Why couldn't a civil conversation stay a civil conversation? Why couldn't his brother have been just a little bit better? Why did things always need to be this difficult?

These were the thoughts that passed him by as he held his head in his hands, furrowing his brows in disappointment. Xisuma sighed, loud and exasperated, trying his best to handle the situation with a presence of mind. But EX wasn't making this easy. Far from it.

The two were in the admin's base, seated across a table from one another. It was the only thing now that stood between them and things going horribly, horribly wrong.

"You- you can't he serious- why are you hampering the Hermits' work? Don't you make my life miserable enough, as is?!" he yelled, unlike anything he would ever say to anyone. However, he was starting to get tired of being so patient. The last time he had been patient, a large church of the server had been lost. Destroyed. Dessamated. He couldn't afford to make the same mistakes.

EX, however, stood his ground as expected. "I'm sorry, but you were the one that told me to try to 'socialise'." he scowled, with a distaste in his tone. "I'm sorry I scared Mumbo off. But I don't look that repulsive, do I?"

"EX, that is not the point!" Xisuma responded, raising his voice enough to make the other flinch. "You are terrorising my hermits! It's only a matter of time before you start to destroy the darn place!"

The red-clad man stared with widened eyes, almost taken aback. "Brother- you know I would never-"

Slamming his hands down on the table, Xisuma could have silenced the entire jungle. "QUIET!"

Undoubtedly, it silenced EX as well. Maybe even scared him, too. But it was hard to tell, for his helmet covered up a vast majority of his face, and made him incredibly hard to read. It didn't help that he was about as stoic as his brother, if he wasn't enraged by something else.

"You never listen to anything! You are impossible, y'know. You make everything so difficult!" Xisuma yelled in one long breath, pausing for only a moment before continuing. "I shouldn't have brought you back. I should have left you for dead."

EX laughed bitterly, daring to stare directly into his brother's eyes. "You and I are exactly the same! If it weren't for those hermits, you would have been as pathetic-"

He never got to finish.

Xisuma felt his hand shake as he stared down at his brother, who was now on the floor, holding his head in his hands. EX held the position for a moment, before looking up at his brother with an angered, more bitter scowl. His helmet was dented inwards where his left cheek should have been. His eyes flashed many, many different kinds of hurt.

Ex froze for a second, shocked by the flash of pain that had erupted, before he felt tears fill up his eyes. Anger burst out of him like a wave. "WHY DO I EVEN TRY WITH YOU?"

He advanced X, scaring him a bit as his eyes burned hot, red fire. "I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING! EVERY SINGLE THING TO MAKE YOU HAPPY!"

His body shook with conviction as X cowered in his chair. "IT'S ALWAYS YOU YOU YOU YOU YOU!"

"I-I JUST-" The fire in his eyes suddenly vanished, being doused by sadness.

"I just want you to be proud of me..."

And, to X's astonishment, sobs erupted out of Ex's chest, and his limbs became like putty as he shrunk away, falling to his knees. Tears and snot ran down his face in a downpour as empty sobs wracked his body. He looked so small, weak, and vulnerable, cradling his arms close to his chest. Sob after sob erupted out of his chest, each choked and strangled.

And suddenly,

Ex was just his little brother again, sitting helplessly outside of his bedroom door, knees all scuffed up from falling in the street.

This time though, the pain was no outside force X couldn't control, no. If he thought that, he would have been lying to himself. No, this was caused by him. Only he could help his brother, his little brother.

Xisuma crouched down beside the younger, watching as the other whimpered as he drew near, flinching away from his hand.

"G-go away."

Xisuma felt his heart break at the sight of Ex in front of him. His normally confident and troublemaking sibling, reduced to ashes before him from a few hurtful words. Xisuma pushed himself closer to the other, wrapping an arm around him slowly, just letting the other cry.

How had Xisuma never realized how much Ex had been damaged by his words. When had been the last time he had told his brother I love you..?

"Ex?"

No response came from the small ball that Ex had curled himself up to, like he was protecting himself.

Both of them knew who he was protecting himself from.

"Ex?"

He let out a small whimper, slowly turning away. Xisuma pulled the other closer though.

"I'm sorry."

And with those 2 words, a thousand words that should've been spoken were said. A thousand moments missed, a thousand apologies, a thousand missed hugs were filled.

Because that was all it took.

EX finally began to lean into his brother, crying silently as he accepted the long-awaited apology. They had both been forgiven.

"I love you. And you make me so proud to be a Void brother every single day."

Score: 11 (Spectator Favourite)