**二十八 (Chapter twenty-eight)
eng: How many nights haven't you slept... Standing guard, for him.
A/n: My chapters are slowly getting longer and longer... This chapter is over 3k words long. I was going to split this chapter into two parts but decided against it. That means a long chapter for y'all!
Also... Creating a title for this chapter was so difficult.
A bit of ambiguity, but closer to actual romance. *gasps*
~
Skeleton
~
When I lost my family, I felt alone. I felt like the whole world betrayed me, despised me. All I knew was the pain of loss and the suffering of just barely getting by on my own. I was alone for a whole year, just wandering aimlessly through the bitter cold. I used to believe that I'd never grow attached to anyone again, the emptiness in my heart as cold and bitter as the world around me.
Then, I met Wither. My world turned upside down but for the better. For the first time in a long time, I felt the warm feeling of being cared about and the freedom to be unafraid. Unafraid of being in the bitter cold, unafraid of being alone.
~
"I think the best course of action is for me to leave this place," he says.
What?
In a desperate attempt to stop him, to stop this ridiculous idea from happening, I respond with,
"Wither, you aren't going anywhere!" Has he completely lost it? If I hadn't intervened, he would've been taken away!
"I don't want to, Skeleton," he says softly, "But... If he so easily found me in the Overworld, he's bound to appear anytime. We got lucky this time... Next time we may not be."
"I don't care! We beat him once, we can do it again!" I say, hoping to sound confident enough to persuade him.
"I know we can, but I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you." I felt my whole body stiffen at his words. I felt touched yet hurt at the same time. I feel myself quiver slightly.
"Skeleton," he whispers, "I'm not saying that I'm leaving forever. I just want to keep you safe." I feel tears surfacing, so I quickly turn around. I feared him getting hurt. I feared being alone, again.
"Skeleton, I promise you. I will be back as soon as I know the Lord's been defeated." I don't want a stupid promise... I just don't want him to leave, I don't want to be alone!
"Skeleton...?" I feel a gentle hand touch my shoulder. That's when I lose it, a few silent tears escaping my eyes. I try to keep my breathing steady, not wanting him to see how fragile and vulnerable I really was.
"P-Please, don't go...," I manage to whisper. I've never sounded so desperate for anything in my entire life. Wither is the single most important thing to me, and I've come to accept it. If anything were to happen to him, I don't know how I'd ever move on.
When Wither doesn't reply for over a minute, I start to get paranoid. Did Wither teleport away? I feel my anxiety rise. I turn around shakily and tremble slightly, fearing the worst.
There he stood, quietly staring at me. My anxiety doesn't dissipate, his silence nearly as scary as the thought of him leaving. For once I had nothing to say to overcome the silence. What could I even say? Any words that I wanted to say were caught in my throat. I resorted to the last possible thing that could hopefully persuade him. Throwing aside my pride, I practically throw myself onto him, wrapping my arms around his abdomen tightly. I close my eyes in hopes of containing my tears. I lose control of them moments later when I feel a pair of arms return the gesture. Tears roll down my cheeks as I hold onto him even tighter.
"Skeleton..." His voice was soft and comforting as he gently patted my back. "I... I won't leave. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere..." I felt relieved, all the tension in my chest disappearing. My grip on him gradually loosens as I muster up the courage to look him in the eyes. Then, upon remembering my quite obvious tear-stained cheekbones, I quickly pull away and start frantically wiping them away with my sleeve. Wither then suddenly grabs my wrist, pulling my arm away from my face. I use my other arm to cover my face in embarrassment.
"I... I wasn't crying, if that's what you're thinking," I blurt out. Still covering my face, I mumble, "Just allergies..."
"No need to be embarrassed, Skeleton..."
"I-I'm not embarrassed!" I cross my arms, gazing away from him. My cheeks felt warm, and I pray to Notch that I successfully wiped away all my tears.
"Sure you aren't," he says with a lighthearted chuckle. He smiles and pats my head. "You're right, though. We have a better chance of defeating the Lord together. Without you, I'd probably be a goner..."
I feel myself perk up at his praise. Wither rarely ever showed weakness in front of me, the two of us always silently competing in a silly game of who is stronger. It was stupid thinking back on it.
"Wither, I... I also wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. I may not show it often but I... I care about you..." I spoke only the truth, the full unconditional truth.
"Aww, I think that's like the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"You ruined it," I say with a pout.
"It means a lot coming from you, Skeleton," he says with a genuine smile. An uncontrollable smile slowly surfaces, because damn him and his handsome smile.
"We... We should head to bed, Wither... It's getting late..."
"The fact that you're able to keep school in mind after that whole fight is beyond me, Skeleton. Though, I'm not surprised." I roll my eyes and smile in response. "I'm waking you up at eight, so you'd better hurry up and get to bed."
"Alright, alright, I'm going!"
"...Goodnight, Wither."
"Goodnight, Skeleton."
~
I wake up to the sound of quiet snoring. I peep open a single eye, not fully awake just yet. Am I just imagining things? Yawning, I sit up and stretch before rubbing my eyes. I tiredly scan my room, almost falling back asleep when I spot Wither across the room. He was fast asleep on the floor, his chest rising and falling as he snored.
"What in the world is this idiot doing in my room at this time of day..." I check my clock. It reads five pm.
I push myself out of bed, debating whether or not I should wake him. I gently shake him but he doesn't budge. Sighing, I lift him up steadily before placing him on my bed. He instantly relaxes into the soft mattress as I place my blanket over him. I sit beside him on my bed, sighing as I stare at the ceiling.
What do I do now? And when in the world did he enter my room? I watch as he sleeps soundly, all my frustrations quickly fading.
Suddenly, I feel his arm snake around my waist. Before I have time to react, he pulls me down next to him and hugs me like a teddy bear. My whole body stiffens as I don't dare to move. My cheeks felt like they were on fire.
"W-Wither...?" I stutter. As expected, he uttered no response as he slept soundly.
This idiot... I'm going to kill him when he wakes up. I certainly didn't expect myself to drift off to sleep.
~
My alarm sounds, signaling that it's seven-thirty. I groan, leaning over to shut it off when I realized I couldn't budge. My eyes snap open as I wonder what the hindrance is. I instantly notice the figure sleeping next to me, undisturbed by the alarm.
"..." I tried pulling myself away from him, but his hold was too strong. After a few minutes of constant beeping from the alarm and struggling to escape from Wither's death hug, I managed to pull free from his hold. I end up plunging off the bed and rolling to the floor. Now I was ticked off.
Shutting my alarm off quickly, I glare at the still asleep wither skeleton on my bed.
Walking over to the side, I shake him violently. "Wake the hell up, Wither!" He stubbornly turns over, groaning as I disturb him from his sleep.
"Are you kidding me?" I was incredulous. What in the world does it take for him to wake up?!
I tried smacking his side (not too hard for my standards), shouting his name repeatedly, and it got to the point where I just started yelling random things. Nothing, I mean nothing worked.
"Are you dead or something?" I hiss quietly to myself, severely pissed off. Wither just snores in response. I glance at the clock. 8:12.
"Alright, you asked for it." I grab a bucket of water from my chest, raising it above his head before turning it over and dumping it all over him. He instantly sits up, his eyes wide.
"Finally. I was beginning to think you were dead!" Wither stares at me, droplets of water pooling onto the floor.
"Don't give me that look. I was nice and easygoing but nothing I did could wake you up. So, naturally, I had to resort to pouring an ice-cold bucket of water over your head-! Gah, Wither, what the hell-?!" Wither hops up from the bed and walks over to me, wrapping his soaking-wet arms around me. By the time I managed to pull away, I was already drenched.
"Wither! What was that for?!" My only cloak was now soaked in freezing cold water. To make things even worse, Wither starts laughing like an idiot.
"Skeleton, you're adorable when you're mad," he says in between laughs. My cheeks heat up at his comment.
"You're insufferable! We're going to be late because of your stupid antics, Wither!" I scowl as he continues laughing without any care in the world. "Also, can you explain to me why I found you asleep in my room at five in the afternoon?!" He instantly stops laughing.
"...I was paranoid that the Lord was going to barge in...," he admits, "Knowing that he can just teleport and strike at any time is pretty unsettling."
"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you were dead asleep on my floor," I point out. He chuckles sheepishly, scratching his neck. "I went to check up on you and fell asleep."
What a half-assed explanation. I roll my eyes and say, "Forget it. We're going to be late, let's go."
"Hold on, since you asked a question it's my turn. How'd I get onto your bed?" My breath hitches as I struggle to formulate an adequate response. What do I even say to this? There's no chance I'm going to tell him about how close we were... My cheeks turn pink at the thought.
"Well~?" He grins, knowing that he's caught me in his little trap.
"...I decided to be generous and let you sleep on my bed. I've been up ever since," I lie, trying to sound matter-of-factly. He narrows his eyes.
"Skeleton, you're literally the worst liar ever."
"I'm not lying! Also, get out of my room! I need to find a way to dry my cloak, thanks to you."
"Why don't you just not wear it for once? You look like you're dying of heat exhaustion every time we're in class." He walks over to me and pulls the cloth off my shoulders before I even have time to protest. "There, much better."
"W-Wither, you can't just-!" He places his hand in front of my eyes before teleporting us to the entrance of the school.
"Just on time, as you like to be. Let's go in." He grabs my hand and opens the double doors before we start walking down the hallway. Just before he opens the door to the classroom, I stop him.
"Wither, I... I don't want to go to class without my cloak..."
"They've seen you without your cloak, Skeleton," he points out with a sigh, "But, fine. Here's another one." A cloak identical to mine appears in his hands. I quickly snatch it and place it over my shoulders before walking into class.
It wasn't because I had anything to hide or I was insecure without a cloak. I just hate being reminded that I was no longer a bonafide skeleton, a pathetic stray that could hardly handle a cool breeze without shivering. Wither and I sit down quietly at our desks, Herobrine appearing at the front of the classroom moments later.
"Everyone seems to have gotten here on time... Good work. Keep it up, students," Herobrine says. "I also have some pleasant news."
"What is it...?" Zombie asks. Herobrine claps his hands and a familiar mob appears.
"CREEPER!" Slime hops in front of his tablemate with tears in his eyes. "But how?!"
"Creepers don't die after exploding," Herobrine explains, "They just get sent back to the world spawn. I learned this a few days ago, so I apologize for keeping everyone worried."
"I'm alright, Slime! I'm only truly gone if I get slain by a player!" Creeper nuzzles his small friend (their way of hugging because they're armless) and returns to his desk. Creeper smiles when he notices Wither and myself. "You guys made it!"
"Nothing could kill me that easily," I say with a lighthearted chuckle, "Welcome back, Creeper." We all get settled in, the mood much better than it was moments ago. Herobrine clears his throat and starts the lecture.
"Today we're going to go on an adventure," Herobrine says, instantly noticing the uncertainty in the class.
"As a class." He adds.
"In the Overworld, right...?" Slime asks nervously, sinking into his seat. He didn't want to go through anything like that again, which was totally understandable.
"Of course. We won't be traveling to the Nether in the near future." Sighs of relief are heard from around the classroom.
"Today you're all going to go hunting. As a class, I want you all to work together to bring back as much food and resources as you can. Everything will be removed from your inventories for this assignment. I will be giving a bow and twenty arrows to each of you. This assignment will last until tomorrow morning, where I'll be coming to check your progress."
"Wait, what?! But I suck at hunting...," Pigman whines, "Why can't we use swords?!"
"The purpose of this exercise is to help strengthen your skills in using a bow and working as a team. I know that most of you struggle with your aim. Anyway, enough talk. I'll see you all tomorrow. Oh, and, one last thing. If anything goes wrong, I've placed a potion similar to the ones I gave you all prior to entering the Nether. Don't misuse it." Herobrine claps his hands, and we all simultaneously appear in the middle of a forest.
"Ugh, how boring...," Zombie groans, "I can't believe we have to spend the night here!"
"Enderman, you should teleport us all out of here," Ghast suggests, earning a few murmurs of agreement.
"Heck no! I got in trouble last time when you all asked me to. Never again."
"Ugh, fine. Skeleton is in charge of hunting," Zombie says.
"Wh-What?! Why?!"
"Because you're the only mob that knows how to use a bow, silly!" Slime says, "The rest of us are either armless or can't aim."
Shoot... What do I tell them? My aim is absolutely terrible, I can't even hit a target in front of me!
"The rest of us will collect materials for a temporary shelter." Everyone but myself unanimously agrees, splitting up.
"H-Hey! Hold on, Wither!" I quickly grab his arm. He looks at me quizzically. "Yes, Skeleton?"
"I need you to give me a sword."
"...Come again?"
"I need a sword, Wither!" Without one I'm as good as a rock.
"Since when are you someone that breaks the rules, Skeleton? Besides, aren't bows and arrows a strays' specialty?"
"Uh... Well, yes, but..."
"Then it should be no problem then! Good luck, Skeleton!" He skips away, leaving me standing there.
"I-!... Ugh, stupid Wither... This isn't going to be fun..."
~
I decide that before I even attempt shooting down a moving animal that I should practice. So naturally, I choose a random tree to practice on.
"C'mon, Atlas," I mutter to myself, drawing my bow back with deep concentration, "You can do this. You can use a bow... You were born to use a bow!" Releasing the arrow, I open my eyes...
...Only to groan in frustration when the arrow is nowhere to be found.
"Just what kind of skeleton am I, anyway?!" I huff and throw my bow to the ground, crossing my arms.
"There has to be someway to complete this without using a bow... Wait, what if I just craft a sword?" I was subconsciously getting back into the habit of talking to myself, a bad habit I picked up after being alone for a year.
"Wait, what's the recipe for a sword..." I stare blankly at the vast forest in front of me. "...Damn it."
Suddenly, I notice movement in the bushes ahead of me. I pick up my bow and slowly sneak up to it, hoping that it's an easy animal to catch. I make sure that my steps are light and undetectable. The bush continues to rustle as I load an arrow into my bow.
"...Aaaand, hah!" I hop behind the bush and release the arrow instantly. I end up missing the rabbit completely, the arrow somehow flying into a nearby lake. The rabbit hops away to my dismay.
"Alright, Atlas. It was just one animal. I'm sure there are many more nearby... I just need to hunt down a few animals tonight and everything will be fine!"
~
"...Okay, I'm screwed." I had one arrow left in my inventory, the others gone from all of my misfires. Dawn was near, signaling that it was time to return to the camp.
"Maybe if I close my eyes and shoot this arrow it'll magically hit something," I suggest to myself. "Eh, it's worth a shot." Loading my last arrow, I pull it as far back as possible before closing my eyes and releasing it.
"Ow!" I hear in the distance. My eyes snap open at the sudden sound. Wither had an arrow lodged into his side. I wince at the sight, running over to help him.
"Skeleton, how the heck did you manage to shoot me from all the way over there?! What were you even aiming for? There's nothing here..."
"There was, umm... A rabbit nearby. You blocked my shot," I lie. He narrows his eyes skeptically.
"Why is your inventory completely empty, Skeleton? Weren't you supposed to collect food?"
Oh, right. Wither and his stupid powers.
"Ugh, don't ask..."
"You don't know how to use a bow, do you?" He says, shaking his head. My eyes widen in surprise at how accurate his assumption was.
"...No," I sigh, "I don't. I'm a terrible shot."
"Then why didn't you just tell everyone? It's not like any of us are any better at it." He had a point.
"Because..." I wanted to find a way in which I could finally prove to myself that I was a skeleton, not something in between.
Even strays can use a bow, I think with a frown.
"Here. Tell everyone you found these." Wither hands me multiple types of animal meat. Grateful that he was willing to cover for me, I mumble a quiet, "Thanks..."
"Don't mention it... Now, c'mon, let's return to the camp. It's almost sunup." Wither leads us back to the campsite, where a large cabin was built at the center.
"There you guys are! Did you find anything, Skeleton?" I nod, placing the food into a chest.
"Woah, you found all of this?!" Zombie exclaims, "You're a lifesaver!" The other mobs nod in agreement. We all subject ourselves to a single piece of meat per mob, saving the rest to show off to Herobrine in the morning. We all rush into the house just before sunrise.
~
I woke up to the sound of creaking footsteps. I was an extremely light sleeper, and any little noise disturbed me. Pushing myself up, I notice Wither walking back and forth restlessly. My eyes soften instantly. He must be paranoid about the Lord showing up...
Standing up, I quietly walk over to him and tap his shoulder. He seems a bit startled but calms down upon seeing me.
"Skeleton, what are you doing awake?" He whispers. I don't answer him, sitting down and patting the space next to me. He seems slightly confused but obliges.
"Wither," I whisper softly, "Don't be so worried. If he were to suddenly show up, you wouldn't be alone. Don't stay awake stressing about him... You're only putting yourself at a disadvantage if he really does show up. You need your rest."
"I know, I just..."
"Shush and go to sleep... I'll keep watch for you."
"But..."
"No buts. Go to sleep, you're safe." He nods sleepily, drifting off almost instantly. I smile as he leans onto my shoulder, snoring softly. He was asleep at last.
"Sleep tight, Wither," I whisper softly.
~
Completed writing date: 10/3/23
Published on 11/5/23