Hermitcraft Oneshots and Requests

Silence

Oof, this one was a tough one to write.

Another installment in the Switcheroo Challenge by FandomsUnite05

I'm trying my best to not let characters make repeated major appearances for this challenge, and ended up writing this. I wish this was longer, but hopefully the word count makes up for it.

Hurt/comfort. And extremely soft.

Also, tysm for 6k reads! ^^
_________________________________________

Theme - Silence
Word Count: 1234

The room was dark, with only a little bit of light bleeding through the thick curtains. Xisuma had to squint his eyes to see, though he already knew who would be there. He didn't need to search for long to find the person he was looking for. The source of the sounds he knew he had been hearing earlier that morning.

With soft and gentle footsteps, Xisuma made his way closer. The room was still, and completely silent. The only sign of life were their breaths and heartbeats. Xisuma's own were calm and steady. His brother's, however, were erratic and panicked.

He walked towards the window and opened up the curtains. Light flowed more freely into the room, but it still remained dark. The sun was yet to rise properly. Still, it would be more than enough for him to see a little bit clearer. He would need to, if he wanted to be of any use.

With slow and delicate movements, he made his way towards EX and sat down at the foot of his bed. The red clad man remained silent. He had been for the last few weeks. Xisuma had given him space. However, it appeared to have done more harm than good. EX hadn't been seen, nor heard, in that duration.

Xisuma was reluctant to speak. A nervous feeling began to form in the pits of his stomach. However, he wasn't going to be getting anywhere if he didn't. He needed to know how his brother was doing. He needed to make sure that he was okay. "EX? Is everything alright?" With those words, the silence shattered. Only for it to return with even more tension than there already was. EX remained silent. That was probably the worst part. "Brother, I know you're awake."

Still, there was no response. Xisuma resigned for a moment, allowing the silence to linger. However, he didn't intend on leaving his dear brother alone. Not now, when he knew that he was troubled. He wouldn't leave until he was sure that his brother was okay.

Or until his presence was proven to be disruptive. After all, the two didn't have the best relationship.

He leaned his back against the wall, waiting patiently for something else to happen. As the morning continued to age, more and more light bled into the room, illuminating them both in a soft hue. His brother barely moved, only shaking lightly underneath the covers. Xisuma wasn't sure if he was crying. He hoped that he wasn't.

"EX, talk to me. Please..." There was no response. "EX, please... is everything alright?" Still nothing. Not even the slightest hitch. "EX... you haven't said anything in weeks..."

Xisuma felt like a terrible brother. EX was the only person he couldn't quite read. The only person he knew who didn't feel comfortable around him. Why would he? The admin was negligent brother, and had not treated EX very well in the past, prioritising his duties instead. He really did wish that he had been more patient with him. Without thinking, he had banished him from the server. There was no telling what the void's effect may have been on the man. However, the trauma that it left was immanent. Even if nothing had been said directly.

Maybe the problem here was Xisuma himself.

"Should I leave?" He didn't expect a response. But he was certain that he already knew the answer. After another minute of the deafening silence, Xisuma stood up to head out and let his brother have some space.

He had reached the door when EX finally said his first words.

"...please stay..."

The voice was hoarse. He hadn't heard it in weeks, but he swore that it had gotten worse. The twin wasn't a man of many words, but the silence had taken its toll, even on him.

Xisuma whipped his head around to look back at EX. He had peeked his head out from under the covers, and his eyes were now visible. Even in the darkness, Xisuma could tell that he had been crying. His unkempt white hair was now exposed, a testament to how poorly he had been taking care of himself. However, this was progress. The silence had been broken momentarily. The admin now had something to work with.

"Of course. If that's what you want." Xisuma responded with a smile on his face. He made his way back to the bed, waiting patiently for EX to say something else. To give him any direction as to how he should handle the situation. He couldn't do it on his own. "You can talk to me, you know"

EX paused, his eyes shifting nervously to the side. As though he were thinking. Considering his options with great care and caution. Much like how the admin had done thus far, every movement calm and calculated. However, EX remained unresponsive.

"I'm your brother. You need to be able to feel safe around me." Xisuma spoke, no longer hoping for a response. The least he could do now was coax him into a feeling of comfort, before letting the silence take over. "We can work through this. I promise we can. However, I need you to be able talk to me."

This was the most delicate Xisuma had ever needed to be. More delicate than any redstone or administration could ever be. However, he needed to remember that EX was a person.

And needed to be treated as such.

It was so easy to forget that fact, and treat him as though he were an object. An evil entity in Xisuma's story, or a glitch. Something unwanted.

"...nightmares..."

A soft voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Xisuma looked over at EX, who was now sitting up, his legs close to his chest. He was hugging himself, shaking ever so slightly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The admin scooted himself up a little before placing a hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him grounded. A small source of comfort, but comfort nonetheless.

"I... it happens every night..." EX began to speak, his breaths laboured and his body shaky. "I... I just... it... they... the voices..." He was slowly falling into a state of hyperventilation. This was not good, but Xisuma chose to be patient. Firm, but patient.

"EX..." The admin's voice was authoritative, but still gentle and supportive. "Do you want to talk about it?"

EX paused for a moment, blinking back more tears before shaking his head in a panicked manner. A clear no. It was all Xisuma needed to stop pressing on the matter. Nothing more had to be said.

However, the admin didn't want the room to fall back into silence. Not yet, anyways. He didn't want his brother to feel alone once again. They couldn't afford to backtrack.

So, with slow and cautious movements, Xisuma pulled EX into a tight little hug. EX seemed confused and surprised, but it wasn't long before he practically melted into his brother, holding him tight. He had started to cry once again, all over Xisuma's yellow plaited armour, but the admin couldn't care less about his clothes.

All he cared about right then was his dear brother.

Who was in his arms, safe and sound. He held him close, unwilling to lose him ever again.

The room fell back into silence, but it was one that both brothers welcomed.