(Sewerslide, kinda gore but not really?, but everything gets better! Or not....)

If nobody was going to test out the permadeath theory, than Jimmy was going to test it himself.

The room was empty aside from himself. He had slipped out of the blankets and went to the cabinets and bags full of medical equipment. He knew that he had to be quick at looking but he eventually found what he needed.

He hesitated however when he saw the surgical blade.

It was pointed at his wrists, digging slightly into it. Jimmy couldn't help but think of the cottage and Scott. He loved Scott with all his heart, is he really willing to let himself go?

But if he doesn't permadeath, than he can participate in the competition again.

So without thinking, he slashed.

---

His eyes opened, everything was still blurry but it was a good sign that he had lived.

Sitting up carefully, he hissed at the sting of his wrists as they regenerated. Maybe this would work.

Despite still healing and against his better judgment, Jimmy put the knife towards his eye. Maybe if he stabbed it, he could regenerate his eyes somehow. He had remembered the medics told him about that but they weren't willing to try. Jimmy was fine with the experiment.

He pushed the knife further and twisted it into his eye until everything went black.

---

Again, he woke up shakily, eye stinging as it tried its best to heal. He was drenched in blood at this point. Tears mixed with the scarlet coated his cheeks in rivers.

He didn't even realize that the knife had gotten close to his other eye until he barely heard a gasp and a hand clenching his, pulling it back.

"Oh... why!" Stress yelled, eventually gathering all her strength to pull the knife out of his hand.

Jimmy passed out after that.

---

The next time he woke up, one of his eyes was black.

He panicked for a second, trying to pull at it until a hand carefully brought his back. Jimmy realized there was a bandage over his eye.

He blinked, looking at the hand holding his. He saw a face he barely recognized. Jimmy felt as if he knew everything about this man but at the same time, he had only met him briefly.

"Jimmy," Joel said comfortingly. He had bags under his eyes as if he stayed up all night. Jimmy selfishly wondered if he stayed up worrying about him.

The door burst open and Jimmy instantly recognized the storming figure coming towards him.

"... idiot!" Scott yelled, stomping his way in. He grabbed Jimmy harshly, forcing him to look the angry man in the face. "Do.... worried I...! You.... into permadeath!" He shouted, shaking Jimmy slightly. That anger soon melted away and Scott pulled Jimmy into a hug. "I love.... idiot... don't do.....again, alright?" Scott begged, squeezing Jimmy tightly. Scott finally noticed Joel sitting there. He sat back quickly and his face was slightly flushed in embarrassment. "Joel.... doing here?" He asked after composing himself.

Joel gave him a soft smile. "I.... visit Grian.... Doc and Stress.... calm him... was here when it...." He explained before standing up.

His eyes lingered on Jimmy's for a second and his smile twitched before he walked out of the room.

Scott immediately held onto Jimmy again.

"Scott, I'm fine." He assured, mumbling in the cyan haired man's shirt.

Scott raised a brow before glaring, ready to speak again when he was interrupted.

In walked Stress and Doc.

---

Stress immediately took notice, seeing that Joel was out of the room and Scott had replaced him. She was glad that someone was watching the young man.

Doc had taken the time to explain everything and she couldn't help but sigh in sympathy. It was upsetting to hear what Jimmy had to go through as a young kid and that both his siblings practically abandoned him.

Her hands gripped the box that she held.

"Good evening," Doc greeted, striding into the room. His bionical eye was looking everywhere, scanning everything in sight. It lingered on Jimmy's face.

Stress unfroze, walking away from the doorway and sitting in one of the spinning rolling chairs. "We got a present, love." She said, holding up the box despite her tone coming out flatter than normal. She knew that Jimmy would likely not hear everything they were saying but she didn't care. It was more so to calm herself.

"Look, a present, Jim." Scott said, pointing to the box in case if he had missed it.

"I know this isn't much of a traditional present but it means just as much. It had just arrived last night." Stress had to send the all the reports she had collected in order for a foreign lab to create the finished project. She opened up the box, right on the side of Jimmy bed and pulled out the tan hearing aids.

Jimmy's eyes widened at the sight of them, looking from everybody in the room back to the contents of the box. "For me?" He whispered, almost in disbelief.

"Yup! Just for you!" Stress could feel a majority of her, well, stress go away after that little declaration. Jimmy looked so excited and happy, better than he had ever since he had come to Hermitcraft for treatment. She pulled them out carefully and helped situate them in his ears. "You can do the honors and flip them on."

Jimmy lifted both hands to his ears.

---

With a flick, sound was being speakered into the aids. Jimmy could hear light beepings of machines, the way that Doc's bionical units twitched and the sound of ragged breathing.

His breathing, he realized.

He had started crying.

"Oh my god, I can hear!" He whispered in amazement, brushing away tears from his uncovered eye. He could feel the twitch of his lips and could vaguely see everyone else's doing the same.

"How much can... hear?" Doc asked, much clearer than Jimmy had heard in awhile.

"A lot more, thanks to you guys!" He thanked, grateful tears rolling down his face. The two medics gave him a smile before the room dampened back up.

"We need to talk... last night." Stress said, trying not to let a frown overtake her features. Jimmy nodded his head, it was understandable, he had killed himself a few times.

"You know... before we talk, let's check out... eye." Doc said, breaking the conversation. He rose and he gently unwrapped the bandage off of Jimmy's eye. He was careful and his hands were steady as they moved. Unwrapping down until he finally pulled it off.

Jimmy blinked. It slightly stung but he knew it was still taking time to regenerate. But... he could see a lot clearer than he had before. It wasn't completely back but it was better, just like his hearing.

A light flashed in his eyes and he was told to follow it with broken instructions. If Jimmy squinted, he could see a lot better.

"So?" Doc asked, taking a step back and clicking the light off.

"I can see better out of it. Not 100 percent but definitely an improvement." He said, looking at the medics.

Doc hummed before reaching over to Stress. She handed him one of the books that Jimmy had been practicing with. "Okay, without using braille... want you to read this." Jimmy held it and looked over the pages. It still looked majorly messed up to him. Everything was swimming and he still had no clue if they were actual words. For all he knew, it could have been a prank.

"Looks the same as before." Jimmy said with a shrug, handing it back.

"Okay, eye closed and try." Doc tried again, forcing Jimmy to hold it again.

With his better eye, he looked down at the book. He could vaguely recognize letters but even then, they were swimming too much for him to read. He couldn't look any longer before getting a headache.

"No, not really." Doc nodded his head in understanding, taking the book back.

"Well, it looks.... you still have to.... braille but no more sign language is.... for you to communicate. Besides what had.... last night, you are pretty much free to go." Jimmy's eyes widened. He could go home? He wanted to desperately cuddle with Scott in their cottage in the cove, sleeping all day without a care in the world.

That illusion was broken by the man in question;

Scott.

---

Scott felt hurt.

He didn't want Jimmy to go back to 3rd Life so soon, he was vulnerable and it was so dangerous. He didn't want to watch Jimmy die yet again.

"But it's too dangerous." Scott argued, everyone in the room looked to him.

"But technically I can play, I didn't permanently die." Jimmy argued back. His brows were furrowed as he looked at Scott's face.

Stress and Doc gave each other a look.

"We agree that it is dangerous at the moment but I suggest a month or so break once you return back to 3rd life." Doc explained, Stress nodding her head in agreement. "It will give you time to rest and relax a bit before the competition continues. Grian will immediately agree to the plan and there is no use arguing with Jimmy, it is his choice after all." Scott looked back to Jimmy seing the frown on his face.

"Why did you kill yourself?" He whispered. The room fell into a brief silence. All occupants looked toward Jimmy, watching as he opened his mouth over and over, trying to think of a way to explain.

"I wanted to prove that permadeath wouldn't get me. I wanted to return back to 3rd Life, it will be safe if I don't permanently die." Scott's jaw locked. Jimmy sounded so upset about the notion of not going back. He even went to lengths of killing himself despite the threat of permadeath at his side.

Scott eventually nodded his head. "Fine, but we definitely need a break."

It was all worth it for the lopsided smile that Jimmy wore.

---

"Definitely a few month break is needed." Doc suggested, Grian nodded his head slowly.

"Yeah, I was going to try and fix the code, see why it happened. I'm going to be talking to other admins about it to try and get an idea. It may take longer than a few months."

Doc nodded his head in understanding. "Take as much time as you need, we don't need this happening again."

The medic turned to leave the mansion before a thought creeped into his mind.

"Have you seen Jimmy in awhile?"

Grian tilted his head. "Which one?"

Doc paused. What was he supposed to say about that? "Your brother."

Grian shook his head. "Nope, he hasn't returned from the Elven kingdom with Scott." Doc watched as the gears turned in the architect's mind. "Scott... Timmy..." he muttered softly. He looked up at Doc, face becoming pale.

"Doc- did I permanently screw up my baby brother?"

(Oh no, what will happen next? (Honestly I have no clue either lmao) also its 5 am help i should be sleeping right now but i really wanted to write another chapter oof)