"How are you feeling?"
Doc asks that night.
"Better," Ren says. "Talking helped. Xisuma gave me his side on things, and just having people who remembers what happened helps make me not feel like I'm going crazy."
"People?"
"Wels is back," Ren says softly. "It was weird seeing him again."
"Oh right, the knight," Doc says. "Were you two close? Was Wels and I close?"
"We didn't talk much, but he was still a friend."
"I see." Doc adjusts his arms' positionings and moves them so he's hugging Ren more comfortably.
"Mhmm," Ren closes his eyes, resting his head on Doc's chest.
Doc chuckles. "Night Ren."
-.-
Ren was falling.
But he wasn't scared.
He had his elytra on.
He looks around, taking in everything from a different view.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Ren looks up and sees himself. The other him had a red shirt on, a strap going across from his shoulder and to his hip, and leather gloves. He looked like he had before in the other world.
He doesn't get the chance to say anything before the other him fades before him.
Ren looks back and finds himself standing instead of falling like he had been just mere seconds ago.
"And this is our room, Ren, I hope it's to your standards."
Ren stands next to Doc, who proudly presented a fully furnished room in his castle in the sky.
"It's amazing, Doc!"
-.-
Ren finds himself at Wels' house. It was near Beef and Keralis's place, a place he didn't really visit all too often.
"Ren! Are you a sight for sore eyes," Wels says with a smile.
While the other was quick to move and look toward the future, it was still nice to catch up and think about memories together. Along with keeping up on how the other was doing.
It was nice having friends again.
-.-
"You haven't had a nightmare in a while and you've been talking more to the other hermits, it sounds like you've been doing a lot better, Ren! I'm happy for you."
"Thanks X," he says with a smile.
-.-
Ren goes to see Iskall again.
Or rather, stumbles across him at the shopping district.
"Ren, my dude! I'm sorry if I said something wrong before, but I didn't mean-"
"Iskall, it's fine," Ren stops him before he broke down into tears. "I got help, I've been feeling better."
Iskall smiles. "That's good to hear, I'm glad you're getting some help."
"So! How are things with you?"
"With me?"
"Yeah! What have you been up to?"
"You mean Iskallman," Iskall said with a grin. "I've been helping out Stress with her mayoral campaign."
"Oh, she's in the race too?"
"Yeah, a total of six so far! Or, well, five, I'm not really sure if Joe counts," he says. "So, does Stress have your vote or do I have to try harder?"
"Keep trying, Doc has my vote right now."
"Wait! I thought Mumbo had your vote!"
"Grian!" Iskall exclaims. "Trying to steal away voters, I see."
Grian lands next to them, "Ren!" he whined. "You said you were going to vote for Mumbo!"
"That was before Doc said he was going to run!"
"Hmph," Grian crossed his arms. "Makes sense you'd want to vote for your boyfriend, I'd vote for mine too."
"You're his campaign manager, I'd be shocked if you didn't," Iskall adds.
Ren ignores Grian's comment about Doc being his boyfriend, and says, "Your boyfriend?"
"You didn't hear?" Iskall says. "They're-"
"I asked Mumbo out, and he said yes!" There was a big smile on Grian's face.
"Congrats Grian," Ren's mind briefly wanders to the other world.
"I hear Cub and Scar are going out too," Iskall says.
"Really?" Grian exclaims. "He didn't tell me! And I'm his neighbor!"
"I'm also his neighbor!" Iskall says.
Ren's eyebrows were raised, shock on his face. "It's just me and Doc then," he mutters under his breath. The hermits here acted completely different than in the last world, but they were also very similar.
"What about you and Doc?"
Ren snaps out of his thoughts and sees both Iskall and Grian staring at him.
"What! Oh nothing."
"Sure didn't sound like nothing."
"It's nothing," Ren denies. "I uh, I have somewhere to be." And he had someone to see.
-.-
Ren finds Doc in the only one of two places he'd be at, in his castle in the sky.
He lands on the landing platform at the top level. He heads inside, wanting to find him. "Doc?" he calls out.
Ren finds Doc in one of the lower levels of his castle. "Doc," he called out again.
"Ren," Doc stands, looking over at him. "Hey."
His mind goes back to the other world. Ren had been the one to ask Doc out but he felt so much more nervous than he did before. Before, he and Doc had been flirting and skirting around each other for a long time. It first started off as a joke, telling each other cheesy pick up lines, back before they began the stock exchange, and as they worked on it and grew closer, the more and more the flirting became serious.
"If I were to ask you out, would your answer be the same as this one?"
Doc stares back at him with a smirk. "As long as I can make you howl after."
"Tonight at 7. Meet me in front of the stock exchange."
"Okay, but when are we going to dinner?"
Ren stares back at him. "You're very forward."
"I know what I want."
"And what's that?"
"You." Doc paused. "Ren, are we really doing this?"
"Hell yeah we are."
Doc grinned. "Good."
It now seemed so unlike him. But here they were again, standing in front of each other once again like that day.
"Doc," he says softly, staring into his eyes, taking a few steps toward him.
"Yeah?"
"You've been there for me when I needed it, and I want to thank you for it," Ren starts.
Doc looks right at him, unsure where this was going but still looked grateful.
"But Doc, I want to be there for you as you were for me, for as long as you'll have me, I love you."
Doc smiles. Ren didn't need to say more for Doc to get what he meant.
Ren steps forward as Doc wraps his arms around him, pulling him into a hug. Ren leans up, pressing his lips against his. He clasps his hands onto the back of Doc's coat, tilting his head. Doc slides his hands to the back of Ren's neck and his lower back, deepening the kiss.
After they part, Ren buries his head in his chest, tightening his arms around him. "I'm never letting you go again."
fin