mmm some good old Hels for the soul

because who doesn't love Hels?

this is a recent one shot as well

WARNING! This oneshot contains swearing and depictions of slight dissociation! If this topic makes you uncomfortable or causes you stress, I'd advise for you to not read this one shot, but it's your personal choice.

WC: 2k

Hels has been alone now for...how long?

He remembers that he started counting, scratching furious gouges in the nether brick walls of his base with his sword, leaving a bleeding reminder of each day he was without Ex. But he'd given up on that once his sword became chipped and dulled with use and Hels had to hack away at the bricks to make a cut deep enough in the wall. So he had let himself slip into the cold claws of a hazy, half-awake daze that carried him through most of his days, drifting in and out of sleep, eating when he needed to, generally just staying alive in case Ex came back. Would be a shame if he came back and I was a skeleton slumped against a wall, huh?

But he did feel like a skeleton slumped against the wall most of the time; it was hot in the nether, and with him being nearly constantly dehydrated, any sort of training would cause him to pass out after a few minutes. Highly inconvenient, since he had no idea if he wouldn't wake up. So he just sat, constantly sharpening his swords and arrows and daggers, obsessively keeping his armour shining and perfect, and he waited, long, dragging, hot days full of ash and bleary eyes staying open if only to see his friend again.

It was feeling a little pointless now, after an uncountable amount of days, and no sign of Ex ever returning. The Hermitcraft server remained running, although Hels had no idea what season they were in by now. He occasionally heard the whistling of an elytra and the firing of rockets jet past his fortress, but luckily, no one ever came in. He did remember, however, one time when he had seen Ex's wretched brother, Xisuma.

He'd been sharpening his sword, as he always would be, and he had heard a firework that sounded closer than normal. He'd leapt to his feet, creeping towards the sound, and seen Xisumavoid, standing in his glistening green armour, right in front of a broken bridge. A broken bridge that Hels knew happened to be right over a pit of lava.

It would have been too easy. It would have been a just revenge, for what he did to Ex and to me. But he didn't do it, because of Ex. Ex was highly attached to his brother, despite how often they fought, and Hels knew that Ex would go to the height limit and back for Xisuma.

Apparently, the same was not true in the opposite direction.

So Hels had merely scowled, putting all the force of his hatred into his glare, and then stalked back off to fume elsewhere, where Xisuma wouldn't find him. Who knows what Xisuma would have done to Hels if he had discovered that he was still alive.

That was a few weeks ago, and he hadn't seen anybody in quite some time, which is why when his communicator buzzes in his belt, he nearly stabs himself in the thigh with his sword. "What-" he says, brows creased, and he fumbles to pull his communicator from his pocket. His heart drops as he sees the message on his screen, letters reading out a username he hadn't seen for months.

[Xenicavoid] joined the game.

He lets out a choked gasp, shock bleeding through him. He's...how...after all this time? He's actually alive? He leaps to his feet, his second thought being, I need to get to him before Xisuma does. And so he races to his room, grabbing his neglected elytra from where it hung, dust-covered, for so many months. Pulling a handful of rockets out of a chest, he straps on his elytra and races out the door, praying that the elytra still works, and if he still knows how to fly it. Without any hesitation, he leaps off the broken bridge, his elytra catching the slight winds and letting him glide smoothly over the lava pools. Where was he last? he thinks anxiously, grabbing at loose ends in his memory. Over the void? No, Xisuma banished him from in his base... His thoughts, and his heart, come to a screeching halt as he sees a figure he would recognize anywhere stumbling along the nether floor, red and black armour glinting in the lava's light. "Xenica!" he cries, and then tucks into a tight dive, speeding towards the ex-admin. He pulls up at the last second, nearly crashing into a startled, disoriented Xenica.

Nothing seemed to be physically wrong with Xenica; he's still hot- muscular and fit, like he was before. At least Hels thought that until Xenica whipped towards him, eyes wide, and Hels' heart leapt into his throat.

One of his eyes is purely black, dark as void, like a starless, moonless sky, inky tears running down his cheek.

Xisuma is a dead man walking.

"Holy fuck, Xenica!" Hels exclaims, running towards the ex-admin. As Hels draws closer, he sees how dazed Ex's other eye looks. "H-Hels?" Xenica stammers, his voice raspy and broken sounding. Hels nods, chest rising and falling shakily in time with his hiccuping breaths. "Yes, yes, it's Hels," he says, eyeing the area around them nervously. "I- I'm sorry, we need to go. We can't be out in the open like this- your psycho brother will show up and kick my ass for still being here," he explains, noticing how Xenica's brows crease at the mention of his brother. But before Hels can offer Ex the extra elytra he has in his inventory, the sound of a rocket being fires startles both of them. "Shit, shit, shit," Hels sings nervously, grabbing his own rockets. "We gotta go!" He gets a running start, scoops up Ex in his arms, and fires them into the air, faltering a little before speeding towards Hels' base. He knows his face is on fire, and he can feel Ex's heart beating wildly next to his own, which doesn't help. He doesn't dare look back, but he can't hear any yells or shouting, which is a good sign.

He lands unevenly on the broken bridge, nearly falling over, but he manages to right them and set Ex down, hoping his face isn't too red anymore. "Okay, follow me," Hels pants, casting a wary look over his shoulder. Ex trails Hels as he leads Ex to the innermost room of the fortress, one that will be hard to find them in if Xisuma is looking for them. "We should be safe here," Hels says, closing the heavy crimson wood door behind them. Ex is sitting on the bench in the corner, looking dazed, and Hels feels himself smile a little. "Fuck, you're really back," he breathes, the gravity of what's happened finally settling over him. Ex presses a hand to his forehead, breathing heavily. "A-am I? It all feels fuzzy...where's the void?"

Hels' smile falls instantly and he rushes to go sit beside Ex, insisting, "Long gone, Xenica, you're here now. With me." Ex looks up at him, finally meeting his eyes, and laughs in disbelief. "Oh- really? You're here, this isn't another fever dream?" Hels, instead of replying, simply throws his arms around Ex, holding him as tight as he can. "Not a dream," he whispers, heart leaping as Ex hugs him back. "Not a dream," Ex repeats, pulling back. Hels feels his face light up red as Ex cups his face with his hands, close enough for Hels to see how Ex's normal eye shines with unshed tears; the first time Hels has ever seen Ex cry. And then Ex leans forwards, seemingly in slow motion, and presses their lips together.

Now Hels isn't sure if he's dreaming or not.

Pushing past his shock, he pulls Ex closer by his waist and kisses back, heart beating double-time in his chest. Ex pushes Hels until the nether knight's back is pressed up against the wall, and Hels smiles and in retaliation, pulls Ex up onto his lap. The ex-admin pulls away with a yelp, his face bright red, and Hels laughs. "Welcome back, Xenica," he breathes, and Ex smiles. "If this is a fever dream, I will fucking die," he laughs, but Hels can hear something bitterly sad in his voice. "It's not, I promise," Hels says, pressing a kiss to Ex's forehead, and the ex-admin snorts. "So sentimental, jeez," he jokes, and Hels rolls his eyes, grabs the back of Ex's head, and pulls him back into another kiss.

And then the door bangs open with seemingly inhuman force.

Hels and Ex pull apart as if the other's lips have turned to fire, and they both whip towards the door, where an equally shocked Xisuma stands, with Wels and Doc in tow. No one says anything; in fact no one moves, until Hels chuckles awkwardly and says, "Uh...he's back?"

Xisuma blinks a couple times, before turning to Wels, who sighs heavily. "Why did I see this coming," he deadpans, fixing Hels with his icy blue stare. Hels shrugs. "Because I'm not subtle?" he suggests, and Wels scoffs softly, saying, "No, you are definitely not."

Ex leaps up and sprints towards Xisuma, who gasps as his brother envelopes him in a hug. Hels bristles, standing up and grabbing his sword, but then backs down when Xisuma hugs him back tightly, a tear slipping down his face. "Xenica," he whispers, cradling the back of his brother's head as if the ex-admin was going to disappear at any moment. "I'm so sorry."

Ex says nothing; he just hugs Xisuma tighter, and the admin looks up at Hels with a teary-eyed smile. Hels is stunned into giving a small grin back, to which Xisuma mouths, "Thank you."

"...Should we leave? I feel like we should leave-" Wels says, motioning to his brother, and Hels nods quickly. "Yeah, yeah, bye Ex and Xisuma!" he says awkwardly, waving to them as Wels ushers Hels and Doc out the door, leaving the two brothers alone. Hels closes the door behind them, sighing, and then his eyebrows shoot up as he sees the look that Doc and Wels are giving him. "Wh- what?" he asks, already sort of knowing the answer, his face going hot. "I'm not even gonna say anything," Doc says dismissively, pulling out his fireworks. "Tell Xisuma to message if he needs me." And with that, the creeper hybrid walks away, the firing of his rockets echoing down the hallways as he takes off. Which leaves just Hels and Wels alone.

"Real classy," Wels chuckles, slapping his brother on the shoulder. "Making out with him when he just got back from the void." Hels blushes furiously and replies hotheadedly, "Uh, no, it was him making out with me." Wels scoffs, lifting his eyebrows in a way that makes Hels want to rip them right off of his face. "Really? Because that looked like a joint effort to me," he says wryly, and Hels groans, dragging a hand down his face. "Just leave it," he pleads, and Wels laughs. "Now you know how I felt when you wouldn't stop commenting on me and Jevin." Hels smirks, and says, "Do you want me to bring that back up?" Wels quickly shakes his head, and Hels snorts. "Then I believe we've reached a stalemate, huh?" he declares, and Wels claps him on the shoulder again. "Yep. Good job, mate." And then he turns to walk off down the hallways, leaving Hels a blushing, confused mess. "Wh- good job? What does that mean?" he says, and the only response he gets is Wels' laughter echoing down the hall. "WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" he shouts.

He sighs, sitting down outside the door. He can hear Ex and Xisuma talking inside, but he doesn't eavesdrop; he has a feeling this is a conversation he's not supposed to hear. So he sits outside, and as he waits, what has happened in the past twenty minutes starts to catch up with him, and he laughs. In less than half an hour, he's reunited with his best friend, made out with his "best friend", and sort of came out to four people.

"Some weird fuckin' fever dream," he chuckles, smiling to himself.

I feel like this should have been angstier but I don't like writing angst only funny stuff so you're getting funny hahas /nm

remember to drink your water and that'll be all from me!