Spoilers from Bdubs' video last week (Episode #32)

I actually finished this a couple of days ago, I just completely forgot to upload it lmao

Also, I need to provide info on a certain headcanon I have regarding death in HC (when it's not permadeath) Basically when a player dies, when they respawn their body will still ache unless they have their spawn set at a bed or respawn anchor. When they respawn in a bed, they don't wake up until after a short nap so their body can finish healing and gain energy. Respawn anchors automatically give you that boost of energy, so Scar was fine when Bdubs and Grian pulled that prank. But when they don't have a set spawn, their body isn't given that time to rest and regain energy, so they're tired and their body is still sore from their death. 

And when one is stuck in a death loop without a set spawn, there is a possibility they can die from exhaustion. 

I hope that made sense! (If not just ask, I'll be more than happy to try and clarify) now onto the oneshot :)

Doc hasn't been the best boyfriend, and he would be the first to admit that. He's been so focused on catching up with the other hermits after being missing for so long, that his relationship with Bdubs had taken a backseat. As he walked through his nether portal, shulker boxes of ancient debris, gold, and piglin trades in his arms, he spotted the shorter builder across the yard. Dropping his boxes, he watched the male plant a sign on his front lawn. Bdubs stepped back, his hands on his hips, and grinned. Feeling curious, Doc walked over, waving to him.

"Hey, DoubleO! What're you up to?" he asked.

"Oh not much, just letting everyone know I'm selling my half of the mansion," Bdubs explained.

The hybrid's face fell, reading the sign as his boyfriend spoke. Selling? He couldn't help but wonder if he was partially the reason.

"Why?" He tried to sound as chill about it as possible and relaxed his shoulders.

"I mean, I never come by here anymore, so what's the point of holding on to it?" the freckled brunette pointed out. "Besides, this is a fairly easy way to make some extra diamonds,"

Doc wanted to ask if he did something wrong, but unfortunately, there simply wasn't any time. After checking his watch and realizing out loud he had a meeting with the mayor, Bdubs' lips barely grazed the taller male's cheek as he took off towards his nether portal. The hermit stared at the sign and contemplated buying it himself. But there's no point, admit it. Running a hand through his hair, he made his way back over to his shulker boxes so he could dive back into his work.

For the next couple of days, it was hard for him to focus when Bdubs wouldn't leave his thoughts. His mind kept wandering back to the other morning. For the fifth time that day, he touched his cheek. He was just in a rush, right? Or maybe... what if it was out of obligation? When was the last time we went out together? Or spent more than five minutes alone? He thought, worrying.

"Everything okay, Doc? You've been staring at the portal for a while now." Snapping out of his thoughts, Doc looked to his left. The admin had appeared next to him in the nether hub False had built.

"Oh, h-hello Xisuma. Yeah, everything's fine."

"Are you sure? You seem a little troubled," X said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

The tall brunette nodded, lifting his frown. Even though he didn't seem convinced, X gave him a little shoulder pat and walked through the portal.

Maybe I should find time to have a date night. He figured, before disappearing through the nether portal as well.

A genuine smile formed on his face when he saw his short boyfriend walking out of Grian's barge. He looked a little tired, but there was a glint of determination in his eyes. "Oh, hey Doc!" He said, looking up and waving.

Scratching the back of his neck, Doc approached him. "Are you free tomorrow?" he asked.

"What for?" Bdubs asked as his communicator buzzed. He pulled it out and glanced at it.

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something together? Like a date?"

Grinning, the lighter brunette blushed and his eyes widened. "I'd love to! What did you have in mind?" He tucked his communicator away.

"Well," the taller brunette laced their fingers together and stared at their hands. "Maybe we could go stargazing? Like we used to? With a picnic dinner?" he suggested.

"Ooh! And we can do it outside my new castle! You haven't seen it yet, but the view up there is amazing," Bdubs gushed.

"Great! What time do you want me to swing by?"

"Well, I'm meeting with Keralis in a few to discuss buying my half of the mansion, and then I want to do I think two Decked Out runs..." his voice trailed off as he stared off. "I guess I'll just pick you up the moment I'm done!" he decided. Kissing the back of his boyfriend's hand, Bdubs ran off once again.

Smiling like an idiot, Doc rubbed the back of his hand. You were worried about nothing. Everything is fine. Besides, if Bdubs does sell to Keralis, it won't be so bad having him as a neighbor. A frown threatened to take over his face, as the thought of Bdubs moving out returned.

No more late-night swimming, no more shouting across the lawn every morning. No more throwing random things in the middle of the night to bother the other. Sure it had been a while since they did that anyway, but now there was no chance of it happening again. Stop thinking like that. He scolded himself. Be happy you're together.

"Oh, and one more thing," Keralis said to a very happy Bdubs. "I'm going to move it," he added.

"Move it? Ah, okay! And you'll do it yourself?"

"Yup! As long as you provide the boxes!"

Doc blinked. He didn't want to be around to listen to this conversation, but he needed to stop by his farms and couldn't help but be curious. It's fine, I don't care. I'll have the whole hillside to myself, then. He told himself.

Once the pair had taken off in the direction of the shopping district, the tall brunette sat down on his lawn and just stared at Bdubs' old home. Taking a deep breath, he let the smell of freshly mowed grass and chlorine water filter through his nose. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to bask in the peace much longer, as he realized he still had work to do. Everything's fine, stop making a big deal out of small, useless things.

BDoubleO100: About to do some Decked Out, will let you know when I'm done :)

DocM77: Okay, have fun!

Tucking his communicator into the chest by the bed, Bdubs headed towards the door. "I probably should've eaten something beforehand," he realized out loud.

Bracing himself on the nether brick wall, the freckled builder tried to steady his breathing. The only direction he could move was over the trap doors. And because they're not moving, this is going to be even harder. He whined to himself. "Here I go," he grimaced.

He stuck the landing on the first set.

Looking up, he carefully moved over to avoid hitting the chain.

He leaped for the second one.

The hot lava quickly engulfed his body, setting every last cell in his body on fire. He clawed at the walls, tears trying to fall down his face. "I-I can swim out," he gasped. His nerves burnt to a crisp, turning his body numb. No longer able to move, he gave in and let the lava cover his face.

BDoubleO100 tried to swim in lava

Feeling his communicator vibrate in his pocket, Doc winced at the message. Hope he's okay. He thought.

As soothing as the cool water was for his aching body, Bdubs was still very confused. "Where's the spawn island?" he cried out, treading the water. The sun was setting, invoking an anxious feeling in his gut. Looking down, he let himself be pulled down into a new, underground area. "What the heck?" he muttered. The brunette tried to avoid the slime approaching him as he slipped into the nether portal.

"Gah! It followed me through!" he squawked. Completely unarmed, he frantically tried to escape the green blob. He looked around, trying to figure out which way to go. Wincing, the slime attacked him. The builder tried to fend it off, and shake off the goop, but with one last hit, pain shot up his body yet again.

BDoubleO100 was slain by Slime

GoodTimesWithScar: F

ImpulseSV: Totems in stock at Em' and 'Em Emporium :)

"Oh, this is just great!" Bdubs cried out. "I have a date tonight I don't have time for this!" He tried to swim towards the shopping district under the moonlight, but his body ached too much and the cold water wasn't helping. Grumbling nonsense to himself, he sunk back down to the underground area. He absentmindedly reached for his communicator but cursed as he remembered, It's still at Decked Out with the rest of my stuff.

Doc gripped his communicator, staring at the tiny bright screen.

DocM77: I'm coming to help.

Without a second to lose, he went through his nether portal and dashed through the nether.

Sniffling, Bdubs leaned against the nether. He was so tired and his body ached for a rest. "No," he groaned, as two magma cubes jumped him. He curled up in a ball, sweat streaking down his back. With each hit, a burst of burning pain shot through his body. He wanted to cry for help, but even if his throat wasn't so dry he knew no one would hear.

BDoubleO100 was slain by Magma Cube

ImpulseSV: Ok now I'm worried

DocM77: Already on it

Nearly crashing into one of the diamond trees, Doc shot out of the portal and towards Decked Out. He clumsily landed at the bottom of the stairs and ran around. "Bdubs?! Bdubs are you here?!" he called out.

I should just tough it out and swim to shore. Bdubs decided. Pushing through the exhaustion, he started to swim through the dark and icy water. A gurgling noise under the water was quickly followed by a sharp pain in his side. He cried out in pain as he sunk under the water. The trident was ripped from his body and back to the hands of a drowned. Tears merged with the ocean water around him and he gripped his side in hopes of stopping the bleeding. It was to no avail, as blood seeped out between his fingers, clouding his vision. The trident impaled his chest, his body shuddering.

BDoubleO100 was impaled by Drowned

"A drowned? But where- is he stuck at spawn island?" Doc quickly pieced it together and took off yet again.

Bdubs was on his hands and knees in the underwater room, his heart rate refusing to slow down. "I don't want to be stuck in a death loop," he muttered, tears dropping onto his hands. Slowly standing up, he trudged to the nether portal once more.

"Where is the island?" the hybrid muttered as he flew around. Landing back on the shore, he got in a boat and rowed towards where the island used to be. He spotted a couple drowned in the water and narrowed his eyes. As he shot them down, his communicator buzzed yet again.

BDoubleO100 was slain by Magma Cube

He gripped the oars and waited. He'll still spawn around here, right?

Bdubs' body was screaming for a break. He barely had enough energy to tread the water.

"Bdubs!" Doc cried out, happy to see his boyfriend.

The tired hermit turned around and smiled softly. "Hey," he murmured. The taller male reached a hand out, leaning over the side of the boat. The tan male's smile disappeared as his eyelids became heavy.

Doc reached over and grasped his arm, refusing to let his boyfriend sink under the water any further. He hauled him onto the boat, causing it to rock, and threw his lab coat over him. He wrapped his arms around him, hoping to stop his shaking. The autumn air nipped his bare torso, but it didn't matter.

"I'm here, it's fine. You're okay now, everything's okay," he murmured.

Bdubs sniffled, sinking into the hybrid's embrace. The darker brunette fished through his inventory and pulled out a golden carrot. "Can you eat this for me?" he softly asked.

"Not hungry," he muttered.

"I know, but you'll feel better," he insisted, pressing the carrot into his shaky hand.

As he began rowing them back to shore, the short builder nibbled at the carrot. "My stuff is still at Decked Out," he explained in between bites.

Stopping by the giant ravager head, the hybrid brunette helped the freckled male out of the boat. Still feeling tired, Bdubs leaned against him as they made their way down the stairs. Having just done a run himself, Cub was already at the bottom of the stairs with all of his stuff.

"Thanks," Doc said as he picked up the box.

"Have a good night, you two," Cub called after them. "I'll let the other hermits know he's okay,"

As they made the walk towards the nether portal, shrieks could be heard above them. Bdubs inhaled sharply and gripped the other's arm.

"I'll keep you safe," the taller hermit quietly promised.

When they walked through the portal, Doc placed a golden helmet on him for safety and gripped his hand.

"O-Oh, here," the short builder pulled off the lab coat and handed it back. Thanks to the heat of the nether, the ocean water was quick to evaporate off the coat. As the two approached Bdubs' portal, he slipped the now warm white coat back on.

"C'mon, let's get you to bed, you need the rest," the hybrid suggested, guiding him to his house.

"But what about our date?" Bdubs protested, perking up.

"That doesn't matter right now, what matters is that you get rest,"

"Our date does matter, Doc" he pouted. "Besides, we're just looking at the stars,"

"Are you sure? Because I don't want you to worry about phantoms and-"

The shorter brunette shrugged. "You'll just protect me, right?"

Immediately becoming flustered, he pressed his forehead against Bdubs'. "Of course,"

As the two sat on the cliff, a shared blanket draped over their shoulders, Bdubs' eyes sparkled as brightly as the stars above them. Lanterns were scattered around them to ward off monsters. With his eyes still glued to the sky, he felt an extra weight pressing into his shoulder. Peeling his gaze away from the dazzling scene, he blushed. Doc's head was resting on his shoulder and was studying the sky.

"Thanks again for making us dinner," he said softly, kissing his head.

"It was just some sandwiches and fruit, nothing special." He shrugged, sitting upright.

"Still I-"

A faint screech could be heard in the distance, causing the shorter boy to jump. Leaning down, the hybrid kissed his temple.

"Don't worry, I'm right here," he reminded him, squeezing his hand.

Relaxing, Bdubs sat back, leaning against his boyfriend. He felt arms wrap around his waist, and sunk into the embrace. The warmth of the male mixed with his chaotic evening lulled him to sleep.

Doc stared down at him, the corners of his mouth pulling down his expression. "I don't want to be alone," he thought out loud.

The freckled builder blinked. Did I hear that right? He thought. He leaned his head back, looking up at him. "You're not," he frowned.

"I-I know that." His face flushed and he looked away. I didn't realize he woke up. 

Bdubs sat up and turned around so he could face the hermit. "Then why did you say that?"

"It's not a big deal," he insisted.

Cupping his face, the shorter of the two furrowed his brow. "If you say so," he sat there for a moment, before kissing him. "Just remember that I love you, and always will," he added.

"But aren't you mad that I haven't been spending a lot of time with you?" he blurted out.

"What?"

"I-I've been gone for so long, that I've been so invested in catching up with you guys that I- we never get to spend any time together,"

"I'm not mad, no," he shrugged. "I get it. All that matters to me is that you're finally back." He leaned in, nuzzling the crook of Doc's neck.

Smiling, the tall brunette stroked the back of his head, tightening the blanket around them. He wanted to mention the mansion but concluded it wasn't his business. It doesn't matter where he lives, what matters is he loves me.