Hermitcraft Oneshots

Flangst, Scarian - It Isn't Your Fault (3rdLifeSMP)

Ayy, something that's not pure angst for the third time in a row :P

That'll probably change after Tuesday tho, end of 3rdLife will temporarily kill me emotionally... I'm joking, but FYI there's probably gonna be a lot more angst cuz it puts me in that mood.

ANYWAY-

This was requested by @/Shashira2827, hope you enjoy!

Scar's heart was racing as he burst through the cactus wall into the desert, but he had a crooked grin on his face. The smell of smoke and burning wool still lingered in his nose, though it was starting to be replaced by the familiar arid scents of the desert air. Etho's wool castle was no longer visible in the distance, blocked by hills and trees, but Scar could imagine it, along with the chaos as Etho struggled to put out the fires along with Tango; who, with any luck, he would no longer trust after Scar threw him under the bus. A chuckle escaped Scar as he remembered that scene. Oh, if he wasn't the king of chaos this time around, he didn't know who was.

"Grian!" Scar called, eager to share his recent shenanigans with his partner. "Grian?"

There was no response, but Scar didn't get worried at first. The desert was large after all, and often he had to search a while before he could find Grian. After several minutes of running around the desert and not being able to find him, though, Scar began to get a little concerned. Maybe Grian was just in the house, he told himself as he trudged up the staircase to their tower atop the hill.

Feeling oddly cautious, Scar slowly pushed open the door. It creaked loudly, causing him to wince, but nothing happened. "Grian?" Scar called again, only to be met with silence. Where was Grian?

Scar turned to leave again when he heard something, like a sniffle almost. He paused, listening carefully, then followed it to a corner of an upper room. To his surprise, Grian was curled up there, sniffling as tears streamed down his face. His eyes widened in alarm when he saw Scar and he tried to back away, but he didn't get far due to the wall directly behind him.

"Grian?" Scar asked softly. "What's wrong?"

"I-I..." Grian stammered, before trailing off, looking uncertain. Scar rarely saw him so scared and indecisive, if ever, and he didn't like it at all.

"It's okay, you can tell me anything," Scar reassured him.

"It's... I-it's everything!" Grian blurted out.

Scar was slightly taken aback, both at what Grian said and the pain in his voice as he said it. "Everything? What do you mean?"

Grian took a shaky breath. "This war going on... it's... it's getting crazy, Scar. Several people are already on their red or yellow lives, including you. Lines are being drawn, alliances are being broken...and it's only just started. When we start fighting... people will die, Scar." Tears began to pour again as his voice lowered to a whisper. "And even worse... I created this mess. If someone dies, it's my fault..."

Grian choked up, breaking down again. He sank to the floor, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his forehead on them. A twinge of sympathy passed through Scar's mind, and he sat next to Grian.

"It's not your fault," Scar told him gently.

"How is it not my fault?" Grian demanded.

"Well, for one, you didn't force any of us into this. We chose to be in this, even knowing the consequences. You aren't responsible for our choices, Grian," Scar replied.

"But what if I'm the one that leads them to their death? Like the creeper..." Grian murmured.

"It's part of the game. No one really blames you for it, nor should they," Scar reasoned.

"But-" Grian started again.

"No, Grian. None of this is your fault, okay? Everything might not be fine, but that's not because of you. You're just doing what you're supposed to," Scar said.

Grian sighed, beginning to calm down. Scar hesitated slightly, then wrapped an arm around Grian's shoulders. He glanced at Scar in confusion, and Scar wondered if it was okay; but before he could ask, Grian fixed his gaze on the space ahead of him, not making any move to push Scar away.

They stayed like that for a while. Grian eventually calmed down, but he didn't separate from Scar. At some point, he curled up, snuggling into Scar's side, and fell asleep not long after. Scar was content to stay there, not wanting to wake Grian and enjoying some peace. Absentmindedly, he stroked Grian's hair, and also found himself observing his comfortable little face. Something stirred deep in Scar's heart, filling him with warmth and happiness as he watched Grian. It seemed familiar somehow like he should know what it was. But he couldn't place his finger on it. Whatever it was, he didn't have much time to figure it out. Soon, he'd fallen asleep as well, his arms around Grian and his head resting on his partner's.

Meanwhile, Scott and Jimmy were making their way over to the desert to check in with Scar and Grian. They hadn't seen them in a while, and they had some things to ask as well. Scott remembered Grian saying something about planning to trap the desert eventually and was paranoid about every step, while Jimmy skipped ahead, keeping an eye out but not nearly as much as Scott.

"Please be careful, Jimmy, I don't want you getting blown up by our ally's contraptions," Scott sighed.

"I'm being careful! I won't get blown up again, I promise," Jimmy assured him.

Scott sighed again but didn't say anything else as they neared the house. Jimmy remembered to open the door cautiously, but when nothing exploded and nothing else potentially harmful happened, he headed in.

"Scar? Grian?" he called. There was no answer, and Jimmy turned back to Scott. "Do you think they went out somewhere?"

"Maybe..." Scott murmured. "Or they could be somewhere else in the desert."

"I'll go look! Be right back!" Jimmy said before sprinting outside.

Scott glanced around after Jimmy had left. Noticing a ladder, he began to climb up. His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he reached the top to see Scar and Grian curled up together, sleeping soundly. A quiet 'aww' escaped him when he'd gotten over the initial bit of shock to see them so close. Smiling, Scott descended the ladder, deciding that his questions could wait. Quietly, he made his way back outside to find Jimmy and report his findings.

Also, I just wanted to give a big big thank you to everyone who's commented, requested, voted, and in general shown support for these stories! It means so much to me, I love you all <33