Oneshots! (Mostly Hermitcraft)

Spring Prompt Challenge: April 6 - Umbrella [Xisuma]

 Rain cascaded down, bouncing off the rubber umbrella that kept him dry. He walked through the field, head down, watching only his feet as he trudged through the mud. The gooey, saturated dirt stuck to the bottom of his shoes, accumulating with every step. Gradually weighing his feet down.

 The only thing heavier than the clinging mud was the weight of the problems on his shoulders. Glitches, bugs, lag, they added to the pile of things to do. He didn't know how he had managed to keep up with it so far, adding base and farm building to the mix.

 Xisuma sighed, finally reaching the stairwell at the base of his main tower. He hadn't bothered to equip his elytra on his way home, preferring to walk through the jungle. He folded the umbrella and stashed it in the holder next to the door. Kicking off the mud on his shoes, Xisuma scaled the ladder to the pinnacle of his tower. He sat on the roof in the rain, trying to dodge the problems that assaulted him from every direction.

 Why did he even have an umbrella if he was just going to sit in the rain again? He simply kept dry until he arrived home, and then went and sat in the rain. What was the point anymore?

 I'm going to catch a cold. Did it really matter? He never failed to be there for the hermits, but would they help him if he needs it? He knows it's a silly question. Of course, they will. They always have. But a sliver of him doubts it.

 X removed his helmet, letting the downpour soak into his dark brown hair. He looked at his reflection in the visor, carefully examining the scars on his face. He remembers acutely where each of them is from.

 The creature's claw slashed across his face, barely missing his left eye. His scream of pain seemed almost disembodied from himself. It was so painfully loud and human. It cut into the monster's soul.

 He was able to hit it. Once. Twice. Nearly a third, with the stick he had picked up from the ground. Little eight-year-old him hadn't known that sticks tend to make things angrier. The creature had struck him again, cutting almost perpendicular to the first one. His howl was twice as loud, twice as pained, four times as haunting.

Xisuma gasped, coming out of the flashback. Lightning struck the horizon as the rain poured down even harder. Another one pressed in. He tried to stop it, but it kept flowing.

The house that he grew up in. There was a hole in the roof, and one of the walls caved in. He'd only been gone a few months. What could have happened? Was she still here? Was she still alive?

"Xenelis?" His teenage voice rang over the ruins. No answer. "Xen? Are you there?" Rocks shifted, falling and crushing each other. He saw a glimpse of red. Without hesitating, he ran over to look.

 Blood. Crimson, but slowly drying. It hadn't been there long. He pushed aside a boulder, getting more and more worried by the second. Nothing.

 Wait.

 Something.

 A piece of black cloth, waving from under where the roof had collapsed. Xisuma let out a choked sob. He frantically pushed at the boulder and thatch, but it was too heavy for his arms to lift. He collapsed at the site, straining to push it off.

 "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he whispers, over and over again. "I can't fix this. I can't get you out. You could already be dead. I want to save you. I will save you."

 Mustering his strength, he shoves upward again, throwing every bit of energy into moving the stone. The boulder budges ever so slightly, so he tries even harder. It moves a fraction of a centimeter before his hands slip and it crashes down again.

 "My young boy, what are you doing?" Xisuma froze at the sound of one of his teachers behind him. Throat clogged with tears, Xisuma gestured to the rock, miming what he thought had happened. The mentor nodded, understanding. He helped Xisuma roll the rock away, but there was nothing under it but more blood.

 His howl of grief was barely muffled by his teacher's warm embrace.

 Xisuma brushed away more tears, soaked to the bone. He rose and descended down the ladder again to the warm interior. He thought he heard footsteps behind him, but he was too tired to care. He sat down at the table, pulled up the admin screens, and began to work. The strings of letters and numbers swam before his eyes as he tried to focus on his task.

 "Hey, 'Suma?" A voice floated down the hallway.

 "Come in," X responded, before realizing his helmet was off. He jammed it on his head, hiding the scars again.

 Doc walked in, his robotic eye scanning the admin. "I was going to ask for help with figuring out a redstone project, but dude, you're soaked. Where've you been?"

 "Just on my roof," Xisuma responded, trying his best not to shiver.

 "Do you trust me, X?"

 "Yeah, course I do."

 "Will you take off your helmet? I want to make sure you aren't going to get sick."

 Xisuma hesitated. He reached up, fumbling slightly as he pulled the article off his head. His wet hair stuck to his forehead and cheeks. Doc shook his head. He grabbed the admin and put him over his shoulder. Xisuma protested as Doc put him onto his bed, bringing the covers up.

 "Stay put. No helmet or admin panels until you're better. Understand?"

 "I can't do that..." X slurred sleepily.

 "Why's that?" Doc asked sharply.

 "Server has bugs..."

 "Yeah, that can wait. Go to sleep."

 "Why...?"

 "You're sick. Honestly, Xisuma. You don't have to push yourself so hard. We all know how much work you put into the server, but you also need to care for yourself."

 "What if I don't want to sleep?"

 "I'll get Impulse. Tango and Zedaph will probably tag along."

 "Ok... I'll go to sleep now."

 With that, the admin fell asleep under the watchful eye of Doc. The creeper hybrid pulled out his communicator, shooting a message to the hermits to tell them the situation. When Xisuma woke up the next morning, still feeling a little sick, his bedroom had been decorated with flowers and birds. He's never been so grateful for the hermits before.

^-^

Woo hoo! Another one in the bag! Thank you, HermittpadRecap for the amazing prompt ideas. I am thoroughly enjoying myself here!

Anyways, tomorrow's Twoshot will probably be the last one for a bit, but I've been having fun here, so who knows?

Thank you all so, so much for the support.

Ight, I'm going to bed now. Definitely not a half-hour later than I said I'd stay up... Lol

Have a great day/night!
~Jade