Hermitcraft oneshots

Unbanned (Flangst)

Just some non-romantic fluff of everyone's favourite Xisuma and Evil Xisuma with a little bit of internal angst at the end :) There's some tears and I'm soft.

I'm really dang proud of this one, I won't lie.

Warnings:
-Vomit at the beginning (Very inexplicit)

If I missed anything let me know and I will add it immediately!

Wordcount [~940]

~3rd POV~

A bright light was shining down onto his features, a light that after so long, had an obvious source. One he missed, one he thought he would never see again. Everything began suddenly; the shift in the gravitational pull, he could feel it now. Ex tipped over immediately after he appeared where he was, his body not accustomed anymore with the weight of himself, or the overworld.

Ex definitely saw people which danced on the edges of his blurry vision. Hermits, he assumed. He didn't get a good look before he saw nothing but the ground. Everything moved in waves; the ground under his weak body, his eyes swimming and vision unbalanced. Everything made him light headed. The deep, panting breaths he took started out with great fear as his whole body shook. Before he knew it, the bile in his stomach burned in the back of his throat, escaping and splattering mostly on the front of his red suit.

Someone wrapped their arms around him, pulling Ex to his feet with no objection and he limply held on. He blinked, looking around and hazily seeing everyone around him. Slowly, Ex registered that people must have been talking; he saw moving lips and concerned expressions. He heard very little. As if he was underwater and everyone was speaking to him from the surface. Every voice blended together into an indiscernible blob of white noise. Some sounds close to his head, others faint and further away.

All at once, everything became too much. Evil Xisuma's body went limp and fell onto his holder, his consciousness slipping away.

/\/\/\

With nowhere else suitable to go, Xisuma favored taking his unconscious brother to his sandcastle area usually meant for testing purposes. He figured getting a bit away from the industrial-ish feel of his main base, the other hermits, and preparing a homey room inside the castle would give Ex a less overwhelming welcome back when he did wake up.

Xisuma practically jumped out of his chair anxiously when his brother sat up from his spot in bed. Dreary, tired looking eyes scanned the area around, not recognizing anything before finally meeting Xisuma's nervous gaze. Xisuma could tell his brother was trying his hardest to keep a poker face, and failing.

Both brothers knew they had apologies that had been left unsaid for years. Both knew that the other had many regrets and grievances left unchecked at the door. But in that moment, all they had was each other. That's all that mattered.

Ex was the first to move, breaking their staring contest, albeit hastily and clumsily. He clambered out from under the bedsheets, almost falling off the bed before slamming face first onto his brother and wrapping his arms around Xisuma in a desperate, bone crushing hug. Wheezes and loud sobs escaped his lips, any discernible words falling and smashing like glass against a hardwood floor.

Xisuma gently shushed him, rubbing small circles on his brother's back and softly whispering apologies in his ear. He hadn't noticed the steady falling tears he had been shedding until they landed on his brother's head.

"I-" Ex stuttered, voice breaking and barely coming out a strained whisper no matter how hard he tried to force it. "I lo-"

"Shh, I know, I know, it's okay," Xisuma cut Ex off. He leaned away, grabbing a water bottle off the ground and offering it to his brother. Ex took it silently, almost not being able to pop the cap off. He chugged the water down greedily and let the cool sensation wash over his dry mouth.

Neither of them wanted to get up, no matter how uncomfortable the chair was. Xisuma rested his chin on Ex's head, pulling his brother's knees up so Ex wouldn't fall out of his lap. Xisuma mumbled more breathless apologies and sweet nothings as Ex drifted off to sleep.

Xisuma couldn't help but focus on the fact that Ex was light as a feather, smelled like death, and didn't look much better. Deep down he knew this was all his fault, that maybe all that time ago if he had tried harder to reach out to Ex this wouldn't have happened. Maybe if he hadn't waited so long to bring him back, it would have been different. Why had he waited so long?

Xisuma knew the real reason was fear.

Fear that if he didn't wait long enough, his brother wouldn't have learned anything. Fear that if he waited too long, his brother's death would be on his hands. Fear that if the smallest thing went wrong, Xisuma could have single-handedly ruined everything.

He still blamed himself for letting a ban be his choice. The guilt still rolled over him in massive, tsunami-like waves that never seemed to settle. Maybe if he hadn't been so afraid, so weak, so dramatic, maybe a ban wouldn't have had to even be an option.

But still, Xisuma forced his internal battles to rest for now as he fondly ran a hand through Ex's matted hair. All that mattered now was that he was back and alive. No matter how close Xisuma was to drowning under his own regrets, he promised himself to put his brother first.

Xisuma let out a small chuckle as Ex still continued to death-grip him in his sleep. A content sigh escaped his lips as Xisuma too, peacefully drifted off to sleep.

~~~