Hermitcraft Oneshots + Art

The Road (Grisuma + Bonus Sketch)

((You have NO IDEA how much I missed this fandom. This is to my homie who went on my message board and wanted Grisuma eons ago. This one is long so I hope someone out there loves it as much as I do qwq

Inspired by The Road by McCarthy
Ship: Grian X Xisuma (Apocalyptic AU)
Category: Mostly fluff, slow burn, hints of angst
Trigger warning: Mentions of starvation and suicide))

---

Everything was as blank and gray as a dead television screen. The water, the raining ash, the sky. Everything to be seen was a harrowing shade of various grays.

There was nothing left.

They constantly pass trees that do nothing but stand like charred poles. Dead and desolate trees, the remaining sign of remarkable life has been swept into the rigorous shades of death. The soot that trails across the highway scatters into nearby ditches and carries away in the water that drains out into fields.

The air was nearly dry and the only movement consisted of travelers, their breaths fluttering past their chapped lips, and the ash that tumbles in the frigid breeze.

Food is scarce and those who find suitable nutrients try to take it all. The unnecessary drama and fight for food, as well as the world without a single trace of color, made death seem like a paradise of permanent solitude.

Dreams of luxury and death's lullaby forces Xisuma to be constantly lured towards thoughts of suicide.

But Xisuma could not dare leave Grian, and that is the only remaining thing in this world keeping him alive. Grian meant the absolute world to him, even if it was in rubble, and Xisuma did not want to lose the only thing that mattered.

Such a beautiful beacon he was.

"I'm hungry..." Those words coming from Grian always startle Xisuma. He laces his arm around Grian's waist and pulls him towards the edge of the deserted highway. A protection mechanism, but he also does this to see how thin Grian really is.

Layers of clothes protect them from the elements and make them appear bigger than they actually are. If it weren't for the clothes protecting them, mainly Grian, people would perceive him as weak due to his starving state.

It scares Xisuma all the more.

"I think I have some diced tomatoes in a can," Xisuma says, hoping to perk up a smile on Grian's dusty lips. The ghost of a smile presents on Grian's face. Xisuma is unsure if he accomplished a small spark of happiness or not.

Regardless, they decided to head off the highway and into the abundance of dead, cracking poles of bark poking from the ground. The dead forest didn't provide the promise of protection, but it was safe enough to be hidden during the hours in which the starry quilt drapes over them.

Grian loved the nights, so Xisuma did too. They were brutal as the crisp air bit their exposed skin, but Grian found the beauty of the night sky as there was no trace of light pollution in the world.

It was truly a sight. It was a better sight for Xisuma to see Grian smile, or watch his mouth fall agape with a shimmer of admiration. Although he longed for Grian to look at him like that, seeing him light up with the sky was enough for Xisuma.

After much contemplation, they set their belongings down amongst the gritty, gloomy dirt to begin their short routine of setting up a substantial and temporary camp.

The remaining corners of a torn plastic tarp drapes along the strongest remaining branches. They would break branches, listening to their crackling to confirm it was dry enough for a fire, and toss it next to the blanket spread underneath the tarp.