xisuma building, laughing, doing redstone, everything he knew the man loved. There was only one thing holding him back, the thing Grian caused, his coma. 

Stress had tried to convince Grian four days ago that this wasn’t his fault, that he did the best he could. He almost believed her except he knew something she didn’t. That he wasn’t fast enough. That he had stood there. That his reaction was late. Grian wanted to curl up into a little ball, and stay in that position until someone pried him out of it or a flash of lightning sent him to his bed. 

Grian didn’t even hear the footsteps. He couldn’t bring himself to care who it was. He flinched as a warm hand was placed on his shoulder, turning his body towards the other. He was pulled into a tight hug immediately. An overwhelming sense of embarrassment and happiness washed over him at the thought of being found. Grian started to sob into the hermit's shoulder, mumbling incoherent words. 

Said hermit was Impulse. Of course it was Impulse. It was always Impulse. The man was so fatherly to everyone on the server and this role only seemed to grow with their admin out of commission. Because of you, his brain reminded him as Impulse started soothing Grian, shushing into his ear quietly. Then, Impulse whispered what he had told Grian time and time again, “It's not your fault, buddy. We need to get you out of the rain. Think you can walk on your own?” Grian nodded into Impulse’s shoulder even though he wasn’t entirely sure himself, and Impulse helped him stand.

Grian’s legs were a little wobbly, but Impulse held him upright and guided him towards his magnificent base. Yet another thing the others can do better than you. Once they were safely in the storage room of Impulse’s base, he led him over to a chair and sat him down. Impulse hurriedly grabbed a few blankets along with a regen potion. The gentleman handed Grian the blankets so he could dry off a bit, and get warm. Grian sniffled a little and then took the regen potion from Impulse. He downed it quickly, the sweet taste lingering on his tongue. 

“Are you hurt?” Impulse asked gently, knowing Grian would be very vulnerable at this time. “No,” Grian said simply. Emotionally yes , was he going to tell the server’s current father figure, no . “I’m going to grab a change of clothes for us, okay?” Impulse said. He nodded in response, continuing to shiver. His companion was back in a flash with a pair of thick sweatpants and a t-shirt that must be Zedaph’s because it didn’t look much bigger than Grian. He took the clothes with a mumbled, “Thank you,”  and went to change in the bathroom.

Once he was out, Impulse was sitting at the dining room table, just inside the storage room. He had two cups of steaming tea. The man waved him over, like a father would a child who had just broken a window. Grian dropped his head low in acknowledgment and scuttled over to the table to sit down. He held the warm mug in his hands, letting the warmth consume him. He took multiple sips of the sweetened tea.  Just how he liked it, he noted. The taller man must really be taking this father thing seriously.

Grian forced himself to meet Impulse’s eyes, warm and brown. The same ones he had seen outside. Impulse was studying his slow movements like a cat tracking a mouse. Grian then stared at the hot liquid in his mug, knowing the man next to him would get the hint to start speaking.

“5 hours and 47 minutes.” He stated, somehow both scolding and gentle at the same time. “I know this has been especially hard for you, but you really need to start taking care of yourself. Sitting out in the rain is not healthy, man. Let alone in your mental state.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Grian replied shakily. “I lost track of time.” “And…” Impulse prompted. “And I’m sorry.” Grian let his head hang lower, fringe falling in front of his face so his friend wouldn’t see as silent tears began to fall. After a few moments of silence Grian wiped his cheeks and finished his tea, lukewarm by now. He stood up and took his mug over to the kitchen sink, rinsed it, then put it on the counter to dry. Impulse followed close behind him, and once he was finished grabbed Grian’s arm firmly as he started walking towards the exit. 

“Grian, you're not leaving. You haven’t slept in days. I’m not letting you walk out of here without a good night's rest,” Impulse said sternly. All Grian could do was comply. He wanted to protest but knew Impulse wouldn’t let him leave. He also knew that he didn’t have the strength to fight the man, or the mobs he could hear outside, at the moment. 

Impulse set up a spare bed and piled every blanket and pillow other than his own on top. Grian practically collapsed into the bed, not even bothering to pull a blanket on top of him. Luckily, he didn’t need to and Grian felt Impulse do the job for him. He was exhausted and, for what felt like the first time in years, fell asleep easily, comforted by knowing that Impulse would be there if he needed.

...

In the morning, the smell of bacon and eggs wafted into the room. Grian slowly rose from his place on the messy bed, and headed towards the kitchen, where he found Impulse in a pink apron, cooking. “Good afternoon!” Impulse said, chuckling to himself as Grian walked straight into the table. His hair was sticking out in all directions and he looked about 10 years older. “I made bacon and eggs,” Impulse spoke cheerily when Grian didn’t respond, placing down a plate in front of the gremlin when he finally managed to sit down. Impulse watched him intently, waiting to see his reaction to the massive smiley face he had constructed out of food. However, the big smile and bright laugh that was so distinctly Grian was nowhere to be found. Instead all the response he got was a tired, “Hmm, looks like Keralis made it to breakfast.” Well, at least he was joking. It may not be much but it was a start.

Chapter Text

Impulse triple checked the list in his hands, making sure that every hermit was included. He knew firsthand how much they all relied on Xisuma and wanted to be certain that there was someone to talk to. As a result, he had taken up the role of “server dad.” Taking to the skies, he headed towards Bdubs’ base to give him a stern talking to about slacking on his beauty sleep. From there it was smooth sailing, one hermit, to the next. Every single one of them giving some level of attitude or resistance.

He couldn’t blame them, he too had to go to Joe. Having all the hermits' emotions piled on top of him was exhausting. Thankfully they were going to gather soon, and talk about their snafu’s (as Zedaph likes to call them). All Impulse worried about now was the well-being of every hermit on the server. He could complete his chocolate factory when their leader awoke from his unrelenting sleep. 

Seeing all of his friends in the state they were in was not giving him any faith in a change. Grian’s breakdown a couple of days ago, was more or less startling. He hoped that the little gremlin inside of his friend would come back, but he knew it would take time and support. Impulse hadn’t seen Grian smile in weeks. Mumbo had tried to pry a giggle out of the man a week ago, but nothing seemed to work. 

Impulse knew Mumbo was really concerned over his best bud, and was stressing out over it a lot. To hopefully (if there was any left) relieve some of Mumbo’s anxiety, Impulse told Mumbo he could build the sorting system in his base. He was relieved that Mumbo agreed to do so. Redstone was safe for the mustached man, something known and enjoyed. 

Life was a little tricky on the hermitcraft server at the moment, but Impulse was there for everyone and he would continue to be. Until that fateful day, when their admin woke from his unending slumber.

Chapter Text

Impulse was at Keralis’ base again, like he usually was since Xisuma got hurt. However, today was different. Today was the server therapy session. It was disguised as just a time to chat and visit the injured admin. Impulse watched from his seat as the rest of the hermits trickled in. With Joe sitting to his left, he knew he could safely keep his attention on X and the others would be well taken care of.

Speaking of Xisuma, he didn’t seem to be awake quite yet as his breathing was steady and slow. Impulse hoped it would stay that way throughout the meeting but he wasn’t taking any risks. Doc was positioned near the door in case of an evacuation. Only for emergencies. Impulse told himself, but something didn’t feel right about this. He just couldn’t figure out what.

Impulse shoved those thoughts to the side as Doc closed the door with a soft click and Joe got everyone’s attention. “Welcome and thank you all for coming! As you know, Xisuma has now been in a coma for over a month but we have made great progress with communication. In fact, I’m starting to believe that he is communicating better than some of you. That is why this server therapy session starts… Now! Hypno, you first, spill it.”

A few grumbles sounded from around the room, but at least no one openly protested or got up to leave. Impulse decided he would take what he could get and sat back to watch things unfold.

…

_____________________________________________________________________

Xisuma wasn’t sure exactly when he had woken up. He could hear a soft chatter, but that wasn’t all that unusual and he easily tuned it out. What did get his attention was Joe’s voice, someone he hadn’t heard talk in void knows how long. X tried to focus on what he was saying but he had a throbbing headache and was still only half awake. “Welcome and thank...all...coming! Xisuma...coma...over a month… Now that woke the admin right up. He had been in this sorry state for over a month! How could he have left his hermits alone for so long?

While X attempted to calm his breathing he caught a few stammered words from what sounded like Hypno, and suddenly everything was sharper. He began to hear the startings of a light hearted conversation. The hermits all talking about new builds they were working on.

Someone then asked, changing the subject, “Does anyone have a copper farm?” Another voice responded with, “I'm pretty sure X does, but I’m not sure how it works, sorry.” “Nah, don’t worry about it, I’ll ask him when he wakes up.” The entire room seemed to freeze, the casual words settling like a layer of frost. “Oh… I-I am so, so sorry y’all. I didn’t think-” “No, no. It’s fine.” It wasn’t fine though. Xisuma had what another needed and couldn’t do anything to help.

“Back to farms, does anyone know what the most efficient moss farm design is?” Almost everyone lets out a collective sigh and X thinks he hears some mumbled “thank yous...” The conversation continues like this for a while, the admin relaxing to the sound of his hermit’s voices. “False, you’ve been real quiet over there. Got anything to add?” The woman in question audibly grumbles at Joe putting her on the spot and X would be joining in on the other’s laughter if he could.

Then, Xisuma feels someone brush against his leg. It’s gentle, and probably unintentional, but it makes him wonder just how close the others are. X’s breath catches in his throat, heartbeat quickening. He doesn’t think he’s ready for anyone to touch him yet. Heck, Stress only lifts him up to carefully tip some of Iskall’s soup into his mouth before positioning his breathing machine over his face. That’s when Xisuma realizes that he doesn’t really know where anyone is.

His breaths are coming faster now and he can feel tears well up in his eyes. No, nonononono! Xisuma couldn’t cry. Not here, not now. Not when it was clearly helping the hermits, his hermits. The first salty streams are flowing down his face and he can’t stop them. Please, let no one notice.

Impulse noticed. Of course he did. He wasn’t stupid enough to let X go unwatched.

“OUT! EVERYONE OUT, NOW!” Confusion seemed to bloom throughout the room. It sounded like a stampede as many of the hermits stumbled over each other to leave. Rockets fired outside, only serving to overwhelm X further and his whole body shook with the force of his sobs. He couldn’t breathe. The familiar pressure from the mask was still there but he felt as if it had broken. Xisuma desperately longed for the protection of his armor. He was so small and vulnerable, a speck in the void.

Someone was squeezing his hand, Keralis’ voice brushing over his ear, cutting through the other sounds. It wasn’t helping as it normally did and Xisuma felt as the hand was ripped from his limp grasp. Keralis shouted and was presumably dragged out of the room, his remarks fading. Wait- What? Where was he going? Was he okay? Someone tell him something, anything!

Eventually, the noise disappeared until the only thing the admin could still hear was his own ragged breathing and never ending sobs. At some point a cold towel was placed on his forehead and a thin blanket draped over his shaking form. Once the tears had slowed to a stop, and the world outside his head existed again, Xisuma could hear a soft shushing to his left. Impulse, he assumed, here to bring him back to reality.

“Shh, breathe, X. It’s okay, everything’s going to be okay. They’re all gone. It’s only you, me, and Grian now. Stress went to get you some potions and Doc’s outside with Keralis.” Xisuma calmed down a bit at that. At least Keralis was okay. “Void, you’re so pale. That really scared you, didn’t it?” It was a rhetorical question, of course, but the admin knew he would be taken care of, even if he couldn’t answer.

He began to feel his breathing slow with Impulse whispering little encouragements. The man may appear calm, but X had known him long enough to hear the hint of panic that tinged his voice. Eventually, Stress came back with a weakness potion to help him relax. She slipped off his breathing mask, and tipped it into his mouth. Xisuma swallowed the bitter liquid and took his chance. Voice broken and weak, he spoke his first words since the accident.

“I’m sorry…” And the world faded away.

Chapter Text

Grian looked up in an instant, locking eyes with Impulse. Shock flashed across the usually calm man's face. Impulse turned and looked at Stress, her face mirroring his expression. Then, Impulse’s demeanor shifted into determination. He stood abruptly and grabbed Stress’ arm, gently pulling her along after whispering, “Go to sleep X, it's okay.”  

Grian stood from his corner and walked slowly towards the other two hermits. They met in the middle of the room briefly, before proceeding to the door. Once out the door, he let Impulse and Stress walk past and gently closed it behind him. Doc and Keralis looked their way from the couch, stopping their casual conversation. Keralis went to ask a question before being shot a look from Impulse that shut him up. 

The five hermits settled in the living room, none of them daring to speak and break the tense silence. Doc let out a long sigh, before standing and walking over to the kitchenette, grabbing the kettle. Grian watched as the man began to make tea. It was strange, and slightly shocking, to see such a powerful and strong man make something that took so much time and patience. 

As Doc watched over the kettle he began to speak, “What happened? All three of you wouldn’t have left X alone if something didn’t go down.” Doc was right that something had happened, something not even the void could have predicted. Especially since they had just started to communicate with him in such an unconventional way. 

Impulse responded with a short and simple, “He spoke.” The whole room was frozen, the thought of space and time irrelevant. Keralis was the next to speak, “What did he say?” His voice wavering a bit from emotion carefully hidden. “The poor dear apologized,” Stress said as pools of salted water started welling up in her eyes. 

Keralis scooted towards her, and wrapped her in a warm embrace as both of them let the floodgates open. Grian looked on and let all of this unfold before him. Refusing to let any of his own emotion show on his face. He sat there, in deep thought, choosing his words wisely as to not hurt yet another one of his friends. “I’m not sure why he was apologizing, he’s done nothing wrong,” Grian said in a monotone voice. 

Impulse looked his way, locking eyes with the smaller hermit. “I think, and this is just a theory, but I think he feels guilty,” Impulse said, a hint of worry in the way he spoke. He was obviously trying to remain calm, since there were two hermits currently crying on the couch to his left. Stress sniffled before saying, “What would he feel guilty ‘bout?” Keralis looked up at Impulse, then at Grian before answering Stress’ question. “Shashwam is feeling guilty because he thinks that he shouldn’t have made the others leave. I know my Shishwammy too well. He’s always worried about us before even considering his own needs.”

Doc walked over to the four hermits with five mugs of hot tea. He handed them each a steaming cup before taking his place on the loveseat next to Impulse. Grian looked down into warm brown liquid, then glanced out the window he was seated beside. It had started raining. The dark clouds overbore any light trying to shine through. It was oddly perfect for what had just happened, although he hated the eerie feeling pooling in his stomach. 

Grian glanced up at the ceiling to find one of Bdubs’ “original” clocks hanging from it. The clock read to be about 9 PM. His gaze then shifted to the floor, finding nothing else to focus on. His mind was presenting a million thoughts a minute, each one tearing open his heart a little more. X feels guilty because he is in the mess you made. You could have been nice and spared the man. But no. You decided to make things worse. You always make things worse, don’t you? Xisuma already has so much on his plate, and you decide to make even more pile up!

“Grian, I can hear your thoughts, stop sulking,” Impulse stated, shaking away the dull trance Grian had fallen into. “I’m not… what? How? Impulse!” Grian responded, confused then just embarrassed. Doc laughed at the confusion on the small hermit's face. Grian smiled a little, but still tried to force down the small spark that rose in his chest. He didn’t deserve it and the others would surely be mad if he let it show. At that moment, Impulse shot him a look that clearly said, what did I just say, so instead of forcing it down he hid his ever growing smile with his mug and drank the rest of his tea. 

Impulse looked whipped, the bags under his eyes making themselves known in the dim light of Keralis’ living room. Doc must have noticed this at the same time Grian did and stood, taking the mugs and depositing them in the sink. “Impulse, you can turn in for the night. I’ll watch over Xisuma,” Doc said with a stern look on his face. Impulse looked flabbergasted, but any protest was quickly cut off by Keralis. “Impulse you can stay in the attic. I’m sure our residential gremlin won’t mind.” Keralis said, throwing a wink at Grian, smiling deviously. 

“What? How did you know?” Grian quipped. “How could I not know, silly goose? You bought the space at the beginning of the season! Also, fireworks aren’t exactly the most quiet of tools,” Keralis snickered. Grian rolled his eyes, exhibiting faux annoyance. “Yes, Impulse you can crash in my, once secret, little hideout upstairs.” Grian said, with no real heat behind his words. “Was never a secret… cough, cough,” Keralis choked. Everyone laughed a bit at that, before Doc dismissed himself and went back to X’s room. 

Impulse headed up the ladder to the attic and flopped onto one of the beds there. A creak echoing through the whole house. “You be quiet up there!” Keralis called out. A muffled “mhm” came from upstairs, but nothing more besides a few snores a couple of minutes later.

“Stress, you can take one of the spare bedrooms. Grian, I assume you gonna sleep in the attic like usual?” Keralis asked. “Yea, better not try flying in this weather.” Grian responded while looking back out the window. “Okay, well this big eye crew member is hitting that hay.” Keralis said, before walking into his bedroom. 

Grian sat there with Stress for a few moments more, neither of them saying a word in their shock. Then, Stress took the soft blanket she acquired from Keralis, draped it over her shoulders, and walked into one of the extra bedrooms off of the hallway. It was just Grian in the almost dead silent house, save for the snores sounding from the attic and Keralis’ bedroom. He recapped what had happened in his head, trying to make sense of it all. He had known that this day was going to be different, what with the therapy session and all, but he had no idea it would escalate so far. Their admin had actually spoken. He hadn’t done that in over a month. For void’s sake, he hadn’t done anything. 

Grian sat there, longing for something. He didn’t know what, but he felt incomplete. He watched the rain fall on the glass of the windows that he sat huddled next to. Then Grian began to sob. Not knowing what for, but just to let it out, his quiet tears falling down his cheeks. Grian wanted to sit there for as long as he could, not moving. 

He heard quiet footsteps behind him, and found Doc walking his way. Doc grabbed his arms gently, guiding him to stand. The taller hermit held the man under his shoulder in a side hug, grabbed a blanket from the couch, and draped it over Grian’s shoulders. Grian continued to cry into the man's side. Doc led him to one of the other spare bedrooms and laid him on the warm bed, tucking him in. The kind gesture from the cyborg made Grian cry a little harder, knowing how rough, and demanding Doc could be. This soft part of the man he thought he knew, showing itself. 

Grian whispered a soft thank you and went to sleep hearing Doc’s quiet footsteps as the half-creeper walked out of the room, shutting the door. 

<Grian went to sleep. Sweet Dreams>

Chapter Text

Keralis woke the next morning feeling good. He hadn’t gotten a proper sleep in a long while. He got himself ready in his bathroom, which was off his bedroom. Once Keralis was finished he walked from his bedroom, and out into the living room. There was a half asleep Doc on the couch with a cup of coffee in his hand, which was about to take a tumble, if Keralis didn’t grab it before it dropped. He giggled a little, but tried to mostly be quiet so as not to startle the now fully sleeping Docm. 

Keralis made his way to the kitchenette, and started on getting breakfast for the admin. He didn’t expect any of the others to be awake any time soon. Yesterday had been really heavy and had taken a toll on the whole server, as he could tell from the 73 new messages on his communicator. Keralis grabbed some of the soup they had stored in the fridge for X, and heated the mushroom stew up. 

Keralis walked into the dining room, now Xisuma's room. It looks better this way. The dining room before was too boring. He liked the sweet bedroom, although the medical equipment made it feel more like a tiny hospital. It technically was, but his Shishwammy would say it was beautiful anyway. 

He slowly walked into the room, being careful not to spill the warm stew. Also, Keralis didn’t want to startle his best friend. He took the left seat as always, and set the bowl of soup on an ender chest. Then, layed next to the bed. Despite the previous day’s events, Keralis didn’t plan on changing anything about his demeanor. Keralis took Xisuma’s hand and whispered, “Good morning my beautiful Shashwam! I have some soup for you. I hope you is hungry. Shishwammy is wonderful and not a burden, he is perfect.”

The admin’s breathing stuttered a bit, the tell tale sign that he was waking up. Keralis then proceeded to gently lift the breathing mask off of X’s face and sit him upright. He slowly tilted the soup into his mouth and made sure that Xisuma swallowed it. “Clever girl! My Shashwam.” Keralis knew that these words would encourage X greatly, and not bringing up what had happened last night would ease his admin’s mind. 

Once Xisuma finished the bowl of soup, Keralis placed the breathing mask back on his face. He wanted to talk to his Shishwammy so badly, but he knew that it was way too much to ask of X. “I hope you enjoyed the soup, my beautiful Shashwam. Iskall should bring more of it later today. Maybe he will even bring you a different type! I hope you had a good sleepy. Ima go make some breakfast for the other wonderful people in my house. I will be back in a little bit. Impulse should be in here soon, if you need anything. Bye Shishwammy,” Keralis said softly, and he squeezed Xisuma's hand gently. Although, before he went to move away, Keralis swore he heard the smallest of sounds from the back of his admin’s throat. He held his breath just in case something else happened. Nothing did, so he rose from his seat. 

Keralis bent over and planted a sweet kiss on Xisuma’s forehead, and left the room.

Doc was still asleep on the chair he had deemed as his, and Keralis couldn’t help but giggle at the half-creeper. Doc’s mouth hung open with drool spilling down his chin. It was quite the sight. Keralis made his way back over, putting the empty bowl of soup in the sink, before making his way over to the fridge once again. 

He glanced over the contents, his eyes landing on the fresh blueberries Gem had brought for them. Keralis grabbed the fruit, and started to make pancakes. He had done this so many times that it was practically a reflex. Besides, the sweet twist of the berries would be a great addition. All of the hermits loved his cooking skills, and he made it his job to make sure the food was always at its best when he had company. Today would be no different. 

As he was cooking he thought over what he had heard this morning, when he was about to leave Xisuma. Keralis couldn’t tell if it was his mind playing tricks on him or if it had truly been a sound. The optimistic part of him wanted to say that X had been trying to communicate, but he couldn’t be so sure. He needed his Shishwammy to wake up so badly that it could have been his feelings distorting reality. 

Movement from upstairs told him that either Impulse or Grian was getting up. Keralis began to brew a pot of coffee for those who drank it, and started a kettle of tea on the stove. Impulse came down the ladder, saw Doc asleep and giggled at the sight. The tall man made his way to the kitchen table and sat down. “Is Brian still asleep up there?” Keralis questioned. “Nope, he never came in,” came Impulse’s response. “Hmm… I wonder where that little man is hiding now? He better not have made a basement, too!” Keralis joked. 

A groggy voice came from behind Impulse. It was Doc, his voice much deeper than normal from his slumber. “He was crying last night. I… helped… him to bed.” Doc said, stuttering a bit, sleep still traced in his voice. “Well, is he okay or does Dadpulse need to come out?” Impulse asked, tone light, but clearly worried. “Not sure… was pretty wrecked though.” Doc responded. 

Keralis just listened to the conversation, and kept on flipping his pancakes when they were ready. There was a slight pause in the exchange, so he butted in, “Sorry for waking you sweet face. You were pretty out of it,” Keralis said to change the subject. “Eh, it’s fine. No one on this server has good sleeping habits except for Bdubs. I’ll catch up next week.” Doc chuckled. All three men burst into a fit of giggles, Keralis almost burning one of the blueberry pancakes. 

Stress walked into the room with her blanket trailing behind her. If none of them knew she was an adult, she might have been mistaken as a little girl. Her hair was a mess, parts of it in her face and others sticking straight up. “Good morning Stressy!” Keralis said sweetly. “Mornin’” Stress replied sleepily. “Hey Stress, you okay, your hair looks like a burst snare drum.” Impulse quipped. Both Stress and Impulse exploded with laughter, Stress doubled over, and Impulse unable to catch his breath. 

Keralis and Doc stayed quiet, not understanding what was so funny. By the time the two bubbles of laughter calmed down, the pancakes were ready. “Hey Impulse, could you grab the syrup from the pantry, and the honey too?” Keralis asked. “Yeah, no problem!” Doc stood from his chair and grabbed six sets of silverware, along with some plates. Keralis put the platter of pancakes in the middle of the kitchen table. Stress claimed her seat to the left of where Keralis took his. 

Doc placed the dishes on each table mat with care, being precise with where he put the silverware. Impulse came back from the pantry with the syrup and honey in one hand, and something held behind his back in the other. “What’s that you got there?” Stress asked, with a little bit of mischief hidden behind her words. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe some chocolate chips,” Impulse replied happily. Stress hummed, content with Impulse’s response. “Of course you two can’t be satisfied with just blueberry pancakes,” Doc said chuckling. “Well don’t just stand there with those, hand ‘em over won’t you,” Keralis giggled, as he snatched the bag of chocolate. “Not you too,” Doc groaned, and Keralis could practically hear his eye roll. 

After putting the chocolate chips on his pancakes in the shape of a smile, Grian walked in. “Oh hi, little gremlin, want some blueberry pancakes?” Keralis asked, smiling. Grian nodded and sat down in the second to last seat available, next to Impulse. The chair at the head of the table would remain empty. They all knew this, each of them glanced at the empty chair. None of them wanted to talk about it, but X would have to be brought up sooner or later. 

Keralis wanted to go into Shishwammy’s bedroom and shake him until he woke, so he could come and enjoy breakfast with them at the head of the table, like he always did. Not having Xisuma there just didn’t feel right. Keralis pushed these thoughts out of his mind for the moment, trying to enjoy his time with the other guest hermits. Even if it wasn’t a completely happy gathering.

“How did everyone sleep?” Impulse asked. “I didn’t,” Doc replied, while stuffing his mouth with a pancake soaked with syrup. That earned a chuckle out of all the hermits at the table. “I slept okay, bit restless though.” Grian replied, taking the tone down a bit. “You're probably gonna need a nap later or an early bedtime.” Impulse noted. “I’m not your child, you can’t tell me what to do, and you certainly can’t give me a bedtime,” Grian argued. “Well, you're acting like an immature teenager, so I might just have too.” Impulse commented. 

Grian shot a glare at Impulse from across the table. “I can manage my sleep just fine, thank you very much,” Grian retaliated. “I don’t think anyone on this server manages sleep other than Bdubs, you can barely keep your eyes open dude so…” Impulse trailed off. “Okay Brian, Impy, I don’t know what happened between the both of you, but please go take a chill pill,” Keralis spoke gently, as to not upset the quarreling hermits. “Fine,” both of them said at once. Grian abruptly stood from his chair and stormed out of the house, firing rockets once clear of the roof. Impulse made his way back up the ladder into the attic. 

“Well… that could have gone better.” Doc said, blatantly. Stress was shocked at what had just happened. The three of them sat there for a few minutes, finishing up their food. Stress rose first and grabbed the dirty dishes, then deposited them in the sink. Keralis went to grab the remaining food on the table, but Doc playfully smacked his hand away, confusing the shorter hermit. Doc smiled and said, “You cooked, we clean.” Keralis laughed a bit, accepted the help, but continued to put the smaller things away, while Doc wasn't looking. 

…

It was later in the day now, and Keralis had worked things out between Grian and Impulse. It had taken a while to convince them to talk, and some explaining on Grian’s end. A few tears were spilled, but otherwise Keralis was willing to give Grian a little bit of space. 

Keralis walked into Xisuma’s room for the second time that day, but it felt like the first interaction had been forever ago. Impulse had been there just a few moments before, but had left the admin momentarily. Keralis didn’t know when Impulse would get back, so he would try and make the best of his “alone time” with his buddy. 

“Hey Shashwam, I hope your day is going better than mine. Some hermits just got into a fight a little bit ago. I had to help sort it out. Today has been a bit rough Shishwammy, but I’m sure it will only get better from here. I just have to remember to stay positive, like you taught me. I’m glad you're here to talk with me. Impulse should be back soon, then we can have the best time in the whole universe, us three.” 

Then came a noise that he couldn’t have mistaken this time as anything but reality. The same choked off sound that emanated from Xisuma’s throat, not even a day earlier. “Oh, Shashwam, are you trying to tell your Keralis something?” A moment passed by as if X was trying to understand what was being asked. Then, a light hum, and Keralis sat up straight before all but tackling Xisuma in a bear hug. X made a little noise of protest, and Keralis jumped back. “Sorry, sorry Shishwammy, that must have been exhausting. You can go to sleepy now, clever girl.” A sound of approval followed by steady breathing had Keralis bounding out the door, into the living room.

There Impulse was, hunched over on the couch, hovering over a pile of papers. He looked worried, and on the verge of passing out. “Pulsie! Shashwam “hmmmmmed” at me!” Impulse stood up from his spot on the couch abruptly. “Did he say anything else?” Impulse shot out quickly. “No, and he sleeping now.” Keralis watched as disappointment  flashed across Impulse’s face, but he quickly masked it. “Oh, okay…” Impulse whispered. Keralis walked up to him and gave him a hug, shocking the taller hermit. The hug was returned, and Keralis swiftly made his way to his bedroom.

He pulled out his communicator and sent off a message, giggling softly to himself as arrangements were made.

Chapter Text

Impulse was in Xisuma’s room, sitting next to the bed like he usually did. He wasn’t doing anything in particular, just keeping their admin company. Impulse was tired, he slept last night, but had taken the night shift the day before. 

He heard some voices and greetings from outside of the room, his curiosity running wild as to who it might be. The door opened, and Tango walked in with Cub next to him. “It’s just Tango and Cub, you don’t need to worry X,” Impulse whispered, so Xisuma wouldn’t panic. “Hey X! Hey Impulse! We need some help with a lighting issue in Scar’s base. We know you are pretty good at fixing those, and we’ll show you where,” Tango said, casually. “Okay, I can help, who’s gonna watch X, though?” “Keralis said he would take the next shift with Doc,” Cub responded. 

The three friends said their goodbyes to Xisuma, and also to Keralis, who seemed more excited than usual, before leaving to fix the glitch. They flew towards boatem and landed in front of Scar’s swagons. “Okay where’s the issue?” Impulse asked, hoping to get back to X as soon as possible. “It's right over here,” Cub said, pointing and leading him to a spot on the ground.

Tango was standing behind Impulse, following the pair, but they stopped before where the problem supposedly was. Then all of a sudden something dropped down on Impulse’s back with a warrior's cry. Impulse didn’t have any time to react before he was pinned to the ground. “What? Ahh, help!” Impulse shouted. He could hear Tango laughing hysterically behind him, along with Cub, as someone tied his hands behind his back. Whoever it was blindfolded him as well. 

Someone helped him to his feet. “Uh, guys? What’s going on?” Impulse questioned, a hint of panic in his voice. His “captors” (They are his friends, not jailers. Why are they doing this?) didn’t speak, leading him somewhere else. At some point he lost track of which paths they had taken him on, and just decided to comply with whatever they wanted. They are his friends. They wouldn’t do this unless it was a prank, right? 

The small group came to a stop, Impulse stumbling a little. The restraints were taken off immediately, freeing his hands. “Can I take off the blindfold too?” Impulse asked, before raising his hands. “Yeah, go ahead. We're here.” Cub responded, with a light hearted tone. 

Impulse cautiously took off the blindfold, not knowing what to expect from his friends. He glanced at who was around him, finding Tango, Cub, and Bdubs. Did Bdbus jump on me? Impulse then looked straight ahead, his eyes growing wide with confusion. He was in front of Mumbo’s Treesa, and there were hermits everywhere. At the campfire was Wels, False, Beef, and Stress. On top of the giant plant was Grian, looking out over his friends with a big smile on his face. There were hermits inside of the VW Bus that he could see through the windows, unable to identify who, though. 

A smile crept onto his face, seeing all of his best friends all in one place. If only X, Keralis, and Doc were here. It's just not the same. Impulse thought these things for a moment, before pushing the negatives out, and looked at all of them with a wide smile. Seeing Grian grinning had brought his mood up. The younger hermit had been so down lately and seeing him in a happy state was a rare sight nowadays. 

“Well, what do ya think? Keralis set this all up for you. You seemed really tired, and needed a break, so we all decided to help!” Bdubs exclaimed. “You...did all of this for me?” Impulse said, tears starting to stream down his face in pure glee. “Yeah, of course Impy, we all love you very much. Plus, team ZIT has been without it’s ‘i’ for quite some time now. I think we all need to relax a little,” Tango added. 

“Thank you! You really didn’t have to do this,” Impulse said, sniffling. He wiped away his happy tears, hugged Tango, then Cub, and walked towards the people surrounding the campfire. This left Bdubs squawking, just because he didn’t hug him. Bdubs had jumped on him, there was no way he was giving him a hug right now, he thought deviously.  

“Hey Impulse! Surprise! We all know you need a break, so we are here to give you that,” False said as Impulse approached. “Thank you, y’all are just the best friends a man could ask for. Things have been a bit overwhelming, but I think a night off may do me some good,” Impulse voiced.

He sat next to Beef, and joined into their idle chatter. He was having a great time, no stress on his mind or plans in his thoughts. Eventually, it came time for all the hermits to eat. Apparently Keralis had spent a long time preparing the food for them the night before and Impulse wondered how the man had pulled it off without waking anyone up. Keralis had made cooked pork chops with a side of baked potatoes (supplied by Mumbo) and cake for dessert. 

After all the hermits had eaten until they couldn’t eat any more. They gathered around the warm fire with blankets, cuddling close to each other in the cold. The sun had set about an hour ago, the temperature dropping substantially. The hermits joked around, talking about their bases, and what new farms they wanted to make. Everyone avoided the topic of Xisuma, they didn’t need it to burst their bubble of happiness right now. For a moment it felt like time stood still, all of them relishing in each other's company. 

Impulse was almost asleep, leaning up against Zedaph. It was starting to get really late into the night now, and Impulse was cold as well as sleepy. He felt a gentle body pick him up, bringing him into Mumbo’s base, where the heat felt amazing. He was laid in a soft, warm bed, and Impulse surrendered himself to sleep. 

<Impulse went to sleep. Sweet Dreams>

Chapter Text

Doc had been preparing this for a couple of days, for it was quite a tedious task. Keralis had told him of his plan to throw Impulse a surprise party, and he had immediately said that he wanted to stay with Xisuma. Doc tried to convince Keralis to go and have some fun with the other hermits, but the man won’t leave his house for anything. In the end, they decided the two of them would do something special with X.

Keralis, the day before, had told their admin what they were planning, and Doc couldn’t tell if Xisuma agreed with it or not. Knowing X he probably would, but they hadn’t interacted with him properly in a month and a half now. 

Doc greeted Tango and Cub as they walked into Keralis’ house. “Hey guys! You ready?” Doc asked, in a hushed voice. “Yeah, Bdubs is in position,” Tango whispered. “Okay, Impulse is in X’s room,” Doc said. “He’s always in there, he practically lives in that room,” Cub chuckled. 

After getting Impulse, he saw the trio off, and went into Xisuma’s bedroom. The admin was currently asleep, the rising and falling of his chest very slow and calm. He quietly brought in the projector and jukebox, and quickly made sure they would sync up with one another. It wasn’t hard, since he had done this so many times before. 

Keralis walked into the room with some wood and wool. Doc watched as the wide-eyed man crafted two more beds, and placed them on either side of the still asleep admin. Once the beds were placed, Keralis immediately crawled on top of the one to Xisuma’s right. He didn’t get too close to the admin quite yet, as to not scare the man out of his peaceful slumber. 

Doc smiled as Keralis took Xisuma’s hand, and started to speak in a hushed tone to wake the admin. He watched as his friend slowly woke up, the changes so little that it would take a long time for anyone to notice a difference. Doc and Keralis knew these changes, though, as many of the hermits did. Watching their caretaker have to be taken care of was really hard, most of them studying X like their lives depended on it. 

In all honesty, their lives did depend on Xisuma. X was the one who switched their worlds, who fixed bugs and glitches. He protected them from viruses and bullies. He’s more than just their admin. Xisuma was, and still is, all of their guardians. The man isn’t given enough credit. Taking care of all 25 of them, not including himself, is a monstrous task, and Doc didn’t understand how a single person was mentally and physically strong enough to carry all of these things on his shoulders. Well, maybe he did understand, Xisuma wasn’t exactly known for having a healthy sleeping schedule.

If Doc didn’t know any better, he’d say he was crying. A couple tears ran down the organic side of his face, before he wiped them away. Choosing to ignore it, Doc continued to work on putting together his little set up. Keralis was talking to Xisuma in his baby voice, and the last thing Doc heard before Keralis got up and walked out of the room was, “I be right back Shishwammy, don’t you worry your pretty little face.” 

Keralis came back in, this time with a giant bowl of popcorn. The smell was heavenly, and Doc couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten popcorn. He didn’t have it often, because it got caught in between his teeth, but he would have some tonight since it was a special occasion. Doc went and sat on the other side of Xisuma, the spare bed sinking down under his weight. “Hey X! You ready? We have something special planned for you tonight. I hope you like it!” Then a mumbled out, “know…’i-ill,” came from Xisuma’s mouth.

… 

_____________________________________________________________________

When Xisuma woke Keralis was next to him, whispering into his ear, and he felt the familiar feeling of his best friend gently squeezing his right hand. “Hi Shashwam! It’s time to wake up now. Your surprise is all ready and I can’t wait to give it to you!” If X could smile he would, but he was losing hope on ever being able to. Besides, he didn’t know if Keralis would catch the small gesture.

Keralis then said that he would be right back, and that he was going to get something. Xisuma felt excitement well up inside of him, an emotion he hadn’t felt in so long, paired with a bit of nervousness. He swiftly calmed his nerves though, he didn’t need to worry. He trusted his friends and that they would take care of him.

Xisuma knew the moment Keralis stepped into the room again, the smell of popcorn wafting through the space. Then another person was next to him. “Hey X! You ready? We have something special planned for you tonight. I hope you like it!” This was Doc, he could recognise his voice anywhere, the Germanic tone so familiar. Doc was one of the hermits who had stuck around him the most, besides Keralis and Impulse of course. 

Xisuma thought about what Doc had said, forming the words that he wanted to say to the pair. “I know I will,” is what he tried to say. X didn’t know how much had actually come out, the vibrations there, but not totally clear in his throat. It could have been nothing, but he got a clue from the others' reactions. 

A startled gasp came from the big-eyed man himself, and if Xisuma could see Doc right now, he would probably have his mouth wide open. “Wha! Shishwammy! You used words! That's my clever girl!” Keralis said, excitement laced in his voice, and Xisuma felt his confidence skyrocket. At first, he had quickly lost belief in actually getting better, but the thought of being able to talk, and possibly walk, with his friends again made him hopeful. 

“How are you feeling X?” Doc asked, seemingly getting his own voice back after the shock. He sounded hopeful, almost anxious, as to what the admin’s answer would be. “I feel good,” Xisuma responded to the question. He could tell, though, that only ‘feel’ and ‘good’ made it out of his mouth. It's probably best to keep words to a minimum. 

“Yay Shishwammy! Your Keralis is happy that you feel good,” Keralis said. X could feel a small smile creep up onto his face as he was embraced by a warm body. Xisuma was happy, the feeling healing and overflowing within his heart. Keralis came out of the hug and settled right next to him, Doc on X’s other side. 

Xisuma enjoys being surrounded like this, the warmth of his friends enveloping him. “You ready for your surprise?” Doc asked, shifting a little on the bed to reach for something. X hummed, signaling to the others that he was ready for anything they had planned. 

He heard a click, and some light instrumental music started to play. “Shashwam you want some food?” Keralis asked, a worried tone, that X couldn’t quite understand, laced in his voice. “Plea…,” Xisuma mumbled, the end getting lost in translation.

“So polite Shashwam. Well, Papa K has a special surprise for you! Since Shishwammy is using words now, I think he is ready for actual food. What ya think?” Keralis cooed. “Yea!” Xisuma exclaimed, wanting something other than soup. The smell of popcorn was making him hungry, and X felt as if he had been living on a deserted island with nothing other than mushroom stew to keep him alive. 

The two men sitting next to him started laughing hysterically at his excited reply, shaking the beds slightly. Once they calmed down, Xisuma heard the sounds of a hand in a bowl of popcorn. “Alrighty Shashwam, you ready?” Keralis asked. Xisuma hummed again, and braced himself as best he could when his friends sat him up a bit. He felt Keralis lift off his breathing mask, hold half a piece of popcorn to his lips, and place it inside when he opened his mouth. X chewed slowly, and with only a bit of difficulty, until it was small enough for him to swallow. 

“Yay! Shishwammy has eaten real food!” Keralis exclaimed happily. X was proud of himself, an emotion that he didn’t feel too often and was probably the result of Keralis’ constant praise. He hadn’t felt so good since before his incident, and even then he had always been exhausted. Keralis continued to feed him bits of popcorn, until he had to put Xisuma’s mask back on. Afterwards, Doc went to turn the volume up. 

He could hear the music better now, a song he quite liked. Then he heard voices, ones he knew by heart. Xisuma could never forget these people. It made his heart swell, listening to the chatter of his hermits. X knew it was a video, since all of the other hermits were with Impulse at the moment. 

The video was full of fond memories, shared between the hermits. He heard the sound of Etho’s frantic voice along with Grian yelling, “Do it, do it, do it!”. Then there was a giant splash, and the sounds of an angry Etho after he was swallowed by a tidal wave created by Beef. I remember this! The scene changed to the voices of team ZIT, pots and pans clattering all over the place. There was a gasp, and the sounds of Zedaph freaking out screaming, “Fire! Fire! Ahhhhhhh!” Tango and Impulse were laughing, and the sounds of running water soon covered the crackling of fire. 

The video continued, Xisuma enjoying the fond events of the previous hermitcraft worlds. One scene from last season was Mumbo and Iskall during hermit challenges, specifically when Mumbo had failed his challenge of getting a pet parrot. More scenes played out, the inevitable end starting to draw near. The second to last memory was Grian and his Guinea Pig Services. Finally, the last scene was a clip of Keralis telling a horrendous dad joke, finishing with Xisuma almost choking with laughter. 

By the end of the compilation X was sobbing. He loved to hear all of his friends having a good time, grateful for the support and memories even if he couldn’t see it. Keralis was holding him, and was also crying softly into his neck. Once Xisuma had calmed down a bit, he was embraced with yet another hug, this one from Doc. The creeper typically didn’t like to hug anyone, so this was special. X knew that the whole incident had been rough on everyone, including the toughest of the hermits. 

When Doc eventually pulled away, Xisuma was a little sad, wanting the physical touch. Keralis stayed right next to him, though, which lifted his spirits. X decided he wanted to thank both of them. For putting so much time and effort into helping him when he couldn’t help himself. He managed to say, “‘ank you ‘or s’aying ‘ith me.” His first whole sentence since that awful night. 

“Of course Shishwammy! We will always be with you, no matter what.”

Chapter Text

It was around midnight, and Impulse was tired. Most of the hermits were still gathered at Mumbo’s, many of them sleeping over. However, when he asked, Tango and Zedaph decided they would take Impulse ‘home’ (to Keralis’). The trio said their farewells for the time being, and stepped through the nether portal. 

The big eyes crew was a short walk, only taking a couple of minutes. When they came through the portal, they were met with a goat in a boat screaming at them. It was startling in the quiet night, but the three burst into laughter at how Zedaph almost jumped to the (abnormally large) moon. After they calmed down, the group made their way over to Keralis’ house. 

Impulse made sure that they opened the door quietly, so they wouldn’t disturb the sleeping hermits inside. Once through the door, Impulse made his way towards Xisuma’s room to check if he needed anything. He thought to himself, Doc and Keralis are probably already asleep in their own rooms. 

When he opened the door, Tango and Zed behind him, he saw his three friends asleep, in a pile, with popcorn all over them. Impulse started laughing, and quickly tried to muffle it, his two companions suffering the same fate. Then a low grunt came from the beds, all three of them instantly silencing. Doc, they had woken him up. Whoops!

Impulse knew that Doc was a light sleeper when he wanted to be, but he had seen him a few times before sleeping so deeply that an explosion wouldn’t wake him up. Usually Doc would sleep heavily when he overworked himself, like many of the hermits did.

Doc grumbled something, but Impulse didn’t pay it any mind and whispered “sorry.” The former carefully sat up in the bed, and looked down at Keralis and Xisuma. He smiled softly at them, before chuckling quietly. There was a bright yellow bowl on top of Keralis’ head, and popcorn spilled all over the place. X looked as peaceful as Impulse had ever seen him, all traces of worry gone from his face. When he looked a bit closer, though, he could see faint tear tracks. Turning to Doc, Impulse silently asked him about it, but the creeper only mouthed that he would tell him later.

Impulse watched Doc untangle himself from the mess, and brush himself clean of stray popcorn, the pieces falling to the floor, forgotten for the moment. Doc stumbled over towards the trio at the door. “Let’s get them cleaned up,” Doc said, voice scratchy from sleep. “Probably should,” Impulse replied, eyes drooping slightly. “I’ll grab another bowl,” Zedaph whispered, and walked into the kitchen. 

Doc, along with Impulse and Tango, made their way swiftly towards the bed. Tango began picking pieces of popcorn off of the sheets, holding it in his hand, waiting for Zed to return. Doc crouched down to clean the floor while Impulse went over to the sleeping Keralis and plucked the bowl off of his head. Zed walked back into the room as he did this, and couldn’t quite stifle his laughter. 

The four stood shaking from their giggles, trying and failing to be quiet. They continued to clean the mess, Keralis snoring through the whole ordeal. The quartet was almost done cleaning when X’s breathing stuttered. They all froze in their tracks, Tango tripping over the bowl and bracing himself on his arms against the floor. One of his legs was held out behind him as he basically bent in half, not daring to risk standing up.

They all stood still as armour stands, staring at their admin, waiting for him to give the signs of sleep. After a couple of moments, Xisuma’s breathing went back to normal, all of them exhaling in unison, and Tango collapsing to the floor, trying not to die from laughter. 

Quickly they finished their work, and walked out of the once dining area. They all said their goodnights, and started heading to their separate spaces. Once Tango and Zedaph were in their respective rooms, Doc grabbed Impulse’s shoulder lightly before he could enter his own sleeping quarters. 

“What’s up Doc?” Impulse asked, quietly, wondering why he was being stopped. “I just need to talk to you for a few minutes before you go to bed,” Doc replied. “Okay,” was Impulse’s short response. They walked out into the living room and sat down on the couch. 

“How was your night?” Doc asked. “It was really good, thank you, your’s?” Impulse replied politely. “Well… it was good, but…” He mumbled something, looking away like he felt guilty. “But?” Impulse prompted. “X was talking to us,” Doc stated flatly. Impulse’s eyes widened, wanting to know what their admin had said to them. “So… was it like...actual words or…” Impulse trailed off. “Yes, he was speaking in what seemed to be full sentences in his head, but they came out only a few words at a time.”

Impulse didn’t know what to think about this. Why didn’t they message him? He was not in a good place mentally right then, millions of questions overwhelming his head, and hundreds of emotions flooding his heart. Impulse felt like he wanted to cry, and never stop. The one time when he was forced to go out, he missed such a major milestone for X. 

Impulse didn’t want to say anything, didn’t think he could say anything, so he just nodded and rose from his seat, walking to his bedroom. He left Doc to sit alone in the living room, not wanting to deal with his emotions in front of anyone. In all honesty, he didn’t want to deal with his emotions at all. He would think about them in the morning, he told himself. 

Impulse climbed into the queen sized bed, and fell asleep crying softly. 

… 

_____________________________________________________________________

When X woke up, it was to Keralis running his hands through his hair. Keralis always knew how to be so gentle, even when he looked so strong. Xisuma couldn’t help but smile, his best friend was next to him and playing with his hair. X felt great today, most of the time he was really tired and just wanted to sleep. However, this day he was more awake than ever, still riding his high of speaking even two weeks later.

“Good morning Shashwam,” Keralis exclaimed, noticing that he was awake. “Mm..ornin..g,” Xisuma replied, stuttering more heavily after sleep. “How ya feeling, sweet face?” Keralis questioned, obviously happy to get a reply. “Hung’y…” Xisuma responded. Keralis chuckled and moved to grab something, the bed shifting. “I thought you’d say that,” Keralis laughed. X hummed, and smiled, agreeing with his best friend. 

“I has some scrambled eggies and some berries for you. Also some of your favorite tea if you’d like?” Keralis said, giddy. “Yes! Tea!” Xisuma exclaimed, excitement coursing through him. X heard a whole hearted laugh come out of his friend, making his heart swell. He hadn’t heard Keralis laugh like that in a while, constantly worried about his admin.

“Okay Shishwammy, ready for an eggie? Be careful and make sure you chew the whole thing before swallowing. We don’t want you to choke and go caput.” Keralis’ words make X huff out a little laugh that ends up sounding more like a cough. He calmed down and opened his mouth, ready for the bite of egg. 

Keralis lifted his breathing mask to allow X access to his breakfast. Xisuma can smell the salty aroma of the cooked piece, and feels the warmth hover over his tongue. He closes his mouth around the bite, Keralis slipping the metal fork out from between his lips in a smooth, swift motion. X chewed his warm piece of food and swallowed, before opening his mouth for another bite. 

Keralis continues to feed him until the plate is empty. “Do you want some of your tea now, Shashwam?” Keralis asked. “Mhm,” X responded, really craving the sweet liquid. He hears Keralis shift, and then a warm hand is snaking behind him to tilt him up a little bit further. There is the clink of glass, and a warm cup is held to his lips. X can smell the rose tea and his mouth starts to water.

He takes gentle sips, as the cup is tilted ever so slightly to allow liquid through his parted lips. Keralis let him have a few sips before pulling away, and setting the cup back on its saucer. “How was it? Did I get it right, Shishwammy?” Keralis questioned, sounding like he doubted his tea-making abilities. Xisuma smiled and whispered, “Perfect.” Keralis hummed next to him, and lifted the tea cup again, this time letting X have it for a bit longer than before. 

It didn’t take long for the tea cup to empty. Xisuma wanted more of the warm drink, but he knew that he needed to refrain from asking. Keralis wouldn’t let his best friend drink only tea all day, he would force some water into his system sooner or later. 

“Today, Shashwam, is going to be all about you! Impy, Brian, Stressy, Doc, and your Keralis are going to spend the whole day with you!” Keralis squealed, initiating the conversation. “Don’t ha’ to,” X said, stumbling over the ‘v’. Xisuma mentally cursed at his stuttering, having been doing so well, only to then mess up his words again. “Yes Shishwammy, we do has to. We ain’t leaving, and we all wanna be here with you. You deserve the whole world, Shishwammy, and more!” Keralis said, tone light. 

“No...don’t deserve…” X sniffled as he said this, tears starting to well up in his eyes. “Shashwam!” Keralis exclaimed, no real heat in his words, but sounding genuinely shocked. “Hmm...?” “Why you tell such lies about yourself?” Keralis asked, sadness seeping into his voice. Xisuma sniffled again trying to keep his emotions behind locked doors. The only flaw in his attempt was that Keralis had the key, and knew just how to use it. 

“Xisuma, listen to your Keralis, those vile thoughts inside your head aren’t true. You are the best. In fact, you're the bestest friend a Keralis could ever have. I could never choose anyone more worthy than you to deserve all the attention you could ever want or need.” X was startled when Keralis used his real name for the first time in years, however, he still wasn’t convinced. “But-” Xisuma was quickly cut off. “No buts, everything I have said is true. Whenever those thoughts come to mind, dump them in the trash and think back to what I just said. Got it?” Keralis finished, and he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when X responded with a quiet “okay.” 

… 

It was later in the day now, and Xisuma was content listening to his hermits talk. Grian and Doc were in the corner playing chess, the wooden pieces clinking against each other. Impulse was sitting on his left and Keralis was in his usual spot on his right. The latter had told him that Stress was sitting in the corner, in a bean bag chair, reading a book. 

He was trying to hold a conversation with Keralis and Impulse when Grian screamed, “Checkmate!” Everyone in the room was laughing besides Doc. It was uncommon for him to lose a game of chess, who would have guessed it would be to the resident prankster? 

“Can you keep it down please?” Impulse asked, annoyed and tired. Xisuma could practically hear the eye roll that was most likely directed towards the tall man, and was proven right by Impulse’s next words. “Don’t roll those eyes at me, mister,” he said, voice stern. “Yeah, yeah, sorry dad ,” came from Grian in a mocking tone. X was confused as to what had gone wrong. One moment they were all having fun, laughing and playing games, and the next second people were arguing.

“Why can’t you just be mature like the rest of us?” Impulse retaliated, starting to raise his voice. “I am mature thank you very much, and I don’t see why you get to decide how I act,” Grian said, volume climbing as well. Keralis was holding Xisuma’s hand tighter with each remark, subtly placing two of his fingers over his wrist to check X’s pulse. “Maybe I wouldn’t have too if you followed simple directions without arguing back,” Impulse replied, emotion seeping into his words. 

At that point both men were yelling, before being interrupted by Keralis. “Doc, will you take Brian into the living room, pretty please?” There was some shuffling and stomping as the pair walked out of the room, Grian slamming the door behind him. 

Once they had left the room, Impulse grabbed X’s other hand and squeezed it lightly, resting it against the bridge of his nose and his forehead. The room was quiet, all except for the sounds of pages turning, coming from Stress’ corner. 

“I.. j-just…hugh,” Impulse stammered. Xisuma was a little worried about Impulse’s stuttering. The man was always so composed, hearing him upset was a rarity. Then, all of a sudden, something wet hit the hand Impulse was holding. Is he crying? X had never seen the man cry before, excluding when he was in lots of pain when suffering an injury. (That was to be expected though. As the admin, Xisuma had seen all of the hermits cry at some point.)

This wasn’t good, and Xisuma knew that.  X was already a little apprehensive from the arguing moments ago, but this was definitely scaring him. Hearing the controlled man fall apart was heart-breaking, but X couldn’t provide the help needed. Another tear hit his hand, dragging a sword through his soul, and the admin knew that he had to comfort the taller hermit.

So, with all of the energy he could muster, Xisuma blinked open his eyes.

Chapter Text

The light of the room was blinding, making him squint, even that being too much after months spent in the dark. “B-bright!” Xisuma choked out, urgency laced between the syllables. Impulse’s head shot up immediately at his words, staring at him. Then he practically climbed on top of X, blocking the overbearing light with his head, and cupping his face with his hands. 

There was a gasp coming from Keralis which quickly turned into shouts. “DOC, GRIAN GET IN HERE!” With that Stress leaped out of the bean bag chair and threw her book onto the floor. “Stressy kill the lights!” Keralis shrieked. Stress did as she was told and ran towards the switch, casting the room into darkness. 

The next thing X knew, the door was thrown open so forcefully that it put a hole in the wall and Doc ran in with Grian behind him. The shorter’s face was flushed with tears and displaying an expression of worry. The light was just about bearable, a few tears slipping out despite his best efforts. Stress calmly walked over to Keralis’ side and gently pulled him away. He complied, although clearly hesitant to leave the admin. 

Impulse, who was still on top of him, had tears streaming down his face and was a shaking mess. Stress went towards him, trying to pull him away to give X some space, but Impulse wouldn’t budge. In the end, she grabbed his right ear, tugging. Impulse whimpered, and reluctantly got off the bed. 

Xisuma found it hard to see the others, their brightly colored clothing blurring together. The bed was still shaking as well, even with Impulse gone. His head was throbbing, and  X realised with a start that he was the one trembling. He attempted a deep breath and focused more on Stress, now, with her being right next to him, sitting in the seat he assumed Impulse had just been in. The others were standing around in a little huddle on his other side, faces ranging from pure joy, to guilt, to tears. 

“Hey X, how are you feeling?” Stress asked, caution in her voice. “I feel okay,” X responded, making sure to ease all of their racing minds without flat out lying and saying that everything was perfect. “That’s good, love. How are your eyes doing?” Stress questioned as she gently grabbed his wrist and squeezed it slightly, obviously taking his still slowing pulse. “Fuzzy…and heavy…” X trailed off, distracted by someone standing at the door. 

Zedaph was sleepily leaning against the door frame, a blanket draped over his shoulders. It was clear that he was woken up by the commotion, but, as far as X knew, it must be around midday since Keralis had already fed him lunch. Impulse followed his gaze and turned to see what he was looking at. When he saw Zed, he immediately started laughing uncontrollably, almost hysterically after his breakdown. 

Zedaph was wearing a purple, or pink, (he couldn’t really tell, usually relying on his purple-tinted visor to decipher colors) sleep mask on top of his head, blue-ish green plaid pajama pants, and a Team ZIT tie-dyed t-shirt. He was also wearing white, sort of grey, socks. 

The others looked towards him and started laughing as well, most of it sounding strained. Zed just smiled and looked down at his feet. Tango then stumbled in, tripping on the blanket Zedaph had, which was now pooling at his feet. “Oughgh,” is what came out of Tango’s sleep driven mind as he fell to the floor, his friend being pulled down with him. 

All of the hermits were at least giggling, well, all except for Grian who still looked as if he had just seen a ghost. X made a mental note to check on him later, but for now he was trying his best to stay quiet and become part of the furniture. Once everyone had calmed down, Doc walked over to the pair and pulled them up off the floor, Tango almost falling again when he lost one of his pink bunny slippers. 

Tango studied Zedaph’s choice of clothes for a moment, smiling when he saw the pants. “Are those my pants?” Tango asked. “You mean trousers?” Zed quipped, not answering him, but looking away, blushing harshly, and that was answer enough. 

The room erupted into laughter once more, before they all turned their attention back to their admin. Well, so much for not being noticed. X’s stomach hurt from his soft giggles, but he managed to slow his breathing and look towards his friends, specifically at Impulse. “Impulse, are you alright?” Xisuma asked, voice small and weak. He was a little nervous with everyone staring straight at him, something that had probably happened many times before, but now he could see it. 

“Am I alright?! Dude, you were out for a literal two months!” Impulse exclaimed. X shied away a bit, not wanting to talk about what had happened two months ago. “I know, but I need to be sure that you're okay,” Xisuma said, wanting Impulse to affirm. “I’ll be fine, but are you okay?” Impulse dodged his question like a wide shot arrow and X scowled at the man, wanting an actual answer other than the usual ‘I’m fine.’ 

“I don’t really want to talk about it right now, if that’s okay with everyone,” Xisuma answered. “Of course Shishwammy! You take aaaaall the time in the whole universe. You don’t need to talk until you're ready.  We understand how hard this was, it was hard on all of us,” Keralis assured him. “Thanks,” X mumbled. “Okay, Shashwam do you want some foodies?” The big eyed man asked, voice full of cheer as he changed the subject. “Yes, I would like some, Keralis,” Xisuma replied. “WOW, Shishwammy be using proper grammar! Your Keralis is impressed,” Keralis exclaimed. This earned a chuckle from both X and the rest of the room. 

Keralis walked to the kitchen to grab X some food, while Stress continued to look over his vitals. When Xisuma glanced around, he saw Grian off in the corner, crying softly, huddled in on himself. X caught Stress’ gaze and mouthed ‘Grian.’ She looked up and over to the corner Grian was in and nodded. After giving Doc some quick instructions, Stress walked over, sitting down and hugging him gently. 

The creeper was now next to X, taking over Stress’ role as doctor, and leaving Stress to a new job, mother. Doc was speaking to him, but the admin was too focused on the crying hermit. Xisuma wanted, needed , to go to Grian, the hermit who had found him. It was kind of overwhelming to finally see his broken family. He had heard their tears, and wishes for two months, but was unable to comfort them. Now, maybe, he could.

Keralis was back, carrying a plate, and looked in the direction X was. Xisuma saw Keralis’ head dip in sadness briefly, but he swiftly masked it and walked over to him. The shorter man sat in front of X to block his view of the shaking Grian. They had been friends long enough for him to know that he would refuse any form of help until he knew his hermits were okay. 

Keralis slowly fed X some cooked chicken and bread with water. He made sure to keep Xisuma’s full attention, seeing to it that he swallowed every last bite of his food without choking. Once he was done eating, Keralis got up and put the plate away, but Grian and Stress were already gone. When did they leave? X had wanted to check in on the small man, but that would have to wait for another day. (Why did Keralis have to be so good at distracting him from his worries?)

X’s best friend soon returned to the room and sat on the edge of his bed since Impulse, Doc, Tango, and Zedaph were sitting on the floor, talking to each other. Then, across the room, Xisuma noticed a small device on a shelf. “Is that…a baby monitor?” Xisuma asked, a little bit of shame creeping into his hoarse voice. “Yup! Bought it from Etho just for my Shishwammy!” Keralis giggled, the group on the ground joining in. 

“Oh come on! It’s only been two months,” Xisuma mumbled. “Well buddy, no one wanted to stay awake all night every night, so the baby monitor was the way to go,” Impulse explained through his laughter. X figured that he had a good point, but that didn’t do anything to ease his embarrassment. 

“Shashwam?” Keralis asked thoughtfully, after watching Xisuma yawn and his eyes droop. “Yes, Keralis,” X responded. “ I know you is tired, but I also know you don’t really want to sleepy right now. I’m aware it’s a lot to ask because you're scared you is going to go back into that nasty coma, but you need to rest,” he explained. Keralis knew him too well and the admin mentally cursed that he was right, he was scared out of his voidwalker mind. His attempt didn’t make X want to sleep, though. “I’m not tired, K,” Xisuma said, trying to hold back yet another yawn. “Oh no no no mister. You is going to sleepy no ifs, ans, or buts about it,” Keralis replied. Xisuma sighed and gave in, not wanting to show how terrified he actually was. “Fine, but wake me up in the morning, please.” 

“Okie dokie, I will. Have a good nighty night!” Keralis exclaimed. The rest of the hermits departed out of the door, leaving X to sleep alone . Xisuma didn’t want to sleep, the possibility of going back into a coma was incredibly hindering. He wished one of his hermits had stayed and kept him company, at least until he fell asleep, but they didn’t. Xisuma didn’t ask them to, so they left. 

X felt as if he was back inside his mind, only his spiraling thoughts to keep him company. It was like being in that wretched coma, unable to see as Tango had turned the remaining lights off when he exited the room. His breaths were coming faster, eyes blurring with tears, as he became lightheaded. Xisuma started hyperventilating. 

Then he heard running footsteps and his door was flung open, thankfully bringing some light. “SHISHWAMMY YOU OKAY?” Keralis yelled into the room, running forward. “...no…” X got out, breathing slowing down but still not providing enough oxygen.  “What’s wrong, sweet face?” Keralis asked, worry plastered on his dimly lit expression. “Alone…” he trailed off and let out a heart wrenching sob. “Oh Shashwam…” 

“W-will you st-tay with m-me?” Xisuma asked, tears running down his cheeks. 

“Of course.”

Chapter Text

Grian was still sobbing as he and Stress exited Xisuma’s room. They made sure to leave quietly since X still looked overwhelmed and tense, and Grian couldn’t bear to look him in the eyes. He felt so guilty, letting the admin get hurt to the point of comatose. 

Logically, Grian knew no one blamed him for it, but he was upset with himself and that was all that mattered. X would probably blame me, too. The thoughts rampaging through his head made hardly any sense, yet just enough to make him believe them. 

Stress continued to hold and hug the smaller hermit, trying and failing to comfort Grian. He couldn’t see or think now through his watery eyes and emotion blurred brain. Watching X gaze around the room, then looking straight at him, broke the invisible stitches that were slowly mending his heart back together. You were the one to take his sight, his everything.

Only half an hour ago he was arguing and fighting with Impulse, Doc taking Grian out of the room to calm down, and have a conversation. The heart to heart was interrupted by the yells of Keralis, startling both out of the haze they had settled into. Remembering those events just made Grian sob harder, scrunching up into a ball and pressing more and more into Stress on the bed they had somehow made it to. 

Grian managed to calm himself down enough to take a deep breath, hiccuping and sniffling the only sounds other than a soft humming from Stress. When did Stress start humming? He tried to focus on the sounds that were emanating from the small woman. The tune was easy to pick up, one that he had composed himself. This made Grian smile, starting to hum along with her. 

Pickles, pickles on the seafloor. Pickles, pickles on the seafloor. Pickles, pickles on the seafloor, planting pickles all day long. 

The pair continued the little song for a few minutes, settling into the comfortable environment. They finished the tune, and Grian sighed into Stress’ side. “Alright love, what’s goin’ on in that pretty little head o’ yours?” Stress asked, quietly, almost a whisper. He tensed slightly, prompting Stress to squeeze him softly and run a soothing hand across his back.  “I-I just f-feel so-o guilty…I want t-to apologize to h-him,” Grian responded, a couple of tears making their way across his face. 

Stress shifted a little so she could look at his face, and smiled gently. “Love, it wasn’t your fault. Why do you feel da’ need to apologize?” she said, even gentler than before. She knew he was vulnerable at that moment. Honestly they all were, some refused to show it (*cough cough* Doc), but they all knew when they looked at each other. 

“I… I could have stopped all this. None of this would have happened if I just reacted faster, and killed that witch. He was going to be okay, but when the poison hit him again it made it all worse. That’s why he was in that stupid bed for two months, because it was all my fault in the first place,” Grian finished, beginning to sob half way through.

Stress pulled him even closer, no space left between them. She was whispering something into his ear, but he couldn’t hear her over the sound of his own hiccuping breaths. Then he heard her shushing him like a crying toddler who had scraped his knee on the concrete. Surprisingly, it helped ease him into soft sniffles. “Dear, you can only be yourself. It wasn’t your fault. You did the best you could in the moment. Grian, without you being there he could’a been in a much worse condition. You got him out, and helped Doc and Impulse. We would never blame you for this, and I know for a fact that X won’t either,” Stress stated, making sure Grian heard everything. 

Her words were comforting, but he still wanted to apologize, even if he didn’t have to. “I-I still w-want t-to,” Grian whispered. “Okay, love,” Stress replied, “Whenever you’re ready.”

…

It was the next day, and Keralis walked into the living room, where Grian and Doc were sitting. They had been chatting quietly before he came in, gently shutting Xisuma’s door behind him. “Keralis, I thought you slept in your room last night?” Doc inquired, confusion in his words. “Shashwam didn’t want to be alone-y bologna,” Keralis replied, still sleepy. 

Doc nodded and Grian looked down at his feet when the big eyed man’s gaze shifted to him. “Brian… I think you should talk to Shishwammy sometime today. He’s pretty worried about you,” Keralis said, mellowly. Grian didn’t want to talk to X, no he couldn’t talk to the admin, not today. He knew as soon as he looked at Xisuma he would break down into tears. “Grian?” Keralis prodded, knocking him out of his thoughts. “Sorry K, I-I don’t know. I t-think I need some more time,” Grian answered nervously. A soft “okay” came from Keralis, as he walked towards the kitchen, most likely to get X some food, and Grian was relieved that he didn’t press.

Before Grian could talk to Xisuma he needed to make up with Impulse, knowing that it would be brought up in their discussion. He remained looking at the ground as he heard the sounds of food being prepared and light humming coming from the small kitchen. Grian could feel Doc staring at him, studying his posture and facial expressions. The man was so observant, taking in everything around him. Doc always knew when something was amiss. 

Grian wished he could be more like Doc. The creeper hybrid was super strong, and never missed a hit. If only I had those traits. I could have saved X. He didn’t want to cry today, his eyes were sore from their exertion last night. Grian couldn’t keep the tears in, though, a couple of them tearing their way down his sensitive cheeks. 

He heard Doc rise from the couch, then there was a tall figure standing in front of his hunched over form. Doc’s metal hand now rested on Grian’s shoulder, trying and easily succeeding in pulling the smaller hermit up. He was embraced by the giant man, and slowly dragged towards the front door. 

Once out of the glass entrance, Doc turned towards Grian, holding his shoulders. “Grian, whatever you may think, no one on this server thinks badly of you. You bring us all so much joy, causing server-wide wars, and making mini-games. There are so many things that we wouldn’t have even considered doing without you. I’ve decided that you and Impulse are going to go walk and talk in the big eyes shopping district. Please be sensitive, and I’ll be right there if you need me,” Doc said with compassion.

As if on cue, when Doc finished his monologue, Impulse came out from the nether portal. The man had gone to his base for an hour to freshen up, and grab some more clothes. Grian didn’t bother at this point. After a while of not returning to his base, Pearl (like the wonderful human being she is) had started bringing him a week's worth of clothes at a time, she even washed the dirty clothes. He told her that she didn’t have to, but she insisted. Her response was always, “If I can’t help Xisuma, I’ll help those who take care of him.” 

He got lost thinking about how wonderful Pearl is when Doc cleared his throat, pulling Grian out of his candy land. Wow, he was really unfocused lately. “Oh, sorry, I was just thinking…” Grian trailed off, still conducting the G-train of thought. 

Impulse started walking towards the shore, and hopped into a spruce boat. Grian stopped daydreaming and swiftly made his way into the small craft. He would have taken the oars to let Impulse have a little break, but the man insisted. Grian wouldn’t complain, rowing boats wasn’t his favorite thing, but he felt bad making Impulse do all the work. 

They slowly made their way to the beautiful shopping district, stopping at the little floating house on the water. Bdubs’ buildings were always so intricate, the smallest details catching the eye of everyone who walked by, Grian thought, admiring the structure. Even the pathway used a variety of blocks, a few expensive ones too. He loved being able to walk around and appreciate the hermits’ builds from time to time. Today, though, he had company with him, so he would have to pause his gazing and actually have a conversation. 

“So…” Grian trailed off, not knowing how to start the long conversation he knew was ahead. “G… I’m sorry,” Impulse said wholeheartedly. Grian didn’t expect him to flat out apologize and hearing the sensitivity in his friend's voice made him want to embrace the taller man. 

So, Grian did just that, hugging his companion, trying to care for Impulse like so many had comforted him. Impulse was startled at first, but quickly recovered and hugged him back. Grian felt as Impulse started to tremble in his hold, only gripping him harder as he began to cry.

Grian felt the overwhelming need to comfort his boat buddy, whispering encouragement into Impulse’s ear as well as he could reach. Before Grian knew it, there was another body wrapped around his and Impulse’s. He turned his head to find Doc squeezing them, easily surrounding both at once.  

The trio stayed like that for a while, dwelling in each other’s warmth against the chill of the wind. They sat on the edge of the gravel beach before deciding it was best to go back inside, all of them heading towards Keralis’ house.

… 

It was later in the day now, and Grian had finally worked up the courage to go talk to Xisuma. He knew it was very likely that he would break down, when he would enter that door and butterflies formed in his stomach as he stared. Grian knew that X wanted to talk to him, but his nerves were getting the better of him.

Keralis came out of the room and nodded, signaling that Xisuma was ready. Grian took a deep breath, then walked through the door and over to the chair on X’s right. He took another breath to calm his nerves, it was his admin, he could always count on his admin.

Grian was still as X watched him intently, obviously looking for emotion on his face. If Xisuma wanted emotion, then it was going to be free of charge, the way he looked at him instantly making tears well up in his eyes. “Come ‘ere,” Xisuma whispered, his voice lifting the months of guilt, pain, and tears off of Grian’s shoulders with the two words. The shorter simply nodded and wedged his way onto the bed, curling up next to X. 

Grian began sobbing into the man’s shirt, Xisuma comforting him as well as he could with the little movement he had. Calming Grian down wasn’t difficult once you knew him, and, luckily, X was a pro. 

Eventually, Grian was only lightly crying, a couple of tears falling down his face. “Grian…” Xisuma said, quietly. “Hmm,” Grian hummed, content where he laid. “I want you to know that I don’t blame you for what happened. It was entirely my fault for not sleeping when I should have. That was a complete derp move on my part. Thank you for finding me and helping as much as you could,” X comforted. 

Grian took a steadying breath, and breathed a “thank you”. He knew not to argue with Xisuma, it would get him nowhere. Besides, X wasn’t well enough to think of comebacks properly. Accepting that what happened wasn’t his fault was all he could do. “I’m sorry,” Grian whispered, still wanting to apologize. “For what?” X asked. “Everything…”

He was tired, the day's activities wearing him down to a thread, and it was so nice to be held together when he was incapable of doing so himself. Grian fell asleep just like that, in the arms of his admin, his protector. He knew X had also fallen asleep, the rise and fall of his chest slowing down and evening out. Little did Grian know that Keralis had walked in to fetch him, but took a picture, instead, of Xisuma holding him.

Chapter Text

Impulse was overjoyed that he was on good terms with Grian again. Having the weight of their breaking friendship on his shoulders was becoming difficult to bear. Keralis had shown him the picture that he got of Xisuma and Grian asleep, and it had made Impulse smile seeing how peaceful they both looked. 

The big eyed man came to him earlier that morning, saying that X wanted to speak to him personally, like he had talked to Grian. He was uncharacteristically nervous as to what Xisuma would do, but he was trying his best to stay collected. At least until he got into his bedroom, and began the conversation. 

Impulse had been sitting out on Keralis’ dock for about an hour now, attempting to calm down, but nothing would work. He felt as if there was something holding him in this state, in this worry. It was probably himself, but he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Impulse jumped when a hand appeared on his left shoulder. The hand quickly retreated, and he turned to see who it was. 

“Sorry for scaring you, but Shashwam is ready,” Keralis apologized. “It’s fine,” Impulse replied, rising from his spot on the dock. Keralis walked back through the glass door, Impulse following closely behind, his heart racing. Walking through the house felt like it took forever, only really taking a couple of seconds. He stopped at the entrance to Xisuma’s bedroom, and made one last effort to prepare himself before entering. 

He opened the door, and walked in. His heart was pounding out of his chest as he made his way to the edge of the bed, plopping down. Impulse couldn’t look X in the eyes, knowing that he was already tearing up, threatening to spill over at any moment. 

“Breathe, Impulse…” Xisuma said, noticing as he held his breath. Impulse did as he was told, trusting his admin completely. “I need to know what happened,” X whispered. He looked up at the admin, knowing exactly what he meant by the vague question. “I-I t-thought we were going t-to lose you, and t-then G and I started fighting. I-I didn’t know what ha-happened. I wanted to fix things with him, but he wouldn’t let anyone help him. X, he sat out in the pouring rain for 5 hours and 47 minutes, he was so far gone, and I didn’t know if we would get our Grian back, or if he would stay like that. All I could do was sit and watch everyone on the server suffer without you, Tango and Cub struggling to fix things, G, Iskall losing motivation to do what he loved, resorting to making soup for you. There are so many more too. I-I just broke by seeing everyone else broken,” Impulse spilled months of stress out in one blow, and began sobbing after he finished.

He saw some tears fall down the admin’s face. Even though through this whole journey he had seen X cry many times, this was different, full of pure sympathy, as if he understood exactly what Impulse was saying. Crying out of emotion instead of necessity. Impulse felt his fatherly instincts kick in, beginning to crawl towards Xisuma, wiping away the salty liquid from his eyes. 

“I’m sorry for not being there for you. I promise to be here now, I’m not going anywhere,” Xisuma murmured. 

…

_____________________________________________________________________

It had been a couple of days since X had talked with Impulse. Keralis had constantly been pampering him, giving him whatever he wanted and then some. Xisuma was still a little nervous about sleeping, but Keralis stayed with him every night until he fell asleep. 

Keralis was coming back from going to wash his breakfast dishes when Stress, Impulse, Doc, and Grian followed behind him. “What’s going on?” X asked, confused. It wasn’t uncommon for all of them to hang out, but usually he was given a bit of warning. “Well hun’, we gotta get that body o’ yours moving a bit,” Stress said. “Okay…what did you have in mind?” Xisuma questioned. He had regained some movement in his hands and was able to slightly nod or shake his head. “We’re just gonna sit you up a bit, not too much, okay?” Stress responded. “Alright,” X said, nervous, but tired of being in the same position for over two and a half months now. 

Impulse smiled at him, and went to his left like usual. Instead of Keralis on his right, however, Doc was standing there. Stress had what appeared to be a regen potion, but, without his helmet on, he couldn’t quite decipher what color it was. Grian was holding a bucket, ready for anything, and Keralis had a couple of spare pillows that looked like they were taken from his own bed.  All the admin could do was chuckle at the organized madness that were his friends while trying to shake his worry.

“Alright buddy, are you ready? Doc and I are going to lift you. If you need us to stop, say something,” Impulse noted. “Yeah, I think I’m ready,” X responded. Doc’s mechanical arm slid underneath his back, Impulse’s warm flesh one slipping behind his head. “Okay, we’re going to take this really slow,” Impulse whispered. X hummed his approval, and his friends started sitting him up gently. 

They had only just started, and were about halfway when Xisuma felt overwhelming waves of nausea crash over him, making him dizzy and unable to see straight. “Back! Backbackbackbackback…” X said urgently. Doc and Impulse sprang into action, following his command, laying him back flat with their hands still behind him for round two. Xisuma just sat there and breathed, gripping the blankets, trying to get the pressure in his throat to go away. 

This time he kept his eyes closed, nodding the go ahead. Xisuma clenched his jaw as the nausea struck again, but he was determined to sit up. Once he was where Stress wanted him she called out, “Keralis, now please!” He opened his eyes as he felt two firm pillows be placed behind him, Doc and Impulse setting him down just slightly to meet the fluffy clouds. 

Their hands left him, and they waited for X to regain his composure before speaking. It was probably a good idea, since he couldn’t focus on anything other than the pounding in his head from the decrease of blood. He took deep breaths through his oxygen mask, but it wasn’t aiding him much. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Calming down took at least five minutes, the room itself holding its breath along with the hermits around him. 

“Shishwammy? Are you okay?” Keralis asked sensitively. “Mhm,” was X’s quiet response. “Do you need the bucket?” Keralis questioned. “No…” Xisuma trailed off, opening his eyes again, not knowing when they had slipped shut. Keralis was sitting on the edge of the bed, Stress doing the same, but on the other side. X took another deep breath, trying to settle the rushing in his head. “Do ya’ want a regen, X?” Stress asked. “Yeah, sounds nice…” X drew out. 

He watched her get closer to him, and she lifted the mask off of his face, giving her access to his mouth to dip the potion in. The liquid was smoky with the taste of the ghast tear. It took a moment to kick in, but he felt much better afterwards, and X let a small smile creep onto his face. The admin looked around the room from his new perspective, and at each hermit standing or sitting close by him. 

His gaze was drawn to Grian, who seemed scared out of his mind. “Grian, I’m okay,” X said, bringing everyone’s attention to the smaller man. He met Keralis’ eyes and gave a tiny nod, the big eyed man rising from his place, then walking towards the gremlin. Keralis grabbed Grian’s hand and pulled him to Xisuma. Grian sat on the edge of the bed, and took hold of his hand. X squeezed lightly in acknowledgement, then brought Grian’s hand up to his chest where his heart was beating steadily. 

“I’m still here,” X whispered. Grian smiled, and kept his hand where it was, not wanting to let go of his admin. 

…

It was the next day, and X was sitting around doing nothing. He had asked for his communicator, but all of his friends had instantly refused. They didn’t want him doing work which, of course, was why he had requested it. Keralis was beside him, reading X a book, but he had lost interest the moment Keralis had started. 

“Shashwam?” Keralis asked. “Hmm?” X hummed, forced to turn off his autopilot. “Are you bored?” The question was spot on, but X just looked away, feeling like he would disappoint his best friend. Keralis had done so much in taking care of him that he felt bad for not paying attention. 

“Keralis, thank you for trying to keep up with my brain, but, yes, I am a bit bored at the moment,” X murmured. “What do you want to do?” Keralis asked, not sounding the least bit offended. X continued to stare off into space, thinking. “You know what I want to do, K,” he finally responded, deflating a bit on his bed. “I know, but Shishwammy, we don’t want you to do any of your admin duties right now while you're recovering,” Keralis explained. “I just feel so useless. The server could be shattering into a million pieces and I wouldn’t be able to catch it in time.”

“Sweet face, you know Cub and Tango would never let that happen,” Keralis said, knocking some common sense his way. “Yeah, but-” Keralis cut him off, before he could continue. “No, butts are for sitting, so what is something you want that I can get to keep you a busy bee?” Keralis asked, making X chuckle at the puns. “I… can I have my guitar?” Xisuma questioned, almost as if for permission.

“Of course, Shashwam! Why didn’t you say so sooner?” With that Keralis got up and practically tripped out of the once dining room, and he heard rockets being fired outside. Xisuma giggled at the man's enthusiasm, and sat waiting for Keralis to return. 

…

Keralis came running into his room with a giant smile on his face. Impressively, it only took him five minutes to get to Xisuma’s base and back. Keralis pulled the guitar out, and strummed a few notes in quick succession, making it sound like a Mexican Mariachi band starting a new song. X burst out into laughter at his best friend’s antics. Keralis then handed over the custom guitar, and Xisuma began to strum mindlessly, keeping his hands busy while talking to Keralis. 

Today has been a great day.

Chapter Text

It’d been a week since Xisuma opened his eyes, and Keralis couldn’t be happier to see his friend. They had sat him up a few times, but X would get incredibly dizzy, so now they just prop him up or have him lean against someone. Xisuma had seemed very distressed lately, and Keralis knew why, but couldn’t seem to get anything out of the man. 

Recently, the group had decided on another therapy session, to inform everyone of his improvement, and to update X on the latest happenings on the server. Since the last session didn’t go as planned, Keralis had to make sure certain rules were put in place for the safety of his best friend. Of course, Xisuma tried to argue, saying that he was perfectly capable of sitting and listening to their friends talk, but a few reminders about the first meeting shut him down quickly. 

They sat and negotiated as a group, most of the six reluctant about the idea. The suggestion wasn’t even theirs, surprisingly, it was Xisuma’s. The deal was that they wouldn’t call off the conversation unless X specifically asked them to. In turn, he was required to tell them if he needed help. 

… 

It was a Tuesday afternoon, and the meeting was going to begin in less than fifteen minutes. Keralis was a little stressed, but that’s fine, because in the end of all of this he would have his Shishwammy back. Xisuma was laying against four different sized pillows, with the fuzzy blanket that Keralis had used while X had still been unable to communicate. The blanket that held the tears of their admin. 

Keralis walked into the room, and sat next to X, smiling. “You ready, Shashwam?” Keralis asked in his baby voice. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Xisuma whispered. “Okay, I’ma just slide right under you real quick,” Keralis said, letting his cheery tone take the lead. Xisuma just hummed, and prepared for the usual jostling. 

Moving the admin wasn’t too hard since he was noodle limbed, but that also provided a tiny bit of difficulty when he couldn’t hold himself up. Once Keralis was situated, making sure his best friend was lying his head on his shoulder, he started playing with X’s hair. He knew his Shashwam loved it when Keralis messed with it, and the action was even more fun for himself. Without the helmet, he was allowed the ability to braid it, and put it in different hairstyles that Xisuma normally wouldn’t let him do. The admin, however, couldn’t resist because his movement was so limited. The big eyed man would stop, without question, if requested, though, and all of them knew that.

Keralis hummed while keeping his hands occupied in soft, oily strands of hair. Xisuma just leaning against him with his eyes closed, obviously trying to not fall asleep. Impulse entered the room, and X opened his eyes to look at the man. “It’s almost time, X. You all good?” Impulse asked cautiously. “Yes,” was the short response. Keralis took Xisuma’s left hand in his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The admin made an appreciative sound, and squeezed lightly back. 

“Okay, I’m gonna let some of the others in,” Impulse said, almost a question. X gave a small thumbs up, lifting his arm the slightest bit to make sure he caught the gesture. Impulse opened the door, letting Joe, Cleo, Etho, Iskall, and Wels walk in. 

Joe gave him and Xisuma a small smile, and X managed a little wave. Etho’s eyes went wide, seeing the small movement. The lean man rushed forward, and fell onto his knees beside the bed to Keralis’ right. 

Wels soon followed suit, but opted to sit on the edge of the bed near their feet. “Hi, Etho,” X whispered, reaching over and grasping his hand, luckily not panicked by the close proximity. The man in question looked up, tears starting to form in his heterochromatic orbs. “I-I didn’t know if what they said was r-really real. I-I-I thought it couldn’t be true,” Etho said, clearly distressed. “I’m awake Etho, it's okay. I’m okay,” Xisuma reassured, tugging Etho closer, and bringing him into a hug. This seemed to calm him down a bit, as far as Keralis could tell. 

Beef, Cub, False, Scar, Jevin, and Mumbo then entered. Beef walked towards where Etho was kneeling on the floor, and Keralis watched as he grasped Etho’s shoulders firmly, but gentle in such a Beef sort of way. Etho’s buddy pulled him up into a hug, and started guiding him towards the corner where Joe, and the rest of the hermits were, on the other side of the room. Keralis felt sympathy for the redstoner, as Etho curled into Beef, and sat down crying.

The rest of the hermits filed in, Doc being the last, who shut the door behind himself. Keralis nodded towards the half-creeper, Doc acknowledging him with a thumbs up. Only one casualty, he thinks to himself, looking back at Etho who was quietly wiping his face clean of the tears that had escaped.

Everyone was settled and Joe opened up with a monologue, welcoming all of the hermits with a smile on his face. “Hello y’all! I know this was kind of abrupt, but as you all know, our dear Xisuma is back with us, howdy.” A few of them said hello, or even clapped softly, but no one looked at X, just as they were asked, so as to not overwhelm him. “Now, I know this didn’t go so well last time, but things are getting better, so let's begin.”

The hermits started talking, and it went well for a solid half hour, then Xisuma started tensing. Keralis noticed this instantly, the uneasy shift that he had come to know. “Are you okay, Shishwammy?" he mumbled, speaking lowly enough that the other hermits wouldn’t hear. X’s breath caught at the realization that someone had noticed his dwindling composure. Keralis watched as Xisuma’s body relaxed slightly in his gentle hold, while he took a deep breath. Then, X breathed out, “I think so.”

They listened to the hermits' thoughts and worries, and, at a particularly heartbreaking one from Ren, Xisuma began squeezing his hand with more force than Keralis knew he had in him. He peered around to see that X had tears in his eyes, but it was obvious that he was holding them back. “Are you sure you're okay?” Keralis whispered extremely quietly into the admin’s ear. 

He waited for a moment for his friend's verdict, and it came as the slightest nod of his head, that was barely perceptible to the eye, but could be felt. Keralis didn’t believe that his friend was okay, his shallow breathing telling that he wasn’t, but he wouldn’t call off the meeting unless his Shishwammy told him to. He had to honor the promises they had made. Besides, X was a man of his word, so it was only a matter of time before he gave up on pretending to be strong, and admitted his needs. 

Keralis started piling sweet encouragement onto Xisuma, calming him down enough to relax minutely, his hand aching more and more due to the admin’s hold on him. He continued to speak praises to X, knowing that he wanted to stay until the end, but it was unlikely at this rate.

A few minutes later Xisuma’s breathing was beginning to labor, coming out in little pants and flutters. Some tears were spilling, but he was still keeping silent, trying not to be heard. Keralis was now holding both of his friend’s wrists to stop him from tearing a hole right through his shirt sleeve. 

X then opened his mouth to say something, the first attempt failing, other than a small panicked noise that even Keralis barely caught. “Take your time, I’m not goin’ anywhere,” Keralis murmured. Apparently, he didn’t want to take his time because he was trying again within a few ticks. “Keralis…” Xisuma trailed off. “Do you wanna end it?” he whispered in response. X gave another minuscule nod, and Keralis looked over to Joe who was listening intently to Beef’s spiel. He managed to catch his eye, and motioned with a tiny nod to call the meeting off.

“Alrighty, this has been a great therapy session thus far, but we’re running out of time, so does anyone have anything to note real quick?” Joe said, finishing the meeting. Everyone looked around at each other in question, but nothing else came out except for some “thank yous”. 

Keralis watched as Impulse stood up from the outskirts of the little kindergarten circle, and walked over to him and Xisuma. He knew that Impulse got the memo, and was coming over to obstruct the other hermits' views of X, and just to be a good friend and check up on a fellow hermit. The admin had somehow kept a straight face throughout the entire conversation, his quickly moving chest and the tear tracks the only giveaways to his distress. 

Eventually, all of the hermits had left, including Joe, with a bit of encouragement from Grian and Stress. Keralis told X, “They’re gone now, Shashwam. It’s okay.” At his words Xisuma instantly started heavily sobbing, the facade falling. Impulse scooted closer to him, and hugged him from the front, Keralis doing so from behind. Together they pinned him between them, and helped his breathing match theirs. 

It took a bit longer for X to calm down, but when he only had a couple of tears running down the sides of his face, Xisuma began to curl into Keralis’ chest. The big eyed man knew exactly what his best friend wanted: cuddles. X had developed a craving for physical touch since the accident, and he would gladly oblige. Keralis moved down the bed, and turned the admin fully towards himself, cradling him. 

Once they were both comfortable they were joined by Impulse, Grian, and Stress. X tried to say something, but it came out unintelligible. “What was that, Shishwammy?” Keralis asked. “Mask… off please,” he pleaded. “Okay,” Keralis responded, soothing him gently. 

He carefully removed the oxygen mask from the admin’s face, relieving him of the discomfort that it must have brought with tears stuck behind it. “Not too long, okay?” As Keralis said it, it came out as a question rather than a statement. Xisuma nodded, and cuddled into the warmth. The others were trying not to squash him, but their friend kept pulling them closer to himself, so they gave in until he fell asleep. 

Doc soon walked in with a kettle and six mugs, each with a different tea bag, the teas being their favorites. All they did was laugh at how ridiculous Doc looked, having mugs on every finger, and the kettle hanging from his pinky, more boxes of tea in his arms. The final touch was a spoon, the handle held between his teeth. It was interesting to say the least. 

The friends sat in X’s room, talking and catching up while making sure the admin had six eyes on him at all times. When he woke up, they sorted out his mask, and Keralis gave Xisuma his guitar, so he could quietly strum while chatting. It had been an emotional day, but there were always going to be ups and downs in life. This was just a loop-de-loop on a roller coaster of never ending friendship.

Chapter Text

A couple of days after the meeting X was doing much better. He had his cuddles in, and was sitting up more. Today was like most days, since Keralis liked to keep a schedule. Wake up, eat breakfast, sit up, talk, eat lunch, work on movement, refuse communicator, eat dinner, watch a movie or show, and go back to sleep. 

Keralis had already fed him breakfast and lunch today, so he was well off. He had left to go get something, but Keralis refused to tell what it was. Xisuma was a little anxious, fidgeting with his fingers, and the longsleeve shirt he was wearing. Keralis always tried to help with his nervous habits, but his attempts were futile against the fuel of anxiety. 

Five minutes passed, and Xisuma was getting more anxious by the second. Then he heard some whispers outside of his room. X tried to listen to what was being said, but, without his helmet’s amplifier, he couldn’t decipher the words. The door swung open, startling him. “Shishwammy! Guess what?!” Keralis cheered. “What?” Xisuma replied, nervously. “Do you know what month it is?” Keralis asked, clearly excited. “I-I’m not sure actually,” X responded, after thinking about it for a moment. 

“Well, this month is very special, do you know why?” Keralis pressed. “No,” X said. “It’s DECEMBER! Christmas is right around the corner!” Just as Keralis shouted those words, the other four hermits walked in. Doc came in first carrying a large spruce tree, then Impulse with three shulker boxes of what had to be decorations. Stress and Grian were both covered in lights and garland as they entered. 

Xisuma started cackling at the sight of his friends, who looked as derpy as possible. He was crying from laughter by the time Doc had the tree positioned, and Keralis had a huge smile on his face. It took a minute for X to get his breathing back under control, and Keralis came and sat down on the bed. 

“Shashwam, you and Brian are going to make some popcorn garland, okay?” Keralis asked. “Yeah, that sounds fun! Thank you, K,” Xisuma responded, excitement in his voice. X watched as Grian put down the other different colored garlands, and disentangled himself from the lights bundled around his feet.

Keralis helped him sit up a bit more, and handed him the string, needle, and bag of popcorn. Grian plopped himself at the end of the bed, facing towards him. X gave him a big smile, and Grian returned one to him. Of course Xisuma knew what popcorn garland was , however, making it was another story. 

“Hey, Grian? Can you help me? I don’t know how to do this,” Xisuma questioned, using the techniques Keralis had taught him when asking for help. “Yeah of course, what do you need help with?” Grian asked. “I know the general idea of it, I’ve just never tried before,” Xisuma replied. “Okay, that's fine. First, you thread the string through the eye of the needle. Then, cut it at the length you want, tie the end, and start sewing the popcorn together,” Grian explained. “Alright,” Xisuma said, starting the process of putting the string through the needle.

It caused some difficulty when his hands proved to still be a little shaky, but eventually it went through the tiny hole. Grian cut the string to an appropriate size, using some shears, and went to begin his own. Xisuma was starting to get a bit frustrated with his line, because his hands wouldn’t cooperate with him enough to tie the little knot needed, but he didn’t want to bother Grian again. “Ugh,” X huffed, putting the materials down in his lap. “Do you need help?” Grian asked, looking up from his strand, which already had popcorn on it. Xisuma nodded shyly, and handed his supplies over.

Once the knot was in place, Xisuma began stringing the popcorn while chattering with the others. He paused periodically to glance at what his hermits had accomplished. X was always surprised at how well they worked together, and managed to get things done so quickly. He was having a lot of fun, and he wished that this moment could last forever. The smiles and giggles warming his heart, a light burning away the tears and burdens which weighed him down usually.

It had been at least an hour, and the tree was almost done. It was covered in rainbow lights, different colored ornaments, and garland, and overall looked as if it housed a piece of each of them. Xisuma’s popcorn string was getting extremely long now, and he was happy with how it looked. 

He was almost done with it when he accidentally poked his finger with the needle. “Aw shoot, that one hurt,” Xisuma said, looking at his finger as a little spot of blood appeared. His head jerked up as his friends rushed towards him. Grian was frozen on the bed, staring. Keralis slid underneath him, making him lean against his frame, head resting on his shoulder. Stress was to his left holding a regen potion, when did she get that? Doc grabbed his wrist, and was examining his finger, Impulse right next to him. 

All X could do was sit there, and gawk at his overprotective friends, incredibly confused. “Impulse! Band Aid!” Doc exclaimed. “On it!” Was Impulse’s reply, as he rushed over to a nearby dresser, pulling out a first aid kit. He was back in moments, and Doc was meticulously placing the band aid over his finger. 

“Um guys…It was just a poke from a needle,” Xisuma said, astounded. “Yeah, that little feisty dude could have really hurt my Shishwammyvoid,” Keralis exclaimed, wrapping his arms around the admin’s middle. X rolled his eyes, and laughed at their madness. “I’m okay, a small poke isn’t going to kill me,” Xisuma chuckled. “But it might just kill us, X,” Impulse giggled, realising what they had just done. X huffed in amused annoyance, and picked up his needle again. 

“Oh no, Mr. Shashwam, no more evil pokies today,” Keralis said, grabbing the needle out of his hand. “I was almost done, K, let me have that back,” Xisuma commanded, weakly protesting. “Nope, you gotta catch me before you can has it,” Keralis teased, climbing out from behind him, and out of reach while still being gentle with his friend. “Keralis, that's not fair,” Xisuma pouted. “Nuh-uh, lifies ain’t fair, so Brian here will finish yours up, and we can put it on the tree,” Keralis said, finally. Xisuma pulled his breathing mask down and gave a pouty face, trying to beg for it back. 

“Aw, you’re so cute when you pout, but your Keralis isn’t gonna let you keep hurting yourself. Now put that mask back on that sweet face of yours, we can’t have you suffocatin’,'' Keralis giggled. X gave in, pulling his oxygen mask back up, and, instead of the needle, Keralis handed him his guitar. 

The instrument was a much better compromise, and it satisfied X to play some Christmas songs he knew, while the others finished up decorating. Looking back on what had happened not even ten minutes ago, he couldn’t help but smile. They finished decorating Xisuma’s bedroom, and stayed to have dinner with him. He went to sleep that night being cuddled by his friends in a room of holiday spirit.

<Xisuma went to sleep. Sweet Dreams!>

Chapter Text

Even though Impulse and Grian had their little breakdown in each other's arms in the Big Eyes Shopping District last week, it hadn’t been a proper conversation. They had both decided to take a small break from watching over their admin to tend to themselves. Impulse suggested that they go to the boatem hole for a chat, and, surprisingly, Grian dropped what he was doing, and agreed.

They flew over to the massive bottomless pit, and sat around the moss edge. The light breeze coming up from the void was chilly, but comforting in a way. Grian, being the dare-devil that he is, sat on the trapdoor, hovering over the middle. Impulse silently laughed at his antics, then proceeded to dangle his own legs over the ledge. 

“So, I’m glad we’re back to being buddies, but I know that we still have things we need to talk about,” Impulse started, hoping that no one was crying by the end. “Yeah, I agree, and, for the record, I never thought we weren’t friends, but I guess there was a lot of tension between us,” Grian said, shrugging as he swung his feet. Impulse nodded along, and sighed. “I’m sorry it came to that, but I was just so scared for X, and was stressing about you,” he confessed. “I’m sorry, too. I should have never gotten so stuck in my head, and should have listened to you. Sometimes, I find reasoning really difficult, like my logical brain shuts down in stressful situations,” the small man apologized. 

“From now on, I think that we need to communicate our needs, and worries more, even if they seem irrational or difficult to say at the time. We can’t keep living like this…I hate having to parent you, and I despise seeing you so down in the dumps,” Impulse explained. “We do need to communicate more, and I know that I can be a little hard to convince when I act like that, but the best thing to do is to keep pressing, if you know what I mean?” Grian asked, looking up at Impulse. “Yeah, I get it. Keep trying to get through to you, but I’ll lay off a bit if we’re getting upset,” Impulse replied. 

Grian hopped up and over to him, sitting down next to Impulse, arms open for an embrace. Impulse smiled, and wrapped his arms around the smaller man. Grian nuzzled into his shoulder, a smile being felt there. “Thank you…” Grian murmured. “Anytime, buddy,” Impulse whispered, the sun going down behind them, silhouetting their figures.

_____________________________________________________________________

Xisuma was sitting up in his bed, reading a book that Keralis had given him. It was called The Giver by Lois Lowry, and Keralis said that he would enjoy it. Xisuma didn’t typically have a lot of time to read, so he rarely did. (Other than code, of course.) Now, however, he had all the time in the world, picking up the book was his only option, since Keralis wouldn’t give him his communicator back. Once he had started it, he couldn’t put it down. The details of the utopia described seemed interesting, and made him consider his own idea of the perfect place. 

He had been reading for a couple of hours, Keralis coming in to check on him every half. The book was just beginning to get really interesting, when Stress and Keralis walked in. She had on a half-apron that had many pockets, most holding combs and shears. 

“Hello, love! Ready for a haircut?” Stress asked, holding a pair of silver scissors, and snapping them open and closed for emphasis. “You ready, you ready, you ready?” Keralis cheered, bouncing up and down like a toddler, obviously way too excited for this. Xisuma smiled, and replied, “Yes, please,” practically begging for something different. 

His hair had grown far too long for his liking, just above his shoulders, more at the nape of his neck. Typically he would keep it rather short for convenience, but his situation kept him from maintaining his haircare routine. Keralis skipped over, and slid behind him easily, having done this so many times before. Stress walked up to stand beside him with all of her supplies, and sat to his left where Impulse usually was, but, for now, he and Grian were chatting, which was better than X could have asked for. 

Keralis helped him sit himself up more, and Stress draped a towel around his shoulders for easy clean up. She pulled a bucket from her inventory, and wet her hands, running them through his greasy locks. Stress did this multiple times, making his hair damp, and ready for cutting. 

“I’ma try to make this quick, love,” Stress said, bringing out a variety of combs, and pulling one of them through his tangled mess of a head. The knots in his hair hurt when she pulled on them, and he struggled to keep his head still with some of the tougher tugs, Stress apologizing each time.

Once she was done, she asked what haircut he would like, “What do you want, dear?” “Whatever’s easiest, please,” Xisuma responded, already slightly dizzy from sitting straight up and the few rough head movements. “Alright!” Stress exclaimed, grabbing the shears at her waist. 

As she worked, Keralis continued to talk to him, but Xisuma could only focus on what he had discovered in the plot of his story, before they had walked in. “Is my Shashwam thinking about that little bookie?” Keralis asked, reading him, pun fully intended, like a book. X snapped out of his trance, and nodded. “Do you likes it?” Keralis teased, trying to get him to speak, and not fall asleep. Another nod, but Keralis wasn’t having any of it. “Mr. Shishwammy, would you please talk, so you don’t fall asleepy on Stressy? I know it is nice to has your hair played with, but just a bit longer, please?” Keralis prodded. 

“Okay,” Xisuma whispered, realising just how tired he was. He had been staring at the pages for hours, and, apparently, his mind wanted to take the rest of the day off. They kept conversing, until Stress put down her scissors, and sighed. “Okie dokie, love. You're all done,” she said, while cleaning up the mess. Xisuma lifted his right hand up, and ruffled his newly cut hair. He hummed in satisfaction, and played with the little curls and waves he found on his head.

“Thanks…” X mumbled, and Stress took the towel, and cleaned the rest of the bed off. Keralis laid him back down, and, despite his half-hearted protests of wanting to read, cuddled him until he fell asleep.

_____________________________________________________________________

This afternoon Doc was meeting up with the rest of the nHo to talk, and support each other. It had been a really long time since they had properly gotten together, and some people were about to burst (*cough cough* Etho). They decided to meet at Bdubs’ moon base, and, honestly, Doc was relieved that he didn’t have to travel to one of the bases further from their admin. 

Sure, he was a little protective, but that didn’t mean he was hovering, right? Doc valued each and every hermit on the server, and taking care of them was what he called his job. Yes, he liked to build, and break the server, but his friends meant the world to him. 

Doc and Bdubs were waiting for Beef and Etho to arrive, and decided to reside in the living room, idly chatting about various things like builds, game mechanics, and whatever else they could think of. If it weren’t for Beef’s loud steps, Doc wouldn’t have been able to know when Etho walked in. The agile man never made a sound when entering a building, or going up to anyone, even when using firework rockets. 

“Hi Etho,” Doc said calmly, knowing that he was standing right behind his chair. He had known him so long that Doc had memorized his habits. A little whispered ‘hi’ was all that came from the lanky man as Beef walked up behind Etho. “So, how about we get started?” Beef asked, the calmest one in the group by far, and understanding just how to start the conversation. 

“Doc, how’s X?” Etho questioned, moving to the chair next to him swiftly, but silently. “He’s doing very well, as you know he is fully awake, and coherent. Or…as coherent as that derp can be. He is gaining a lot more movement now, and he can kind of hold his upper half up,” Doc explained. He had done this for so many of the hermits that the report was second nature. “That’s great news!” Bdubs exclaimed.

Doc caught a glance from Beef, motioning towards Etho, and he instantly followed it to the man beside him. He had curled in on himself, hugging his knees to his chest, but obviously listening, or at least trying to. Doc knew that Etho had broken down when he saw Xisuma, Impulse had told him so afterwards, but no one had managed to figure out why. Not even Beef. Normally, Etho told Beef almost everything, but this seemed to be a rather touchy topic for him.

“Etho, you okay?” Bdubs asked, growing concern on his face. Etho shook his head in response, then proceeded to bury his head in his knees, attempting to hide his face. Watching Etho shrink into the chair sent off multiple red flags in Doc’s mind. He was a spry, enthusiastic, and sometimes shy man, who loved talking about redstone for hours on end, always making up for his small build with his personality. “Etho…do you want a hug?” Doc asked tentatively. Etho nodded, and Doc scooted over a bit to wrap his arms around him. Beef and Bdubs followed suit, and they sat like that for a solid ten minutes, soothing Etho’s almost silent sobs.

Once Etho had sat up to wipe his eyes, they all retracted, giving him space. Etho liked physical touch sometimes, but got overwhelmed by it quite easily. They had learned this a couple of years back during a particularly bad accident in La Revolucion , and always made sure to let Etho gather his thoughts before anything more.

The room was bathed in silence, but it was a comfortable one. Bdubs eventually stood, and made his way to the kitchen, grabbing some steak and baked potatoes nice and fresh from the furnace for them to enjoy. When did he put those in? Doc thought to himself, deciding he must have done it before he had arrived, both dishes taking longer than average to cook. 

They ate, chatted here and there, and kept a conversation going without touching the hard topic of Xisuma. When dinner was over, they played a few rounds of stat poker, and Doc accidentally lost to make Etho feel better. By the end of the night they were exhausted, so together it was decided to stay at Bdubs’ base. After quickly checking his communicator for updates on X, Doc laid down on the floor of blankets, swiftly lulled to sleep by Bdubs’ snoring.

Chapter Text

He was mad, he was more than that. His own brother was getting on his nerves, but that wasn’t unusual. Xisuma had been “hurt” for four months. Who could milk it that long? Evil Xisuma thought to himself. This wasn’t like the admin, but when X got back to work… Ex shook his thoughts away. He was sick and tired of his brother, no, his business partner. Might as well just fire that derp at this point. 

Evil X was laying around on his throne, he had many things to do, but he didn’t feel like doing them. After sitting there and staring at one of the premium Derpcoin for a little while longer, he grew bored. Getting up with a grunt, Ex made his way out of the door, and towards the main building of the Evil Empire. 

The Emporium was tall, and perfect in every way. Sometimes Ex pretended that he had built it, but, in reality, it was Xisuma, though he wouldn’t give the axolotl any credit. At least he had made it personalized with a mini statue of himself. Sure, it could be seen as him being a little up his own back end, but he paid no mind to it. 

There was only one flaw with the build, the single piece of copper that wasn’t the same color as the others. Xisuma had told him before the “incident,” as the hermits called it, that it was artistic, but Ex just saw it as his brother being lazy. He wasn’t going to change it, however, since he was no different. 

Walking into the looming structure was an exhilarating experience every time he visited. He would have to admire the different cut deep slate another day, though, he was way too busy with other endeavors to continue staring at blocks. 

He made his way over to the counters where all of the chests were laid, and opened the bottle o’ enchanting container. There were thirty-six regular Derpcoin sitting in the chest, nine out of the twenty-seven slots now void of the bottles. Honestly, he didn’t want to restock, but many hermits came in to buy the cheaper products to avoid “wasting” diamonds. None of them truly knew the nature of his intentions for creating a second currency on the server, not even the admin himself.

In fact, Xisuma helped him carry out the scheme of making the Derpcoin as popular as possible. The axolotl had no idea what Evil X’s final goals were, and that was all a part of the plan. The only thing Ex wanted right now was his “helper” to come back to him, and begin working again, but the little thing was still “injured”. 

All of a sudden his communicator buzzed in his right pocket. Taking it out he looked at the messages that were coming through. This better not be another derp related message. If I open this up and it is, I'm going to throw something. 

<Stressmonster101> Heya Joe could you bring X a book from your library? He finished the other two you gave him

<Joehills> Yeah, of course! I’ll bring another towards y’all. Tell him it'll be there in about 15.

<Stressmonster101> Will diddly do! Thanks! He keeps going through these lil books real fast. Do you mind bringing a couple of longer ones, so it’ll take him more time to finish?

<Joehills> Yes, I can :)

<Rendog> What are you guys doing over there? Boring our poor admin to death? :o

<Keralis1> Noooooo Shashwam keeps wanting his little talky talky with code machine, but I’m not letting him have it… XD

<Rendog> Ah, I see. Tell him I said sorry my dude, but he’s not ready yet :p

<Keralis1> I’ll show him ur message!

<Keralis1> Rennnnnnnn, I want it so badly please! I’ll do anything at this point just make them give it to me! :’(

<Rendog> Sorry X, I’m on their side for this one 

<Keralis1> RENnk;vnskfj jflkjlkfjdskb ahahhhh

<Rendog> What’s with the keyboard slam my man?

<Keralis1> K t ryin to tske com bck

<Rendog> haha lol give it back

<Keralis1> no

<Rendog> X…

<Keralis1> no

<Docm77> Xisumavoid do I need to come in there?

<Keralis1> no

<Docm77> Then give Keralis his comm back please.

<Keralis1> no

<Docm77> Xisuma.

<Keralis1> no

Evil X looked up from his communicator, and smiled under his helmet. He was kind of proud of his brother for acting like a defiant child. X was typically very boring, in Ex’s obviously correct opinion, with his professionalism and friendships . He glanced back at the communicator, and saw that Keralis had eventually gotten his device back with the help of Doc. 

<Evil Xisuma> Why do you hermits always ruin the fun?

He put his own messaging device away, as to not look at the responses that would be given. Evil X was grumbling now, he had gone from somewhat fine, to a little bit of pride, to angry in a span of seven minutes, a new record.

Those hermits are always talking about X. Why don’t they do something else for a change? All they talk about is X this, X that. Evil Xisuma didn’t believe one bit that his brother was even remotely as helpless as the other hermits were leading on. They did tend to over exaggerate quite a bit. That’s why when he himself got hurt, he never let anyone know he was. 

Ex shook his head again, trying to move his train of thought in a different direction, one pointed towards the path of anger. He grabbed a few of the bottles o’ enchanting, and threw them as hard as he could at the deep slate floors. He kept one in his offhand, and continued to seeth in his anger for a few moments longer, managing to shatter the glass in his grip. 

He stayed where he was, soaking up the xp orbs, making a tiny jingle sound as they floated to him. They gave off no effects, other than increasing the chances of good results from an enchanting table, or helping mend broken tools that had mending on them. 

Taking a deep breath, Evil X stormed out of the Emporium towards Xisuma’s starter base. His brother took great care of his villagers most of the time, but since he wasn’t there, they received little to no interaction. Once in the tunnels, only hrm’s and hmm’s could be heard. The villagers were quite chatty, and liked to trade much more than Ex had the time or care for. 

He didn’t even know what else he would need to restock, since he was too irritated to check the other chests. Evil X made his way over to the librarians, and angrily traded away some emeralds in exchange for the xp holding bottles. Stomping out of the area, he made his way back to his prized building, and replenished the one chest. 

What he didn’t expect was to see a hermit in the store itself. They turned around upon hearing his pounding footsteps, and smiled. It was Rendog, of all the annoying players across the void, it had to be Rendog . He was one of the many hermits that Evil Xisuma couldn’t stand to be around. The man was always so happy, and cheery. Ex grumbled something that could have resembled a ‘hello’, but only someone as optimistic as Ren would call it that. In all honesty, it was more of a threat. 

“Why hello there my Evil dude!” Ren exclaimed. “Go away,” Ex grumbled. “Oh come on, willing to push away such a valued customer just because you're a little feisty?” Ren questioned with a smile, and an eyebrow wiggle. “Yes, now leave me alone,” Evil X growled. “Dude, you need to chill, we’re all friends here. No need to get all growly around us, especially when I’m tryin’ to buy some of these products you carry,” Ren explained. 

“I. Want. To. Be. Alone.” Evil Xisuma spelled out to the man. “Oh, well, I can very clearly see that,” Ren chuckled. “Then why don’t you see yourself out, hm?” Ex challenged. “I don’t think I will,” the shorter man replied. “You’re going to regret saying that. I would high tail it out of here, before I do something that will hurt,” he threatened in return. 

“Okay, okay, chill out. I’ll leave if you really want me to. I was just coming over to check on you, since you didn’t respond to chat messages earlier,” Ren continued, offering an unwanted explanation. “Out. Now. If I wanted to be checked on I would have asked for it, now leave,” Ex was starting to raise his voice now, and Ren still wasn’t making his way out of the structure. He stepped forward, attempting to frighten the younger man out of the Emporium. Nothing was working which would only result in one thing, unsheathing his sword. Doing so, he raised it towards Ren. 

“Woah man, okay. There is no need for violence, and I don’t believe that you would call for help if you needed it. If you're anything like your stubborn brother, then you most likely keep a lot to yourself. Really if you need someone to talk to, you can always come to me or Renbob,” Ren tried to reason with him, but it was only taken as being seen as weak.

“I am nothing like my brother. I am not pathetic like the rest of you, and can handle myself. I don’t need you meddling hermits interfering with my plans, and if you don’t get out, I’m going to plunge this sword into your stomach, and leave you here to die,” Evil X said, stepping forward.

With that Ren scampered out of his sight, and the sound of a nether portal taking someone through was heard. Why do they have to care so much? Evil Xisuma was fuming now, and stormed back to his throne to continue pondering what his next moves would be. 

I need my axolotl back…

Chapter Text

It had been over two weeks since he had taken Keralis’ communicator, and Doc had to come rescue it from his grasp. To be fair, he was just doing it to annoy Keralis, since the man himself was always checking in on him despite the admin thinking that he didn’t need it. X felt like he was being babied, and that was not something he wanted the hermits to do. He was a grown man, and he could take care of himself. 

It was the same routine everyday, the only change being whatever novel he had started. Xisuma had gone through about ten books already, and was repulsed at the thought of picking up another. At this rate he felt as if he could go blind by the sheer amount he was reading. X knew that wasn’t possible, but it helped entertain his brain for a little while. 

Two days ago, Stress had told him that today he was going to try walking for the first time. Of course, he was excited, since he hadn’t done so in about four and a half months, but he was also overwhelmingly nervous. The possibility of him falling, or getting hurt again, was not appealing in the slightest. Xisuma knew that his friends were more than capable of taking care of him, but he was still unable to keep the pool of dread in his stomach at bay. 

Keralis had come in and proceeded with his normal routine, which he was grateful for, but the man also failed in the area of sharing what time he would be having his mosy around. Xisuma enjoyed control like everyone else, but being the admin for so long had trained his mind into always needing to have that control. Letting his hermits take care of him for so long had helped to diminish that desire, but tended to be really taxing as well. 

Xisuma was swimming in the pool of his own thoughts when the door to his makeshift bedroom flung open, and Keralis walked in with the rest of the main six in tow. “Shishwammy, guess what time it is?” Keralis asked, giggling. It was obvious how excited the man was, but X couldn’t keep his mind from trailing off into the abyss of ‘what ifs.’ 

When X didn’t answer, Impulse walked around Keralis, and over to his side of the bed. “Penny for your thoughts?” Impulse questioned, sounding genuinely intrigued, and seeming to understand. X huffed, eyes darting away from the man to his left. Keralis then took the cue for what it was, and went to his spot, now in front of where he was looking. “Shashwam, do you want to do it another day?” Keralis asked, voice soft. He shook his head, and met his gaze. 

“I-I’m just nervous. What if I fall, and hurt myself again? Then I’ll be stuck in this bed for longer, and void only knows my mental stability if that were to happen,” Xisuma explained, eyes starting to water. I knew I was a crybaby, but geez. “X, you won’t fall. Doc, Grian, Keralis, and I will be here to support you. If you even look like you can’t hold yourself up, at least one of us will catch you. We won’t let you get hurt again, okay?” Impulse reassured, a gentle smile blooming on his face. 

“Papa K won’t let anything happen to my sweet faced Shishwammy,” Keralis stated, bringing X into his arms for a warm embrace. With his nerves pushed down, but still present, Impulse pulled off his blankets, and Keralis sat him up fully. 

“Okay buddy, we’re going to help you swing your legs over the right side of the bed. Then, we’re gonna lift you to stand, and we’ll go from there. Stress is in the living room with a second breathing machine, so you’ll have to move to the couch without one. Is that okay?” Impulse explained. Xisuma nodded, showing the other his understanding. “Shashwam, we gonna need you to talk for this activity,” Keralis said, making sure to keep him present in the moment. 

Getting the hint, Doc and Grian stepped to their spots. Impulse got up from his seat, and moved to the right. With Grian and Keralis sitting on the bed, they helped him move his legs up towards his chest, and back down off of the bed. Both men were sitting on either  side of him, and Impulse was now straight in front of him, Doc taking up the position in the caboose. 

“Alright, are you ready?” Doc asked, placing his hands on top of his shoulders for a moment. “Yeah, I think so,” X breathed. With that Doc moved his hands under X’s arms, and lifted him from the mattress, putting weight onto Xisuma’s feet. The feeling of pressure on his unused limbs was strange, and it was perfectly clear that he wasn’t going to be able to carry his whole body by himself. Good thing I have friends! Was Xisuma’s last thought when he sensed himself starting to lean forward. 

X took in a sharp breath, as Impulse caught him, before possibly taking an unwanted tumble. “Thanks,” Xisuma whispered to the man, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Grian and Keralis were at his sides fairly quickly, and helped him stand up straighter, making it easier to walk to the living room. 

“You’re welcome buddy. Okay, let's get Keralis and Grian here to support you,” Impulse replied. Keralis lifted his right arm, wrapping it around his shoulders, Grian mimicking him on the other side. Doc moved from behind him, and started towards the door. X watched as he scanned the area for potential disasters. Luckily, there was nothing that could mess with him, and the creeper nodded to Impulse.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Impulse said, taking off X’s breathing mask gently, and setting it down on his bed for later, after his adventure to the other room. Moving back slightly, Impulse led him and his friends towards the open entryway, and Xisuma took his first step in months. 

His legs were a little wobbly, but that was to be expected. A small smile crept onto X’s face, and he took a deep breath, beginning to stalk forward gently, letting Grian and Keralis hold him up. They were carrying most of his weight, but the blood flowing straight to his feet was an awkward feeling, and left Xisuma dizzy. Nevertheless, they continued towards the exit.

The sight of Doc backing up gradually as they ambled through the space like a scared man trying to not startle a hostile animal, was almost laughable, but he figured if it worked, then it was fine. Impulse was now behind him, making sure that he wasn’t going to fall. X could feel the man's presence, and it helped steady his uneven breathing. How is Impulse so good at being calm? 

Xisuma’s legs were really starting to shake, they didn’t hurt, they ached. It wasn’t a sensation he had experienced in a long while, and his breathing became more labored. Keralis, of course, picked up on this, and decided to check in on him. “Shishwammy, you doing okay?” Keralis asked, concern gripping his vocal chords. 

X took a calming breath, and answered, “I’m good.” It wasn’t a complete lie, he was fine in some ways, but others… The next thing X knew was his legs giving out, and Impulse scooping him up. Grian and Keralis released his arms, and they let Impulse hold him for a moment. He buried his face into Impulse’s chest, trying to obstruct his hermits’ views. 

A couple of tears made it down his cheeks, and he didn’t want the others to see. Void, why am I so helpless? I can’t do this. Why did I think I could do this? Why do I always have to waste people's time? I’m never gonna be able to work again. They won’t let me if I’m this much of a failure. The server is going to crash because of me. 

Xisuma then realized that Impulse had turned around, facing back into the room he just “walked” out of. He didn’t want to return to bed, and he began to shake his head in desperation. “Shh, it’s okay, X. We won’t go back if you don’t want to. Do you want to continue?” Impulse asked, reassuring the displayed worries. “Yeah…” Xisuma whispered, nodding his head simultaneously. “Okay, then we will. Do you need a moment?” Impulse questioned. X simply nodded again, and wiped at his face with his slightly torn black sleeve. 

X put himself back together as quickly as he possibly could, not wanting anyone to ask what had happened, although he knew that Keralis would do so later. Impulse pivoted slowly, after seeing that he had dried his face and had taken a couple of breaths. “Do you want me to carry you to the couch the rest of the way?” Impulse offered. “No,” X said shortly, wanting to prove to himself that he could, indeed, cross the small distance. 

“Okay, K, Grian,” Impulse nodded to them, then began to place him back on his noodle limbs. The pair took their places, the same as they were beforehand, and helped him take his next steps. It was about ten feet to their destination, and to a person who wasn’t currently disabled it would have been a breeze. However, with his predicament, it was monstrous. 

Doc was standing behind the sofa, ready to guide him to lying back. The last few steps were the hardest, the final stretch in the marathon. Xisuma was absolutely exhausted, but managed to turn around, and allow himself to be handed into Doc’s strong arms. The creeper hybrid assisted him in sitting down, so that he wouldn’t just fall uncomfortably. 

Once settled, Stress came over and handed the spare breathing mask to him, and he hastily covered his nose and mouth. After taking a few moments to finally catch his breath, he turned slightly, so that he could lean on Keralis, who had taken a seat right next to him. Grian sidled up on his other side, and Impulse plopped himself down beside Grian. Doc, instead of joining them on the couch, went to his armchair, sighing as he sat. “Old man,” Grian mumbled, chuckling softly at Doc. 

Doc just ignored the gremlin, and closed his eyes. Void, my head hurts. All the motion had caused X to feel dizzy, and winded, but that soon dispersed, and he was left content to just sit. A crash sounded from outside, startling Xisuma greatly. He picked his head up from Keralis’ shoulder and glanced out the window. Then, he remembered the second reason that they had done this, was because Tango and Cub were coming over to talk code with him. Specifically, to reassure him that the server wasn’t on the brink of collapse, which, hopefully, was not the case. He had faith in the two part-time coders, but he really wanted to look at it himself.

The hermits, however, were still holding his communicator captive, keeping it in jail for the time being, or at least that was what Keralis had told him. Sure enough, a blond head could be seen outside of the window, and knowing that it was just Tango calmed his nerves. The hermit bounded into the house, Cub following behind, whom he hadn’t seen through the glass. They were idly chatting, and arguing about who had won the race. 

Once they were in the living room, they stopped their bickering and greeted the present hermits. “Hey guys!” Tango cheered, Cub opting to nod at everyone. They both took their places on the loveseat, across from where X and most of the others sat. Stress had claimed her spot, sitting on the arm of the couch. 

…

They were well into the meeting, and Tango was explaining a simple light glitch they had fixed a couple of days ago that happened to spread. It had caused Cub to spend a few hours working by himself while Tango was AFK. Of course, X was listening, but he couldn’t help the shiver that ran down his spine, distracting him from the blonde's words. He didn’t want to mention anything, but the little trembles that kept sparking through his body were annoying, to say the least.

Finally, after a few minutes of not paying much attention to whomever was talking, Keralis caught on. “Are you cold, Shishwammy?” Keralis asked, hugging X closer to his side. “Just a bit,” Xisuma replied, letting a shiver show visibly, instead of holding it in. Doc turned in his chair, and grabbed the random throw blanket that was draped over the back, tossing it into Xisuma’s lap.

He nodded at the man, and draped it slightly over himself, the quilt still folded. Keralis huffed, and stood up abruptly, surprising X. He watched as Keralis walked into his room, disappearing from his sight. A couple of moments later, he came back, holding the blanket that Xisuma knew and loved greatly. He wouldn't admit his adoration for the fuzzy, pastel blanket. X never really grew attachments to physical objects, but there were few that he couldn’t live without, and the soft fabric had become one of them. 

Xisuma lit up when Keralis draped the cover around his scrunched up form. Instantly, when Keralis sat down, X snuggled up into his side, and shared his blanket with him. A soft hum of amusement came from Doc at his childlike reactions to the item. 

They quickly concluded their meeting, and the group helped him to bed, which was another whole ordeal, since he was practically falling asleep, while insisting that he walk back. Keralis cuddled up next to him, and read him a book, Xisuma clutching his blankie close to his chest, and listening to the steady voice of his friend. 

His day had been exhausting, but he had managed to power through, and make it to the finish line. He noticed a new sensation, soon identified as pride, well up inside of him. Maybe being cared for wasn’t so bad.

Chapter Text

Ever since Impulse and Grian had their talk in front of the Boatem hole, Grian had been avoiding everyone like the plague. He was supposed to be better, but everything just seemed wrong. Grian knew that he could go to Impulse, or anyone for that matter, but he just couldn’t. He had already confessed to X his feelings about the situation, the only issue was that he somehow still thought that he was responsible.

Since Grian was battling with this, the best way that he found to cope was to build. Keeping away from Xisuma was the one thing that he saw necessary. His mind came up with the excuse, I caused this, so stay away from him to keep it from happening again. Grian thought that if he kept himself busy, he wouldn’t have a chance to screw things up a second time.

It had only been a few days since Grian and the others had helped X walk to the couch. He had been there, and Xisuma had almost collapsed, causing Impulse to rush in and catch him before the inevitable fall. All Grian could do was panic and let go of X. He didn’t want to lose contact with him, but it was for the best. Impulse had calmed their admin down, and they had continued forward on their mission. 

Of course, Grian thought that he was the cause. If he had been more aware, he could have prevented it. His only logical solution was to stay as far away from Keralis’ house as possible. So, he busied himself with work.

G-train business was booming, the diamonds racking in. Grian had lost count of how many Perhaps You Perished Parcels he had sold to Scar. Boatem in general was such a fun place to be at. Many hermits liked to come and enjoy the sunshine, or shop at the multiple stores in the area. 

One of Grian’s favorite places to be was on-top of Mumbo’s giant armchair of a base, especially at night. It was the only pleasure he let himself have, gazing at the twinkling stars above. The gremlin barely managed to juggle working and sleeping, most of his night hours going to the sky. It wasn’t very healthy, but he could at least escape building for a little while. 

Today, Grian had many plans. He was going resource gathering early in the morning, and wanted to start construction on the night sky in his alley. The idea had originally been meant for Mumbo, but Grian couldn’t resist the temptation of stealing it, mostly because of his routine endeavors watching the flaming balls of gas in the never ending expanse of space. 

The mining desert was a very busy place for the hermits, many stacks of glass or sandstone being used in the variety of builds that were created each season. Soon they might have to find a different one, since the amount of sand in the expanse was gradually dwindling. 

Grian spent a long while gathering sand, and headed back to his base to smelt it into glass. He went and bought the end rods he needed for it, and the black dye for the glass from Joe’s shop as well. Once back from his errands, Grian began building. It was a little more tedious than he had initially thought, but getting the first section done really helped with his vision of the place. It was then that he realized that he didn’t have enough of the black panes to finish the entire ceiling.

The sun was already setting, and Grian was excited to go sit atop Mumbo’s base again. Hopefully, said hermit wasn’t building late into the night like he had been the day before. Mumbo had asked him what he was doing, and Grian had on the spot said, “Nothing, Mumbo. Just wandering around for a bit, needed some fresh air.” 

Grian spread his elytra wings, and took off towards the top. The mustached man, thankfully, was nowhere to be seen, and so he sat, looking over the horizon and the rapidly setting sun, the moon rising in the East. The wind was chilly, but Grian paid no mind to it, and watched as Pearl flew into her base. He smiled at seeing her, and then glanced at the stars starting to peek through. He laid down, and continued to watch, soon drifting off to sleep.

…

Grian woke slowly, and one feeling came rushing through: cold. He had slept the night away on Mumbo’s mountain, and did so without any blankets or jackets. Grian quickly sat up, and wrapped his arms around himself. It wasn’t ideal, but he would have to get up to grab something warmer. He made his way down the cliff while shivering, and went into his to-be storage room that had a bunch of chests strewn about. It didn’t take long to find some fluffy attire. Putting it on, he sighed, and went down to his villagers to trade for more glass. 

The trip to the desert the previous day had been incredibly hot, and Grian didn’t fancy going back. Technically, it would warm him up, but the idea of shoveling loads of sand into his inventory was not appealing. He opted for the cooler, and less physically taxing, version, and he moved to grab some emeralds. Trading the day away was easy, all the mindless giving and taking making his mind wander, and he fell into a daze.

The next time that he managed to “wake up” was late afternoon. Where did my day go? The good thing was that he was slightly less cold, and had a decent amount of glass. However, he couldn’t ignore the insistent nagging in his stomach. He was hungry. The golden carrots he had in his inventory didn’t look appealing in any way, so he made his way back upstairs where he hoped he had something else. 

After eating, Scar came by and the pair talked for a little while, before the sun began to set once more. He saw that Mumbo was still building, and he decided to lay on Scar and his mountain instead. This time, he didn’t fall asleep, and managed to make his way down to his bed.

…

The next day, Grian woke up early to begin building. The alley was coming along beautifully, and he was happy with how it was going. The chest monster of a storage room was amazing, and just what Grian wanted and needed. He dressed it up with bookshelves and stacks of barrels, the homey lighting creating a mood that made him want to continue working. 

So, that’s what he did. The next few shops were created, and he detailed them with many different blocks and trapdoors. Grian struggled a bit with making them unique, but, at the end of the day, they looked great. He worked all day, nonstop. Grian didn’t take the time to eat, or take care of himself like he should. Of course, he would regret it later, but that was for tomorrow's Grian. 

Grian was hanging lanterns when Mumbo appeared behind him. “Grian?!” Mumbo exclaimed. “Whaah! Mumbo! Don’t do that!” Grian shrieked, turning around, startled. “Sorry, but why are you still working? It’s past midnight,” Mumbo asked, an uneasy tone growing in his voice the longer he spoke. “Oh! I didn’t realize it was that late,” Grian replied, looking outside of his cavern. “I saw you walking around, and opening various shulkers, and I got worried,” Mumbo said, explaining his concerns. 

Grian had stopped paying attention, starting to drift off to sleep while his best friend talked. “Grian!” Mumbo practically shouted, knocking him out of the daze that he had fallen into. 

“Sorry, what did you say?” Grian asked. Mumbo simply shook his head, and grabbed his wrist. He was leading the man to his bed, but Grian didn’t want to sleep quite yet. 

“Mumbo, I'm not tired. I have a few things I need to do before I go to sleep. I promise I will once I’m finished,” Grian pleaded. 

“Sorry G, but you are getting in this bed, and going to sleep. It’s late, and it’s clear that you need it,” Mumbo demanded softly. “But Mumboooo,” Grian whined, signaturely. “No ‘buts’ Grian,” Mumbo replied. “Fine,” Grian said, while he rolled his eyes. 

Mumbo tucked him into bed, and went off to his own base to fall asleep himself. Grian’s mind was too occupied to try to sleep, though, and this only caused him problems. He tossed and turned for a while, before he decided to just get up and continue building. Mumbo would be mad in the morning, but he could deal with that when it came up.

Grian grabbed his supplies, and made his way back to the alley. It was nice to do something that he knew he was good at, the repetitive motions of placing and breaking blocks was soothing. He continued to work well into the morning, and he heard the signifying tells of firework rockets being fired in the distance, signaling that a hermit was off to work. 

Grian’s body was starting to slow, and he was growing more tired by the minute. He refused, however, to stop and take a break, fearing his negative thoughts would start up once more. So, he stayed like that for many more hours. 

The next thing he knew was Impulse. Why is Impulse here? Shouldn’t he be at Keralis’? Is Xisuma okay? All these thoughts were racing through his tired mind, but he wasn’t able to say anything to the approaching man. His throat was sore, and his mind foggy with a headache. Grian’s limbs felt heavy, and he was trying his best to stay upright. “Grian, can you come and help me for a minute?” Impulse asked. It took him a moment to understand what was being said, but, eventually, his brain caught up. 

“Um, yeah, sure, what do you need?” Grian whispered, wincing at the way his throat argued with him. “Just come with me, I need to show you something, and I want your opinion on it,” Impulse explained. Grian nodded, and followed Impulse, taking off and trailing behind the gentle man. 

They didn’t fly for long, and their final destination was Keralis’ house. They touched down, and Grian had a question on his tongue, but Impulse beat him to it. “Alright, just through here,” the man stated. He went along with it, and soon he found himself in Xiusma’s bedroom. “What are we doing here?” Grian asked, voice small and scuffed. 

“You're here because I wanted to hang out with you,” Xisuma answered kindly, eyes sparkling. “Oh, well, I’m kind of busy right now. I thought Impulse needed me to look at something,” Grian said, and looked towards the mentioned man. Impulse just smiled, and walked out of the room. Grian then turned back towards X, and asked, “What’s this actually about?” 

“Well, our little mustached friend was worried about you, and asked me to talk to you,” Xisuma replied calmly. “I’m fine,” he replied shortly, and mentally cursed himself for speaking. “Grian, I know that you’re not okay, and it’s obvious you’ve caught a cold. Can you please just come sit with me?” Xisuma asked. He thought for a second, and nodded after. If it would make X happy, then it was worth it. At least he could somewhat repay him.

X opened his arms, signaling for him to come lay down with him. He gratefully accepted, and crawled into the admin’s lap. They sat and talked for a little while, and Grian’s eyes started to close. He vaguely knew that Xisuma only continued to talk to help him fall asleep, but it didn’t register properly. 

Eventually he was completely zonked out, and snoring in the admin’s embrace. He briefly remembered being woken up to eat some patented Iskall soup , but after that his day was misty. Hopefully this cold wasn’t anything that would withhold him from building, or spread to Xisuma, but he couldn't really be too sure. All Grian knew at this point was peace.

Chapter Text

Grian awoke, and was startled to not have another human being in the bed with him. Where did Xisuma go? Is he okay? He had still yet to open his eyes, and had only realized that X wasn’t there due to the absence of an additional body to keep him warm. Grian was cold, yes, he had the covers on, but shivers were making their way through his body. This is just great. 

He finally got the energy to look around the room, and he found X in an armchair, reading a book with his favorite blanket. Xisuma noticed his movements, and he let a gentle smile creep onto his face. “How you feeling, Grian? X asked.

“Not that great, I’ll admit,” Grian responded, voice still a little hoarse. “I bet. You've caught quite a cold. Might I ask where you could have gotten it?” Xisuma inquired. Grian knew that question was coming, he just didn’t expect it to make itself known so quickly. “I… stayed out too late, and accidentally fell asleep on top of Mumbo’s mountain,” Grian grimaced, and he watched as the admin took his words in. 

“Well…that’s not the most ideal thing to do. Next time I suggest going inside to sleep,” X joked playfully, knowing full well that there wouldn’t be a next time. This was simply because of the fact that they wouldn’t let him out of their sight again. 

“I’m sorry,” Grian whispered. “There’s no need to apologize. I know you have been struggling with something, but I can’t quite figure out what. Would you mind telling me?” Xisuma asked, tone heartbroken.

“I-I don’t know, it's something I should have gotten over a little while ago, but…” Grian trailed off, and X had a look of realization cross over his face. Xisuma glanced away for a moment, seeming to contemplate what his next words would be. He looked back up, and stared into Grian's eyes for a few seconds. 

“I am so sorry, I should have known better. I thought you were distancing yourself because you wanted to get back to building, and not have to worry about me. However, now that I realize you have been taking a step back because you felt guilty…” Xisuma said, tears springing up in his eyes, and falling over slowly. This made Grian’s heart shatter, seeing his admin so distraught over his actions, and that said man hadn’t noticed. 

Grian did have to give it to the man though, he had managed to figure it out without him having to say much. It was an honest relief since Grian didn’t want to share his problems with X, or anyone, but they would have eventually caught up with him. It just so happened that it was when he was sick, and needed the others to help him. 

“X, it’s not your fault, I left because I didn’t want you to get hurt, and look what I’m doing, hurting you,” Grian said, shame laced through his words, as he stared down at his blankets. It was obvious by the taken aback look he received that Xisuma wasn’t going to take that answer. 

“Grian look at me… you’re a hermit, and a great one at that. You put others’ needs before your own, and you strive to make good builds and be a positive entity in a room. I hate seeing you like this, and, yes, I know I shouldn’t blame myself, but unfortunately I am going to. I need to be a better admin to not only you, but the rest of the server,” Xisuma reasoned, trying to make Grian feel better about the situation. 

“I-I just can’t see you get hurt again, it was really hard for me, and if it happens again… I don’t know what I would do. I don’t think the others would be able to get me out of the fog in that case,” Grian confessed. “Watching you in bed for so long, and then you started crying, slowly trying to communicate with us, it was extremely difficult. I don’t want you to go back to that place,” he further explained, tears flowing down his cheeks, and his nose stopping up, causing a headache. 

“I promise you that it won’t happen again. With all my admin powers I will try to prevent this,” X pledged. 

“X, you don’t get it, do you?” Grian asked, looking up, eyes wide and full of salt water. “Get what? I’m not sure I follow,” X responded confusedly. 

“You keep trying to do too much, it’s what caused the accident in the first place. You were doing a lot of work, and never finding the time to sleep. If you go back down that road, you could end right back here in Keralis’ house in another coma,” Grian cried. The look on Xisuma’s face was unreadable. It was obvious the man was trying to think over what had been said, and, for some reason, it was taking longer than normal for him to process. 

“I-I never really t-thought about that, to be honest,” X whispered, more tears streaming down his face. The admin looked to the right and at the ground, seemingly trying to hide his face without actually moving too much. This reminded Grian that he was still well out of commission and couldn’t just get up and walk out of the room, like he normally would, to calm down. 

Grian stayed quiet, and watched the man process. It was clear, though, by the way that he hugged himself, that Xisuma wanted nothing more than to huddle up, and be curled into someone’s chest. 

“KERALIS!” Grian screamed, startling X out of the thoughts Grian knew not to trust since he dealt with his own. Said man burst into the room like a mad man, and caught sight of X. He briskly made his way over to him, and squatted down to eye level with the admin.

“What’s wrong Shashwam?” Keralis asked, obviously trying to be delicate with Xisuma. Instead of responding, X burst into tears, mumbling “I’m sorry” every other sob. Grian felt like a sore thumb in the room, and moved to get up and out of the space. Keralis was really one of the only hermits permitted to see Xisuma in such a state. Before he could make his way out, however, Keralis grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him close. 

Grian felt out of place, but he was being held by both Keralis and Xisuma, unable to escape their grasp. X’s shoulders shook as he cried into both of their shoulders, and Keralis continued whispering soft “shhs” into the man's ears. Once the admin had settled down, only hiccuping occasionally, Keralis leaned back and asked what had happened. “Can you tell Papa K what’s wrong?” Keralis questioned. 

Grian watched as Xisuma sniffled, and lifted his head to look at him. “I’m sorry I put all this on you, Grian. I didn’t really think about what had happened before everything,” the admin whispered, raising his left hand to gesture to himself and the room. “X, you can’t continue to blame yourself, it was an accident that you didn’t mean to cause,” Grian replied, not even thinking about what he had said. 

Keralis and X raised an eyebrow each, and looked his way in the sense of, really. “Why are you both looking at me like that?” Grian asked, nervousness suddenly making it’s appearance in his stomach. Keralis, who now had Xisuma practically sitting on his lap, shook his head with a small smile on his face. 

“Brian, you just said that ‘you can’t continue to blame yourself, and it was an accident.’ I don’t know what’s going on in that pretty little brain of yours, but I do know that you need to take your own words and believe them,” Keralis said, and gazed at Xisuma again, squeezing him tighter for comfort. 

“I…don’t know what to say,” Grian confessed, turning to Xisuma for some kind of help. Luckily, there was only warmth in the admin’s gaze, and X started explaining a little bit more to him. “Grian, since you told me that, I want to make a deal with you. I want to try to hold each other accountable for our obvious guilt problems. So, when one of us is feeling that way, we have to go to the other, is that okay?” Xisuma asked, hope swelling in his eyes.

“Yes,” Grian didn’t even have to consider it. Sure, he had his thing with Impulse, but that, in his eyes, was more of a ‘help me calm down because I’m kind of mad at you right now’ situation. This, he felt, would actually work because he knew X struggled with guilt just as much as he did. It finally seemed okay that he was dealing with these things because he had someone who was going through them with him.

X let out what looked to be a sigh of relief, and brought him closer for another warm embrace. Although Grian was still quite sick, he couldn’t care less. They stayed like that for a while, then Grian started to leave the room, but X grabbed him before he could make a move towards the door. 

“Stay,” Xisuma commanded. It wasn’t like a general’s command, mandatory that it be followed, but one out of sorrow ? “Please rest,” X practically was pleading with him at this point. Grian nodded, and sat on the bed. Originally, he was going to go to one of the guest bedrooms, so that X could have his bed, but the admin didn’t want him to leave, so he stayed put. The little group of three talked for a bit, and Grian eventually fell asleep to the sounds of their voices.

…

His friends had made him stay in bed for a good four days. He was completely fine after the third, but they wanted to make sure it wasn’t a fluke. Luckily, the little cold didn’t pass onto anyone else. Xisuma had been insistent that he stay in his room with him. Even when he wanted to get up and walk around, X would scowl at him, and open his arms, making grabby hands. 

Grian would give in every time, and he had never seen his admin so clingy before. Does Keralis see him like this all of the time? Is X normally like this? Ahh! He’s suffocating me! Grian’s thoughts were all jumbled up, and he was absolutely puzzled as to how he had never seen this side of Xisuma before. 

He was practically stuck in the one room with Xisuma, and sometimes the others would join in. Most of them, however, had work to do. Keralis, though, was always ready for anything that either of them could need. He reminded Grian of the nanny he used to have as a young child, before his parents were taken away from him. Or, rather, he was taken away from them. He couldn’t really remember, he was too young. 

Not very many hermits knew of his story, and it would continue that way. The only one he had told was Mumbo. Keralis’ actions brought back very fond memories, and had him reminiscing quite a lot. Xisuma would often ask him what he was thinking about, but Grian would respond with, “what I’m doing next with my base”. It wasn’t a complete lie, since he did sometimes think about that, but it wasn’t the whole truth. 

…

The next day, he was allowed to leave, but, in all honesty, Grian didn’t want to be too far from Xisuma. Before, all he wanted to do was get away from the man, but his admin was prominently worried about him. So, he decided that he would stay to keep Xisuma’s mind at ease. 

Instead of staying in X’s room, though, he switched to his homey attic. At first there were only a couple of beds and a little table up there, but Grian didn’t hesitate to spruce it up a bit. He felt kinda guilty for leaving Xisuma all by himself in his room, but Grian needed his own space, and the attic was the perfect place to make just that. 

It took him about half of the day, and the area was very cozy. Blankets were scattered everywhere, some hanging on the walls appearing like a tent, due to the slanted roof. He made sure to have plenty of potted plants, and pillows around the room. It was awesome. Hammocks were hanging from the ceiling for whoever was going to sleep up there. Usually, it was just him and Impulse, but Stress liked to hang out sometimes. 

If only X could come up here… wait–wait he could! He could try walking to the base of the ladder, and then we could have Impulse or Doc carry him up! Grian’s brain was running a mile a minute, and he wanted Xisuma to have the ability to be somewhere different than just the “dining room” or the living room. It’s the perfect plan! 

Grian scrambled down the ladder, and burst into Xisuma’s quarters. Impulse, Keralis, and, of course, X were in the space, and said admin almost jumped out of his skin. Keralis was quick to softly reprimand him for scaring his Shashwam, but Grian shrugged it off, and walked forward. He took a spot at the edge of the bed, and waited for them to finish their conversation before beginning.

“Okay G-man, what was it that you needed?” Impulse asked, curiosity in his tone. “Okay, so, I’ve been doing some building, and some thinking, which is dangerous. Upstairs the attic was a bit dingy, sorry K, but it’s true. So, I made it better, and it’s super comfy and cozy. Then I got to thinking ‘what if we got X to go up there?’ I know it sounds super crazy, but he could practice his walking, and then you, Impulse, could get him up the ladder!” Grian basically sped past the speed limit, and was about to get pulled over.

“No. Shashwam cannot go ups that ladder,” Keralis replied firmly. “I have to agree with Keralis on this one, buddy, sorry,” Impulse said, looking at him with soft brown eyes. “But–” Grian was cut off by Keralis. “No, it’s not safe. I also don’t think Mr. m77 would be very happy with that,” the big eyed man continued. 

“Is anyone going to ask what I think, or am I gonna have to make the decision myself?” Xisuma asked, eyebrows raised. “Shashwam…” Keralis warned. X rolled his eyes, and spoke his opinion anyway. “I do agree it’s a little ambitious at the moment, but I do think we could do something else that may be a bit safer…” the admin trailed off, a glint of mischief, that only showed every once in a while, appearing in his eyes.

At Xisuma’s not so sneaky ‘hint hint,’ Grian smiled. “What did you have in mind?” X told the other two to leave the room, and they did so hesitantly. Finally, they left after much coaxing that nothing too bad was going to happen, and Grian closed and locked the door behind them.

“Okay, so what’s your idea?” Grian inquired, the sneaky part of him coming to life. “How about you make a blanket fort in the living room, while I keep Impulse and Keralis occupied? It can be as big as you want it to be, but make sure there is enough room for everyone to fit. I kind of want to watch a movie. Then, we surprise them with it, and voila, we have the attic, but in the living room,” Xisuma said, excitement rising in his tone.

“I think… that’s a wonderful idea!” Grian quietly squealed. “Good, you can bring the other guys in. Try not to take too long, I’m not sure how well I can distract them,” X voiced, in the same hushed tone they had been using the whole time. 

Grian opened the door back up, Keralis and Impulse sitting on the couch that would soon be turned into a fort. They started to question him, but he pushed them into Xisuma’s room, leaving them without an answer. He could hear a “Hey!” came from Keralis as he shut the door, but he soon quieted down. 

The gremlin, living up to his title, scampered up the ladder, grabbed a stack of blankets, and threw them down the shute. Pillows joined the pile on the floor, with all of his “necessities” in one place. He made his way down, and towards the kitchen table, lifting the chairs, and placing them where he would eventually clip the blankets.

It took him a total of about twenty minutes to finish the fort, and when he took a step back from it, all he felt was pride. He had made sure to leave one spot clear, so that they could bring in Xisuma’s special blanket. The cushions from the other pieces of furniture acted as mattresses for comfort. 

Grian went into Xisuma’s bedroom, and declared that he was finished. Impulse and Keralis looked at each other, slightly scared, and X’s face lit up. The admin was already starting to lift his blankets, and sat on the edge of the bed, feet planted on the floor. Grian giggled at his haste, and the other men in the room were very confused, but instantly were there to support Xisuma.  

“Whoa, where we going, big guy?” Impulse asked, helping X to his feet. The admin staggered a little, but straightened up after a moment. “Living room!” Grian piped up, leading them towards the next area. He made sure to give the trio some space, but also stayed close enough to catch the admin if he needed to. 

All three pairs of eyes widened at the beautiful monstrosity. A smile spread across each of their faces, and X tried to speed up, but was immediately slowed by Keralis. The four of them went over to the fort, and helped Xisuma to the floor, so he could half army crawl through the entrance with assistance from Impulse. Grian had already set up a breathing machine with an extended tube, and X let out a sigh of relief when he placed it back over his face. 

Keralis ran back into the room to grab X’s favorite blanket at Grian’s request. They all finally shuffled in, and picked out a movie to watch to pass the time. Impulse, being on the outer edge, got out, and brought them each some food. It probably would end badly in the morning, but that was okay. About halfway through the movie Xisuma fell asleep, and they all followed in his footsteps. 

…

They were woken to the sound of Doc tripping over a blanket that had apparently fallen in the night, and cursing in German. “I leave for two days, and a blanket bomb goes off?” Doc said, raising his voice a little in frustration. All four of them that were in the drooping fort burst out laughing, while Doc stood there unamused. 

“Sorry Doc, we were going to clean it up,” X managed to wheeze out between laughs. “Uh huh, and what is Mr. Xisumavoid doing on the floor, hm?” Doc scolded. “Oh, just having a bit of fun.”

Chapter Text

It was pretty late at night, well past Xisuma’s bedtime, and Impulse was with Doc and Grian. They were sitting in the living room, chatting about the various things that they had done that day. Keralis was still in X’s room for some unknown reason, probably cleaning up like the mother hen he was. Stress was at the kitchen table, reading a book. 

They always tried to (note the tried ) stay quiet, even though their admin slept like a rock. “Doc, what redstone were you working on today? I saw you at the Octagon,” Impulse asked. “Ren and I were working on the automatic stock dispenser. We did our first test run today,” Doc replied. “Gosh, I don’t know how you guys stand redstone,” Grian commented. The whole group chuckled a little bit at that, and continued their conversation. 

Then, someone unexpected walked into the room. No one heard their footsteps, and they had their hand resting on the hilt of their sword. Doc was the first one to notice their presence, not sitting in his usual seat, but on the couch. 

“Evil X, what are you doing here?” Doc asked, wary of the weapon the armour clad man had. 

“Oh, you know. Just wanted to stop by to get my brother back,” Ex replied, rolling his eyes. A strange feeling rose in Impulse’s gut at the way he said ‘brother.’ “I’m sorry, but X isn’t going anywhere. He’s still recovering, and is currently asleep,” he said, trying to reason with the man. He knew both brothers were business partners, but Xisuma was in no condition to go back to work. 

“Whatever do you mean? He’s been stuck here for over five months, I think he is perfectly capable of coming back to me,” Evil Xisuma argued, obviously not wanting to take no as an answer. “Evil X, you're going to have to leave. Xisuma is asleep right now, but you can see him tomorrow if you wish. It’s safer for him here,” Doc said, going on defense. 

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Ex drawled, walking straight towards Doc, and unsheathing his blade. Impulse made a move to stand, but Evil X kicked him back down to the couch. Doc jumped up, and drew his sword, meeting Ex’s swing with his own. The sound of netherite crashing together was loud, and Keralis came rushing out of Xisuma’s room to see what the commotion was about. 

“Keralis, Stress, we gotta get X!” Impulse yelled. Stress hopped up, already on high alert, and ran into the next room. Keralis held the door for her and Impulse, swiftly shutting and locking it. As the door closed, Impulse saw that Grian had already sprung into action, swinging his axe at Ex’s shield. 

Impulse rushed over to where Xisuma was now half awake, woken up by the loud noises sounding from outside the door. “Wha’s goin’ on?” X asked, rubbing his eyes from the sudden light in the room. “No time, we need to move you,” Impulse said urgently. Keralis was also at his side, and removed Xisuma’s oxygen mask from his face. 

X squeaked, not expecting the haste. The trio helped him stand, but it swiftly turned into a half carry. They sat the admin down onto the floor, and leaned him against the wall. Xisuma was starting to panic, chest rising and falling faster than was healthy, so Keralis sat down next to him. Stress kneeled in front of X, softly putting her hands on his knees as comfort. 

A crash sounded, and the door to Xisuma’s bedroom broke in two, wood chips clattering to the floor. Impulse whipped around, and saw that Evil Xisuma had a Grian on his back who was trying to keep him from getting through the doorway. Doc was slowly backing into the room in front of the pair, holding his sword firmly. “Get off me you little rat!” Evil X yelled at Grian, who was still going strong. 

Impulse drew his own weapon, standing to protect his admin and his friends, heart racing. While Ex was dealing with Grian, Doc rushed forward, and took a swing. Unfortunately, it only grazed Evil Xisuma’s upper arm. The angry man hissed, and threw Grian off of him with great force. Impulse’s stomach dropped when the small man screamed in pain. 

Doc took his chance, and stabbed his sword through the evil brother’s chest. 

Ex disappeared in a cloud of grey smoke, and Impulse watched as Doc relaxed a little, but kept his shoulders tense. Impulse hurried over to Grian who was lying on the ground clutching his arm to his chest. It didn’t look good, and would definitely be at the very least fractured. Impulse laid a hand on his shoulder, and Grian looked up at him. “I can’t feel it, it’s broken,” Grian whispered, and Impulse nodded. 

He glanced back over his shoulder, and saw that Xisuma was hyperventilating, making some sort of choking hiccup sound. Stress was trying to go through a breathing exercise with him, but the man wouldn’t calm down. The expression on his face was static with fear. Keralis looked like he was whispering encouragements, but it was obvious that X was too far gone to hear them. 

He turned back to Grian, and examined his wrist carefully. “We’ll get it wrapped here soon, but I need to help move X right now,” Impulse said sympathetically. “Oh, go ahead, I can wait. From the looks of things, he can’t,” Grian responded, looking at the distraught admin. Impulse stood, and walked over to the trio, nodding to Keralis. 

They all helped X to his bed, and instead of laying down, he stayed upright. Xisuma was shaking, and curled in on himself, wrapping his arms around his knees. Impulse hadn’t noticed earlier, but the sleeve of the black shirt that he had on was completely torn. The admin continued to pick at it, so Impulse gently took his hand, attempting to stop further damage.

However, X flinched at his touch, and let out a sob. Impulse jerked his hand back, not wanting to cause the man any more trauma. He knew it was probably extremely overwhelming for him, especially since he was woken so suddenly. Stress was holding Xisuma’s oxygen mask in her hand, but he wasn’t looking, his head buried in his knees. 

“X, love, can you lift your head a bit?” Stress asked. Xisuma took a moment, but obliged. She swiftly strapped it on, and let him be. X returned into his hunched form, appearing more and more like a real hermit crab. Everyone in the room had worry painted on their faces, Doc, however, looked absolutely livid. 

Said creeper picked up all of Evil Xisuma’s items, and stormed out of the house, setting off a flurry of rockets. Impulse didn’t know where he was going, but, if he had a guess, it was to put Ex in his place. He hoped that Doc had enough restraint to not completely obliterate the guy, though. Yes, what he did was wrong, but Impulse couldn’t bring himself to want to hurt him.

The one thing that didn’t quite add up, though, was the almost violent reaction Xisuma had to seeing his evil twin. He thought they had resolved things a little while back, and they were all good and dandy, but that was obviously a lie. X continued to shake with sobs, and Impulse’s heart was shattering. The admin’s break downs had happened multiple times before, but never quite like this. 

It was definitely unsettling, and he hoped Xisuma wouldn’t stay like this for too much longer. Impulse was now sitting in his spot, hand laying on the bed if X wanted to hold it. He didn’t expect him to, but it was an offer, and Impulse would always be there to offer comfort. Finally, X curled up on his side, face hidden, and he fell asleep rather quickly, most likely exhausted from the extraneous emotional battle. 

Impulse, Grian, and Stress walked out of the room, turning off the lights. He and Stress patched Grian’s arm, and gave him a health potion, but they too were tired to do much else. He laid in bed thinking about the night's events, and hoped that X would be okay in the morning, but all he could do was wait to find out.

Chapter Text

To say Doc was mad was an understatement. He was more than that. Doc would protect any of the hermits in a hot minute, but there are some that mean more to him than others. Specifically Xisuma, Ren, and the rest of the nHo. No one was supposed to lay a finger on them, and if they did…

The flight over to the Evil Emporium was dangerous. Doc might have used way too many rockets, and almost crashed a couple of times. He couldn’t believe Evil X had the nerve to just waltz into Keralis’ house like that, and try to take X from him, from all of them! Doc was very possessive, and many people were aware of that, but they didn’t know just what X had saved him from. 

Xisuma was like a father to almost everyone on the server, except Keralis. Keralis has always been X’s parent figure. Etho also had attachments to the man which had most likely caused his breakdowns. Some things that had happened on their previous server, Mindcrack, had been less than ideal, and X practically rescued all of the nHo from it. Doc had a few troubling memories from before Hermitcraft, and Xisuma was always there to help him.

Doc landed, stumbling a little, and stormed towards the tower he knew Evil Xisuma would be in. He busted down the door, and saw Ex grab some food from a nearby chest. Doc realized that the man was probably still sore from respawn, but he didn’t care. Evil X had tried to hurt one of his friends, and that was enough motive. As he started towards him, Ex turned to try to run, but Doc was faster, and blocked the exit. 

“What do you want?” Ex snarled, looking back at the half-creeper. “I want you to realize how much trauma you just caused your brother,” Doc bit back. In one swift motion he grabbed the front of Evil X’s shirt and slammed him up against the wall. Ex grunted in pain, and tried to wriggle out of Doc’s grasp. 

“I suggest you let me go before you get in trouble,” Ex said through gritted teeth. Doc sneered and rolled his eyes. “Why would I do that? It’s clear that you don’t know how to respect others, or their injuries, so why would I respect yours?” Doc said, raising his voice an octave for the question. He pushed harder against the struggling man, earning a pained squawk in response.

“X wouldn’t want you to,” Evil Xisuma whispered. “You don’t get to say that. You wanna know why? Because you hurt him,” Doc scoffed, as he dropped Evil X to the ground. 

“I want a fair fight, at least,” Ex grumbled. “A fight? Oh I can give you a fight, but you're gonna have to pick yourself back up again until I’m done with you,” Doc responded, hissing. He watched as Evil X stood, hunching a little, eyebrows furrowed. “Here,” Doc said plainly, throwing the evil brother’s sword on the ground. Ex glared at him for carelessly chucking the item on the floor, and making him bend down to pick it up.

The man in front of him slowly bent forward, and picked up the netherite weapon warily, clearly calculating what Doc would do if he tried to advance. He stood back up, and faced Doc, a tired, yet determined, expression on his face. Doc already had his sword out and ready, arm staying at his side, waiting for Ex to make the first move. They stood staring at each other for a long moment, and Evil X made the expected initial swing.

It wasn’t harsh in any way, it was to get the real fight started, and Doc would gladly get the show on the road. He met the other’s blade with his own, and let out a toothy grin. Ex stepped back, and swung once more, but it was driven with more force. This was what Doc wanted: a good fight. 

Doc launched himself forward, driving his shoulder into Evil Xisuma’s side. Ex fell to the ground with the force, and his weapon clattered away from him. “Get up,” Doc growled. Evil X stared at him through his visor angrily. However, he followed Doc’s directions, and stood, grabbing his sword. He staggered greatly, barely able to stay upright.

Evil Xisuma was at the ready, and, this time, Doc took the initiative. His enchanted blade arched through the air, but was abruptly stopped by Evil X’s defense. Doc didn’t linger, though, and took the opening. Ex was too slow, and the sword ended up embedded into his side, making him die and respawn.

The evil twin was laid out on his bed, which was only a few blocks away, shuddering. Doc knew that the pain wouldn’t subside, but he didn’t really care. All he knew was that Evil X would pay for his actions. Doc grabbed Ex’s sword, and threw it at him. People were supposed to handle weapons with caution, but Doc was half creeper, so that didn’t apply to him, right?

Evil Xisuma rose from his bed, instantly falling to his knees, unable to hold his own body weight after two respawns so close together. This didn’t bode well in Doc’s mind. He said he wanted a fight, so I’ll give him one…

Doc grasped the chin of Evil X’s helmet, and tilted it to face him, forcing the man to stare straight into his eyes. He gave an evil grin, before plunging his sword back into Ex’s trembling body. 

Respawn caught up with the voidwalker, and instead of resting on the bed, his body was halfway to the floor already. Doc didn’t feel anything towards the man anymore, he knew only rage and intense possessiveness. 

Before Ex could even make a move, Doc’s weapon had already snuck past a couple of ribs, and was lodged in. It seemed as if the server was struggling to process the death, but Evil Xisuma soon vanished and reappeared right before his eyes. 

The process of killing the man was continued, and Doc felt no remorse. He couldn’t keep count as to how many times he had killed Ex, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was what Xisuma was experiencing, and he guessed it was complete and utter fear. Why not inflict the same fear onto the one who caused it?

The communicator in his pocket had buzzed multiple times, most likely from concerned hermits or the death messages. Doc didn’t check it, though, too focused on what was happening in the moment, and he wasn’t finished with Evil Xisuma. He went to have another go at him, raising his sword into the air. A look of dread appeared in Ex’s eyes, but he was unable to land the blow. 

Someone had a hold of his elbow. Doc slowly turned to look at who it was, and found Impulse with worried eyes, holding him at bay. “Why?” Doc growled. “Because you’ve killed him eight times already. I think he’s learned his lesson,” Impulse responded, glancing over to the mentioned man, who had a pleading look covering his half masked and damaged face.

An expression of realization appeared on Doc’s, and he looked at Impulse with a stare that was only meant to ask “really?” At that, Impulse pulled out his communicator and showed him the messages. 

<EvilXisuma was killed whilst fighting Docm77>

<Rendog> What happened to get Doc to kill him?

<Stressmonster101> Ex tried to kill X…

<PearlescentMoon> Is X okay?

<Grian> “ Okay” may be an overstatement, but Keralis and Impulse are trying to help, while Doc takes care of the other problem…

<EvilXisuma was slain by Docm77>

<Ethoslab> Get ’m Doc!

<BdoubleO100> Whoop!

<EvilXisuma was killed whilst trying to escape Docm77>

<EvilXisuma was slain by Docm77>

<EvilXisuma was slain by Docm77>

<Welsknight> Should we be worried?

<EvilXisuma was killed whilst trying to escape Docm77>

<EvilXisuma hit the ground too hard whilst trying to escape Docm77>

<VintageBeef> I think we should stop him, before Ex is decimated…

<Ethoslab> Ooooo big word Beefers, but I do think it’s panic time now…for him at least! >:)

<Grian> Impulse is heading over there.

<EvilXisuma was slain by Docm77>

As Impulse pulled his comm away, Doc looked back towards Evil Xisuma. He didn’t look to be faring well, and had many bruises and broken ribs. Doc sucked in a breath at the sight of the dishevelled man, and went straight for the ender chest that sat nearby. He pulled out a couple of healing potions along with regeneration. He placed them on Ex’s bed who gave him a puzzled look.

“What I did may be cruel, but I am decent enough to help a dying man out,” Doc grumbled, before dropping some golden carrots and water bottles down as well. Impulse had a surprised look on his face, but shook it off, seemingly contemplating if he should help Evil X more. Doc decided to choose for Impulse, and walked out of the tower, sparking a rocket and taking off into the sunrise.

Chapter Text

He couldn’t breathe. 

It felt like the walls were closing in on him.

They were too close. He was too close.

His sleeve was torn, and continued to be shredded. His anxiety had his blood pressure skyrocketing, and it felt like he was going to faint at the drop of a hat. Keralis was next to him, trying to get him over to the dreaded corner. He didn’t know why he felt so much fear towards that area of the room. 

He was on the ground now.

Did I fall?

No.

Keralis put me here. Why did he put me here?

Xisuma was extremely confused. He had just woken up, and was being rushed to a corner, and there was yelling and the sound of swords clashing. 

Stress. Okay? Stress?

She was sitting in front of him for some reason. A large crash sounded.

The door.

Grian?

Ex!

No, nonononono. This wasn’t happening. Evil X can’t be here. Xisuma was hyperventilating, and Stress was trying to get him to do a breathing exercise. 

All he could focus on was Evil X. 

Crack!

Grian! Xisuma watched as he fell to the floor, an audible noise coming from his wrist. It was broken. Grian started sobbing, clutching his wrist in pain.

Swords clashing. A cry from Doc as he was killed and shoved into respawn, Impulse soon following. X started shaking, trembling, quaking in his skin. Keralis was holding him close, trying and failing miserably to comfort him. 

Evil Xisuma stalked towards the trio, Stress rising up from her spot to face him. Xisuma saw a smirk form in Ex’s brow, and he sheathed his sword. He rushed up to Stress, and threw her against the wall to X’s left. “Stress!” Keralis screamed, as her head hit the hard surface, rendering her unconscious. 

A sob wracked through X’s body, and he shoved his face into his hands. “No…” he whispered. A roar of laughter came from his evil twin as he cowered. 

“Don’t touch him!” Keralis yelled.

Xisuma lifted his head slightly to look at his best friend, and he was fear stricken for him. 

“Or what? It’s not like you can do anything,” Evil Xisuma remarked. 

“I-” Keralis stuttered, not knowing how to respond. 

Evil X grew closer, and Xisuma’s shaking got worse, controlling his body.

His twin clicked his tongue. “You should’ve known better than to run away, and ignore the work you have, my foolish axolotl,” Ex growled, stepping towards Keralis, and pulling his sword out.

“Shishwammy… Shashwam…”

“Xisuma!”

Xisuma shot up in his bed, breaths coming much faster than they should. He was shaking like an earthquake had just occurred, causing his body to rattle. His back was drenched in sweat, and tears were streaming down his face. Keralis placed a hand on his shoulder, and it caused a massive flinch to go through him, trying to pull away from the unwanted, or rather, dangerous, touch. 

The hand disappeared as fast as it came, and an apology sounded, but didn’t register in X’s brain. All Xisuma could think about was where Ex was and if his friends were okay. The images of Stress slumped against the wall, passed out, flashed through the forefront of his mind, and he began to cry even harder. He was huddled in on himself, while tearing at his already destroyed sleeve. 

He tried to distract himself, but nothing was working, and Impulse’s valiant attempt at protecting him and the others replayed in his head. He vaguely heard the reinstalled door open, but he paid no attention to it. 

It took a little while for him to calm down, but he was still very much on edge, salt water continuing it’s trek down his face. He lifted his head up and saw Keralis, sitting huddled up in Impulse’s lap, crying. Stress had a few tears dripping down her face as she sat in her bean bag. Grian was nowhere to be seen, and Doc was leaning up against the door frame, staring down at his feet. 

Xisuma sniffled, and wiped his face with his hands. He pulled his favorite blanket over his head like a terrified child, and tried to comfort himself. Clearly everyone else was busy, he shouldn't bother them.

“Knock, knock… Shashwam, are you okay?” Keralis asked not long after, his voice sodden with distress. Xisuma lifted the edge of his blanket to look at his best friend, eyes swollen and puffy from crying. “Can I come in?” Keralis questioned carefully. X nodded, and made room for Keralis, as the other crawled under the fabric. 

“Can I touch you?” Keralis whispered, trying to respect Xisuma as much as possible. 

X took a moment to think about it, but decided he could handle it, and nodded again to his friend. Keralis tentatively wrapped his arms around Xisuma, and X was appreciative of the caution. It was going far too slowly, however, and he quickly returned the embrace. Once in the hug, X started whimpering into Keralis’ shoulder, gripping onto him for dear life. 

Keralis was murmuring sweet nothings into his ear, attempting to calm him down. X heard the door open and close again, multiple footsteps exiting the space. When he had cried himself out, he let out a quiet sigh, and released Keralis from his tight hold. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Keralis asked. X shook his head frantically, and slumped into his chest. He ran through the reasons in his head why he shouldn’t speak: 

If I tell someone, it will warrant more hurt, and I don’t want to be hurt because that will worry Keralis. Talking means lightning and lightning means pain. I don’t want to go back to that. I don’t want to go back to him. If I stay silent, Ex stays happy…

Xisuma let himself be held by his companion, as he continued to revel in his warmth. He tried blocking out all of the negative thoughts, but they reared relentlessly in his head. Keralis had started running his hands through X’s hair, and, finally, something was soothing the admin. Xisuma let out a small sigh, and snuggled closer.

“Shashwam?” Keralis whispered.

X lifted his head off of his friend’s shoulder, and looked him in the eyes. It had been a fair few minutes, and he knew he couldn’t stay like that forever. He nodded his head as the go ahead for the inevitable question. 

“Are you okay? Papa K’s worried about you,” Keralis questioned, interest filling his eyes.

Xisuma looked down, and gently shook his head in response, but instead of a reprimand like Evil X would use, Keralis lightly hugged him. 

“It’s okay… I know you need time, and we’ll give it to you, but you needs to get out of your little hidey hole, and get some foodies,” Keralis said, lifting the blanket in small increments to make sure X wouldn’t have a bad reaction. 

Once they both were out from underneath the covers, Keralis went to stand up, but was quickly pulled right back down. Xisuma pouted at him, not wanting to be left alone. Keralis made an ‘oof’ sound, and he flailed as he made contact with the bed. It earned a huff from X, and Keralis giggled where he laid. 

“Do you want me to call Stressy in to bring you food?” Keralis inquired, shifting to get more comfortable. 

X smiled and gave a thumbs up to his friend. Keralis then pulled out his communicator and Xisuma watched as he typed out a quick message to the other caretaker. 

<You whisper to Stressmonster101> Can you bring Shishwammy some food? He’s being clingy and won’t let me go

<Stressmonster101 whispers to You> Of course, loves omw 

<Stressmonster101 whispers to You> Anything in particular he wants?

Keralis looked up at him in question, and warily handed the comm over to Xisuma, which he took quickly and typed out his own message.

<You whisper to Stressmonster101>  Stress, can I have some of the blueberries Gem brought and some oatmeal? 

<Stressmonster101 whispers to You> Yes, darling <3

<You whisper to Stressmonster101> thanks <3

Keralis was peering over his shoulder, watching what he was writing. He went through multiple different versions of the text before deciding on the one, and sending it. Xisuma didn’t want to upset Keralis, so he gave back the communicator before he got mad. 

“So, Shashwam… I was thinking,” Keralis began, before he stopped and started giggling at the horrified face X was making. “Why are you making that face?” Keralis asked in between laughs.

X pointed to Keralis, and then made a hand motion towards his head like cogs turning. It took a few tries for his hermit to figure out what he was implying, and once he did…

“ Shishwammy!!! ” Keralis squealed.

This made X chuckle slightly before hastily going silent again, and he pushed Keralis to lean up against the wall. It was evident that he was confused as to why Xisuma was moving him, but then X put his head in Keralis’ lap. Afterwards, he grabbed Keralis’ hand and placed it on top of his head.

“Oh, okay,” Keralis said, giving in.

Xisuma knew that Keralis could barely ever say no to him, but he didn’t want to push it any further. He feared that Keralis might get fed up with him, so he kept his mouth shut, and asked for the little things… silently. 

The fingers in his hair felt nice, and Xisuma was content to just lay there until he fell back asleep, but Stress walked in with his food. She wouldn’t let him eat lying down, so he slid up more against Keralis, and she allowed it. 

X ate his breakfast, and then layed back down in Keralis’ lap. The man got the memo and started playing with his hair. However, Xisuma knew he needed to stay awake, so he cut his comfort short, and sat up to grab the book he was reading yesterday off of the nightstand. 

The pair sat for a while, but lunchtime quickly rolled around and Impulse walked in with three plates of grilled cheese sandwiches. A small smile appeared on Xisuma’s face, and he gratefully took his serving. 

“How're you doing, X?” Impulse asked. 

X lifted his not crumb covered hand and made a so-so motion with it. 

“Okay, that’s good. I guess grilled cheese makes everything better,” Impulse chuckled. 

Xisuma nodded, and continued eating his slice of the crispy and cheesy bread. Impulse and Keralis began idly chatting, and gently encouraging him to speak, but nothing made him want to say anything. It was just too overwhelming to think of the right words to vocalize.

They finished their meals, and Impulse left the room with a sad look on his face. X felt a little bad for not interacting much with him, but he wasn’t stable enough, and didn’t want to get in trouble. Xisuma knew that Keralis was starting to worry, but risking his safety to reassure him wasn’t worth it.

…

Everyone in the house had come by at least once, including Grian, which he was grateful for to check up on him. They all tried to convince him to have a conversation, but nothing seemed to sway him to do so. They stayed with him all day, but eventually it got too late, and it was his bedtime. He was a little fearful of falling asleep, but Keralis was by his side, so everything was going to be okay.

That comfort was all he needed, and he snuggled closer to Keralis, who was already fast asleep. It had been a rough twenty-four hours for them all, and he knew his friends were exhausted. He hoped he wouldn’t wake in the middle of the night due to another nightmare, but Keralis would be there if he did. He was safe from everything except his own mind, and that was enough.

Chapter Text

Xisuma woke up to the smell of bacon and waffles wafting through Keralis’ house. It was a welcoming surprise, and he was ecstatic for the sweet breakfast. He noticed Keralis was nowhere to be seen, so X assumed he was the one making the food. Sometimes, he liked being alone, it gave him time to process what was happening, but, other times, he needed company to feel safe. 

“Shashwam! I has some waffles to satisfy your falafel!” Keralis exclaimed, opening the door with two plates of food in his hands. Xisuma chuckled a little, but continued to keep his silence.

Keralis handed him his plate, and he quickly nodded in thanks, beginning on his breakfast. He let Keralis ramble on about whatever he wanted as Xisuma admired the sugar in his mouth. His friend had done a great job as always, loading more whipped cream and fresh fruit on the waffles than any one man needed. 

After they finished eating, Keralis went to put the dirty dishes away, and Stress walked in. She had a grand smile on her face as she carried various supplies in her arms. X looked at her with a confused expression on his face. She giggled a little at him, and put the things at the end of his bed.

Keralis walked back in, this time, however, he was carrying a wooden…thing? What is that? What are they planning? Did I mess up? Am I in trouble? Are they going to hurt me? 

Xisuma’s thoughts were running, and not looking back to make sure he was following them. He knew he was starting to panic, and didn’t want to worry his friends, but all the possibilities were wrapped up and handed to him by his brain without a second thought. 

“X, hun, you’re okay. We aren’t doin’ anything that’ll be dangerous,” Stress said kindly.

It snapped him out of his spiral, and he was somewhat relieved, although he still wanted to know what was happening. He watched her glance at Keralis, an obvious question on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t speak it. 

“Shashwam? We want to do some crafts with you. Stressy here thinks that it’ll help with your motor skills,” Keralis explained.

Xisuma smiled at that, and clasped his hands together lightly, excited now that he knew what was going on. 

“Ren made you a lap desk, so you could have a little bit of fun while in bed. It’s also kind of bad, though, if you think about it. You’re not really supposed to do work in bed because it’s meant to be a sleepy place, but we’re going to do just that…” Keralis rambled, and it made Stress laugh, as she brushed off his “worries.”

X was aware of how much Keralis worried about him, most of the time with good reason, but he also knew that this was just a joke, and couldn’t help snickering a little. Keralis put the lap desk down, the wood resting right above his legs at a comfortable height without touching him. 

Stress started laying out the materials, and he could see multiple colors of yarn, but had a little bit of trouble identifying them because he didn’t have his helmet on. Oh well, she would tell him what each hue was soon enough, so he didn’t have to be nervous about that. She also had some bags full of beads, and different types of strings, most likely hand collected from the spiders themselves. 

He noticed some square shaped paper, which meant they were going to work on origami. He was kind of excited about that, X had always wanted to learn how to make it, but never found the time to do so.

“All right, dear, which one do you want to do first? Origami, bracelet making, or arm knitting?” Stress asked, holding up a couple of examples.

He decided to start out with something he actually knew how to do, and picked out the bracelet by pointing at it. She smiled in return, and handed him a couple of the types of string and beads. 

Xisuma grabbed a more leather-like strand, and held it out for Keralis to cut. He wasn’t certain how much he trusted the big eyed man with the sharp object, so it was a good thing that Stress only brought kid scissors. 

After it had been shortened, he placed it down neatly on his little table, and started rummaging through the various beads. It took a little bit longer than it needed to, but he managed to pick out each letter of Keralis’ name. 

He threaded it on his string slowly, adding a couple of accent beads on either end. X smiled at the sight, and was proud of himself. It was slightly difficult, especially since he hadn’t done something so tedious in a long time, but he managed. 

The admin looked over at his best friend, and saw him threading beads very carefully, sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth in the process. He appeared deep in thought, and it made Xisuma’s heart swell to witness his friend so happy. Next, he turned to Stress where she was making a very, very pink bracelet. It was such her style, and his cheeks started to hurt a little from smiling. 

“Done!” Keralis exclaimed, holding up his intricate design.

“That looks great! Good job!” Stress praised.

Keralis hopped over, and grabbed his arm gently, tying it around his wrist. Xisuma grinned, and, once Keralis was done tying it, he returned the favor by doing it with the one he made. X specifically made it with the stronger string because he knew Keralis could get a little wild sometimes, and he hoped it wouldn’t break anytime soon.

X admired the beautiful beads that were woven in the braids of the thinner fibers, but were made firmer using plaits. Before his friend could go back to his seat, he took hold of his arm again, and brought him into a hug. Stress made an ‘aww’ sound, and both men released their holds. 

“Alright, let’s move onto origami!” Stress exclaimed excitedly.

“Okay!” Keralis said, and X knew he was speaking for both of them.

Xisuma picked out a green piece of paper, and waited on Stress to give instructions. 

“Let’s take our papers and fold them in half… then I want you to unfold it and start to make a paper airplane… unfold it again, and watch what I do,” Stress explained.

They continued to work, X struggling a little bit with the tight folds. He got through, but he still didn’t know what they were supposed to be making.

After finishing, Stress handed him a black marker and a couple of googly eyes. He smiled at her, and placed them where she put hers. It was a turtle! He loved it! Stress’ was pink like always, and Keralis’ was blue. They had a little family of turtles!

“Aww, they’re so cute together!” Stress announced, and both men agreed.

The final activity was arm knitting, and Stress pulled out what looked to be a bunch of different shades of yarn. 

“Okay, love, I have… sunflower, lilac, magenta, moss, violet, and rose. Which one would you like? Oh, and I brought cerulean blue for Keralis,” Stress said, displaying the spools for him to choose which color he wanted. 

He thought for a minute, though not about the craft. They had yet to get upset with him, and he hadn’t done anything wrong so far. Surely no one would be mad if he spoke now, right? Taking a deep breath, X decided to go for it. 

“Lilac,” Xisuma said impossibly quietly, voice rough from disuse. 

The others stared at each other, but he paid no mind to them, and began unraveling some of the yarn that Stress had handed to him in her shock. He glanced up at Stress to see that she had picked the magenta colored material, giving Keralis his. 

“Ready?” She asked.

“Yeah,” X whispered. 

They started the process of arm knitting, working on his strength. Grab, pull through, twist loop, hook, grab, pull through, twist loop, hook… Xisuma had to take frequent breaks because his muscles were straining, but he continued, determined to finish it. Doc, at one point, brought them some food that Gem had dropped by, and they had a small conversation, but he still felt nervous for his own well-being. 

He gradually began to talk throughout the day whenever he was certain he wouldn’t upset any of his friends in the process. He didn’t know where Ex was, but he tried to keep his mind off of his evil twin. 

After a few hours, he was exhausted, and ended up falling asleep, still tangled in the pieces of yarn when he started the nap. When he woke, it was even more of a mess than before, and, from what he could tell, his friends had left him to sleep in peace. Xisuma’s arms were a little sore, but he expected as much. 

He had fun, and was glad to be regaining some of that strength he lost while he was out of it. It would take him a lot longer, however, to get his body back to where it once was, but he was willing to work on it. 

Keralis came in to check on him a few minutes later, and saw that he was awake. He instantly helped X out of the net of purple fabric, then went back out of the room to get him dinner. The admin sometimes liked that things were done for him, it allowed some time to himself, but he knew that in the future it wouldn’t always be this way. This experience had started to make Xisuma realize something.

Chapter Text

It had been nearly two weeks since the break in, and Xisuma was informed by Impulse that Doc may or may not have beat up his brother. He was honestly happy and proud of his hermit for standing up to the jerk, but he was worried for Doc. He knew revenge was never the answer to a problem, and there were more civil ways to solve matters. However, he still feared Ex greatly, and didn’t want to interact with the man more than he had to.

He woke up like usual, and had breakfast. It was a normal day, nothing special about it. Although, he did notice that whoever made breakfast that morning made it really fancy. X didn’t know why. Maybe it was just a kind gesture, or was it something else? It definitely wasn’t his birthday, so he didn’t know what else it could be. 

Impulse shook his thoughts out of his head for him by walking into his room.

“Hey Impulse, what can I do for you?” Xisuma asked, glad that Impulse was visiting him. They hadn’t gotten to catch up properly in a little while, and he was wanting his weekly dose of hermit gossip, though Impulse always looked for the bright side in his stories. 

“Well, Tango was up all night trying to fix a bug, but he wasn’t able to. He may need your help here in a little bit. Also, Mumbo made the server lag earlier in Boatem with his storage system. That man is always up to something that will destroy the code,” Impulse said, shaking his head light heartedly. 

“I can definitely try to help Tango later, and could you send Mumbo to come meet with me? Usually I would do it over comm, but I don't have that right now,” Xisuma chuckled in response. 

“Of course! Whatever you need,” Impulse replied. 

“So, how’ve you been holding up?” Xisuma questioned, genuinely curious as to how Impulse had dealt with the whole situation. “Y’know, between wrangling Doc and helping Grian recover.”

“I could ask you the same thing. You went non-verbal for two days, X…” Impulse returned, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Can I ask why?”

X huffed, not expecting his friend to flip the question like that. 

“As you can probably tell, I don’t have the greatest relationship with Evi– him, right now. He did a lot of things he shouldn’t have, but I don’t want to ban him again. You saw how he acted when I released him the first time. I have a lot of trauma from our childhood and, honestly, from this season too. Seeing him so angry triggered that…” Xisuma shuddered as he spoke, recalling past memories. 

“I knew you didn’t have the best relationship with him, but I didn’t think he was that bad. I thought he would start being more responsible, since the void, I guess not,” Impulse responded, seeming to question himself about what he had seen Ex do. 

“I might have to blacklist him, instead of ban, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to hack back in. I don’t know what to do, I know that I can’t be around him, though,” X said, trying to keep himself stable by thinking of possible solutions. 

“I’m sorry you have to deal with that. I couldn’t imagine going through so much because of your own brother, for void’s sake! I know as hermits we don’t pry pasts and such, but since we’ve already started…sometimes I feel like I don't belong here. I know that I do, Tango and Zed make sure I understand that, but…” Impulse trailed off.

Xisuma was caught off guard by the quick change in subject, grateful as he was to get off the topic of his twin, and immediately switched into Dadsuma. 

“Impulse, without you here the server wouldn’t be the same. I would still be lost in some redstone, and I most likely wouldn’t be where I am now. I honestly think I wouldn’t be okay. Your builds are absolutely amazing, and I have loved watching you grow and step out. You are a valued hermit on this server,” X reassured. 

“I know…thanks, buddy,” Impulse said, leaning over to hug him, which he quickly returned. 

“Well!” Impulse suddenly exclaimed, pulling away and subtly wiping at his eyes. “Keralis has let me have the honor of giving this back to you, since it’s been six months and you’re better now, or getting better,” Impulse smiled, handing him his communicator. 

Xisuma’s eyes went wide, and he tentatively grasped the device, not sure if it was real. Sure enough, Impulse simply passed it to him. X knew he probably had many messages and server notifications to sift through, but he could do that later. For now, he had some more pressing questions on his mind.

“It’s been six months?” X asked, voice wavering a little. 

“Yeah, Keralis thought he had held it captive for long enough, so we all made the executive decision, but we don’t want to catch you overworking yourself, okay?” Impulse told him.

He nodded in disbelief, still trying to wrap his mind around that it had been so long, and that he hadn't been productive in six months. Yes, he was happy that he got his comm back, but the fact that he had been laying in bed for months on end…

“X, you okay?” Impulse asked, hints of worry making itself known in his voice. 

The question didn’t quite register, and so his reaction was greatly delayed.

“Yeah, yeah…I’m fine,” Xisuma replied, shaking his head slightly. 

“I can tell you aren’t. Keralis!!!” Impulse called.

Oh really? I don’t need that right now. First Grian, now Impulse…It was just a little shocking, it’s fine…I’m fine.

Said man popped his head through the crack in the slightly open door.

“Do you two need anything?” He asked innocently. One look at X, though…

Keralis made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge.

“What's wrong, my beautiful Shashwam?” Keralis questioned sweetly. 

“Nothings wrong, it’s just the sheer fact that I’ve been stuck in this bed for six straight months!” Xisuma said, raising his voice in frustration. He allowed a small sob to slip from his mouth, and he was embraced by both of his friends. 

“Shh, I know, I know…” Keralis whispered.

He wiped his face, turning his head slightly so his friends wouldn’t see him in such a wreck. X understood they had already seen him in that state multiple times. Xisuma hoped that shielding himself would spare the last shred of his dignity.

“X, it’s okay to be upset, that’s completely valid,” Impulse said, treading cautiously.

Xisuma sniffled, “I know it’s okay…I can’t understand why this is so hard to accept.”

“You has been a busy bee most other seasons, so being stuck, unable to do anything, is really difficult for that talented face of yours. Please know, Shashwam, that we will always be here for you when you need help,” Keralis said, calming him down some more by running his hands through X’s hair.

“Yeah…I guess I’m just kinda scared,” Xisuma whispered.

“And we’re proud of you for admitting that,” Impulse commented. 

Xisuma looked up at him and tilted his head to the side in slight question. Keralis chuckled and gave him one last squeeze before letting go. X figured he must have done something right, so he decided to keep going.

“Sometimes– I need help processing things…” X huffed, looking away, ashamed.

Keralis put his hands on his cheeks, turning his face back towards the other two.

“Shishwammy…I am thrilled that you are able to say that. It can be hard to acknowledge that we can’t do things by ourselves all the time, and I think you definitely deserve to have your comm back, but you have to ask for help when it gets too much, okay?” Keralis voiced.

Xisuma nodded, and looked back at the device that was sitting in his lap. 

“Thanks…” X mumbled.

“Anytime,” Impulse returned.

Xisuma opened his communicator hesitantly and saw that he had seven hundred forty-two notifications. That included private messages, offworld DM’s, main chat, and server pings. It’s going to be a long day. Xisuma thought to himself. He opened the main chat and sent a message.

<Xisuma> Hi everyone! Keralis gave me my comm back :D

<Docm77> Be careful with that thing. I will take it away again…

<GeminiTay> Hi X! How you feeling? :)

<Rendog> Leave ’m be Doc

<Docm77> Just saying that I won’t hesitate.

<Xisuma> I’m doing okay, thanks Gem! Doc I’ll be fine

<Docm77> Don’t you be staying up late, got it?

<Rendog> Leave the man alone! He just got his freedom!

Xisuma chuckled at his friend's antics, and showed Keralis and Impulse what was going on. They each smiled, and gave him a small hug. 

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, X, but I’ve got to go get Tango real quick. I'll be back in a little bit,” Impulse said, rising from his seat. 

Xisuma watched as Impulse left, and he turned back towards Keralis, who had yet to leave the room. X wanted his alone time to process, but also to work for a while. 

“Are you gonna be okay if I go make us some lunch?” Keralis asked, like he had read his mind.

“Yeah…I’ll be okay. I need time to think, but I’ll be fine for now,” Xisuma explained.

“Okay, I’ll be back in probably half an hour. Call me if you needs anything, okie dokie?” Keralis responded.

“Will do, thanks,” X replied.

With that, Keralis walked out of his room, and Xisuma picked up his comm to begin the mountain of work that had piled up over the course of the past six months. It was going to be a long couple of weeks.

Chapter Text

Impulse was worried. He knew that he shouldn’t be as nervous as he was, but there was something nagging at him. Ever since he’d had the conversation with Xisuma, he couldn’t help but feel something was off with the admin. He could just be imagining things, and maybe it was his brain going into overdrive, but…

Impulse was on his way over to Mumbo’s, and to be honest, he was excited. He hadn’t seen the redstoner in a while, and they were also going to be hanging out with Grian. The little builder was still having trouble with his arm, and it was causing him to be a bit depressed. Impulse figured it was because he couldn’t build, so any ideas that he did come up with remained trapped inside his head. 

Building had always been Grian’s stress reliever, and his broken wrist was majorly disabling to him. The limb was a giant setback for the busy man, and it didn’t seem to help that he was even more freaked out than before Evil X’s appearance. 

Impulse and Mumbo had decided that it might be a good idea to spend more time with Grian, so he wouldn’t feel so alone. They understood him too well, and easily saw through his facade that he wasn’t doing too hot.

Flying had always been one of Impulse’s favorite things. It allowed him to clear his mind, as the wind and saltwater caught him. Sometimes, he wished he didn’t have to use rockets, and was able to fly normally like a bird, or the one avian in the entire world, Philza. Impulse had watched Phil from a distance during MCC, but never was able to have a proper conversation with the man. 

Impulse, however, wasn’t a part of the actual games, so he was forced to stay in the stands as a spectator. It was amazing to him that there was someone who could fly without having to travel to the end, and bridge across the void. Even Xisuma, a voidwalker, still had to use the precarious structures. Sure, X couldn’t permanently die from the void, but, regardless of species, it wasn’t any less dangerous.

He touched down right next to Treesa, and went up the ladder, where he knew that the pair of obnoxious friends would be. Impulse walked in to see Grian attempting to play keep away, holding Mumbo’s favorite tea captive. The other man, however, was much taller than the smaller, and caught the box of plain, highly caffeinated green tea. 

“Hey Impulse! Give me that back, mister!” Mumbo screeched at Grian, who had caught the box again, and took off giggling. 

“Better get that back before he hides it,” Impulse chuckled, and watched Mumbo huff, running away to catch the gremlin. 

The base was small, but it had many places for a small hermit to hide, and watching Mumbo struggle to find Grian was amusing. It was also funny because he knew where the tea thief had scurried off to. He was crouched behind a wall of bark beside some chests that poked out a bit. 

Mumbo was searching the area for five minutes before he decided to give up, and make a different type of tea, earl grey. That made Grian upset, so he came out of his hiding place to give the well deserved drink back. Mumbo had been taking care of Grian for a good week, and Impulse knew how it could get with the man…

“Hey G, how you holdin’ up?” Impulse asked, gesturing to his cast arm. 

“I’m okay, I guess. A bit disappointed, but I’ll get over it eventually,” Grian explained, receiving a “glare” from a certain tea drinking, mustached man. One could say the “glare” wasn’t one because Mumbo could hardly look at his friend without smiling. It was more of a let down face.

“What’re you not telling me?” Impulse questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Grian huffed, and looked down at his feet, and Impulse could see his eyes beginning to water. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around him, making sure to be wary of his wrist. The man in front of him buried his head in his chest, and shook with light sobs. Mumbo stepped closer and embraced them both, a single tear flowing down his cheek.

They stayed like that for a while, and, once they separated, Grian went and sat down on a nearby chest. Mumbo gestured for Impulse to take a seat, so he did, looking back at Grian in the process. 

Impulse took a deep breath, signaling his oncoming speech, “G, I know it must be really hard for you right now, and I know building has been pretty much taken away from you, but have you thought about some other things you enjoy? For example, you like pranking! When was the last time you pranked Scar? You like parkour and flying! Maybe ask Mumbo to make a StressMonster-approved parkour course. And…remember if you ever want to learn redstone, you have a bunch of people who’d be willing to teach you,” Impulse winked, giving a hint as to who. 

The younger man looked thoughtful as he considered Impulse’s words. Grian nodded, and looked back up at him.

“Thanks, Impulse. Hey, Mumbo? Can you make me a parkour course and maybe even an escape room that will keep me occupied for a while?” Grian asked, growing bouncy on his spot. 

“Of course, buddy! Whatever you want!” Mumbo responded, and immediately regretted saying those words. 

An evil grin appeared on Grian’s face, and Mumbo tried to fix his mistake. 

“No, Grian, you know what I meant!” Mumbo fired.

“But…Mumbo…Do I?” Grian smirked before continuing, “I mean, what’s stopping me from making you finish the back of Griangotts Bank? I think it’s in need of some polishing, right Impulse?” Grian inquired, raising a teasing eyebrow. 

“Why, I think that’s a fantastic idea! Maybe you could even rope Scar into helping if you ask super nicely,” Impulse chuckled, getting on the same teasing wavelength that Grain always had a first class ticket on, but seemed to never pay a dime for. 

Grian smiled deviously from his seat on the multiple chests that littered the base. Impulse then rose from where he was planted, and made his way over to Mumbo, the restoner’s face pale. 

“Good luck, sorry not sorry!” Impulse laughed, as he ran out of the tree base. A ‘Hey!’ could be heard, but was quickly ignored as he headed towards his own build, before he would return to Keralis’. 

The flight over to his factory was short, and he was glad to be able to freshen up a little. Of course, he took frequent breaks and such, but he needed a bit more time to himself. It helped him process things more and get his emotions under control. Helping others always took a toll on him, and so he made sure to care for himself as much as he did for his friends…mostly…

A nice long shower would do him good, and maybe even starting a load of laundry could be relaxing. Doing some chores helped him get his life under control, but sometimes it made his procrastination to get things done worse. That day, though, he was in the right mood, and managed to get almost his whole list done before he made his way back to his friend’s house. 

Now, just to see why Xisuma was acting strangely…

Chapter Text

Stress was exhausted. She had been running around the server non-stop, helping out different hermits when they would inevitably hurt themselves. Just that week, four of them had either died, or were in near death experiences. It was overwhelming.

The girls had planned a break for her, and she was excited to finally relax for a little while. Gem was holding it in her base, and it would be that evening. Stress had multiple things on her to-do list before then, and one of which was to tell Xisuma to lay off working.

Keralis was currently asleep on his couch in the living room, having stayed up all night to help X through a nightmare. The poor man had been taking care of their admin for weeks, or rather months, on end, and it was definitely taking a toll. The house was messy, which was strange, since Keralis was what you could call a perfectionist, and liked to keep things on the cleaner side. 

His snores could be heard throughout his base, and she went to the armchair where the signature blanket was draped across the back. She grasped the soft material, and carried it over to Keralis’ still form. Stress laid it on top of him, and he instantly snuggled into the warm blanket. 

Next, she quietly made her way over to Xisuma’s room, and opened the door, then closed it softly behind her. X looked up as she walked in from where he was staring at his communicator. 

“You know… you could do more if you didn’t have your nose stuck in that thing all the time?” Stress quipped, knowing that she would strike a nerve in him with it.

He huffed quietly in response, and set the device down on the bed beneath him. 

“You’re right, I guess I’ve been a little preoccupied lately,” he responded, offering a guilty smile. 

Stress could see the eyebags, but she wouldn’t comment on it yet, and decided to wait a few more days before bringing it up. She knew Xisuma was stressed. What about? She had no idea. Stress was sure being away from the code for so long made his heart break, so he would do absolutely everything he could to fix every detail.

“Yeah, but I’m not ‘ere to punish ya, I’ll leave that one up to Doc,” Stress giggled.

That managed to get a tense chuckle from the man sitting in front of her, and she saw him visibly try to relax all the muscles in his body. 

“I’ma take a little night away, and go hang out with da girls,” she said, gaining the attention of her admin once again.

“Oh! Have fun! What’ll you girls be doing?” X asked, interest growing on his face. He always wanted to know what people were doing outside of his confined life within the house. 

“I think they want’a have a spa night,” Stress recalled, looking up as if thinking hard about something. “Impulse has gone to visit Grian again, he’s making great progress with his healing, but Doc and Keralis will be here if you need anything,” she added.

“That sounds great! I hope you have a good time,” Xisuma commented, glancing down at his communicator, which had lit up with some sort of notification.

He picked up the device, and frowned at what seemed to be a problem with the server. 

“I’ll let you have your fun with the server before Doc gets you for it, an’ I’ll be on my way. Call if ya need, hun,” Stress said, turning to walk towards the door.

“Heh, yeah, thanks Stress!” X called from behind her. 

She came out of the room, and the ball of Keralis was no longer there. She glanced around the room to try and see if he was up and about, but he was nowhere to be seen. Stress was beginning to worry when Doc crept out of Keralis’ room, and shut the door gently. 

“Why were ya in there and where’s Keralis?” Stress asked in a whisper. 

“I put him in his bed, so he wouldn’t be interrupted,” Doc explained, “He deserves some proper rest.”

She drew in a sigh of relief at the information, and she felt her heart grow warm at Doc’s consideration. 

“I saw him takin’ a snooze, so I put the blanket over ‘im,” Stress said, and Doc nodded in response.

“Where you headed?” Doc asked. 

“Gem’s. We’re havin’ a girls night,” she answered.

“Have fun, I’ll hold the fort down, and keep the derp from working himself to the bone,” Doc chuckled with a roll of his organic eye.

“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll ‘ave a good ol’ time, and keep X out’a trouble for me,” Stress returned. 

Doc gave a nod of his head, and headed towards his armchair. 

“Have a good night!” Stress said, and headed out of the front door of Keralis’ house.

…

Stress didn’t realize what the other female hermits meant when they said, “we’re going to take care of you.” Pearl, Gem, Cleo, and False all decided that she wasn’t allowed to do anything herself. All she could do was lie back and relax. It was nice, and they were pampering her like a princess, but she wasn’t helpless.

She knew all they had were good intentions, but she was so used to doing things for herself and others, so this was a whole different ballpark. At that moment, she was laid back on a bed with a face mask, cucumbers over her eyes, and was getting her nails painted.

Gem had chosen a beautiful pastel pink, and False insisted that they have an accent nail on each hand, and chose a sparkly rose gold color. Pearl was braiding her hair, and Cleo was in the kitchen preparing some snacks. 

“Y’all realize ya don’t have ta do this, right?” Stress mentioned for the millionth time, shifting a little bit.

“Yes we do, Stress, you’ve been doing so much, and it’s time we repay you,” Gem said, continuing to paint her fingernails. 

False was working on her toenails, and spoke up, “Stress, we love you, and you’ve been working really hard. I know taking care of X isn’t easy, he can be a real pain when he gets stubborn. This is the least we can do, plus, do I need to remind you of what happened in season five?” 

Stress laughed at the reference to when Xisuma had been in almost the same situation, but not to this extent. He was bed ridden for days because he fell into a ravine, and shattered his ankle along with spraining his knee. Doc had to cast it, and give him a bunch of healing potions because X was too impatient to let it heal on its own.

“I think I remember that all too well, love, don’t think I need remindin’,” she giggled. 

“Just let us take care of you for the night,” Pearl said, tying off the braids. 

“Thanks,” Stress responded, growing a bit sleepy. 

“Don’t fall asleep just yet, we have cookies to eat!” Cleo called from the doorway. 

They all giggled, and at the mention of cookies, Stress shot up and was no longer tired. 

“Woah, Stressy, hold your horses. Your nails aren’t dry,” False said, pushing her to lay back down.

“What?! I’m hungry,” Stress whined. 

“Don’t worry there’ll be plenty of snacks throughout the night, but for now, here’s a cookie,” Cleo said, placing one in her hand. 

Stress ate the one she had, and was given another. It was a great time, and they continued to chat and talk while pampering her. 

At one point, a pillow was thrown, and this caused a whole tournament to take place. False ended up winning, and the rest of the girls were sprawled across the floor, panting and out of breath. 

“Good job, Falsie,” Stress breathed from her spot on the wooden flooring. 

“Yeah? You lot put up quite the fight,” False commented.

“That we did, and I’m ready for ice cream, who’s with me?” Gem yelled into her castle. 

“I am!” They all exclaimed at the same time. 

They made it off the floor, and cleaned up the pillows a bit before heading to the kitchen. The freezer was full of many different flavors of the sweet treat, and Stress couldn’t help but grab the strawberry and cherry.

Gem pulled out all of the toppings, ranging from sprinkles, chocolate syrup, strawberry syrup, maraschino cherries, peanuts, caramel, whipped cream, and gummy bears. Stress chose the strawberry syrup, sprinkles, cherries, and whipped cream with some gummy bears on the side to eat. 

Her sundae was three scoops high, and had everything described layered on top and in between each tier. It was a sight to behold. Gem only grabbed a double scoop of chocolate with the syrup, caramel, and whipped cream. It was so her, and that was what was cool. Anyone could tell whose ice cream was whose because of their unique and diverse personalities. 

False’s was peanut butter with peanuts and caramel on top. Pearl had moose tracks, filled with all sorts of different flavors packed into one tub. Cleo decided to have matcha flavored with whipped cream, and looking at all their choices warmed Stress’ heart. 

Was she over analyzing her friends’ ice cream choices? Of course, but it was interesting to see how different they each were, and what they liked. She would store that knowledge for a later date when she would need to surprise her friends. 

They ate their bowls of goodness while watching Mama Mia. Stress ended up falling asleep about three-quarters of the way through the musical, and the others had made sure that her bowl was washed and her face was cleaned up before she could fully pass out.

…

When Stress awoke, it was to the smell of waffles. She had been moved from the couch to the master bed, and she was ready to get up and out of it. She rose and threw on the pink robe that was set out for her, and made her way down the corridor. 

Once in the kitchen, she was immediately greeted by Pearl. 

“Good morning, how’d you sleep?” the woman asked.

“I slept like a baby on a Sunday afternoon,” Stress answered, rubbing her tired eyes.

“That’s good, would you like some tea and waffles?” Pearl inquired, glancing at the already made table.

“Yeah, that sounds lovely,” she replied. 

The pair walked through the space and over to the table, and, as she sat, Cleo filled her plate up with two waffles and some fruit. The whipped cream from last night was placed on the surface, and she immediately went for it along with the maple syrup. 

The rest of the gang sat down at their respective chairs, and they began eating. They chatted in between bites, and made jokes. Stress had a wonderful morning and night, and she was thankful that the girls took time out of their weekend to let her hang out and relax. 

Stress knew she would plan something in return as a thank you, but for now she was stuffed with amazing food, and in the company of her friends. She was happy to be able to have these times with people, especially since she didn’t have that as a child. 

Her parents died when she was really young, so she got put into the foster care system. Stress didn’t make many friends and decided to keep mostly to herself to stay out of trouble. Thankfully, she ended up getting out of the system when she was old enough, and made do on her own for a while. She met Iskall along the way somehow, and he suggested her to Xisuma.

Stress loved everyone on the server, and without them all, she would be incredibly lonely. She had no idea how she managed to be by herself for so long while being a people person. Stress wouldn’t have to deal with that anymore, though. She found her family, and knew she would never leave it behind.

Chapter Text

Keralis was stressed out because his house was an absolute disaster, something that hadn’t happened in years. Xisuma also wasn’t helping at all. Ever since he got his communicator back, he hadn’t stopped to take a break except for when he was forced. 

He loved his Shishwammy, but sometimes the habits that he developed weren’t the greatest and gave Keralis anxiety.  Impulse had been talking with the big eyed man a lot, and they noticed the bags forming under Xisuma’s eyes. They knew he was working through the night, but didn’t want to impede just yet. However, they needed to intervene before Doc found out because whatever he did would be too much of a punishment. 

Impulse had been checking the baby monitor for a few nights now, and, sure enough, every evening after they would tell Xisuma to go to bed, he would lay down, and wait. He would wait until the house went quiet, then would take his comm from where it sat on the nightstand. Keralis stayed up for a few nights to watch the monitor, and see how long his admin would sit and work for. 

Usually, it was for at least another five hours, but some nights it was earlier or later, depending on what he seemed to be working on. It was definitely taking a toll on Xisuma, and it was also affecting Keralis, having to stay up, and see his admin work himself to the bone.

Keralis decided that he couldn’t have any more work for his precious Shashwam. He would do all that he needed to for X to take a well deserved break. 

He walked into Xisuma’s bedroom, and sat on the edge of the bed. X met his eyes, and gave a weak smile. 

“Shishwammy, I think it's time for you to take a rest. You have been working oh so very hard, but even voidwalkers need to have some time without a screen shoved in their faces,” Keralis tried gently.

“Keralis…” Xisuma whined, “I have so much work to do, though.”

“I know, buts you needs a break,” he insisted. 

“No, I don’t. I’ve been doing well, and I’m almost done with it,” Xisuma wasn’t backing down, and this meant Keralis was going to have to try a different tactic. 

“Okay, but I expect you to put that thing down once you’re finished with that one task, got it?” Keralis questioned with a raised eyebrow.

“Of course,” X responded, although reluctantly, going back to whatever he was doing. 

Keralis proceeded to rise from his spot, and prance out the door. He had a plan, but wouldn’t carry it out unless he absolutely had to. 

…

It had been a couple of hours since he had last checked on Xisuma, and it was around dinner time. Keralis had spent about an hour preparing one of his favorite foods: curry. The dish was unique, and not hard to make, only needing a variety of ingredients, and some time to cook over the stove top. 

Once it was ready, he poured some of it into a bowl, along with adding some toasted bread on the side. Keralis was hoping that he would be able to have a nice meal with his best friend, but it all depended on if he put his communicator down. He didn’t want to have to take it away, but he might need to call in the big guns if nothing else succeeded. 

Keralis had one more plan, and if that didn’t work, then Doc would have to be summoned. He hated seeing his Shishwammy overworking himself, so he was going to try and do things peacefully before having to draw someone else in. 

He grabbed the tray, and made sure things were placed neatly, so that the two bowls he had prepared wouldn’t fall during his travel to the other room. Everything was ready, so he picked it up slowly, and made his way to Xisuma’s door. 

Keralis knocked gently, so he hopefully wouldn’t startle X. He heard a quiet “come in,” so he turned the knob, and walked through the archway. 

“I have your dinner, Shashwam, and I think you will like it bunches!” Keralis exclaimed. 

Xisuma looked up at him, and offered a small smile. He returned one, and strode over to where his admin was sitting with his eyes focused on the small device in his hands. 

Keralis set the tray down on the nightstand, which was getting crowded with various things like cups and books. 

“Here you go!” Keralis said cheerily, handing the bowl of curry to his best friend.

It took a moment for X to look away from his communicator, but when he grabbed the bowl a wide smile bloomed across his face as he realized what Keralis had made. 

“Curry! I haven’t had it in so long! Thanks, K,” Xisuma expressed his thanks, and put his comm down on the bed beside him. 

“Of course, my beautiful Shashwam!” Keralis voiced, sitting down in his chair with his own bowl of the soup. 

They ate, but only Keralis talked. X was so wrapped up in looking at his hand held device that he simply hummed and nodded in agreement to whatever Keralis said. Xisuma had his bowl sat in his lap, and ate the food with one hand, typing on the screen of his communicator with the other. It was extremely awkward to type that way, and Keralis knew from experience reaching over to the other side of the keyboard was a struggle. 

The behavior his admin was showing was making Keralis annoyed, not liking to be ignored when he was trying to have a conversation with him. Honestly, he should probably be used to it by now, but it had been six months since Xisuma could labor away like this. 

At that point, Keralis felt extremely agitated, if only for X’s own health. He set his empty bowl back down on the tray that still sat on the nightstand. 

Keralis stood abruptly, and when Xisuma barely noticed, that did it for him.

“Shishwammy! No more!” Keralis said, raising his voice. 

He stormed towards the door, but seized the laundry hamper before walking out. 

“Keralis?! What!?” X called after him, voice cracking slightly in shock. 

He had a plan, and he was going through with that plan. 

A small smile crept onto his face, as he took the hamper into his room. 

…

He walked back out, satisfied by his handy work, and started back towards Xisuma’s room. 

The door was still ajar from his outburst, but not fully open. Keralis peered through the crack, and saw that Xisuma had a couple of tears running down his face, but continued staring at the device in his hands; soup abandoned. 

Keralis felt a little bad about making his Shashwam cry, but it was for his own good in the end. He took a breath, and flung the door open. 

He was wearing one of Xisuma’s long sleeve black shirts, which was much too large for him, and went well past his finger tips. Keralis was also in X’s sweatpants, and they were beyond his feet as well. He made flappy hands, and the sleeves went up and down with the motion of his arms. 

X couldn’t help but laugh at him, and it brought smiles to both of them. Keralis ran over to the bed, and snatched Xisuma’s comm out of his hands, and ran over to the dresser, placing it on top. 

“No more admin work for you, mister!” Keralis squeaked, and continued to make a fool of himself in front of his best friend. 

Xisuma was laughing hysterically, and it brought joy to his face, and relief to his heart. 

It took a few moments for the other to calm down, but X managed, and wiped the tears of his giggles away. They were once sad, but happiness shone through due to Keralis being an absolute derp.

He trotted over, and plopped himself down next to Xisuma. Keralis didn’t expect to be pulled down into a hug, but he was, and it was sweet. 

“I’m sorry, Keralis, I should have been more mindful. Sorry for ignoring you,” X apologized. 

“Spank you, sweetface. Now, you no getting your comm back for a little while. There are more pressing things for you to learn, okie?” Keralis explained.

X frowned, but nodded. Then his expression changed to confusion, and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Learn?” he asked, and tilted his head in question.

“Last time I checked, you still can’t walk by yourself,” Keralis chuckled, and a look of realization dawned on the admin’s face. 

“Right, yeah, should probably do that,” Xisuma responded, laughing self consciously to himself.

“Don’t worry your pretty head about it, I’ll help you,” the big eyed man said, catching onto the doubt in X’s voice.

“Thanks,” X replied, looking back at him, tears welling up in his eyes suddenly.

“What’s wrong, sweetface?” Keralis questioned, shifting closer to his friend.

“Did I really make you that upset?” Xisuma asked.

“Oh, Shashwam, I could never be upset like that with you,” Keralis answered.

“You seemed really mad…” the admin trailed off.

“I was a little agitated, but you are my Shishwammy. I couldn’t stay mad at you if I tried,” Keralis admitted, hoping that he didn’t make things worse.

“So you were upset?” X said, tears starting to spill.

“A little, but I forgive you. I will always forgive you.”

Chapter Text

Doc was told by Keralis that he’d had to take Xisuma’s communicator away again. Doc was sitting in his usual chair in the living room, when Keralis gave him the news. It honestly didn’t surprise him one bit, but he was still frustrated that the derp didn’t take care of himself. 

They had been working with him for so long, though he continued going back to his bad habits. One would think after this amount of time that someone would stop hurting themselves, but that proved to be false.

Keralis told him that he had already “taken care of it,” but that didn’t mean anything. Doc was ready to storm into the bedroom, and tell the admin off, but Keralis said that Xisuma was a little fragile, so he refrained. However, that wouldn’t stop him from ranting to the nHo about it. 

He loved how his friends would just sit and listen to everything he had to say, even if it was nonsense. Etho, most of the time, sat next to Beef, and watched over the conversation, while the other two engaged, asking questions, and offering better solutions than his own. 

They always helped each other out, and that was why Doc would never want the nHo to be any different. Beef always knew just what to say, and Bdubs was constantly the comedic relief in the group when it was needed. Etho…was Etho. Everyone loved him very much, and would protect him from anything, whether it be a fly, or a dragon. No one messed with him, or they would feel the wrath of the other three. 

Thankfully, the guys managed to talk Doc out of making their admin respawn, and suggested some activities that they could do instead. 

“Oo, Oo, Oo, you could have him plant some flowers, so he could get some sun!” Bdubs said cheerily. 

“I don’t know if he can walk yet, Bubs,” Beef responded, looking at Doc questioningly. 

“Nope. He’s been too busy having his nose stuck up in a screen,” he huffed, staring at the floor angrily. 

“That’s something you could do with him, since he’ll actually need to learn how to do that again,” Etho offered, speaking softly, and cuddling into Beef’s side. 

“You’re telling me…” Doc growled.

“That should be your first priority then. After that, you can include him in the more extraneous activities,” Beef finalized.

They continued to talk for a little while longer, and then once the sun went down, they each took their respective bunks in Bdubs’ house.

…

“X! You’re gonna walk today,” Doc said bluntly. 

The admin wasn’t even awake yet, being suddenly awoken by the sound of Doc’s loud voice. 

“Huh?” Xisuma questioned, sitting up in his bed, and rubbing his tired eyes.

“You. Are. Walking. Today.” He rehashed the sentence more gruffly than was probably necessary. 

“Now?” X asked, whining in his tone.

“Yes, so let's get moving,” Doc announced, throwing a fresh pair of clean clothes at the admin. 

“Okay…” Xisuma responded, still half asleep. 

To be fair, it was only eight in the morning, and X typically slept in until about ten thirty. Doc stepped out of the room, so Xisuma had his space to change. Soon an “I’m done” came from inside, so he reentered. 

“So…what’s the occasion?” X inquired, still not fully awake and comprehending.

“I think the occasion is you not being able to hold yourself up, so let’s get those old muscles moving!” Doc declared, moving towards the bed.

“Hey, I’m not old!” Xisuma argued.

“You sure are acting like an old person, and we need to change that!” He returned.

“Wha’s goin’ on?” A groggy Keralis had just stumbled into the room, still in his pajamas. 

Or, rather, Xisuma’s pajamas. 

“Mr. Xisumavoid is getting off his butt today,” Doc answered. 

A confused look dawned on Keralis’ face, and Doc could tell the man was slowly trying to process his words. It took about a minute for it to finally compute in the shorter’s brain, and he instantly refuted. 

“No! Not this early! Shashwam is never awake right now, and you woke me up! Walking later, food now,” Keralis said, turning around, and moving in the direction of the kitchen.

“Fine. You heard the man! To the table!” Doc reluctantly agreed, not wanting to make Keralis cranky. 

Xisuma groaned, but complied, unfolding his legs, and planting his socked feet on the ground. Doc helped pull the admin to his feet, and steadied him, holding onto both of his arms from the front. They detached his mask before continuing with the first little shuffle. 

He didn’t want to hurt X, so they took it step by step; still slow, but it was progress. Xisuma’s legs were pretty wobbly, but they eventually made it out of his room. Keralis looked up from his bowl of assumed pancake batter, and smiled.

“Look at my beautiful Shashwam, standing on his feet,” Keralis commented, turning back to his bowl.

“That’s it, we’re almost there,” Doc encouraged, directing them to the nearest chair at the table. 

A few more steps, and Xisuma was practically falling into the wooden seat. 

“That…was exhausting,” X huffed, as he had to break in his sentence to catch his breath. 

Doc had previously set up another End oxygen tank in this area, so X immediately reached for it, and breathed a sigh of relief once the mask was on. 

“Was he gentle with you, sweetface?” Keralis asked while pouring a heart shaped pancake onto the frying pan. 

“Eh…I’m kidding, he was fine,” Xisuma joked, watching Doc’s eyebrows raise. 

“Good. We can’t be havin’ any mishaps,” the big eyed man replied. 

X smiled, and Doc watched his eyes droop a bit, looking to be still tired. He was going to offer Xisuma some coffee, but Keralis was already chattering, and serving the food.

“One special heart shaped pancake with sprinkles for you, mister, and three plain star pancakes for you, Doc,” Keralis explained, setting down the two plates. 

“Thanks,” X responded, and reached for the syrup, pouring a good amount on top of his pancake.

“You guys are addicted to sugar,” Doc grumbled playfully. 

“At least we have taste buds,” Keralis quipped. 

“I have taste buds!” Doc returned.

“Not if you eat plain old pancakes,” Xisuma butted in.

“Oh come on, they’re fine just the way they are,” Doc argued.

“Pancakes with differentness are better,” Keralis giggled.

“That’s not even a word!” he protested.

“It is if I make it one!” Keralis smiled, shoving a piece of pancake in his mouth.

“I don’t think that’s how it works, but okay,” X chuckled.

“Yeah, Keralis,” Doc antagonized. 

“Okay, Doccy,” Keralis replied. 

“Don’t call me that,” he whined.

“That’s what you get for having plain pancakes with nothin’,” the big eyed man giggled.

Doc rolled his eyes, and shoved a whole pancake in his mouth, sticking out his tongue midway through. He glanced over towards Xisuma, who seemed to be finished with his pancake, although it was only half eaten. It looked like a broken heart, which made Doc wonder yet again what had happened the night before. 

Keralis started talking about build palettes, but Doc didn’t pay much attention. He was too busy watching X fall asleep on Keralis’ shoulder. The big eyed man didn’t pay it any mind, and continued chattering, Doc saying a few words in between to keep the man busy. 

The blueberries on his plate gave him an idea, so he picked one up and placed it in his mouth, but the other? 

…It went flying towards Xisuma’s face, and hit him in the eye, waking the man up. X jumped in his seat, and rubbed his right eye briefly before glaring at Doc. 

Keralis watched the entire exchange, and chuckled at his antics. 

Doc picked up another blueberry, and sent it Xisuma’s way. He batted it away like a cat afraid of water, swinging his hands back and forth. 

“Keralis! Do something!” X shrieked.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. Shashwam needs a nap before he does anything else,” Keralis said, stopping the blueberry onslaught.

“I second that! Shashwam definitely needs a nap,” Xisuma replied, making both Doc and Keralis laugh. 

They managed to get X up, and to the couch fairly quickly; moving his oxygen mask in the process, so it could reach. Xisuma looked exhausted at that point, and Doc thought he probably shouldn’t have woken him up so early, but there wasn’t any going back.

Keralis got X situated, Xisuma’s head resting in his lap, and his favorite blanket draped gently over his frame. Within a few minutes the admin was back asleep, snoozing on the couch. 

Doc was sipping on a black coffee when a message came through on both his comm, and Keralis’ after a good thirty minutes of sitting there. He pulled it out, and saw it was a message from Impulse in their group chat that consisted of himself, Keralis, Impulse, Stress, and Grian. 

<Impulsesv> Is X up yet?

<Keralis1> Nope! He just went back to sleep

<Impulsesv> Is he okay? Did he have another nightmare?

<Docm77> Relax, he’s fine

<Keralis1> Doccy woke him up early to get movin’ and groovin’

<Impulsesv> Oh…ok?

<Docm77> What did you need?

<Impulsesv> Just wondering if he could talk with Tango about something in the code later?

<Docm77> NO

<Keralis1> Sorry Impy, he’s in time out right now

<Impulsesv> Comm thing?

<Keralis1> Yep!

<Impulsesv> Well, better luck next time. Have fun entertaining him after his nap!

<Keralis1> We will!

<Impulsesv> Don’t be too hard on him Doc

<Docm77> I’m NOT!

<Keralis1> He threw blueberries at X

<Impulsesv> *shakes head*

Doc looked up from his communicator, and saw Xisuma start to fall off Keralis’ lap. His upper body was slowly inching towards the ground, and before Doc could say anything about it to Keralis, the admin was heading to the floor. 

Keralis was quick to react, throwing the book he had picked up, and catching Xisuma. It startled the admin awake, and he sat up abruptly, rubbing his eyes with his hands. X whined, and snuggled into Keralis’ side, wanting to fall back asleep.

“Hey X,” Doc called.

“Mmm?” he hummed, lazily blinking his eyes open.

“So, I’ve heard you’ve been a bit irresponsible lately,” Doc commented, and watched Xisuma’s reactions carefully.

He tensed up, and Keralis wrapped an arm around him protectively, giving a reassuring squeeze. 

“Doc, not right now, please. Why don’t we have some fun?” Keralis suggested. 

“Yeah, that sounds good,” X whispered, clearly preferring anything over being questioned. 

Doc stood, and placed his coffee down on the small table. Keralis shifted, and encouraged Xisuma to try to stand. X attempted to do so with as minimal help as possible, but he ended up needing some assistance. Doc held his arms while Keralis went to retrieve something.

“Otherside, Cat, Melohi, or Pig Step?” Keralis asked, holding out the four disks. 

“Your choice, X,” Doc said. 

“Um…Cat,” he responded, voice betraying his confusion. 

“Good, now we can dance!” Keralis cheered.

Xisuma looked terrified. Keralis came over, and replaced Doc, allowing him to spot from the back. 

“Okay. We goin’ slow, Shishwammy, don’t you fret,” Keralis encouraged. 

They slowly began taking little steps in a square pattern. Something simple, and repetitive, so X could get the hang of it. Xisuma was getting better and better, relaxing into it as time went on, and Doc had a smile on his face. 

The trio continued like that for a little while longer before all three were exhausted, and needed some water, collapsing on the couch together, laughing. Maybe Doc wanted his admin to be able to plant flowers with them, so he decided against scolding him. Some positive reinforcement seemed to be in order

Chapter Text

Xisuma was no longer grounded, and could have his comm back for small increments of time. Of course, he was upset that he had let his past habits get out of hand in the first place, but he couldn’t undo it now. He had to give the device to Keralis each night, who made sure he went to bed.

However, his body had gotten used to going to sleep at a later time, and so he struggled to fall asleep earlier. Most nights, he stayed up, staring at the ceiling, and not doing anything. Others, Keralis would come cuddle him until he drifted off. Still more, he would find something to do like read a book that would eventually make his eyes start to droop. 

Keralis would find him with a book laid over his face while he was sleeping, and would gently take it off, and set it on the nightstand. Xisuma loved Keralis, he was such a good friend, especially when he had to put up with him, and his whining over feeling useless. 

Doc and Keralis had been working with him for a few days now, and his walking was improving. He could support himself mostly, but had to have something, or someone, to hold onto just in case. X was becoming faster, and starting to get back to a distorted sense of normalcy. He was proud of himself, but knew he could do so much better than he was.

A lighting glitch in the nether had his attention when Keralis came in for his scheduled time to take his communicator away, since he had been working on it for two hours. 

“Aw, Keralis,” Xisuma whined.

“Oh, none of that, Shashwam,” Keralis playfully scolded.

“But I’ll be bored,” X replied, whacking his head purposefully against the wall he was leaning against.

“No you won’t! I have a surprise for you! And stop that, you’re gonna give yourself a brain injury,” Keralis said, swatting at his shoulder.

X perked up at the surprise part, and he handed his communicator over after checking to make sure everything was saved, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Now it looks like Shishwammy is excited…” his friend teased, tucking the device into his pocket.

“Maybe just a little,” Xisuma confessed. 

“You should be, it’s gonna be so fun! Now, let's get you to the table,” Keralis finished, and came over to help him stand. 

“Okay,” X complied, taking the offered hands, and allowing himself to be pulled up.

The walk was easy, and he didn’t need much assistance. He held onto Keralis’ hand, and Keralis made sure to hold his elbow securely. Xisuma sat down in the nearest chair when they got there, and set out before him was a bowl, and a plethora of ingredients. The thing that caught his eye, though, was the chocolate chips. 

“What’re we making?” X asked.

“Chocolate chip cookies!” Keralis exclaimed, placing the paper recipe down on the table.

“That sounds wonderful,” Xisuma responded, a smile making itself known on his face.

Keralis had already set up everything he would need. His oxygen tank was ready, and so was every ingredient required, so neither of them would have to get up.

“What’s first?” Xisuma inquired, not having much experience with cookies. 

He knew that Keralis’ were the best, and he always made them with some secret ingredient that he never told. The recipe was kept hidden away somewhere in Keralis’ house, where no one would be able to find it. Now, it was sitting right there in front of him. The sheet seemed very old, and was discolored over time.

“Is this your family's recipe?” X asked, completely disregarding his previous question in his curiosity.

“That it is, and no sharing! Got it?” Keralis said, seeming to be very serious.

He watched as his best friend held out his pinky finger, and Xisuma smiled. He held out his own, and they made a pinky promise. X wasn’t entirely sure that Keralis knew what that meant.

“So…I get my pinky chopped off if I share it?” Xisuma teased, knowing the builder would be confused.

“What?! Shashwam, no! Where did you learn that?” Keralis questioned.

X laughed, and shook his head in mock disappointment. 

“That, my friend, is the true meaning of a pinky promise. Whoever breaks one, has to get their pinky cut off,” he explained, face dead serious, though it was quickly becoming harder to keep it that way as Keralis stuttered for an answer.

“Well… that’s not a Keralis pinky promise! A Keralis promise says you will…owe me cuddles and two diamonds,” Keralis said, changing the consequences. 

“I don’t know if that’s how it works, but those are better terms,” X returned. “Anyway, I’m getting hungry with all this food here.”

“Okay, let’s get started!” Keralis squealed, handing him a stick of butter, while he poured some sugar into the measuring cup. 

They began putting in the eggs, vanilla extract, both types of sugar, and butter, but when it came to the flour…

It was everywhere.

The bag of flour had spilled onto the table, floor, and was all over them. They were both laughing so hard that neither of them could breathe.

“Boop!” Keralis giggled, dotting Xisuma’s nose with the powder, and scurrying away before he could retaliate. X scowled at him playfully as he was quite literally left in the dust. 

After cleaning up a little bit, they managed to complete the dough, and spooned it out onto the cookie sheet. 

The recipe was just like all the others Xisuma had seen online, and pretty much the same as Stress’. He didn’t understand what made them so special. 

“Keralis?” X called, as said man was putting the pan in the oven to cook, not letting the former anywhere near the heat source. 

“Yes, my beautiful Shashwam?” Keralis replied.

“What makes these cookies so good? The recipe is just like any other I’ve come across,” Xisuma asked, confusion laced in his voice. 

Keralis set a timer, then walked over to the table, and sat down next to him. 

“It’s not what goes into the cookies, sweetface. It’s who I make them with,” Keralis explained. 

X thought for a moment, still not understanding. 

“Everyone has character, and when I make cookies with them, they all turn out a different way. The experience is much more of a treat than the actual cookie is,” Keralis elaborated. 

Xisuma was stunned. 

All this time he thought there was some magical thing about Keralis’ cookies, but it was just the people he created them with that made the dessert that much better. 

“I also may have slipped a regen potion in when you weren’t looking.” 

…

The cookies were done, and the kitchen was tidied. Now it was time to taste the wonderful dessert. Xisuma was ready to try one of the cookies when Keralis stopped him. 

“Rule one, Shishwammy: always share,” Keralis said.

X was confused once more, but then Stress, Doc, Grian, and Impulse walked through the door. 

His face lit up at the sight of his friends, and he welcomed them in.

“‘Ello everyone, we made some cookies!” Xisuma exclaimed.

Keralis set out extra plates, and served each one of them a couple of the delectable treats. 

The table was at full capacity, seating all six of them. X sat at the head of the table, and the missing piece of the puzzle was back, something seeming to click. The one chair that had felt void of life and impossible to look at was now the brightest spot in the room. Caretaker and patient alike, the six hermits were finally sharing a meal together.

Chapter Text

Evil Xisuma had been a problem since the beginning, and everyone knew that he needed to go. Now. The hermits didn’t understand why Xisuma decided to keep him on the server when all he did was cause pain. 

Impulse decided that he wanted to do something about him, but he needed to figure out what that something was. They couldn’t just ban him because that didn’t go so well the last time Xisuma did that. Blacklisting Ex was too risky, and him hacking his way back in was highly probable. 

Xisuma was quickly growing better, and that meant he would be back to his base in no time. However, that also meant that Evil Xisuma would be a constant presence. They needed to figure out some solution, and put it into action fairly quickly. 

Impulse had already sent out a message, saying for all the hermits to meet him at his factory for a meeting. Everyone needed to be present, except for Keralis, who was taking care of X, and keeping him busy. 

He wanted to tell Xisuma, but he didn’t know if that would trigger a negative response from their server admin. In all honesty, it was a sort of unspoken rule in Keralis’ house that you didn’t mention X’s brother when he was around. Should we tell him? How would he respond? Could he still want Ex here?

Based on X’s reactions from before, he was sure that the admin didn’t necessarily want his evil twin on the server. Looking back at what happened last time they saw each other, now being a little over a month ago, Xisuma wouldn’t mind their possible answer to the problem. 

“Impulse, buddy?” 

Someone was calling his name, so he had to snap out of his thoughts. 

“Hmm? Yeah?” Impulse responded. 

“Everyone’s here, and we’re ready for you to start the meeting,” Tango said, very gentle with his words. 

“Right, okay,” he breathed, and looked out across the table. 

“Hey, everyone! As we’re all aware, Xisuma is getting much better, but that also means that he’ll be back to work pretty soon. Grumble all you want, Doc. We both know that nothing will stop him once he can get home. That, though, poses a problem with a certain, unwanted player in our world,” Impulse started, bringing the side conversations to a close. 

“We need to come up with a plan that prevents him from coming back to hermitcraft, but excludes banning or blacklisting. I have a couple of ideas myself, but I want to hear your input,” he explained. “Then, we can vote.” 

In response, he could see all the hermits start thinking. Impulse waited a few minutes, and finally someone spoke up. 

“What if we force him into a different world?” Scar suggested, and some of the others hummed. 

“That could pose a problem with other players trying to find an empty single player world. The servers aren’t as strong as they used to be in Alpha, and more hackers have been able to break through the firewalls,” Joe explained.

“Could we send ‘im to one of our past worlds?” Stress asked.

“Those worlds are public now, unfortunately, and sending him there to manipulate others probably isn’t a good idea,” Jevin piped up. 

“Why is this so hard?” Impulse groaned, rubbing at his temples. 

“Is there a dimension we could lock him in?” Pearl questioned, looking towards Tango for an answer. 

“In theory, it could work, but we use both the Nether and the End,” Tango responded, picking up his communicator, and typing something in. 

“How about the Hels dimension?” False inquired. 

Impulse watched as some of the hermits grimaced at the thought of that horrible place. Some of them knew their doubles, but not many. Wels was the only hermit that actually lived there for a while. Well, “lived” may be a bit of an overstatement. More like trapped. 

Said man refused to talk about his time there, so none of them pressed. They knew it had happened when Wels got left behind in season six, and out of pure luck he made his way to season seven by traveling through Hels. 

All of the hermits were astonished when he came through the portal, and helped him treat the wounds he was sporting. Wels was sick and almost entirely silent for a while afterwards, so they each took some time with him every week. 

It kind of reminded Impulse of what they were going through with Xisuma in the early months. 

They all sat in silence for a couple of minutes, most of them staring at their hands, or at the table. 

“That’ll work,” Wels said bluntly. 

“How can you be sure?” Joe asked, a hint of doubt in his voice. 

“While I was there…there were some certain things that forced me to stay for longer. I would have been in season seven sooner if it weren’t for them. It’s very different in Hels, and it is ruled by the strongest Helsmit, which so happens to be mine,” Wels explained, memories seeming to come into his mind, only to be forced out. 

“I only got out because he let me. I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t let me go,” Wels admitted, something close to shame appearing on his face. 

Jevin, who was sitting next to the knight, whispered something into Wels’ ear, and it seemed to calm him down some. Impulse was shocked that the man was even sharing this much about his experience there. 

“I can ask Hels if he’ll take Ex,” Wels offered. 

“How do we know that Hels won’t let him free?” Grian inquired. 

“Evil X will be a danger to Hels’ throne, so he won’t let him go,” Wels said, obviously trying to keep his words to a minimum. 

“When, and how, can you ask?” Etho stated, speaking for the first time in the meeting. 

“I’ll have to go to Hels’, or send a message through the portal,” Wels grimaced. 

“No, you can’t go back in there! What if Hels won’t let you out again?” False voiced. 

“He’ll let me go, but I’ll most likely be in there overnight,” Wels muttered, closing his eyes in the process. 

“Will he hurt you?” Impulse asked sternly. 

“No,” Wels responded weakly, not sounding very sure of himself. 

“Are you sure?” he pressed. 

There was no response. 

“Do we need to send someone with you?” Beef questioned. 

“No, they’ll kill any of you,” Wels replied. 

“How can you get a message to them?” Impulse queried. “ Without entering.”

“We drop a letter through the portal,” Wels said, matter of factly. 

“Then we’ll do that. We can’t risk you getting hurt,” Impulse finalized. 

“What do we do when we have the Helsmits on our side?” Etho asked. None of them wanted to consider the possibility of their plan failing. 

…

They had a plan, but it all relied on the help from Hels. Impulse hoped and prayed that it would work, and they could get Evil X out of hermitcraft

Chapter Text

Grian was ready. He wanted so badly to get back into action now that his arm was healed. The situation with Evil Xisuma was only pushing him to get better more quickly. He wanted to be there. 

However, Mumbo was holding him back. He loved his best friend a lot, but he didn’t want him to get reinjured. It was highly likely that Ex would put up a fight, but Grian didn’t care. As long as he was off of their server, he was perfectly fine with getting hurt again. 

Breaking another bone was nowhere near as bad as the level of trauma from the man that Xisuma had. Grian would have done exactly what Doc had if he had been able to at the time. 

At that moment, Grian was putting together one of his buildings in Midnight Alley. He was happy with how it was looking so far, especially with Griangotts bank completed. Of course, the back wasn’t finished, and probably wouldn’t be by the time the season ended, but the atmosphere was still awesome. 

The little shop front was decked out with potted plants, candles, and glow lichen. It certainly looked and felt magical. The whole aesthetic of the build was warm and fuzzy, which was exactly what Grian desired. 

He was in the middle of picking out which type of deep slate he wanted when the sound of rockets caught his attention. 

“G-man!” came the cheerful call of Scar. 

“Hey, Scar!” Grian greeted, putting away his things to go talk to his friend. 

“What ya up to?” Scar asked, sticking his landing rather gracefully. 

“Just tryin’ to finish this up,” he answered, gesturing towards his build. 

“Oooh, that’s looking great!” Scar commented, staring at each little piece of the tiny shop. 

“Thanks! Did you need something?” Grian inquired. 

“Yes, actually! Hmm… man! I knew I should have written it down. I’ve forgotten again…” Scar grumbled, smacking himself in the face with the flat of his hand. 

“No biggie, you can hang out while you think about it,” Grian said, and Scar smiled in thanks. 

Grian continued to purposely use his uninjured arm considerably more, and Scar seemed to take notice. 

“Still favoring it I see?” His companion started. 

“Eh, just being careful,” Grian replied with a shrug. 

“Does it hurt?” Scar questioned, eyebrow raised. 

“No. Mumbo’s been telling me to take it easy, so I am,” Grian responded, grabbing his shears. 

“You’re wanting to help with Ex, aren’t you?” 

Grian froze, not expecting that question to be so bluntly asked.

“Yeah…” he mumbled.

“I’m guessing by your tone that Mumbo doesn’t want you to go?” Scar inquired, seemingly already knowing the answer. Grian spun around to face him, giving a short huff.

“I know he’s just trying to protect me and all, but this is something that I need to do. This is for Xisuma! I’m the one who got him into this mess, so I have to do something to get him out!” he said firmly, his exasperation shining through. 

“G, you don’t have to prove yourself. We all love you for who you are, not because of your actions. You don’t have to do anything. Didn’t X talk to you about this a while ago?” Scar returned.

“He did…” Grian bit out, turning back to his build. 

He heard Scar walking towards him, but he didn’t want to face the man. Tears were already starting to pool in his eyes, and Grian knew if he met Scar’s gaze, he would be done for. 

The other was right behind him now, and placed a hand on his shoulder, slowly turning his body towards him. He pulled Grian into a hug, knowing that the shorter hermit needed it.

“You have nothing to prove to anyone,” Scar stated, not a hint of doubt in his voice. 

The waterworks started working in overdrive, and Grian was happy to let them get caught on Scar’s jacket. His fingers held fast to the back, letting himself be held. 

Once things began to die down, and Grian wasn’t sobbing into his friend’s coat, he pulled away. He quickly wiped at his red eyes, and gave a rueful smile at Scar.

“Thanks…” Grian mouthed, not up for words at that moment.

“Of course. Are you going to talk to Mumbo?” Scar asked lightheartedly. 

“Yes, but I know I have to be there. Nothing is going to stop me,” Grian replied.

“Promise me this,” his friend requested, grasping his shoulders.

“Mmm?” he responded.

“You aren’t doing this for redemption You’re doing this for a friend because he needs it,” Scar said.

Grian nodded, and smiled lightly at Scar. One last hug was exchanged, and Grian put his building materials away completely. 

He had a best friend to talk to.

…

“Mumbo!!!” Grian yelled.

“Agh! Grian!” Mumbo squealed, jumping slightly from the scare.

He just chuckled, and strode over to the mustached man.

“Can I help you with something?” Mumbo asked sarcastically.

“Yes, actually… As you know, we’re planning to banish Ex to the Hels dimension. It’s not an easy task, and the rest of the hermits need all the help they can get. I’m perfectly healed now, so I’m going to help, and you are too!” It seemed like he dropped a bomb on Mumbo’s head, and it had exploded his brain into a million pieces. 

“…what?” Mumbo said, trying to grapple with the fact that not only Grian was helping, but he was being dragged into the fight as well.

“Exactly what I just said! You and I are going to help!” He recited, a giant smile spreading onto his face.

“Wait, hold on?” Mumbo seemed even more confused the further he explained it.

“I can see your two brain cells aren’t rubbing together properly,” Grian commented, earning a chuckle from his friend.

“That- that would be correct, I suppose,” Mumbo finally responded.

“Well, what’re you waiting for?! The meeting with Hels is at Impulse’s base in ten minutes! We better get groovin’!” 

With that, Grian dragged Mumbo over to Impulse’s factory where they planned the last details of what they were going to do

Chapter Text

Evil Xisuma was bored. He had been staying around the Evil Emporium for weeks at that point, and all he wanted to do was something mischievous. Ex was purposefully staying near his area because the other hermits were a danger to him now. They all knew what had happened a little while ago, and wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.

Honestly, he was surprised they hadn’t banned him yet, sent him to suffer in the void. Of course, Xisuma had said he would never do that again, but he didn’t exactly trust what his brother said. Ex just wanted his twin to come and work for him again, although finding some extra help would be nice. None of the hermits would be willing participants though. 

Evil X was sitting on his throne like usual, flipping a derpcoin, attempting to entertain himself, and think of something to do. He had to get back at the hermits, but he didn’t know exactly how. Everyday he came in here to think, and when an idea was finally beginning to form, the hermits busted in.

Two of them charged him, one of them the half creeper that absolutely (embarrassingly, though he would never admit it) obliterated him that night. The other was a man who was wearing a black and yellow shirt displaying an ‘i’ that looked vaguely familiar. Ex was extremely confused as they wrestled him to stand, only to be shoved down on his knees, the hard deep slate floor scratching against his armor plates.

More of his brother’s companions began to file in, and things were beginning to get to Ex. This is it. This is where X comes to banish me. I’m going back to that dreaded place. This caused him to shiver at the thought of the void. Why have they waited so long? Why is the mustached man holding a shovel? 

One in a red sweater, holding an enchanted diamond axe, stood behind him, obviously ready to take action should he move. That’s the rat that wouldn’t get off of me. The other two from before were standing at his sides, nodding shortly at everyone who walked through the door. 

They had yet to restrain him properly, though, trusting him enough not to move. 

The hermits always had a bad habit of trusting people blindly.

This was his escape, no one was standing in the doorway, so he made out towards it.

Hopping up on his feet, he made a mad dash towards the door, startling the hermits surrounding him. 

He was almost out, just a couple more blocks…

Crash!

Ex was halfway out of there when he ran straight into someone. 

This someone he hadn’t seen in a very long time. 

Dressed in red and silver, freshly polished, a lifetime ago they had banded together to take over this very server. Now, it seemed everything between them had changed. 

Hels grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, and shoved him to the ground.

This time he wasn’t so lucky, being bound with a rope at the wrists.

He had expected Xisuma, but instead got someone he knew could possibly help him out of this situation.

“Hels, what are you doing here?” Ex snarled. 

The man in question scoffed and his eye roll was evident in his voice.

“I’m here to get the glitch out of Hermitcraft,” Hels returned. “Someone tells me it’s been causing some lag.” 

During the exchange, Evil Xisuma had managed to twist his wrist enough to summon his netherite sword, and sliced through the rope. With weapon in hand, he stood, lunging towards a white haired man. 

“ETHO!” A short and loud one yelled. 

It sounded incredibly obnoxious to Evil X.

‘Etho,’ apparently, was very skilled, and dodged his attack with ease. He was dressed like a ninja with a mask covering half of his face. 

The short, obnoxious one came into view, stomping towards him like an angry mother polar bear. 

Said man had an axe in hand, and was spluttering some quick English at him that made absolutely no sense. 

“And– I hope you know that I will not hesitate to chop your head off of your body, if you so much as touch Etho again. Do you understand?”

“Blah– I didn’t even touch him!” Evil Xisuma responded, raising his hands in the air, as the man poked at his chest. 

“You were close enough!”

The little man in a green almost moss-like hoodie hurried over to…Etho, was it? How do these hermits remember so many names? He pulled the taller’s head down by his cheeks, and put their foreheads together. The interaction was strange to say the least. 

“I’m okay, Bdubs,” Etho said, eyes squinting in a smile.

The newly-named in his mind was doting over his friend, or love, or whatever their relationship was. It wasn’t his business. 

Everyone else seemed to be in a state of shock, eyes wide at their friend’s outburst. One of the men was glaring daggers at Evil Xisuma. He was wearing a blood splattered white apron, which seemed strange, and he was also near this ‘Etho.’ 

I think I messed up? Did I charge the wrong one?

At that, he was tackled to the ground, this time it being who he knew as Doc. His sword was flung out of his hand, and landed with a few loud clanks on the cobbled floor. 

“You’re going to regret ever coming on this server. You provoked a silverfish, and now you’ve got the colony. Hels!” Doc yelled in his face. 

Ex watched as the Helsmit stalked forward with a dangerous expression. Doc pinned his arms behind his back once more, except it was considerably tighter than before. 

Evil X grumbled at that, and then he was being dragged into a standing position. 

“What are you gonna do? Ban me again?” Evil Xisuma snarked, spitting at the other’s feet. 

“No. You’re going to Hels with me,” Helsknight said, rolling his eyes in the process. 

“Psh, that’s better than this place,” Ex smiled, figuring he could get up to a lot of mischief while he was in the other dimension. 

“That’s where you’re wrong. You…are going to be locked in a cell. Something I should have done years ago,” Hels told him, and grabbed his arm to drag him outside the door. 

There was a portal in the courtyard that looked like a nether portal, but the swirls were a deep red instead of purple.

He tried to get out of Hels’ grasp, but with his arms tied like they were, and being escorted by some of the strongest hermits…

Getting out of this was impossible. 

Before they were about to step into the portal, the same man with the ‘i’ on his shirt stepped forward. 

“This is for X,” he growled, and proceeded to punch Ex in the gut. 

That one might have hurt. 

After the punch, the man walked away, and stood behind a pair of hermits that each had blonde hair. One he knew as Zedaph, or Wormman, who hugged the darker haired affectionately, calming him down.  

“It’s time to go,” Hels stated emotionlessly. 

Ex let his body go limp as Hels pulled him through the portal. Might as well make him carry my dead weight. 

It was extremely disorienting, and left Evil Xisuma dizzy for a good few minutes. He hadn’t been to Hels in a long time. 

Once he came around, Hels helped him stand up, almost knocking him over again. 

“Why would you help them?!?” Evil X yelled the moment he didn’t think he’d throw up when he opened his mouth. 

“Because they asked me to,” Hels simply responded. 

“So you helped them banish me to your dimension just because they asked you to? Or is there something you’re not sharing, Hels?” Evil Xisuma pressed. 

Hels turned back at him for a long moment, staring through his visor, studying him. 

“I don’t have to tell you anything,” the man returned, and grasped Ex’s upper arm once more. 

“What is it, Helsie? Are you becoming a wuss?” Evil X prodded. 

Hels shoved him roughly, an enraged glint in his eyes as he shouted. 

It was exactly what Ex wanted. 

“I HURT HIM! He did nothing, and I showed him no mercy! Now he can barely spare a glance at his own brother without cowering in fear!” Hels looked on the verge of tears, and he spun away from him with his arms crossed. “I can’t let him down again…” he mumbled quietly. 

“Where did the ruthless knight of Hels go? It seems he’s been replaced,” Ex bit out, taunting him. 

In a flash, he was pinned up against the wall, his helmet taken briskly off of his head. He knew without the End air that was filtered through, he wouldn’t survive for long. 

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s still here to deal with you. I don’t know what happened to make you have no sympathy towards your own kin, but I’m not that heartless,” Hels whispered angrily in his face. 

The knight let him go and dragged him down a hall towards a containment cell. Hels cut off the ropes holding his limbs captive, and threw his helmet, plus Ex, in the cell without care. 

Evil Xisuma would receive three meals a day, per the hermits' requests, but otherwise got nothing else except standard health requirements. It was going to be a long stay…

Chapter Text

Keralis was incredibly nervous, except there was no need for him to be. He wasn’t going to confront Evil Xisuma; that was up to the other hermits. His job was to keep Xisuma distracted. 

It shouldn’t be too hard, considering he had grown extremely good at that recently, especially after Xisuma’s bad sleeping habits had caused Keralis to go practically crazy. 

Earlier in the day, he had messaged Joe to see if he would help him with X that afternoon. Luckily, he agreed, and said that he’d be over in a little bit. 

Their job was extremely important, so Xisuma wouldn’t freak out when the “joined” messages appeared, along with the “left” notifications. Keralis hoped they could keep X occupied for long enough without him noticing. 

It was a little past midday, and Keralis had already watched the rest of his friends fly off towards the Evil Emporium. As soon as they were gone, Xisuma, who was now able to walk around by himself mostly, was standing beside him. 

“Where are they going?” X asked, confusion laced in his voice. Keralis still wasn’t quite used to the other being able to move, and he jumped at the start it gave him. 

“I think they were going to go play a game of ABBA. Beef was talking about it in a group chat,” he explained, the lie slipping through with ease. 

He felt extremely bad lying to his admin, and his best friend, but he would be able to tell him soon enough. 

“Come on, Shashwam, Joe will be here shortly,” Keralis said, shooing him back inside. 

“Keralis?” Xisuma questioned, turning around once indoors. 

“Yes, sweetface?” he returned, a genuine smile on his face. 

“Can we…never mind, it’s stupid,” X trailed off. 

“Shishwammy, nothing you say is stupid, and that’s a naughty word,” Keralis reprimanded, but kept his tone light. “What is it that you want to do?” he asked. 

“Could we maybe mess with some redstone?” Xisuma questioned quietly, seemingly shy about his request. 

“Of course! Papa K will be right back with a few little things for you,” Keralis responded, leaving X in a safe spot. 

He sorted through his less than organized storage, and found a couple stacks of redstone dust. Along with that, Keralis grabbed some other components that he had seen the more technical hermits use. 

When he finished gathering the supplies, another voice that didn’t belong to Xisuma was in his living room. It turned out to be none other than Joe Hills, who was casually greeting X, and checking up on his well being. 

Keralis bounced into the room, a bright smile on his face. 

“Joe! Welcome to my humble abode-y!” He exclaimed, stopping in front of his two friends. 

“Howdy, Keralis, what do you have planned for us?” Joe responded, eyeing the equipment in his hands. 

“Shishwammy wanted to do some redstone, so I thought we could join him,” Keralis explained. 

“That sounds like fun! I can tell you now that I won’t be much help, but I can sure watch,” Joe laughed. 

“Maybe Shashwam can teach us a few things?” Keralis questioned, wiggling his eyebrows towards his buddy. 

“Oh goodness me, okay,” X replied. 

“To- uh, where do we do red dust things?” Keralis inquired, looking at Xisuma. 

“Do you have a farm that you want?” X responded with an inquisitive quirk in his eyebrow. 

“Um…bamboo?” Keralis suggested. 

“Alright, I’m assuming you want it underground, so do you have a space in mind?” X continued. 

“There’s a basement with nothing in it!” Keralis exclaimed. 

“Okay, we’ll build it there, my friend,” his admin chuckled at his enthusiasm. 

Joe just nodded along and offered Xisuma a hand, but was quickly assured that he could get there by himself. 

“Shishwammy, I think you might want to take Joe up on that offer,” Keralis said, having watched the conversation. 

“Why is that?” X asked. 

“The stairs,” he responded shortly. 

“Ah…I’ll be fine,” Xisuma voiced, walking away with his respirator in hand. He was still slower than usual, but it was a massive improvement from even a few weeks ago. 

Keralis and Joe shared a knowing look, but followed cautiously. 

When it came to the flight of stairs, X stopped, and looked down them. Joe kept walking past him, and down the incline, turning, and waiting at the bottom. 

“Doc is going to kill me,” Xisuma whispered, clearly having doubts after his confidence earlier.

“Don’t worry, he doesn’t need to know,” Keralis assured, and a mischievous smile appeared on his admin’s face. 

“Here we go,” X exhaled, and took the first step, holding onto the railing with his free hand. Keralis paid close attention to his friend’s footsteps, and stepped down every time X did. 

It was going extremely well, but he didn’t want to jinx it. Xisuma’s little socked feet made a shuffling sound as they slid down each wooden step. 

“Good job, you’re almost there,” Joe encouraged. 

X smiled, but then the thing Keralis was dreading happened.

He slipped. His left foot slid down too quickly, forcing the admin to grasp the handrail like his life depended on it, right foot still in its place. This made him squeak, and Keralis was immediately there to hold him up. 

What Keralis didn’t expect was for Xisuma to swat his helping hands away. 

“I’m fine,” X said, chuckling.

“Okay, do you want to keep going?” Joe asked, a relieved smile on his face.

“Yes, I’m more determined now than ever,” Xisuma gritted his teeth, pulling himself up to full height.

Keralis was still wary, and when they finally hit the solid floor at the bottom, he let out a sigh. 

“What, K? Didn’t think I could do it?” X teased lightheartedly. 

“Oh, no, I knew my Shishwammy could do it. I was just… a little nervous, especially with that little oopsie,” Keralis explained, the scared expression fading off of his face.

Xisuma was sporting a bright smile, and he turned towards Joe, who was setting up a small seated area made of some wool. 

“What’re ya making there, Joe?” Xisuma asked. 

“A place that Keralis and I can watch your beautiful handiwork from,” he responded, not looking up from his task. 

A small giggle left the admin’s lips, and Keralis guided him forward, and handed over the redstone supplies. 

“Thanks, K,” X said, a genuine smile reaching his eyes. 

“Of course, anything for my Shishwammy,” Keralis responded. 

Both other men watched, commenting here and there, asking why things worked the way they did. Keralis admired the way his best friend could explain away the different mechanics, and the reasons behind the confusing dust.

He loved to see his admin in his element, getting flustered and confused when something didn’t work, but smiling and cheering when it did. He and Joe were left sitting on their soft pieces of wool, just watching Xisuma have at it and have some fun. It was eye opening to see how happy X was when making the bamboo farm. 

“Hey, Shashwam?” Keralis asked, receiving messages on his communicator indicating that Evil Xisuma was finally off of the server. 

“Hmm?” he replied, placing some repeaters down next to a couple of lines of redstone dust. It seemed to power some collection system, but Keralis didn’t understand what was happening, so he left that in the recesses of his mind for later. 

“We need to tell you something,” Keralis said, gaining X’s full attention now. 

Keralis looked towards Joe, and gave a short nod, letting him know that they were doing this right then. 

“What is it?” Xisuma questioned, eyes darting between them both nervously. 

“So…earlier when I told you that some of the other hermits were going to play ABBA, I lied. They actually went to deal with…your, um…”

“Ex,” Xisuma huffed, and finished for him. 

The admin ran a hand through his hair, and blew out a breath. 

“What did they do to him?” X asked, attempting not to hide himself away. 

“Wels, uh…got Hels to pick him up, and take him to the Hels dimension,” Keralis explained. 

He could see Joe watching Xisuma’s face very intently, searching for any signs of panic. 

“Oh, thank void,” X breathed. 

“We made sure that he would be fed three times a day, and that he wouldn’t be injured at all,” Joe added. 

“Okay,” Xisuma replied, taking his oxygen mask off, and letting it hang around his neck. 

Keralis was about to say something about it when X put his hand up in a ‘one moment’ gesture. So, he kept quiet as X processed things, and held his head in his hands for a few minutes at a time. 

“X,” Joe called when the admin’s breathing became labored. 

Xisuma honored their silent request, and held the mask up to his face, not actually securing it in place. After a few moments, he let it hang, which put Keralis on edge. 

“He’s gone…” Xisuma trailed off in a whisper. 

“He’s not gonna hurt you again, Shashwam,” Keralis reassured. 

Xisuma looked up. 

Tears filled his eyes, and he let them fall freely. 

“Thank you, thank you so much, thank you for not making me do it,” X said, it all pouring out of his mouth. 

Keralis stood, making his way over to his best friend, who was sitting on the hard floor, curled up next to the redstone. He crouched down, and opened his arms. Xisuma immediately pulled him down into a hug, and cried softly into his shoulder. Keralis simply held and shushed him. 

Joe eventually came over and joined them, except he sat a little further away, enjoying being near, but not touching. Keralis knew that being super touchy wasn’t Joe’s thing, but he admired how the man tried and liked spending time with his friends in his own way. 

They stayed there for a little while, constantly having to remind Xisuma to put his breathing mask on, only for him to take it off a few breaths later. 

Steps made themselves known soon enough, and all three men turned to look at who was standing at the bottom of the staircase. It was a tired looking Doc, who seemed mildly displeased. 

“How- how did he get down here?!” Doc asked confusedly. 

X broke out into a fit of giggles that saw Doc rushing over, and forcing the oxygen on his face. 

“And we’re not gonna tell Doc how you almost fell down the stairs, right?“ Joe teased, getting a half-hearted glare from both Keralis and Xisuma. 

Doc looked extremely concerned, now lifting X out of Keralis’ arms, and making sure the admin wasn’t physically hurt. 

“Doc, I’m fine,” X laughed. Doc poked at his sides, making him freeze, and bat away his hands. 

“Diagnosis: thinking too much! Symptoms include over sensitivity to touch; test results have come back positive. Recommended treatment: tickles!” Doc exclaimed, and reached for Xisuma, as he crawled back towards Keralis for safety.

“Aghgghghhhh, Keralis- ah, help!!!” X squealed in between panted breaths. 

He chuckled in response, and scooted over towards Doc, pulling at his robotic arm to give X some reprieve. 

“Shashwam needs to breathe, then you can get back to tickles!” Keralis compromised. 

“Keralis! You’re supposed to be on my side! Ahhhh- Doc, no! Ahhh!”

Chapter Text

It had been about a week since the hermits had banished Evil X to the Hels dimension, and Xisuma couldn’t be happier. He was finally able to live without the constant fear of his twin. 

The healing process had just begun, and he was excited for what was to come in the future, even if it was daunting. Physically, he was more mobile than he had been in months, and his mental state was gradually getting better. Although, lightning storms still brought out the worst of his thoughts. 

Xisuma was able to walk with little to no help, only having to grasp a surface a few times to regain his balance. He knew he wanted to get back to building, but a part of him was done with this world. 

Everything that had happened in the season eight world was traumatizing, at least from his perspective, and he almost couldn’t wait for the next season to arrive.

For now though, he was going to have some fun with his hermits. 

For a while now, X had longed to have some time at the beach, simply to chill and spend a day with his family. Keralis, a couple of days ago, had sent out a message in the group chat, announcing a beach party. 

Xisuma was in his room, preparing for what was to come that afternoon. Keralis had previously gotten his swimming trunks from his base for him, and he was quickly changing into them. He glanced over at the dresser in front of him to stare at his helmet. 

Should I wear it?

X enjoyed not having to wear the constricting helmet, but not having it on was a danger to his health unless he had an oxygen tank with him. He wanted to be able to feel the breeze coming off the ocean, onto the land. Xisuma desired to taste the salt in the air, and smell the sea foam. 

They felt like childish fantasies, but he decided against the headgear. 

Knock. Knock.

“Come in,” Xisuma called, and Keralis opened the door with a huge smile on his face.

“Shashwam! You almost ready?” his friend asked. 

“Yes, I just…” X trailed off.

“What’s wrong, sweetface?” Keralis inquired.

“I’m not wearing the helmet, but the tank will get in the way,” he replied. “Plus, I can’t swim with it.”

“Okay, hmm…how about you change the chunk to End air?” Keralis suggested, raising his eyebrows.

“I guess that’ll work,” Xisuma responded, picking up his communicator, and putting it in his pocket.

“Don’t forget your sunglasses! We don’t want those beautiful eyes of yours to hurt,” Keralis reminded him.

“Thanks, K,” X commented, turning towards the dresser once more, and picking up the shades. 

It was another reason why he wore the helmet, his eyes needing some sort of interference between them and the sun. If he didn’t wear purple tinted sunglasses, or a visor, then he would get a pounding headache. 

“Meet me at the front door when you’re ready!” Keralis called from the living room.

“Okay! Do I need to grab a towel?” X yelled back.

“No, I got you one,” his friend replied.

X caught himself smiling at the atmosphere of normalcy that had emerged. He was no longer a patient to be cared for, and instead was simply a friend staying over. Fixing the shirt he was wearing that had bunched up while he was getting ready, he put on some sandals. Xisuma looked at himself in the mirror briefly, and walked out of the room.

He was a little bit slower than before the accident, but X didn’t mind all that much; the gentle stroll was good enough for him. Xisuma made it to the front door, and Keralis nodded to him before continuing forward. The boat was already prepared and the pair hopped in, and took off down the water way. 

Previously, they decided on the location, one that each hermit could get to easily, that being spawn. Since the area was already a desert and backed right up to the ocean, he and Keralis thought it would be the perfect location without having to travel far.

The ride wasn’t very long and when they were coming up to shore, he saw many hermits running around. There was a food table, along with a bunch of beach balls, and a flying Grian. That part didn’t surprise him much at all.

From the looks of it, the small hermit was being shot up on a slime block machine, launching him into the air. The man had a huge smile on his face and was laughing hysterically. It lifted a weight off of Xisuma’s shoulders to see him recovering and so joyous after his wrist injury. 

When they pulled into the little alcove, Stress came running over to greet them. 

“Ello, loves!” Stress exclaimed, drawing some of the others’ attention their way.

At that, Ren came over, an overjoyed expression on his face.

“X, dude, glad you’re finally able to get up and have some fun,” he said.

“I am too; I hate being stuck in that bed,” Xisuma grimaced. 

“Mister, where is your helmet?” Doc demanded, a scowl on his face, as he stalked towards them.

“Jeez, I get here and you’re already on my butt about my health,” X complained, pulling out his communicator.

He quickly typed in a command, and set the air to an End atmosphere. It took a moment to shift, but once it did, his breathing evened out. 

“Better?” he joked, aiming it at Doc.

“Much; now let’s go have some fun,” Doc replied, a cheerful expression covering his face.

He followed his friends, and was greeted constantly by the others that passed. Xisuma was looking forward to sinking into the sun-warmed water, but Keralis had other ideas. 

“Shaswam, sunscreen is required. We don’t want that beautiful, pale skin of yours to get all burnt like redstone dust,” Keralis insisted, grabbing hold of his arm gently before he got too deep in the water.

“Aww, but Keralis,” X tried to bargain.

“Nope, none of that, angel. Now get that tushy over on the sand,” Keralis said, causing Xisuma to blush and turn red, sunburned or not.

The hermits around him were giggling at their argument, but of course, he knew it was light hearted.

X got out of the knee deep water he was in, and sat down in the wet sand like a petulant child. His legs were spread out straight, and he was piling some sand in a tower formation in his lap. 

Keralis got to work, rubbing the lotion into his back, and down his arms. When his friend went to do his face though…

Xisuma practically squawked at him, and flailed his arms.

“Shishwammy, stop, I have to make sure your cheeks don’t burn!” Keralis giggled.

“No! Let me do it!” X whined. 

“Okay, here you go,” Keralis relented, handing over the bottle.

X chuckled to himself at his friend’s facial expressions, and slapped some of the sunscreen on his face. 

“Rub it in!” Keralis laughed.

“Nah, it’s fine,” X refuted, getting up from the itchy sand.

“Shashwam, it’s not going to do anything if you don’t rub it in,” he informed him, but X just wanted to get in the ocean.

Xisuma lifted his hands to his face, and took off his sunglasses, closing his eyes. He turned back around towards his best friend, and aggressively ran his hands up and down his face, “rubbing it in.”

He placed the glasses back on, and giggled at Keralis’ agitation.

“Just- you know what? Go have fun,” Keralis told him, running a flat palm over his face.

“Thanks, K!” X called over his shoulder, half jogging into the cool water, warm enough not to make him cold.

A few other hermits were already in the water, splashing and swimming through the waves. Impulse waded over, offering a hand to him. He gratefully accepted, being a little off balance where he drifted.

“There’s a sandbar a few feet ahead that we can hang out on, and search for sand dollars,” Impulse suggested.

“Sure, sounds fun!” X responded, already heading to where Impulse had pointed.

Impulse chuckled at his eagerness, and directed him into the deeper water that saw him treading for a little bit. They made it to the build up of sand, and X felt just a tiny bit out of breath; Doc was already there, and noticed this.

“Alright, breather time, and that’s an order,” he said, dimming the cheerful mood.

Xisuma nodded, and sat on the submerged sand, not wanting to argue. 

After a few moments, he went a little deeper into the warm water. False swam up to him, and took his hands into hers. 

“Ready?” she asked.

“For wh- AT?!” X asked, but was cut off by being yanked forward, and dunked under the saltwater for a brief moment. When he resurfaced, he gasped, and practically tried to climb up Impulse.

All three of his hermits were laughing and giggling at this, and he joined in soon after. 

They then began swimming around the shallow area, and Impulse was encouraging him to swim towards him, while constantly changing directions. His limbs were quickly growing heavier, but he was determined to continue. He enjoyed the cold spray splashing on his sun kissed face, and the sea foam tickling his arms where the water met his skin.

“X!” Someone called from the shore, dragging it out into several syllables.

At the sound of his name, he turned to face whoever it was.

Stress.

Once she gained his attention, she yelled, “X, love, you’ve forgotten your floaties!”

She was holding up two identical neon green and pink floating devices that would inflate and go around the arms. 

The hermits behind him burst into fits of laughter, and X shook his head in embarrassment. 

“I don’t think I need them, Stress!” he replied through laughs and tinted cheeks.

They continued to swim, until they all grew a bit tired, and went to eat some food. 

Xisuma sat on his towel that Keralis had set out for him, Bdubs asleep a few paces away. Doc was trying, and failing miserably, at fending off Etho, who wanted to bury Bdubs in sand. 

Every time Doc would turn around, Etho would add a pile of sand to the sleeping hermit’s legs. It was entertaining, and he saw no harm in it, so he just sat and watched it play out. 

“Etho! Leave Bdubs alone! ” Doc roared playfully. 

Xisuma started giggling, as Etho jumped and ran off, startled by the other hermit. 

After a little while, Doc sat down with a drink, and Etho snuck up to their sleeping friend. He managed a few scoops of sand, but then Beef stalked over, and took him by the ear, tugging him away.

X couldn’t help but burst into fits of laughter, rolling on his towel, unable to breathe. 

“X, you good?” Doc asked, after he realized why he was laughing so hard, and began chuckling himself. 

Xisuma gave a thumbs up, and caught his breath, sagging into Tango’s shoulder. 

“That was too funny,” X commented, wiping a few stray tears from his eyes. 

“Hey!?!? Who- what- who covered me in sand?!” Bdubs spluttered, sitting up, but his legs were buried. 

“That would be Mister Ethoslab,” Doc answered, looking annoyed. 

“And you didn’t stop him?!” Bdubs shouted, his signature faux anger coming through in his speech. 

“Oh, I made every attempt, trust me. He’s just too sneaky,” Doc grumbled. 

Bdubs’ eyebrows were raised in question, and he looked in X’s direction for confirmation. 

“He put up a glorious fight, Bdubs,” Xisuma said, still giggling slightly. 

“Ugh, Etho!” Bdubs called. 

The white haired hermit came walking over, holding his ear tenderly. 

“Oh, hey, Bdubs,” Etho said, smiling behind his mask. 

“Don’t ‘oh, hey, Bdubs’ me! I know what you did!” Bdubs returned. 

“Yeah, about that, how’s your specialty blanket?” he teased. 

“Ough, hey!” Bdubs shouted, as he tried to get up from the sand, Etho taking off into a run down the beach. 

“Go get him,” Doc cheered, when their friend got out of his predicament, and started after Etho. 

They watched as Etho teased and dodged the flustered, wild BdoubleO, while laughing. Bdubs seemed to grow tired fairly quickly, and he gave up, settling for punching Etho in the arm. 

…

The sun was beginning to sink behind the horizon when they had all finished eating dinner. As a group, they decided to watch the sunset together on the warmed sand. 

The wind was blowing softly, ruffling Xisuma’s fluffy hair. Keralis was to his left, and there was an extra space to his right, previously occupied by Tango, who had gone to antagonize Zedaph. Stress was behind him, massaging his shoulders. Grian was laid in front of him, allowing X to play with his blonde fringe. 

Impulse was next to Keralis, and Doc sat beside Stress. It was peaceful, and Etho snaked his way through the other hermits to sit in the empty spot to X’s right, leaning on his upper arm. 

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Etho whispered. 

“Me too, buddy. Me too.”

Chapter Text

It was moving day. 

They had all decided as a group that they would move on. This world didn’t have much left for them, and they didn’t want to continue. Xisuma truly wasn’t sure if he could continue. The world that brought him so much trauma was to be abandoned, but not forgotten. 

He would, however, go and see the place where it all began. The location that sent him on a long six month road of recovery. 

Thinking about it brought forward the memories he made with his friends, both good and bad. The flashbacks of the times when he couldn’t open his eyes, and was stuck in a coma. The times when he had to rely on his best friend to help him sit up, and do almost anything. The times when he was frightened by nightmares, and by his brother. 

He looked back on them with a fond smile, even if some weren’t ideal. Xisuma learned a great deal from these trials, and wanted to make sure that he didn’t take steps backwards by being careless. 

The packing was slow. Shulkers worth of memories and moments to cherish in the future. His blanket that stayed with him through thick and thin, that once belonged to Keralis. The origami turtles that he could stare at for hours. The baby monitor that he knew would only be pulled back out in cases of emergency. These objects would join him on the next season, since he felt as if he couldn’t live without them.

He had grown attachments, something that most voidwalkers weren’t allowed back at home. No. Hermitcraft was home now, not that place. Here, he was encouraged to have such things, like any other player. There was no need to think about his history, especially since he was writing a new history; one with friends to help him choose the right words to tell his story. 

Finally, the bracelets he made with Stress all went on his wrist. 

Xisuma was finished, and though it was tricky, he had done it. Another accomplishment that he had completed by himself, without the help of others. He knew they would be more than willing to assist, and had even offered, but he had declined. X needed to do it on his own, much like he had been determined to walk around alone. 

The door was pushed open, and he looked over his shoulder to see Stress walk in. He smiled at her, and she came over, hugging him from behind. 

“Great job, love. You almost ready to go?” she whispered softly. 

“Mhm,” X replied, equally as quiet. 

Today was no day for shenanigans or pranks; it was a day for goodbyes. Though he enjoyed the new start on a different season, it was still like moving houses: bittersweet. 

Xisuma rose from his bed, and used his pickaxe to mine the few shulker boxes that were on the floor. He breathed out a sigh, and snagged his helmet from the dresser. One last glance in the mirror, and he walked out of that door for good. 

It was hard to believe that a few months ago, he couldn’t get up when he wanted, and leaving the room was completely out of the question.

They both met up with Impulse and Keralis, and took boats over to X’s starter base. He only had a few things from there that he wanted to grab before leaving the server later. 

When they arrived, he got out of the boat less than gracefully, stumbling a little, before bursting into a sprint. X would probably get scolded later, but he didn’t care. He opened the door to find the place pristine. It was like he never left, all the shelves dusted, and floors mopped. 

To say Xisuma was shocked was an understatement. He thought that the base would be left to ruins without his care, but no, his hermits took care of it. X turned around to see his friends smiling in the doorway, and tears pricked at his eyes.

“Why?” was all he could muster up.

“Because we love you,” Impulse simply replied.

He moved forward, and hugged them all, thanking them for keeping up with his things. 

“ Every hermit pitched in to come and help,” Stress commented, making X huff in astonishment. 

After the hug, and him grabbing the few things he had come for, he closed the door for the first time in over six months, and the final time in his life. 

It took some restraint to not cry, but his hermits were guiding him to the nether portal when he didn’t let go of the handle. 

“Doc and Grian are waiting for us there, Shashwam,” Keralis said, nodding towards the portal of purple swirls.

“Okay,” he breathed out.

They all went through, and travelled a long distance to another portal. X went in first, the others following behind him. As the landscape came into view, one thing stood out: 

The witch farm. 

It had all started here; all the pain, poison, and suffering. Everything came flooding back to him. The memory of how he had neglected self care in the days prior threatened to awaken the dormant beast of guilt inside him. A sob built up in his throat, but he held it back. He had to get through this. 

A hand appeared on his shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. He trudged forwards, and climbed the scattered spruce logs. Xisuma, with a sniffle, pulled out tinted glass blocks, and placed them where they were broken by him so long ago. 

Doc and Impulse helped him fix the broken farm, and once it was complete, they cleaned it up. It didn’t take very long, but it was still a chore, but one that had to be done. He needed peace of mind, knowing that the farm could no longer hurt someone like it had hurt him. Even if they were leaving this world for good, he wanted the closure.

Once it was done, they left, heading to Boatem. They were meeting up with the rest of the server, so that they could leave. They all walked in silence through the nether tunnels, and went through the portal. 

They were greeted by every single hermit, and a smile graced the admin’s face. He loved them, all of them, and wanted something better for them. The previous night, he had already sent out the IP address to the group, but they always had a reunion before departing, and they carried out the tradition.

Though it was strange to leave so early, it had to be done. They all wanted to go, and had long conversations about it, determining it to be the best course of action. He was at peace, knowing that every server member agreed. 

“The season nine world is open,” he announced, smiling at everyone, looking away from his admin panel.

Everyone cheered, and began leaving the world.

BdoubleO100 left the game.

Ethoslab left the game.

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GoodTimeWithScar left the game.

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impulseSV left the game.

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As each one of his hermits left the world, Xisuma finally realized that, sometimes, Admins Need Help Too.

Xisuma left the game.