Hermitcraft Randomness - S7 Oneshots

Flower Power

(WC: 735
Category: Humor
Ship type: None
Warnings: None

So...I messed up. I started writing this oneshot in one sitting in my notebook, not double-checking to reread the comment. So instead of Ex being afraid of flowers, he's ALLERGIC. I was going to scrap this idea and rewrite to suit the actual prompt, but I liked this way this turned out. If you want, you can imagine Ex is afraid of flowers because he's allergic to them. Enjoy!)

"Ex!" Xisuma knocked impatiently on his brother's cave entrance. "Exy! It's a beautiful day outside."

"No, thank you!" came the muffled reply. "I like it inside."

X tried to move the boulder that blocked the opening to the cave. "How do you move this thing? Ex, you're not even getting any sunlight!"

"I am. It's coming from a tiny crack in the wall, and it's enough to sustain me."

Taking out his pick, X started hacking away at the large rock. "I'm coming in there."

"I'm allergic to the outdoors," Ex moaned.

Once the boulder was reduced to a quarter of its height, X plucked a flower from the ground and walked inside. "If you're not coming outside, I'm bringing the outside to you."

Ex was sitting on his bed, and everything but his face was draped in his pink blanket. He'd originally had a ratty black blanket, but X had knitted a comfier one for him. Since Ex hadn't provided a color, X took some...creative liberties.

"I hate you," Ex groaned, his face contorting into a grimace at the sight of his new pastel pink blanket.

"It's comfier, though, isn't it?"

"...Yeah."

X picked up a pillow and chucked it at Ex. "C'mon, you snugglebug. Get up."

Ex tugged the blanket off himself, revealing his tousled white hair. He frowned at his brother. "You're not getting me out of this bed."

"Fine by me." X laid next to him and stretched lazily.

"You interrupted my alone time," Ex complained.

"You're such a whiner!" X sat up abruptly and placed the flower he'd picked earlier into Ex's hair.

Ex went cross-eyed trying to see the flower. "A poppy? Seriously?"

"It matches your eyes." X shoved him playfully.

Despite their differentiating colors--X had a yellow suit and blue eyes this season and Ex had a red suit and red eyes--and the x-shaped scar over the former's face, it was obvious that they two were brothers. However, while X enjoyed the great outdoors, Ex despised it.

"I don't understand how you can hang around the wilderness so often," Ex muttered. "Why would you tailor your suit to match those...whaddya call them? A's?"

X blinked. "...Bees?"

"Yeah, those. And not to mention people interactions." He shuddered. "Day in and day out...geez, how do you stay sane?"

"Let me guess. You're allergic to people now?" X brought a lilac out of his inventory and sniffed it, its floral scent filling the cave. A gentle breeze ruffled the purple petals, and sunlight streamed in, making the cave a lot brighter.

"X, I've been allergic to people since the En--achoo!"

X jumped, turning to face Ex. "Woah, woah, I didn't mean it literally!"

"N-no, it's not people--achoo!" Ex rubbed his nose. "That's part of the reason why I don't go outside. I step out of the cave and suddenly I start--achoo!!"

"I don't think I brought in anything that could make you sneeze...?" X scanned the cave, placing his lilac in Ex's lap.

Wait.

The lilac.

"Oh, no..."

"W-what?? Achoo!"

X leaned over and held the lilac under his brother's nose. Instantly, Ex burst into a fit of sneezes.

"Shoot. Ex, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? Y-you only screwed my life over twi--ACHOO!"

X ignored the banter, removing the poppy from Ex's hair. "No, look. The flowers. They're making you sneeze."

"Hmm? ACHOO!"

"Ex...you're allergic to flowers!"

"What? You mean those colorful things that sprout from the ground?"

X resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Must be the pollen. You're having a really bad reaction to it--"

"Achoo!"

"--and it's not helping that I'm always surrounded by bees, I'm always carrying pollen--"

"ACHOO!"

"--then there's the bed of golden flowers I made for you outside your cave--"

Ex tried to hold his next sneeze in, which resulted in a half-sneeze, half-yelp. "Ugh. Just my luck."

"Y'know, under different circumstances, this would be really funny. Poor thing. You've been cooped up for so long that you've started to be allergic to stuff outside."

"Why do I have the severe allergy? I was outside all the time back in the End--achoo!"

"Did the End have 'colorful things that sprout from the ground'?"

"Well...no..." Ex sniffled. X had the sudden urge to tuck him in bed and make him some soup.

Ex met his eyes. "Don't."

"D-don't what?"

"'Suma, I'm your brother. You spent years looking after me. Don't parent me right now."

"Fine," X grumped. "I should probably close this place back up."

He gave Ex a pat on the head as he left. "Maybe you'll be better in the fall!"

"Still not coming out! I have a valid reason now--ACHOOOOO!"