~~~~Jesse's P.O.V.~~~~

"... I'll just come right back to help you."

Lukas's words shatters my facade of strength. I grip him tighter, while all my repressed emotions burst forth. Nights of being too scared to sleep, suffocating feelings of nostalgia for my friends, days upon days of doing nothing but paperwork and helping random citizens, moments where I felt too exhausted to even stand up straight, bouts of loneliness that just seem to consume my entire being, nightmares of me failing everyone multiple times, all of it just came crashing down on me. And I press into Lukas harder, needing him to stabilize me.

"Th-th-thank you L-Lukas, f-for..." A sob finally comes out, and another, until my stomach is getting pounded harder than a galloping horse. I close my eyes and bury my face into the back of Lukas's head, and gripping onto him desperately. I tremble as the two arrow wounds still radiate with burning agony.

"...thank you for everything..."

Lukas's arms are gently wrapped around me, securing me in place no matter how much I tremble. One of his hands start to stroke my hair. The small act showing me how much Lukas cares. Waves of delightful energy sparkling my worn-torn body.

A new feeling grows within me, soothing my pain and fatigue. It's relaxing and it makes me feel safe. Although I am still sobbing, the problems I'm carrying slips off. For the first time in a long time, I'm not thinking about other people or Beacontown. I'm not missing my friends or worrying about my nightmares.

I am now thinking about how happy I am to be to this moment, to have my friend with me. The warm feeling encases me, protecting me from all the anxiety and problems of being a hero. I never realized how much I needed this. I don't want it to go away. Please don't leave Lukas, I've gone without a friend for long enough.

The warm sensation blooms stronger than any flower and I can feel the warmth even tingling my skin. I'm now in a pure blissful state, and my death grip on Lukas becomes a gentle, but tight hug.

Suddenly, Lukas sharply inhales, and his fingers clutch my back. "Y-you, uh, didn't explain the part of how TERRIFYING your green fire looked."

I snap my eyes open, and sure enough, green flames circle and dance around Lukas and me. Slowly growing brighter and brighter as they hug us. It becomes incredibly bright, and I close my eyes again.

Despite knowing that this fire is incredibly deadly, I didn't feel worried. Somehow, I just knew the fire won't hurt Lukas. The nice warm feeling is encompassing me, powerful yet soothing. I can almost see a guardian angel surrounding me, protecting me from worry and pain.

"That's true, but hey, doesn't it feel so nice and warm?" I snuggle into Lukas more, since the warmth radiates from him.

"Well, I mean yeah, it isn't hurting me or anything and it does feel warm... But uh, are you making it behave differently?"

The warm feeling wavers briefly when I hear the panic in Lukas's voice. I move in the hug in order to look at him more closely. Lukas is in slight panic, by his wide eyes and frozen face. I smile though, happy that his fears won't come true.

"Lukas, I won't allow this fire to burn you. So stop worrying so much, and just relax."

I return to my original position. This warmth is so relaxing, and the guardian wards off all of the pain and any suffering. The darkness crawls in my vision again, but this time I don't fight it. The warm sensations start to become distant, yet the guardian never leaves. I won't get a nightmare, not tonight, not with my guardian. I finally feel safe and peaceful at the thought of sleeping. Happiness blankets me as I slip into a long deserved rest.

~~~~Lukas's P.OV.~~~~

I am stuck staring at the bright green inferno that was coming out of Jesse! I didn't doubt him when he was telling me about it, but it is a different story when it's surrounding me!

Why isn't incinerating everything? Jesse described it as something extremely powerful, but ever since it glowed it's now warm and kinda soothing. Jesse isn't exactly in a rage now, maybe that's it. So the flames directly correlate with his emotions. But then what feeling is causing this? And why is it so bright and causing me to feel protected? Is that-

Jesse's body goes entirely limp and leans into mine. I grunt and move to better hold him. I stop though to gape at the sight of the fire retracting inside of Jesse. His skin drinking the deadly substance up without any problem at all. Soon, the green whips vanish completely, leaving no trace.

"Oooh-kay then Jesse, lets get you to bed. Hopefully you actually sleep and not some life draining nightmare. Don't worry about Beacontown, I'll take care of it."

I set Jesse down on the bed, and take out all of the clay from his inventory and his sword. Okay, so I'll store the clay and move his sword and armor to the workroom. That set will definitely be on off duty for awhile.

I lean down to pick up the armor, and I notice the arrow holes again. Realization slams into me as I remember that Jesse never said he took out the arrows. Which means the shafts broke off, or burnt off, and the heads are still somewhere in his flesh. Probably still causing a lot of pain. And I am not going to allow Jesse to sleep with arrowheads jammed into him.

I rack my brain for a way to remove the heads. Arrowheads are made out of flint, which is poisonous to the body. That means I can't break into smaller chucks and just let his body heal around it. I have to get it out and it needs to be done sooner rather than later. I know Jesse wouldn't want the public to know he's hurt, so I can't get a proper doctor. Yet I know if I try, I'll probably reopen some wounds.

A suddenly lightbulb goes off, shinning genius.

If I put Jesse under a potion of slowness, then I can pull out the heads without having to worry about circulation. Then I just have to get a stick with some slime on the end of it and stick it to the flint. Simple, no need to try to do something complicated.

I know I have some slime along with a potion of slowness in my room. Just in case I need to take back anything Axel ever stole from me as, or for a prank. I look back at Jesse before I leave. He's smiling and overall seems peaceful. I smile too as I close the door.

Who knew one of the greatest heroes who can kill giant mutant ghasts looks so cute when he's asleep?

I giggle, but then immediatly stop and try to shake off the foreign feeling. I continue walking feeling incredibly flustered and confused. Cute?! Since when have I ever thought of Jesse cute? I mean, he is pretty handsome, but that's just a fact. Weeeellllll, Jesse also looks pretty darn adorable when he pets animals. What?! No! Stop it thoughts!

I turn my attention on grabbing some slime, while trying hard not to think about Jesse anymore. Although once I do, my attention is drawn to a heat in my cheeks. Which only intensifies the now realized blush.

I finally spot the potion, and rush back to Jesse's room, attempting to run from my thoughts and strange confusing feelings. I make a beeline to a chest and pull out the stick. I turn towards Jesse, and throw the potion.

While walking over at Jesse, I notice he still has his cute smile, his relaxed state unaffected by the potion. I sigh in relief, as part of me was worried that I would disturb Jesse's peaceful sleep.

I prepare the stick and stand over Jesse's leg. There was just a hole right into his leg. While part of me is disgusted at the sight and smell of it, I'm mostly concerned for Jesse. Since he had to walk on this, and probably fight a bit, on this leg. Steadying my shaking nerves, I position the stick.

Taking a very deep breath, I slowly slide it in, utterly repulsed by the gooey noise it makes. Finally the stick hits the flint, and I press down harder to make the flint stick to the slime. Slowly but surely, I pull out the arrow head.

The pungent reek of blood hits my nose, my nose wrinkling in disgust. I turn away, unable to stand the odor and the sight of it. I throw away the stick, and get some bandages for Jesse's leg. Blood is slowly oozing out as I put on the bandage, but it isn't serious.

I prepare the next stick and myself, for the arrow in his arm. It shouldn't be as hard, since the arrow head isn't in as deep. I have also kinda gotten used to the smell by now. Although the sight of it still repulses me, I pull the arrowhead out with no troubles.

"Please never do that again Jesse, that was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever done." I toss the stick away too, and wrap the arm in a bandage. I also fish out a fresh pair clothes for him, since his current ones are bloody and stink.

Jesse's peaceful slumber doesn't change, and I smile at him. Just looking at Jesse grows a strange warmth, creating a desire to be with him. Arg! Stop it Lukas! Jesse is your friend so no more weird feelings about him. You are going to help him and that's that. The warmth persists and it is incredibly difficult to fight such a nice feeling.

I turn away, looking for something to do. The pile of clay catches my gaze. I quickly pick it all up with the sword and armor, and leave Jesse.

Why are these feelings suddenly coming up?! So maybe I do like Jesse a little bit, but it has never been so flustering or just- just distracting! Maybe it's because generally someone else is always there too or we're dealing with some crisis. But that doesn't make sense, Jesse IS dealing with a new crisis. This crisis is just a private one. If these feelings keep intensifying, I won't be able to function around Jesse at all! And Axel will definitely call me out, and that will make everything worse and awkward.

I'm about to walk into the storage room, when I notice all of the clay is still just in little pellets. I instead enter the work room, determined to harden the clay. Standing next to the crafting table, I convert all of the clay into blocks. Wondering how Jesse was able to collect so much while being sleep deprived. That guy is just amazing... and there I go again.

Shaking my head clear, I start up all the furnaces. Luckily my armor has gloves, and I didn't get a bunch of charcoal stains on my hands. While the fires in the furnaces are nice, I find that I now prefer Jesse's. Something about it just makes it seem better. Whether it's the color or it has a nicer heat, the normal fires are just that, normal. Average, normal fires with nothing special to them. I sigh, still so confused about how Jesse's new fire works and how he has it.

Eventually I get my head straight and shove all clay into the furnaces, completing my first task.

I pull out the armor and lay it next to the anvil. It won't be completely fixed until Ivor gets here, but I can make it a little more decent. I reconnect the dangling pieces, and attempt to fix some of the cuts. I sigh though, realizing that I won't be able to do anymore. It is way too far damaged for my skill level to fix, so I'll leave it be.

Jesse will have to use other sets in the meantime. Still, I fish out some diamonds and place them next to the broken armor. Since, I'm pretty sure that's what Ivor used to create these armors. I hope that when the others come here none of them have to come into here. I bet Jesse will want to tell them what happened, not them getting panicked and accusing Jesse.

I then examine Jesse's sword. It is a little banged up, but it's in great condition compared to the armor. Peering closer, I think I can completely fix it and return the sword to its spot in the treasure room.

I grab some more diamonds and head to a free anvil. I place the diamonds next to the sword and they fuse together. It takes a lot of energy out of me and now I really really want a cake.

Ok, I'll head to the kitchen after I place the sword. Hmmm, yeah I don't think we actually have any cake. Dang it Axel! Why must you always eat all the cake every time you're here? Ugh, well Jesse does always have apples here, so I'll just have some of those.

I leave the work room, swinging the sword around. It's no secret to why Jesse likes this sword so much. I remember when he worked day and night to make it perfect, creating a light, balanced, and powerful deadly weapon. Jesse has also strengthened it with the best enchantments. Sharpness V, Bane of Arthropods V, Smite V, and Unbreaking III, it destroys nearly every mob with just one hit. Which is why it's so draining to repair.

Jesse's fighting skills with a sword is incredible, but with this one it seems legendary. Even with all the problems he is dealing with now, he still is unbeatable. What is that he said once "We're down but we're not out"? Yep that sums up Jesse perfectly. Jesse has never been taken out, he's way too strong. I think Jesse is even better than Petra, although I'll never say that to her face.

I'm about to place the sword when an irrational doubt suddenly strikes all over me. My body quivers as thoughts fly in my head, coming and leaving too fast to comprehend.

I'll be leaving Jesse defensive-less! What if Jesse needs it?! I'm in no position to decided where his stuff goes! It could be stolen! Jesse could get mad at me! This is isn't mine! Jesse just might want the sword with him!

The same thoughts fly in my head over and over drowning my mind and drenching my cloths with sweat. My heart pounding against my chest stronger than that of a galloping horse. I couch and back away from the display.

STOP!

I stand back up, deciding not to let my emotions freeze me up. I've come a long way since the Witherstorm and I am not reverting back! The doubt however, still leeches my strength, and I can't stand to even look at the display.

Yeah, uhh, I'll just put this back in Jesse's room after I grab something to eat. Not that big a deal.

I turn my back to the treasure room, and the doubt immediately flows away. I shake my head in confusion, wondering why such a strong unexplainable reaction came from such a simple action. Whatever the reason, it's just making me more hungry.

I hope Jesse has been eating well. His body doesn't need any more problems or stress for that matter. Man, what will happened to him if these problems keep continuing. At the very least, I can watch over Beacontown while Jesse's recovering. When did we all decide to get together? Next week? Couple of days? Hopefully they can help too. Although, Axel and Olivia wouldn't be able to stay long due to their responsibilities. Petra, Jack, and Nurm should be able to stay and help though once they get back. Maybe even Ivor will show up. That would be great, having everyone back together and working together.

I walk into the kitchen, ambling towards to the fridge. Opening the fridge reveals that there was no cake, but apples. I no longer have to worry about Jesse eating right either. Potatoes, carrots, eggs, watermelons, milk, fish, and mushroom stew fill up the entire fridge.

I grab a few apples, and a bottle of milk. I immediately chow down on all of them, and chug the milk down with it. I feel much better, and I'm no longer so tired.

So I bet that the citizens are pretty restless by now. Which means I get to deal with that. And while I'm at it, I'll tell them that Jesse got sick. That's not a big stretch, Jesse does need recovery time just for different reasons. Then they also won't be excepting him to come out tomorrow too.

I grab another apple for later before leaving the kitchen. I have to be prepared for... anything really, and I don't want to get hungry too. I'm not entirely sure what Jesse does. I know he does a lot of paperwork and helps out random citizens, but not much more than that. I also don't know how the citizens will be react to the fact Jesse has shut himself in here. Hopefully, it won't be bad, but the odds are rarely in our favor. Usually we have to work hard and rely on each other to get anything done.

Walking into the treasure room, I notice the display where the sword goes. Doubt swirls up inside again, and the rational frustration of dealing with such pesky paranormal emotions. I continue walking to the Order Door, determine not to succumb again.

Whatever's causing me to get super flustered and so doubtful better take a hike. I need to help Jesse, not deal with my-

Worry punches me right in the stomach, causing everything in me to wined up. Dread crashes down onto my shoulders, and I tumble forward as my jelly legs can't support me. I pant on my knees, my body trembling. The quick whispers of my pants echoing in the empty room.

I pale as a dreadful fear claws its way into my thoughts becoming a horrible fact. No no no... My head whips up and my face freezes. All of the wild amplified emotions have one thing in common. Jesse...

"Nooo!"