Hermitcraft Stuff I Guess

Nightmare (oneshot)

Ship: Platonic Joedoc
Tw: crying, blood, minor alcohol usage
Au: none
Around 1370 words

Sorry this one took so long, school has been kicking my ass lately. I only have a few more days left!

Their smiles surrounded him. Doc was walking around a packed shopping district. It was a dark and cloudy day, yet everyone was manning their stores. Doc was the only one on the paths. As he passed by the hermits, they grinned and waved, silently begging him to spend his diamonds. He went past Beef in his record shop, Etho selling ice, and even Zedaph at his zoucher store. Every step pained him more and more. Seeing his friends' faces fall squeezed his heart tighter and tighter. Still, he never stopped.

He seemed to be walking forever. Shop after shop. Friend after friend. No matter what he passed, he kept going. That was until he reached LLAMB. He felt his body get pulled into the store's almost gravitational field. Doc was not shocked to find his buddy, Keralis, but he was surprised to see him kneeling on the ground, silently sobbing into his hands. The man's glasses were laying on the ground, crushed and shattered, utterly useless. Doc wanted to say something, but he found himself frozen as the swede slowly turned his head towards him. He looked like everyday Keralis, but his eyes were wrong. So, so wrong. They were bright red. Not just the irises, but the whole eye. It was horrifying. His tears were bloody and his face was contorted with anger.

"You! This is your fault, you traitor!" He was taken aback.

"Keralis? What are you talking about?"

"This! All of this! Do you not see what's happening around you?" Doc glanced back at where he was walking, only to break his heart. Every building was abandoned and ruined. They were crumbling and filthy, and his friends weren't any better. They were miserable as they stood before him. Their eyes were similar to Keralis's, including the crimson tears that poured down their cheeks. He took a step forward, only for them to stare at him in disgust and anger. In retaliation, some moved back, others used themselves as shields, and Xisuma even pulled his business partner away from Doc. These people he's known for years were treating him like a disease.

"Please." He sounded weak and pathetic. "Grian! Cleo! Bdubs! Anyone. I'm so sorry, I don't know what I did." They turned away. At this point, he was shaking uncontrollably and fell to the ground. There was nothing he could do. Xisuma was the only one who could stand to even look at him. His helmet lit up with commands. He typed something in that only he and Doc could read.

"/ban DocM77"

Doc shot up in his bed. His eyes darted around his pink room, relief washing over him when he realized that it was just a nightmare. Not wanting to be awake, he lied back down and shut his eye. He could finally sleep. Or so he thought.

Doc tossed and turned, yet all he could think about was the bloody faces of his friends. There was no way he would be able to sleep with those thoughts. He sighed and stared at the ceiling. Tears started to flow down his face onto his pillows. He didn't know why he was crying, it was just a stupid dream. A stupid dream that felt very plausible. Shaking his head, Doc rolled to his side and checked his communicator. Only one person was online. Joe. He wasn't in the dream. A thought went through Doc's head. He tapped away on his screen and sent a carefully crafted private message to the southerner. A message so persuasive and inspirational that he would have no choice but to respond.

Document: you up?

JoeMountains: lol yeah

JoeMountains: why?

Document: just feeling lonely

JoeMountains: do you wanna come to the winery so we can talj

JoeMountains: talk*

Document: yea

Document: ill be over in 5

And he was. Doc got out of bed and slipped on a plain white shirt. He went to check the mirror to make sure his hair wasn't too messy, but the only thing about his reflection he could look at was his red eye. The same shade of the ones in his dream. He frowned and looked away. Joe wouldn't mind if his hair wasn't perfectly put into place. Joe just wanted to talk. That's all he wanted. Doc put on a pair of sandals and walked out of his half mansion.

The walk to the winery wasn't that long, so he got there in just a few minutes. The damp grass made him a bit uncomfortable, but it was better than thinking about that again. He stepped up to the front entrance and gave a swift knock. Joe opened it almost instantaneously and gave the german a wide smile. It was comforting to see someone giving him a genuine smile. Someone with no red eyes, too. He was dragged inside and gave a small chuckle at his friend's caffeinated personality. The bittersweet smell of wine filled the air and Doc felt at home. He was led to a side room and sat at a table with Joe on the other end.

"So, why are you really up?" His eyes showed his fear, but he was pretty decent at bluffing.

"You know, I just couldn't sleep."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna believe that. I know something is wrong, so there's no reason to hide it." Doc sighed.

"I had a nightmare," he mumbled. He never had dreams and the only ones he remembered were never talked about.

"Oh. Would explaining what happened make you feel better?"

"Maybe. It's really embarrassing, though."

"No judgement here. Do you want me to go first?" He got a nod in return. "I don't typically have lots of nightmares, but I do have a recurring one. Basically, I am sitting on a battlefield and I'm holding a friend in my arms. They stare at me and start mumbling about how much I cared for them and helped them. Then, they give me one last smile as the colour fades from their face and their eyes become glassy. They dissolve into sand and get blown away. It's super emotional and I cry everytime I dream it."

"That's so rough. Who's the person you see the most?"

"It was usually Cleo. I try to call after the dream to check up on whoever was in it and she noticed that I messaged her a lot in the middle of the night, so she asked why. I told her and she laughed it off, reminding me that she's already dead." Doc felt himself ease up. Joe's voice was relaxing and he was so tired. He wishes he could fall asleep then and there, but he couldn't stop thinking. Talking would help him.

"I had this dream where I was walking around the shopping district. Everyone was happy sitting at their stores, but I didn't stop to talk to any of them. I made it to Lookie Lookie At My Bookie and Keralis was there. He had bright red eyes and his glasses were broken on the floor. He started yelling at me so I turned around to see that the district was in shambles. All of the server was staring at me with the same red eyes and they backed away from me. X typed something into his helmet and banned me. Then, I woke up."

"Dang, I'm so sorry to hear that. Would you maybe like a glass of wine to calm your nerves?"

"Yeah. Just one, though." Joe left the room. Doc was alone again. His finger tapped impatiently on the wooden table. Joe was probably going to leave him. Doc scared him into leaving. He chewed at his lip. That's what he did. He scared Joe. He could have handled the nightmare by himself, but now Joe hated him. He groaned and placed his head in his hands as his face crumpled into one of stress and worry.

Before anymore thoughts could consume him, Joe stepped in with two glasses of wine, one for himself and one for his friend. He set one down and smiled. Doc grabbed it and took a sip. Joe looked at him. His face was kind and soft, loving in a way. His brown hair brushed past his glasses that protected blue eyes and laugh lines. The occasional freckle or blemish made itself noticeable, but nothing ruined the comforting sight. Doc was okay.

"Thank you, Joe. I really needed someone today."

"I'm glad I could be that someone."

I kind of rushed the ending, but I don't hate it. Stay safe!