Oneshots! (Mostly Hermitcraft)

Bound to My Enemy [Xisuma, Cleo]

Prompt: Don't let them see you cry

TW: injuries, death

^-^

I wrapped the wound tightly, having stitched it closed moments before. The blood seeped around the edges, seeping into the fresh cloth. I grit my teeth in a forced smile, brushing Cleo's outstretched hand aside as I stood. I ignore her concerned gaze, shifting the weight of my backpack away from my injured forearm. She glares at me, taking the backpack and setting it on the ground.

"Xisuma, what was that?" she demands, pointing at the bandage. I may have wrapped it too tight, especially since my fingers were feeling a little bit numb.

"What was what?" I reply calmly, feigning innocence. She sighs passive-aggressively, hauling me over to the side of the yellow tunnel by my un-injured arm. I wince as another unhealed wound cracks on my back as she forces me to sit on the andesite. Warm blood drips slowly from the unevenly sewed edges, staining my underclothes. I force the smile further, painfully aware that the stain will spread and show beyond the armor.

"You're telling me it's normal for you to unexpectedly scream in pain, land rapidly, and start stitching up a part of your arm that's covered by your armor? Yeah, definitely normal."

You're not wrong, I think. It's been a year since the destruction of the season eight server, simultaneously being a year since my final showdown with Evil Xisuma. Evil Xisuma -- or EX, as I've grown accustomed to calling him -- showed up shortly into the season, claiming to be on friendly terms. Like a fool, I believed my evil clone, and it wasn't until the day before the moon crashed that I realized my mistake.

We'd fought it out in the nether hours before the moon breached the dimensional boundaries, causing a massive eruption catapulting us to our respective places. Judging by the wounds I've been receiving for the past year, I'd say he's back in the Void, where he belongs. Accompanying the wounds is the red scar on my wrist, roughly in the shape of a heart superimposed on a shield of sorts. It might be the center design of a command block, but I'm not one-hundred percent sure.

I wince internally, realizing how wrong it could have gone ten minutes ago. Something I'd noticed rather early on was any injuries I received roughly under an hour from the wound often resulted in a scar. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I die after one of these attacks, there wouldn't be a respawn in my future.

"X, what on earth is this?" Cleo asks, distracting me from my thoughts. She'd taken off the constricting and hasty bandage, exposing the fresh wound. The edges were tinted purple with veins of black spreading from the center.

"It's fine, Cleo," I pressed, pulling away. Her eyes followed mine, making it impossible to go against her will. She grabbed my arm again, examining it. She scowled, rummaging in her bag and grabbing an ender chest.

"You need a healing potion." She pushes it closer so I can reach it and pull out my potions box. I comply, digging around until I find one. She pops open the cork, preparing to pour it over the wound.

Blinding pain fills my vision as the potion touches the wound, the peculiar nature of the injury repelling the potion effects. Vaguely, I feel myself screaming myself hoarse, the burning pain increasing as Cleo pours the rest of it over the gash. My only consolation is that Evil X is feeling the same thing.

The pain fades away to a dull throb. I cough, my throat raw from the pain. I glimpse Cleo binding the cut again, the purple-rimmed injury disappearing beneath the white bandage.

"I told you it wasn't normal," Cleo reprimands, helping me up. Black spots dance in my vision as I lean against the wall to balance. "We should go back to your base. You need to lay down."

"No, I'm fine," I insist, grabbing the pack. "Let's go get that terracotta. Then I will rest."

She eyes me skeptically before setting off down the tunnel with a huff, knowing it's useless to argue. I follow, ignoring the shooting pain running up my arm with every step.

We emerge from the nether, the disorientation from the portal twice as nauseating. With a groan we realized night had fallen and that everyone else was in either the nether or the end.

A creeper hissed to our left. "Cleo! Get down!" I yelled, pushing her out of the way. It exploded, blistering heat scorching my back. I groaned, checking my health on my communicator. Half a heart.

"X! Are you alright?" Cleo cried, checking the wounds. At least the slash from last week is invisible against the blisters.

I nod, too exhausted to say anything. She scowls, typing furiously into her communicator.

<ZombieCleo> someone needs to sleep

<Bdoubleo100 went to sleep. Sweet dreams!>

<Bdoubleo100> just got out of the nether, sorry

"X, look out!" I turned, barely seeing the arrow before it embedded itself in my chest.

^-^ Cleo ^-^

<Xisuma was shot by skeleton>

<EvilXisuma died>

<Error.Respawn.Unavailable>

<Diagnosing.Source>

<Source:Unknown>

I stared at the scene before me in disbelief, barely comprehending the messages on my communicator. Xisuma lay on his side with no sign of movement or respawn. Sure, it was supposed to take a couple of seconds as his code tracked back to his spawn point before moving his physical body, but it shouldn't have taken this long.

I knelt at his side, opening a potion of healing I'd stolen from his shulker box. I shouldn't have listened to him when he claimed to be fine. He obviously wasn't. I poured it on the burns on his back, watching as they faded away. A glowing slash appeared out of the carnage, similar to the one on his forearm. It was haphazardly stitched closed, with signs of being in the healing process, although it was far from full recovery.

I shook his shoulder, desperately trying to get him to wake up. "Come on, X, come on. You can't die on me like this. Come on."

<joehillssays> Is anyone with him?

I type a quick answer to Joe, with minimal details. The chat continues blowing up with messages for a few seconds and then stops. I resume trying to wake Xisuma, removing the bandage on his arm as if the wound could be the cause. I squash down the tears, punching myself when they threaten to fall. That only makes them want to stream down my face even more.

The gash on his arm is a fading violet now, with the streaks following his veins a light gray. I hear the nether portal hum several times as at least twenty hermits step through and run to us. I fight the tears back more as all twenty of those hermits start rapid-firing questions. I almost let out a sob when Joe wraps his arms around me in a hug.

I need to numb it all out. This didn't happen. We're all going to wake up tomorrow, and Xisuma will be alive, and I won't have to deal with this nightmare.

But it feels too real to be a dream. I hazard a glance around at the group surrounding us. Not a single eye is dry. Joe hugs me tighter, whispering fantasies about how everything will turn out alright. I shake my head, pushing him away. I rise, grabbing rockets and making sure my elytra is equipped. I grit my teeth, suppressing the tears.

I launch into the sky, ignoring the cries of dismay as I leave the group.

As soon as I'm out of sight, I allow the tears to fall.

^-^

Bwahahahaha! I need the angst *slurp*
I'm insane