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The groggy first seconds of waking up from a drugged nap were all-too familiar to Evil Xisuma. He had memorized the feeling of cold stone beneath his skin, likely being the thing to catch him when he was roughly shoved to the ground, which he assumed had happened considering the light pain throughout his side. He stayed quiet for a moment, trying to catch any sounds that might give away where he was, and who he was with. He waited for the crackle of a fire, or the dead silence of a building too far from civilization for anyone to hear him. All he could find was the slow drip, drip, drip of water, somewhere off in the distance. He cracked his eyes open slightly. More stone greeted him — slightly worn. He had a feeling this wasn’t its first time housing prisoners. As he looked around, he could see scratches across the surface, growing slightly irregular where someone must’ve cracked their nails. He frowned, sitting up. The first thing that tipped him off to his current predicament was the rattling of metal. The second was the weight on his wrists. He glanced down.
Yep — shackles were clamped around his skin, connected to heavy metal chains that disappeared into the ceiling. He frowned. There was slack on this — not enough to really let him move, but more than some people would’ve liked. Maybe an amateur — or, he shuddered, someone who had done this enough times to be confident that this would keep him here. He propped himself up on an arm, looking around. He startled when he turned and saw another person. Xisuma was sitting across the room, glaring at him. Ex’s eyes narrowed, searching his armourless form until they finally caught onto the chain wrapped around X’s ankle. Alright — so not a ploy by Xisuma either? Maybe this was a plot against Hermitcraft, then. That would explain why they had him, though it wouldn’t explain why they’d bothered to grab Ex from a different location. …maybe they thought he’d be a pressure point — a weakness that would make Xisuma consider betraying his people. He almost laughed at the idea — if that was their plan, they were about to be sorely disappointed. Some of his amusement must’ve shown on his face, because the last bit of curiosity Xisuma’s held had quickly soured.
“So, what’s the plan here?” He asked, leaning back, his chained leg tucked beneath him. The rest of his body screamed of casualty — though Ex wasn’t quite sure if it was real.
“Hm?” He glanced around. “Well, looks like your average kidnapping to me.” They shrugged, tugging on their chains.
Xisuma just chuckled.
“I’ve known you long enough to see one of your schemes from miles away. So what’s the plan here — torture me for access? No — that wouldn’t explain the chains around your arms. So, then, do you want to pretend to sacrifice your own comfort for mine? Wear me down by pretending to take pain that should’ve gone to me, until I feel so bad that when we just so happen to escape, I take you back to Hermitcraft? All so you can try to hurt me again?”
Ex tried not to feel hurt by the accusations. He failed.
“First off, that’s a terrible plan. Why would I ever bank on you feeling sorry for me? If that’s what you think I base my plans off, you’re underestimating me.”
“Trust me — I learned to never underestimate you a few years ago.” X spat. “You made sure of that.”
“That still doesn’t explain why I’d be stupid enough to think I could trick you into caring for me.”
“You’ve done it before.”
Ex shuddered, nearly wrapping his arms around himself. He remembered it as nothing more than flashes — only keeping a few memories of warm blankets, and the feeling of someone spooning soup into his mouth. By the time he’d recovered enough strength to understand what was going on, the window for saving X had already closed itself, snapping several locks shut as it went. He’d let Xisuma get hurt, because he didn’t see any other path before him.
“That’s not what this is. We’re in real danger.”
“Oh — So was the danger of the moon falling on my head not real?”
That one he managed not to flinch at. He’d never told Xisuma what had actually happened when the moon came down. He’d be very happy to keep that to himself until he died. He had parts to play, in the minds of everyone he knew. Who would he be if he went against that?
“More dangerous than most of my schemes.” He tried.
“Ha. Does lightning to the face count as harmless to you?”
“Xisuma — just try to run if you can.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Like it if I fell back into the meek little axolotl you’d made me. It’s not happening. I’m not playing into your little scam.”
He sighed. Great — of course Xisuma wouldn’t listen. He should've seen that coming.
“Please, listen to me. I don’t know who this is, they — they could be worse than me.”
Xisuma laughed sharply at that.
“What, are you throwing the boogeyman at me?”
“Xisuma—”
Whatever he was about to say was lost when they heard a door creak open. He frowned, staring up into the darkness. A moment later, someone slipped out of the shadows. Unlike the other two, this figure was armoured. Ex swallowed hard when he saw the glyph etched into their chestplate. No — there was no way. If Xisuma hadn’t figured it out, nor any of the Hermits or Hels, this stranger couldn’t have seen through him. Still, no matter how many times he blinked and wished the symbol away, it stayed, glinting in the warm light from the hanging lanterns. For a moment, he flashed back to being young and staring at the church’s window, awed by the same symbol pulling in light through the stained glass. He waited for the monologue to start, but it didn’t. The stranger just wandered over to press their hand against the stone. After a moment, he saw another glyph light up. A wooden board slowly lowered from the ceiling, covered in gleaming weapons.
Ex drew himself up to his full height. Whatever was about to happen, whatever the figure was going to do, they’d take the brunt of it. Or all of it, if they could. Xisuma didn’t deserve it. And… wasn’t it payback, for everything that he’d allowed X to go through? The stranger lifted a short blade from its perch, running their gauntlet across the edge. The sound of metal scraping against metal cut through the air. Ex was not intimidated. He’d sat through enough of these mental showdowns to know that he couldn’t tell how serious his attackers were until he started to bleed. If they were playing at doing this, or if they’d done it a thousand times, these displays would teach him nothing. The worse sign would’ve been if they’d entered with a weapon and just gotten down to it. He waited, unimpressed.
“Evil Xisuma, the Council of Worlds has adjourned on your case. We find you guilty of acquiescence, and subject you to further trial, in the witness of your most harmed victim.”
He suddenly felt too pale — like if he was forced to his feet, he might not be able to stay conscious. Council of Worlds — he knew these fucks. He knew, in the vaguest of terms, what they wanted from him. That they would give him their own punishment in their so-called ‘trial,’ and then leave him out to the wolves. It took everything in him to not immediately start trembling. Instead, he lifted his head higher.
“I kinda figured you all would have bigger problems than me, but… I guess you’re fishing for the small frys, aren’t you?”
The stranger stiffened. Ex knew he was only making it worse for himself. He couldn’t find it in him to care. Xisuma just watched, eyes flicking between the two.
“This is an interesting set-up, Evil X. I didn’t think you’d fake a cult for this — I’m actually slightly impressed.”
They fought the urge to hiss at him.
“The Council of Worlds is not a cult.” The stranger spoke. “We are settling your debts, Xisumavoid.”
X just cracked a small smile, like he was in on some kind of joke. The stranger turned their back on him, and ok — Ex was already sick of calling them the stranger. He tried to think of a stupid name, but all he could come up with was the Enforcer, which despite its more brute-like qualities, did have a presence to it that he didn’t mean to attribute to the being in front of him. They stepped towards him. Ex’s eyes narrowed. Would it be possible to just… fight his way out of this? He’d already shown that the chains were too lax for someone of his caliber — he could probably get the drop on them if he played his cards right. Then free X, and find somewhere to hide until the Council eventually gave up on executing their ‘justice’ upon him. He found a part to play — shrinking back slightly when the Enforcer stepped within arm’s reach. Even though he couldn’t see their face, he swore they started grinning at the movement. They grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him off the ground. He let himself tremble — it was easier than he’d like to admit. They pressed the point of the weapon to just below his chin, lifting his head slightly.
“Will you confess?”
“No.” The word left him in a whisper.
The Enforcer just forced his head up a little higher, an uncomfortable angle that had him struggling not to let the blade pierce his skin.
“Good. I prefer having to extract confessions anyways.”
They pulled the blade back, letting go of Ex’s collar. They barely managed to get their hands under them, hitting the ground with a quiet:
“Oof,” as the air was pushed from their lungs.
They slowly pulled their way back upright. The Enforcer put down their weapon, wandering back to lift Ex again. This was their chance. When the Enforcer grabbed their shoulder, their face maybe a foot from his, Ex reached out, trying to twirl the chain around their throat. He almost had it when they moved, grabbing one end of the chain and darting out of the noose Ex was making. They nearly groaned aloud. The Enforcer just looked at him, barely out of grabbing range.
“You shouldn’t underestimate your opponents, Evil X. You haven’t learned — I’d assume that mistake is why we're here. Try that again, and I’ll have to restrain you further.”
They stomped across the room and pressed their hand to the wall again. The chains Ex was trapped in lifted, forcing his hands off the ground. Well, there went most of his advantage… Ex sneered at the Enforcer as they started back, but made no move to attack them again. The Enforcer grasped their hair harshly, uncorking a bottle with one hand and pressing it to his lips. Ex nearly choked as the liquid was forced into his mouth, swallowing only to clear his airways so he could gasp in a breath. The drink tasted like bitter lemons, and he found himself almost gagging.
“Hm — not as fierce as I was told.” The Enforcer said. “But then — none of our criminals are what their reputations state.”
“Fuck you.” Ex just gasped out.
They tromped back to the display of weapons, drawing one from its perch with a shriek of metal-on-metal. Ex watched as they approached, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and quickly slicing through the fabric, tossing it towards the wall. He heard X scoff, and turned to see him cross his arms and look away. The Enforcer lowered his blade, pressing the tip against the skin over one of Ex’s ribs. He was disappointed to see that the outline of at least a couple of his ribs were visible. Great — there went a little more of what was left of their reputation. And they gave this guy an easier target, too… The blade dug into his skin, stinging as it carved a shallow cut through him. Ex winced slightly, letting out no sound. At least it wasn’t muscle, or fat that was being rended — not yet, it seemed.
X paled some as he watched blood bead to the surface, quickly forming a steady stream that trickled down their side, but he drew in a breath after a minute.
“Please — Evil X, I know you’re a better actor than that.” He said. “If you drank that potion to make it so you can’t feel the pain, you’re doing a bad job of pretending it did anything else.”
He said nothing in response. He heard Xisuma huff. The Enforcer drew a couple more cuts, parallel to the first. Ex, well trained by now, stayed quiet.
“This is a really boring scheme, Evil X.” X eventually said, pointedly not looking at him. “I have better things to be doing right now.”
Ex fumed internally, but kept his face calm.
“Evil Xisuma, do you understand the charges placed against you?” The Enforcer asked.
“I mean — yeah probably. I’m a little less sure on what you think this’ll do, though.”
“The Council of Worlds is here to clear the record, and set the facts straight. We already know what happened — we’ve proven that you are a coward, and that everything that happened was indeed your fault. We have now proceeded to the last step of the process, proving your case to your most abused victim. To ensure the quality of the confession, it must fall from your lips.”
“So — what, you want me to just say that it happened?”
“We want you to explain it. All of it — everything you can remember. To set the record straight, and allow Xisumavoid to bestow a proper punishment on you.” Ex rolled their eyes. “Do not act like this is something above you, Evil Xisuma. We know the lengths that you once went to for penance. Don’t act like you don’t want this.”
“I — I don’t.” Ex snapped.
Why would he want to be tortured? Was this guy really so indoctrinated he believed that Ex wanted this in some capacity?
“And that’s why you stuttered.”
Before Ex could say anything, the Enforcer dug the blade into his shoulder, tearing through flesh. Now it burnt — as Ex cried out, not attempting to pull away, he found a slight amount of comfort in it. He knew more about them now. Knew they were willing to go through at least some muscle along with skin. The next cut dug deeper, burning like fire against his nerves. He shouted in pain, trying to pull himself back. The Enforcer just grabbed his shoulder with one hand, keeping him in place. Another cut came, and Ex heard Xisuma’s chains rattle beneath the sound of his own voice. He looked over, finding Xisuma tugging at the chain on his ankle.
“Would you two cut it out? This isn’t funny anymore!” X snapped.
“Do not bother with the chains, Xisumavoid.” The Enforcer said. “You will not escape them — we’ve been doing this long enough to know that you’re stuck there until we let you go.”
“Stop pretending like he didn’t pay you to do this! I know his schemes — I should’ve figured that his silence just meant he was coming back with a bigger plan!”
Ex rolled his eyes. He had a feeling his kidnapper was doing much the same.
“The Council does not associate with vermin like Evil Xisuma.” They spat.
“Oh gee, that nice treatment really makes me want to ‘confess my sins’ or whatever.” Evil X said.
The Enforcer just looked at him, digging the blade into the already aching muscle where his shoulder met his neck. The pain was white-hot, and Ex had to grit their teeth to not scream, letting out a strained groan.
“You’re gonna — have’ta try harder than that. I think whoever the Council assigned to teach you how to torture people must’ve failed their students.”
The Enforcer stiffened, grabbing Ex’s uninjured shoulder and plunging the blade through muscle and tendons. Ex screamed, the pain radiating through his shoulder as he struggled to quiet himself. He panted, registering that antagonising his torturer was probably a bad idea. But then… when had that ever stopped them?
“Your technique is — weak.” He gasped. “Too — emotional, not enough restraint, badly trained—” Fingers dug into the longer cut on his shoulder, and he groaned, struggling for breath. “Think your — bosses failed, letting you out here. Not ready — did they set you up for failure, or were they just stupid—”
The Enforcer sheathed their weapon to wrap their hands around his throat, squeezing painfully. His eyes widened as he choked, pain blooming through his neck as he tried and failed to bring in breath. He was lifted off the ground, kicking out at them weakly and missing every time. His vision spotted, eyes growing dim, and suddenly he was falling, body pulling in a large gulp of air. He hit the ground shoulder-first, unsure if he screamed or not as the pain jolted through him. He managed to draw himself mostly-upright, waiting for the world to stop spinning.
“I told you—” He started.
“Evil X stop!” X cut him off. “Stop — you’re only making it worse!”
He raised a hand to rub at his throat, still aching brightly from the Enforcer’s tight grip.
“No fun if I — don’t throw insults.” He gasped.
“It’s not fun either way! Stop making things worse for yourself!”
“Thought you — didn’t care.” Ex bit out.
“I — I don’t know! All I know is you wouldn’t scream like that in front of anyone, not even for a plot!”
Ex just groaned, struggling to stay upright. The Enforcer returned to the wall, and they barely had time to feel dread before the chain holding their arms up started to retract. They were pulled up onto their feet, having to strain slightly to keep their toes meeting the ground. He tried to think of something to say as the Enforcer returned, and found himself devoid of insults to throw, for once.
“It seems the blade won’t cut it — more drastic measures will need to be taken. You have one chance to confess before we move forwards.”
“Not — telling you shit.” They said.
“I anticipated that response.” They pulled a blade from their pocket, this one small with carvings running down its length.
They chanted something, and the metal began to glow. They held it in front of Ex’s face, and he could feel heat radiating off of it. He jerked back on instinct, eyes wide. He faintly heard Xisuma cursing beneath his breath, and the continued yet slightly more-frantic rustling of metal. The Enforcer lowered the blade slightly, moving to stand behind him. Ex scrabbled for purchase on the floor. Not behind him. Not behind him — he couldn’t see. Bad things happened when he couldn't see, couldn’t prepare — Cold metal met the small of his back, immediately followed by the burning of the knife. He screamed, kicking out at nothing. The Enforcer steadied him.
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t squirm.” They said.
“I’d prefer it if you’d shut the fuck up!” Ex replied.
The next cut came without warning, drawing a white-hot long line across the small of his back. He cried out, seeing stars cover his vision. The world dulled to nothing but the burning, burning, burning — He noticed when the knife was drawn back, but only barely. The burn wound still hurt, throbbing incessantly. He groaned softly, trying to shake the dizziness from his head. It, predictably, did the opposite of helping. He gasped for breath, struggling to keep his head upright.
“I’m still — not going to tell you whatever it is you want to hear.”
“The truth, Evil Xisuma. We want the truth. Don’t worry — you’ll give in eventually. Everyone does.”
The Enforcer must’ve gone to do something, because he saw X’s eyes tighten just slightly.
“Would you stop!” Xisuma burst out. “Leave him alone! You say you’re doing this for me but I — I don’t want this!”
The Enforcer paused, stepping around Ex to meet X’s gaze. Ex stayed suspended in the air, still swinging slightly and struggling for breath.
“You want the truth, do you not?” The Enforcer asked.
“I didn’t even know there was a ‘truth’ until I got here!” X said.
“But now you want it, yes?”
X went quiet for a moment.
“Not like this. No, not like this…”
The stranger let out a small sigh.
“This is the price of honesty, Xisumavoid. I would think someone like you would understand.”
They turned.
“No!” X screamed. “Stop — Just leave him alone! I don’t want this! I — I don’t want this!”
The Enforcer didn’t even spare him a glance. The next line he carved was an arc down Ex’s shoulder blade. The sheer heat had him screaming, his body tensed. His arms ached from keeping him upright, but he barely felt it compared to the absolute agony that was his back. The cuts on his torso were like papercuts now — a bit painful, sure, but insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Ex hazarded a look up at Xisuma, and startled. There were tears dripping down his face, his eyes red and puffy. One hand was clamped over his mouth, and his entire body heaved with the weight of his breaths.
“It’s — It’s alright, X.” Ex tried, guilt wracking through him.
“Why — Why are you trying to comfort me?” X asked.
“You… shouldn’t have to see this.” Shouldn’t have to see their weakness, shouldn’t have to pity him for facing just a sliver of the pain they’d put him through—
X just shook his head.
“Save your energy. It’s alright — I’ll be ok.”
Ex winced. Nope, that was too… too similar to something X would say to one of his Hermits, to someone he cared about. He wasn’t supposed to say stuff like that about Ex. It broke their rules of interaction. He didn't have enough time to respond before the next cut came, mirroring the one before on his other shoulder blade. He barely heard himself scream, more preoccupied with the pain, the burning, the agony — When he came back to himself, his head had dropped against his chest.
“I know you’re not unconscious.” The Enforcer said. “Lift your head.”
“Why should I?” Ex grumbled. “Won’t change anything at all…”
“Lift it.”
“No—”
Fingers dug into the burn wound, and he could feel blood almost immediately begin to trickle down his back. He cried out, writhing and screaming, yanking against the chains as he flailed.
“Lift your head.”
He complied, staring dully at the wall and purposefully avoiding looking at Xisuma. He didn’t want to see X’s face. If he was lucky, he’d just see disgust. But if it was anything else… he didn’t think he could handle it.
“It’s — It’s gonna be alright, Ex.” X said, from his position very deliberately out of their line of sight. “We’re going to get out of here.”
Ex didn’t doubt that. He just didn’t know what state he’d be in when it happened. …would he even be able to walk? And where would he go if he could — the tiny server he and Hels had stolen probably wouldn’t be able to heal him since it worked so poorly. There wasn’t much food there either, or… anything else. He wasn’t even sure he had a real bed, or somewhere to curl up and try and drift from reality. He didn't have much time to think about that, more focused on keeping his head from nodding back against his chest. Another cut came, and the scream he let out was quieter, more exhausted than it had any right to be. He still flailed, but weakly.
“Isn’t this familiar, Evil X?” The Enforcer asked. “Slowly, slowly breaking. Slowly giving up on any reason, or discipline, or morals? Isn’t this all too familiar?"
Ex’s head swam with more than just the pain. It was, wasn’t it? It was — No, don’t think about it. Don’t think about it—
“Keep your head up!” X shouted.
Ex’s chin jerked back to a normal position. He hadn’t even registered it falling.
“Yes — good, good. Very nice of you to keep him in line, Xisuma.”
There was a sharp motion off in his peripherals. He fought to keep focused on the bricks. His head listed in rough circles as he pulled it back up, and found it immediately fighting to fall. The burns on his back still hurt, almost as badly as when they’d been given to him.
“I’m not gonna…” He slurred.
Another cut, this one raking past his ribs. He cried out, eyes blurring with tears. He heard a hitching breath — not his own, somehow. Another cut, and another. His throat ached.
“Not telling you…”
“Ex would you just — say it!” X yelled, and they flinched slightly. “I’m sorry! I am, but — just say it! You can make it stop! Why won’t you let it stop?!”
“Not telling…”
Another cut, this one dug deep into the tender flesh beneath his throat. He barely managed to wriggle slightly, no longer swinging in any particular direction. His eyes slipped closed for just a second too long. How much longer… how much longer could he…?
“Just tell me!” Xisuma pleaded. “Whatever it is, just tell me! I’ll leave you alone, I won’t — I won’t come for revenge. This is worse than anything I could ever plan, just—”
He cut off sharply. The Enforcers cold metal gauntlets scrapped some of the unbroken skin on their back. He shuddered, a pathetic sound tearing itself from his throat.
“Not gonna…” Ex said.
The next cut landed across their side, digging in deep. His cries broke as they exited his mouth, leaving him a pathetic mess. He heard X sob.
“Ex stop being so stubborn!” He begged. “I know that’s part of your whole thing — you’re stubborn, you don’t give up, but just — stop! Tell me so we can both go home!”
“Not…”
How — How much longer? How much longer could he… When the next cut came, cutting between two of his ribs, just shallow enough to avoid his organs, he barely had the strength to scream. The room spun. A frantic plan appeared in their mind. Another cut dug into his side, and Ex gathered their last bits of energy to push himself back onto the knife. It dug into him with a wet squelch, and a waterfall of white-hot pain as every nerve in his body protested. He screamed weakly, feeling his right lung begin to fill with blood. He waited for the sweet relief of a respawn. It didn’t come. The Enforcer just chuckled.
“Now that’s in line with what I was told about you. Brash, and reckless. Hm — finally decided to live up to your reputation?” They just groaned. “Tell me, do you remember that potion you drank, hours ago?”
“...what…?”
“It forces your body to stay here, and your mind to stay conscious. You can’t fix this with a respawn. You’re stuck here. There’s no escape.”
No, no — The next cut came before he could fully process how bad that was, the pain ripping through him. When reality sunk in, he felt the words leave his mouth.
“I lied.” He whispered.
“Louder.” The Enforcer commanded, grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking his head up. “Look at him.”
He trained his eyes on Xisuma’s shuddering form. He waited just a moment too long, and the Enforcer poked at one of his wounds. He let out a moan of pain, his eyes trying to shut on their own.
“I l-lied.” He said, feeling sick as he stared at Xisuma.
“About what?” The Enforcer prodded.
“It — wasn’t my idea. I didn’t — care about Hermitcraft. I — I let myself be mind controlled.” He saw the last bit of color drain from X’s face. “I wasn’t strong enough, I let him use me to try and destroy you. Sometimes — sometimes it felt good. Sometimes…”
“Did you — want it?” X asked hesitantly.
“I — I don’t know.” He whimpered.
“...are you happy, with how everything went?”
Ex’s mind flashed back to season 8. To when Xisuma was suddenly thrust into what was once their own personal Hell.
“No.”
X winced.
“And you’re not still being controlled?”
“No. I — carved him out of me, after the moon crash. That plus the void — it weakened him. I managed it. ‘Still don’t know how.”
“The — the void?”
“The moon — ‘had nowhere to respawn, so it caught me. Lots of time to deal with him there.”
X suddenly started to tremble.
“The moon — you were still on the server?”
“He ran out of power. Ran us both into the ground. We — couldn’t move. Just had to watch. And then burn.”
Xisuma hid his face in his hands.
“No — no it’s a nightmare, he wouldn’t have—” He shook his head frantically.
“It’s — ok. ‘Deserved it.”
Xisuma must not have heard them, because he devolved into a chant of: “No no no no no—”
“‘Suma, it’s ok. It’s ok ‘Suma.”
“No, no-no-no—”
“Are you satisfied, Xisumavoid?” The Enforcer asked.
“No no no—” X suddenly looked up. “I mean — I mean yes! Leave him alone!”
“...would you like to take them, to deliver what they deserve?”
“Deliver — Yes. I’ll give them what they deserve.”
Ex trembled. Was — was this not enough? Did X really want more? The Enforcer moved, interacting with the wall to lower his chains, which slowly deposited him in a heap on the ground. It — it hurt. Everything was being jostled, it — hurt— He barely saw the Enforcer move to unchain Xisuma, shoving something into his hands before disappearing back into the darkness. Suddenly, a panel opened in the wall, revealing a hallway. Xisuma immediately rushed at him, and they flinched back. X slowly lifted his hands, glancing around.
“It’s alright. You’re going to be ok — we’ll get you all healed up, it’s alright…” He carefully unlocked the chains to grab Ex’s injured arm, looking him over. “You can’t walk.” He sighed.
“Can try…” They slurred.
“No, just — focus on holding on, ok?”
Hold on… onto what? Onto Xisuma? X suddenly lifted him, one arm under his legs and the other very carefully supporting an uninjured part of his back. X hummed a soft tune as he lifted them. Ex struggled to keep his head up.
“It’s alright.” X whispered. “We’ll be ok — just hang on.”
Ex wrapped an arm around Xisuma and did his best to do that, weakly gripping his shirt. X just shushed him softly, continuing to hum under his breath. They walked for a moment before turning a corner, and immediately he could hear the sound of people. After a moment, the voices began to shout. Xisuma responded, but he was too far gone to process anything other than pain. He only really registered when the world wobbled around him, and he felt the jerking sensation of a teleport. He tugged his eyes open to a strange looking mineshaft.
“Where…”
“Just my base.” X said. “Here — drink.”
Something was pressed against his lips. He managed to swallow a too-sweet liquid. Goosebumps rolled down his body, stealing away the pain and replacing it with a light chill. The fog in their head stayed, making his thoughts struggle to swirl with any sort of coherence. He could feel his skin start to knit itself together, the burnt bits regenerating. He braced a hand beneath himself to try and sit up.
“Easy, easy.” X said, forcing them back down. He was healing Ex. What plan did he have that needed them healed? They shivered. “Does anything hurt?”
They slowly shook their head. The pain was gone now, somehow.
“No.”
X let out a long, low sigh.
“Good, good.”
“‘Suma what — what’s happening?”
“Nothing — we’re just gonna get you back on your feet. It’s gonna be alright.”
There was the sound of typing, and Ex braced himself to be thrown out onto the hub. Instead there was a slight tingle against their skin, and they could feel the dried blood vanish. They were moved, and eventually X sat down. Something soft was draped over Ex. They shifted, trying to open their eyes.
“Easy — shh, it’s alright…” A hand smoothed down their hair, brushing the unharmed skin of his face, and Ex whimpered pathetically. Not his face, not again — “Nobody’s going to hurt you. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again.”
…that seemed unrealistic — unless X was planning to kill them. Oh no — was he going to kill them?
“Shh…” X just whispered. “Relax — it’s all going to be ok.”
Slowly, and against their better judgement, they gave in. If X was going to hurt him then… that was a problem for later. There was nothing he could do about it now. Their body slumped sluggishly against Xisuma. Their head came to rest against his shoulder.
“There we go…” Xisuma cooed.
“Why aren’t you — giving me what I deserve?” Ex managed.
“I — I am.”
“You’re just — being nice to me.”
“Yes — I’m giving you the comfort you deserve, after everything you’ve gone through.”
“No — ’s my fault.” They slurred. “All of this ‘s my fault — I was too weak. I was too weak to fight him off, and you got hurt for it.”
“No — No, Ex, none of that was your fault!” X’s voice was high and reedy; he looked miserable. “Why would you think that?”
“’S what everybody knows, the pastor taught us — only the weak in the mind can be controlled.”
“No — that’s not true. There are some people who’re just too strong. It — It’s not your fault, I’m not going to punish you for it!”
“But you should…”
“I — after what you just went through, I think you’ve been punished enough.”
Ex hummed unhappily.
“Then what — what now?”
“You stay on the server until you’re better. You can stay after — once I explain, the Hermits won’t mind.”
“No — They can’t know.”
“Ex, I have to—”
“No! They — they can't know, they’ll use it against me because they hate me, they — they’ll hurt me—” His voice dropped off into a pathetic whine.
“Ok! Ok, I — I won’t tell! You’ll stay, and I’ll kick the asses of anyone who tries to make you leave.”
“...why?”
“Because — you don’t deserve how you’ve been treated. And if nobody’s going to take care of you, then I — I will. And you can’t stop me.” Ex fell quiet. “...I’m going to take the silence as you agreeing.” They let their head loll against his chest. “Oh — You look exhausted…”
Ex just hummed, and Xisuma lifted them. After a while, they were set down on a mattress. X tried to pull back, and Ex hung onto him. After a slow moment, X came to sit on the bed. He ran a hand through their hair, and they shifted, leaning into his warmth. Ex felt themself drift. He felt… safe. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually felt safe. He slipped into unconsciousness before he let out his next breath. And that night, for the first time in a long time, he slept without being plagued by nightmares.