Anthony stared at the black dragon, fear pounding in his heart. "Scatter!" Tyler screamed and he rushed off to a pillar, Panda right behind him.
"We need to take out those crystals! Archers, use your fire arrows!" Brian screamed and Anthony pulled his bow out. He wasn't the best archer, but he could help.
Arrows flew and Anthony shrieked as a mass of purple smoke appeared in front of him, a tendril touching his arm and burning him. "Get away from that Anthony!" Brock screamed, Anthony scrambling backwards.
He got to his feet again and looked up, accidentally looking directly at an Enderman. It turned to him with its glowing eyes and Anthony yanked his sword out, parrying a hit from it.
Panda rushed over and together they killed it, an angry snarl on his doubles face. "Let's go," he snapped, sprinting off as Anthony heard an explosion above him.
"That's the last crystal!" Tyler called and Anthony took a deep breath. The dragon circled, diving down at him and he dove out of the way, barely avoiding its claws. He spun around and sliced randomly with his sword, managing to nick its hind leg as it flew off.
It roared angrily, more purple smoke flying from its mouth. Daithi and Nogla dove out of the way, tucking and rolling on the ground.
Scotty screamed, Anthony turning to see he and 704 had been cornered by a couple Endermen. Scotty's mouth was bleeding and Anthony ran over with Marcel to help take care of it.
Just before Anthony killed the last one, it flung its arm out and clawed at Scotty's arm, three deep furrows appearing in his skin. Scotty screamed again and Anthony swung his sword, slicing the Enderman in half.
Marcel and 704 yanked Scotty behind a pillar, Anthony turning to see what the dragon was doing. It was hovering over a cobblestone pillar, swiping its tail and wings at the Endermen attacking it.
Anthony noticed Jon and Delirium twirling around each other with their swords fighting at least 4 Endermen. They worked so well together, Anthony was really impressed.
Panda appeared by his side and nudged him. "Tyler said to get under its head when it lands on that cobblestone pillar, it'll do the most damage," he said loudly, trying be heard over the roars of the dragon and everyone yelling.
"He's fucking me," Anthony hissed and Panda shrugged, glancing around quickly. "He's not, look," he said, the two watching as Brock and Moo sprinted to the center.
Anthony sighed and sprinted after them, sliding under the wing and taking a spot next to Brock. "Aim for the soft spots next to the jaw!" Brock yelled, ducking down as the dragon swept a clawed foot at him.
Anthony and Panda nodded, eyes on the dragon above them. It spiraled down and dipped its head, spitting that purple smoke at them. Anthony dove out of the way, hissing as some of the smoke wrapped around his leg.
Panda yanked him to his feet, Anthony stumbling but straightening to thrust his sword into the soft underbelly of the dragons neck. Or rather, he thought he did.
The sword did leave a decent cut, but something deflected his sword and he stumbled forward, his shoulder hitting the cobblestone pillar.
"Fucking fuck," he hissed to himself, turning back around to watch the dragon fly away. Anthony heard a scream and turned to see Brian and Terroriser dragging Nogla aside, the double cursing up a storm as he clung to his leg.
They were being chased by 3 Endermen and Anthony glanced at Panda, who nodded and they sprinted forward. They took care of the Endermen quickly, Terroriser wrapping the long gash along Nogla's thigh with a cloth.
"Look out!" Moo screamed, Anthony whirling around to see him shove Brock. The dragon had swiped down at Brock, but with Moo in the way, its claws went right into Moo's back and out the front, the doubles eyes widening as blood trickled out his mouth.
"Moo! No!" Brock screamed, his sword flashing as he swung it and cut the dragons leg off. Anthony, Panda and Brian sprinted forward, Anthony and Brock catching Moo as he fell.
They carried him off to the side, Moo's head lulling weakly. He scoffed faintly, shaking his head as he was set on the ground. "Fuck, man, guess thats it," he mumbled and Brock hissed, shaking his head.
"No, it's not, I'm not letting it be, who else is going to irritate me?" He demanded, digging through his bag to pull healing potions and regeneration potions out.
"Dude, don't bother. They won't work in time, I can feel it. Just go kick some ass and take care of Terror, understand me? Or I'll haunt your ass," Moo demanded, spitting some blood out.
Anthony turned his back on them, knowing they needed some privacy but he wasn't about to let them be without protection. Brian looked over worriedly and Anthony shook his head, his jaw tense.
A flash appeared behind him and he turned, seeing Brock's eyes widen as a light faded from Moo's body, sinking into his skin. Brock blinked several times, a hand on his chest.
"What the fuck was that?" Anthony hissed and Brock looked up, shock on his face. "I don't know, but I'm not letting his death go to waste. Let's kill this bitch," he said angrily, picking up his sword to sprint back into the battle.
Anthony stood there with his mouth open, shock freezing him a moment until he saw Panda run at him, shoving him aside. "Move your ass Anthony!" He demanded and Anthony shook his head, getting back into the battle.
Anthony lost track of time, unable to count how many endermen he killed and how often he'd sliced the dragon. He watched as Brock seemed to lose it, anger clear on his face as he sliced every enemy in front of him.
Brian looked worried for him, Terroriser mildly scared of him. Anthony was worried too, but he couldn't focus on it. Tyler was yelling orders, everyone trying to follow them to kill the dragon quickly.
Anthony watched horrified as the dragons tail spun and flung Marcel into a pillar, Scotty sprinting over to pull him behind it. A wing buffered Jon back and into Vanti, the two vanishing into a hoard of Endermen.
Anthony gritted his teeth and dove in, dodging the dragons tail to jump onto it. This had to end, his friends were getting hurt and one already died, he wasn't losing anyone else.
"Anthony what are you doing?" Evan screamed but Anthony ignored him, holding spikes to climb onto the dragon. He got to its neck just as it took off, flying high above the ground.
Anthony put his sword away, grabbing a poison arrow from his quiver. He waited a moment for the dragon to level out, its head tossing back and forth to dislodge Anthony off his back.
"This is for my friends you son of a bitch!" Anthony screamed, plunging the arrow between two scales. The dragon screamed, tucking its wings and spinning in the air. Anthony held on as tight as possible, but his hands slipped and he was flung from its back and into midair.
"Anthony!" He heard multiple voices scream as he fell through the air. He closed his eyes in preparation, knowing there was no way he'd survive this fall. He landed on something hard, yet squishy and he gasped hard, feeling multiple bones break on impact. He rolled in the dirt for a little, pain racketing his body.
He hit a pillar hard, his vision spotting as he tried to blink his eyes open. He saw someone standing above him but couldn't focus, unable to breath or think.
"Not you too, Anthony, not you too," he heard very faintly, Brock's worried brown eyes above him. He felt something get tipped into his mouth and a hand gently touching his throat, forcing him to swallow.
The pain increased, making him scream. Or he thought he did, he certainly felt as if he did. That darkness overtook his head and everything vanished.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Brock's hands trembled as Anthony went limp under him, but he was still breathing. He gave him a double dose of the healing potion, a dose of numbing potion and a regeneration potion. Brian was kneeling next to him, Tyler and Zip above them as the two worked to set Anthony's bones.
His arm, both legs, his collarbone, and hip socket were all broken, and Brock was certain ribs were broken and the purpling swell at the base of Anthony's skull made him think a skull fracture.
The dragon screamed and Brock looked up a moment, seeing Evan, Nogla, Vanti and Terroriser surrounding it. Jon and Delirium were sprinting forward, Scotty, Marcel, Basically and 704 shooting arrows.
Brian looked over just in time to see Evan and Vanti move in sync, swords slashing down and beheading the dragon finally. It's body exploded, flinging everyone away from it. Brock and Brian shielded Anthony's body, Tyler and Zip getting shoved backwards and falling.
Silence hit, nothing but faint breathing and distance noises from the Endermen around them. Evan staggered to his feet, bleeding from his temple but eyes still sharp as he took in the egg sitting next to the cobblestone pillar, a glittering green gem next to it.
"We did it," Tyler whispered and Zip looked at him, eyes wide. Brock looked back down to Anthony, the healing potion working as his skin was returning to its original color. He felt a bittersweet happiness, grief and guilt over Moo swirling in his chest and worry for Anthony heavy in his stomach.
Tyler knelt down next to them, worry in his eyes. "Let's get Anthony back, so we can all go home together, yeah?" He said and Brock swallowed. "I- I need to get Moo, I'm not leaving him," he said shakily and Tyler nodded, eyes sad as he and Brian carefully lifted Anthony.
Brock stood, ignoring everyone who tried to talk to him and moved to where he'd left Moo. His double was slumped, eyes closed under those dang sunglasses. Brock removed the claw from his body, hands trembling as he flinched at the drag. He took Moo's hoodie and zipped it shut, not wanting to see the bloody hole in his stomach.
"Let's go home, Moo," he whispered to him, carefully picking him up and heading to where his friends all stood. Terroriser let out a little sob at the sight of Moo, reaching out to gently touch his hand.
Even Nogla looked pained, blue eyes resting on his friend. "Let's get back," Tyler said quietly, holding Anthony carefully. One by one, they all stepped through the portal that had appeared around the cobblestone pillar.
Brock blinked a moment, seeing a bright sunset over their heads. "Hey it took us home," Brian said surprised, everyone looking over to see their beacon in the middle of their homes.
"I've got the gem, I'll read up on how to make the portal to get home, but I don't think we should go until Anthony wakes up," Evan said quietly and they all nodded in agreement.
"I- I'm going to bring Moo home for the night, we can- we can lay him to rest in the morning," Brock said quietly and Brian laid his hand on the small of his back. "Terror and I will be there, love," he said softly and Brock nodded, not saying anything.
"Bring Anthony to my house, I'll take care of him," Scotty said and Tyler nodded. Everyone split up, Brock walking away without saying anything.
He brought Moo to the room he'd been using, gritting his teeth at the pack of cigarettes sitting on the nightstand. Moo hadn't wanted to bring them in case the pack got crushed, not wanting to lose them.
He laid Moo down, walking to the bathroom to grab a wet wash cloth. He went back and carefully cleaned the blood off Moo's body, ignoring the sounds of Brian and Terroriser walking in.
He took the red hoodie off the double on the bed, setting it aside to wash. He looked at the torn fabric of the blue shirt, biting his lips a moment until he saw hands next to him, holding his sewing kit.
He looked up finally, seeing Brian's sad eyes. He took the kit and threaded the needle, his hands surprisingly steady as he carefully sewed the hole in the front of Moo's shirt.
Brian had taken the sweater, making Brock panic a moment before he heard the sounds of the water running in the bathroom, shoulders relaxing.
"You stupid ass, you weren't supposed to die. No one was supposed to fucking die," Brock whispered, unsure of how he'd gotten so comfortable with the curse words that fell from his lips.
"You grew on me, Moo. I don't know how, but you did. You became a friend, and you saved my life. And now I can't repay you, how do I live up to that?" He whispered, tears finally falling.
Brock felt hands slip onto his shoulders, his head falling as sobs hit him. Brian gathered him close, not saying anything but letting Brock breakdown.
Finally, Brock pulled away and wiped his eyes, shaking his head. "I need a shower, and bed. Will, will you wait for me?" He asked quietly and Brian tilted his chin to kiss him gently once.
"I always will, Brocky. We'll be waiting, okay?" He said softly and Brock smiled sadly at him and Terroriser, the double having moved to sit on Moo's other side.
"Terror, I have another room. I know you usually shared with Moo, but, I doubt you want to tonight," he said quietly and Terroriser just gazed sadly at Moo.
"No, I don't think I can," he said quietly, reaching out to touch the back of Moo's hand. "Brian, will you show him the other room while I go shower?" Brock asked and Brian nodded.
"Take as long as you need, love, okay?" Brian said softly and Brock nodded, glancing at Moo once more before heading to his bedroom.
He gathered some clothes and went into the bathroom, staring at the mirror a moment. His clothes were covered with dirt and blood, a cut running down his jaw.
He blinked a moment as his eyes flashed blue, shaking his head and turning to the shower. He still wondered at that light that had faded into him when Moo died, wondered if he'd given him a part of himself since they were technically the same person.
He stood under the spray of the shower, thoughts rushing through his mind. Did a piece of Moo live in him now? He did find cursing easier, something he'd hated doing for a while now. And that blue flash, what was that?
He touched his chest, remembering the warmth that had grown there as that light settled. He focused on it and felt his grief lessen. He straightened his back, smiling faintly.
Moo lived on in him, and while Brock knew he'd never be as snarky and rude as Moo was, he could make sure he was remembered. He'd hold onto the promise he'd made him, to watch over Terroriser.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anthony groaned, his head pounding and body aching. He turned his head slowly, every joint aching. "Hey hey, easy Anthony," he heard a soft voice above him and he blinked his eyes slowly open, thankful for the blinds on the windows.
Brock sat there, Tyler and Scotty asleep in the corner. He looked around a moment, frowning. "What happened?" He rasped, his throat very dry.
Brock held a bottle of water to his lips and he took a couple sips gratefully, leaning his head back against the pillow. He shifted his hips, wincing at the ache.
"We beat the Ender Dragon, mostly because of you. It's been about a month since then, you've been unconcious the whole time," Brock said softly and Anthony's eyes widened.
"We did it?" He breathed and Brock nodded, smiling faintly. "What do you remember?" He asked and Anthony looked at the ceiling, frowning slightly.
"The portal, in the ground. We jumped in, and there were Endermen everywhere. I remember a purple smoke? It burned like crazy. Scotty got hurt, and- Moo?" He whispered, the memories slowly flooding in.
Brock's jaw clenched and Anthony felt a hint of guilty grief as the pain in Brock's eyes. "He didn't make it. He was the only one, though we were very close to losing you too. Your dumb ass decided to ride the dragon and get flung into open air," Brock said with a roll of his eyes and Anthony stared at him, mouth falling open.
Brock raised an eyebrow at him and Anthony blinked slowly, looking away as more memories came back. He'd come back to the look of sassy Brock in a moment.
"I stabbed an arrow into its scales," he said slowly and Brock nodded, sitting back. "You did, and that slow poison made it slow down and land long enough for Evan and Vanti to cut its head off," he said and Anthony tilted his head at him.
"Anthony!" He heard and looked over, seeing Scotty shooting up from his chair and rushing over. He threw his arms around him, making Anthony wince even as he hugged back.
"Oh fuck man, you're awake! If you jump off another fucking dragon I'm killing you," Scotty hissed and Anthony grinned. "No more dragons for me, Scott, don't worry," he reassured him and Scotty grinned.
"Better fucking not," he heard Tyler mutter and Anthony grinned at him. "So, sassy Brock, who curses? When did that happen?" He asked and Tyler scoffed.
"Apparently when Moo, died, he gave me a piece of him. Because we are, were, doubles, we connected. So, I don't find it quite as distasteful to curse, really, and I have better comebacks than before, but I'm still me," Brock said awkwardly and Anthony tilted his head.
"As long as you don't start smoking, we'll be fine," he said finally and Brock made a face, making the three other men laugh. Brock grinned at them, shaking his head.
"So, what happened? Can we go home?" Anthony asked and the three lit up. "Now that you're awake, yes we can. Evan and I spent two weeks making the portal, we just wanted you there when we activated it," Tyler said and Anthony frowned.
"You didn't have to wait for me, I'd have figured out where you went when I woke up," he said and Tyler raised an unamused eyebrow.
"That wasn't going to happen for several reasons. One, we'd never be able to rest not knowing if you were okay. Two, we didn't know how long it'd be before you woke, and if we just left you here, you'd have starved. And three, you're one of us bro, we aren't leaving anyone behind," he said and Anthony flushed.
"Let's get you moving, bathroom, and something to eat. Everyone's going to be over the moon knowing you're awake," Brock said cheerfully, standing up and stretching.
Anthony nodded, frowning at the ache in his body. "We'll go slow. Once we knew everything was healed, which took two weeks, we've been doing minor comatose exercises, so you've been moved and stretched to avoid bed sores and whatever, but you'll be a little weak," Brock said and Anthony nodded, sighing.
He took Brock's hands and slowly sat up, wincing at the stretch in his back. Brock helped him move his legs around, Anthony slowly stretching them out and setting them down a few times.
"Ty?" Brock asked and Tyler walked over, Scotty slipping out the door. "Where am I, by the way?" Anthony asked as Tyler and Brock supported him into standing.
"We're in Scotty's house, you've been here since day one. We figured it'd be better since Scotty is one of our alchemists and could make you any fresh potions as needed, and Basically has really wanted to help and he and Marcel are here all the time anyway," Brock said, keeping a hand on Anthony's waist.
Anthony nodded, frowning to focus on his legs as they were shaking bad under him. "Anthony!" He heard squealed from the doorway and looked up in time to see Basically and Marcel rush in.
Basically threw himself at Anthony, Tyler and Brock's hands being the only thing from keeping Anthony away from the floor. "Hey, Base, careful," Marcel warned and Basically pulled away, blue eyes shining excitedly.
Anthony grinned at him and said, "Hi Basically." The double beamed, skipping back over to Marcel and Scotty. Anthony caught sight of Panda and 704 standing in the doorway, mildly surprised to see relief and faint smiles on their faces.
Anthony smiled at them and Panda nodded at him, 704 blinking once before looking away. "Right, we're headed to the kitchen okay?" Brock said and Anthony nodded, gritting his teeth to get his joints working.
The trip took about 20 minutes, Anthony collapsing into the chair as soon as he was able. "Good job, Anthony, take some time to chill," Brock said encouragingly and Anthony smiled weakly at him, feeling his body tremble at the exertion.
Brock and Scotty moved around the kitchen, making some food, while Marcel and Basically left the house. 704 and Panda leaned against the counter, watching Brock and Scotty joke with each other.
Tyler sat next to Anthony, yawning. "Where's Zip?" Anthony asked curiously, it being rather rare to see the double away from Tyler. "He's with Brian and Terroriser, he sticks close to Terror the most since Moo died. Terror has been taking it the worse after Brock," he said quietly, Anthony wincing.
"Were they a thing?" Anthony asked quietly and Tyler shrugged. "Brian thinks so, Moo was always rather close to him," he said and Brock cut in. "They weren't really, but Terror fell for him, I heard him talking to Brian about it."
Anthony's heart broke, unable to imagine the pain of losing someone he loved like that. Brock turned, a guarded look on his face even as he smiled brightly at Anthony.
"Here you go, eat up, but slowly. It's been a month since you've had solid food," he said, setting a plate of simple eggs and sausages in front of him.
Anthony ate enthusiastically, feeling starved. But he made sure to take small bites, not wanting to throw up either. Brock handed Tyler a plate too, Scotty handing 704 and Panda plates.
"I made loads, because I'm certain the others will be showing up soon," Brock said as he sat down with his own plate. Anthony nodded, looking forward to seeing everyone else.
Sure enough, about 30 minutes later, the door flew open and people poured in, Anthony finding himself absolutely surrounded. Arms overlapped arms and he almost couldn't breathe, but he just laughed as he patted any limb he could reach.
Evan was closest to him, head buried in his shoulder. Jon was on his other side, Daithi behind him and he could hear Terroriser's and Zip's giggles in his ear.
"Hey, let the man breath guys!" Brock called with a laugh and everyone separated, Anthony able to blink and see who was who. "Thank fuck you're awake, it's been too quiet around here," Evan said relieved and Anthony rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah, I'm sorry guys, I didn't think that move through, I just got tired of seeing you all get hurt, and we'd just- just lost Moo, I couldn't lose anyone else," he said quietly and Evan nudged him with his elbow.
"We didn't want to lose you, either, you're our brother you know?" He said and Anthony smiled at him, yawning a second later.
"Right, he needs a few days to recuperate, so let's get him to bed, and we can all hang out tomorrow," Brock said, Evan and Jon stepping forward to help support Anthony off the stool.
Everyone followed them to the bedroom, no one saying a word at the slow speed. Anthony felt touched, having never really been that close to the others since they'd all had their pairs, but he truly felt part of the family now.
Evan and Jon helped him onto the bed, Anthony sighing relieved as he sank into the mattress. "Get some rest Anthony, we'll be back tomorrow," Evan said cheerfully and Anthony nodded, already feeling sleep trickling over him.
He didn't hear everyone leave, eyes already drifting shut. They'd done it, they'd killed the dragon, and they'd be home soon. He couldn't wait.
Okay okay, I made Moo a nice(ish) guy then killed him, I'm sorry lol. But I had to ya know? Add that spice. Anyway, I hope yall enjoyed this! Idk how many chapters are left, maybe one and an epilogue, maybe two and an epilogue, who the fuck knows. Not me lol. See yall next time! Kisses!!
~Banana