Archive of Our Own ^beta

Keralis's day started out like any other. He woke up in bed checked his comm and let a smile cross his face. Xisuma had sent him a message asking if he wanted to help him dig out some storage space in his desert temple. Xisuma was a young man who Keralis could tell had potential to be very powerful but that didn't matter to him. While most of his kind ate on those with potential to either be threats or just wanted to get that kind of power themselves Keralis didn't like eating people.

He'd rather eat a steak or chicken really. But either way he enjoyed hanging out with the man since they'd often talk about everything and anything under the sun and that made Keralis happy. So, he messages Xisuma back that he'd love to and got ready for the day eating a breakfast of cake (Yes, he knew it was unhealthy but screw it he wanted cake for breakfast, and it wasn't like anyone looked up to him. (Yet.))

As Keralis headed out he went to Xisuma's base he gently knocked on the door and the Derp opened it out of breath like he had been running. He had a pickaxe in his hands and said, "Keralis! Just in time! Let's go!"

He quickly opened the door wider him and disappeared inside. Keralis tilted his head at the out of breath man but shrugged it off and followed him while Xisuma talked about what he had been doing and what he wanted to do and Keralis hummed at the appropriate times. After a while they ended up where Xisuma wanted to have a storage system. It was a bit deeper into the build then Keralis expected. It was clear it had been worked on for a bit a tiny hole had been dug by then and a lot of loose sand was shoved into a big pile. It looked rather fresh but perhaps Xisuma had gotten up early and began working on it.

Xisuma said, "Okay, so I just want dig out some more of this sand and maybe make a farm? But for now, a storage space will do!"

Keralis giggled but nodded and helped Xisuma dig. After a while they dug out a big enough space that Xisuma was proud of it Keralis stopped and just watched as Xisuma worked on his storage system. It was clear Xisuma was in his element and that made a smile tug at the edge of his face. Eventually Keralis started humming a song under his breath. It was an older lullaby he had learned from his caregiver a while ago that stuck to him. As he hummed Xisuma bopped his helmeted head along with the beat. Keralis felt fondness grow in his chest as the man did so.

Eventually Xisuma was done and after Keralis checked his comm it had been a couple hours and was now lunch time. Keralis stood up and stretched and said, "Xisuma? You want to go eat some food with me?" 

Xisuma looked up and huffing said, "In a bit K. I want to finish this up." 

As he said that Keralis's mouth tightened. See while his eyes couldn't narrow Keralis's other facial features COULD move. Thus, when he was suspicious his mouth would tighten slightly in a frown sort of thing. Not only that but he knew something was up now. As he knew for a fact the younger hadn't eaten breakfast and if he had it would have been a really early breakfast in order to have worked on the project BEFORE Keralis got here. After all he'd answered the door in such a rush he had to have been working on the project which meant he hadn't eaten and that wasn't good for ANYONE who was growing. And he knew how important eating lots and resting was important.

So, he huffed and replied, "Xisuma Void when was the last time you ate?"

Xisuma whipped around in shock. His eyes were slightly wide behind his mask. At that exact moment Xisuma's stomach growled in hunger and while Keralis couldn't really tell behind the purple tinted visor he got a feeling Xisuma was blushing some kind of colour in embarrassment at the sound. Keralis blinked slowly at the man. Clearly Xisuma was being stubborn, but Keralis understood how a project could take up one's mind and distract them from basic functions like eating and sleeping but he wasn't going to let Xisuma participate in such habits.

Keralis sighed and said, "Xisuma... come eat please."

Xisuma shook his head and said, "Let me finish all of this and then-"

But Keralis wasn't having any of it, he turned on his Hypnosis eyes and said, "Now."

And rather than the usual falling under a trance Xisuma blinked and stared at Keralis in question. That made Keralis pause. Never before had anyone or anything stood up against his eyes. Usually even the strongest creatures feel under his hypnosis, so the fact Xisuma did freak Keralis out. While normally Keralis might keep a cool head he'd never before met someone able to withstand his hypnosis much less being able to stare right back at him with such a blank yet confused look in their eyes.

Xisuma, still surprised said, "How did you do that with your eyes?"

Keralis freaked out and said, "Why didn't that work!??!"

Xisuma blinked, tilted his head and said, "Are you some kind of ancient thing?"

And instantly it felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over him. Keralis remembered promising long ago to NEVER EVER reveal or even hint at what he was as they were considered monster. Evil creatures of the dark that didn't deserve to exist. That by eating humans and other hybrids his species had been doomed to be considered vile for the rest of their existence. Keralis felt as his eyes became bigger, his teeth sharper and his limbs elongated. He could feel how eyes opened up on his hands and arm. How his knees became backwards and his nose fade away. He began to sob.

He curled into himself as much as he could while tears dripped down out of all his eyes. He sobbed and sobbed. He just lost one of his closest friends and now Xisuma was never going to talk to him again because he was a horrible no good vile being that didn't deserve to be in the same realm as humans. While he sobbed though he could hear someone talking. Their voice was low and soothing and slowly Keralis calmed down as the voice kept talking. It was saying numbers in a pattern. They'd count to 8 and then start over again. As the voice did so Keralis would try to time his breathing with it. The voice encouraged him when it realized what he was doing.

After a while Keralis realized it was Xisuma who was the voice and not some random voice in his head, but Xisuma just kept counting and Keralis figured breathing was more important than figuring out why Xisuma hadn't let him yet. After his breathing was better, he looked up. Xisuma was sitting as far away as possible in a corner sitting cross legged while tapping on the tempo of his counting on the wall beside him. When he caught Keralis watching him he smiled softly at him and Keralis felt tears collect in his eyes again. Xisuma was so kind it hurt. 

Xisuma cleared his throat, it was clear there was guilt in his eyes and said, "Feeling better?"

Keralis nodded and Xisuma stopped tapping and softly said, "Want some water?" To which Keralis just shook his head.

Xisuma nodded and seemed to make a face and softly said, "Sorry..."

Keralis just sat there surprised. While he knew the man was kind he didn't expect and apology. Though he did trigger a panic attack in the end he had no way of knowing Keralis would have on at such a question. Keralis didn't even know he was going to have one! But perhaps that's just how Xisuma worked. After all the man was super sweet.

Xisuma sat there and after a moment said, "Want to talk about it right now?" 

Keralis curled up more and said, "Not really..."

Xisuma nodded and said, "Okay. Well, I think we should head upstairs into my kitchen and eat some food and relax if you want."

Keralis nodded and kept breathing slowly shifting back into his normal form with slightly longer than normal arms and bigger eyes. Xisuma just smiled softly at him and lead the way to his kitchen. Which he quickly made some beef soup and handed it to Keralis. Keralis took it gratefully and ate it while Xisuma focused on his soup. It was quiet and almost made Keralis forget what happened. But alas Keralis's head didn't let him forget making him remembering the moment over and over again. Eventually Keralis couldn't take it anymore.

Keralis cleared his throat and said, "I'm an Eldrich being..."

Xisuma blinked in shock looking up at him with wide eyes. Keralis shifted from side to side. He knew he'd likely regret stating it because it became more of a fact when he said it. The first time was only Xisuma being close to the truth and this time it was conformation. He was officially telling his closes friend what he was. A monster that many people feared. The unknown thing that made children cower from shadows; women grip their blouses and man tremble before their might. Yet Xisuma hadn't reacted to badly but Keralis was more focused on panicking so who knows.

He figured Xisuma would be fearful but then Xisuma said, "So the swirly eyes and cool form is because you're an Eldrich being? Cool!"

Keralis blinked in shock at the practical stars in Xisuma's eyes but nodded and said, "Uh yeah."

Xisuma then followed up with, "Can you stand void air? Are you like winged? Can you fly? Are you super old?"

Keralis blinked and said, "Uh yeah I can stand void air, technically I do have wings but because they have eyes on them it's pretty weird to fly so I tend to not fly and I'm only 260 so not that old."

Xisuma blinked and said, "Cool."

Keralis hummed and nodded before he and Xisuma slipped into a chatter of random things. Mostly about their future plans and if they wanted to hang out. It seemed that after the questions Xisuma picked up that he wasn't comfortable talking about it fully, so he talked about other things and Keralis had never felt so grateful for someone in that moment then he did Xisuma. He relaxed more as time passed and he was happy he still had Xisuma as a friend and that he hadn't ruined their friendship by spilling his biggest darkest secret and that Xisuma took it so well. Suddenly he remembered something Xisuma said.

Keralis cleared his throat and said, "Why'd you ask about Void air?"

Xisuma blinked before smiling and saying, "Oh I'm a Void Walker and I like turning on Void Air so I can breathe but I have to turn it off in order for other people to breath but with you I won't have to worry about that!"

Keralis will deny it till the day he died but he was not so shocked that it took him 20 minutes to go back to normal after Xisuma dropped the bombshell of being a Void Walker. Xisuma would hold it over his head and mention it any chance he got that he'd once surprised/shocked Keralis so much that he stood there stunned for minutes while he was stuck in laughter for minutes. And Keralis will deny that Xisuma laughing was one of the cutest things he'd ever heard and that it made him even more adorable. And whenever they tell the story to Hermits? Xisuma will get all growly whenever someone questions why Keralis was so shocked and Keralis will soothe his little Void Walker down.