Hermitcraft x Reader

Cub - Oneshot - Come Home

Contains: Spooky setting, fluff
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Rain pummels the small umbrella you hold over your head.
You've somehow managed to not get entirely soaked through, which is what you'd expected.
That's the one thing you're grateful for right now.

Hurriedly, you make your way towards the museum.
You hadn't wanted to go out today, not in this weather, but an emergency tip had made up your mind.

The tip concerned your partner, who you haven't seen in some time.
He's been busy collecting things to go in the museum. You know better than to distract him from projects.

The two of you have still been speaking through your communicators, but from the sounds of things Cub has been hiding from you.

As you reach the bottom steps of the museum thunder cracks nearby.
You roll your eyes.
Timing.

You climb the stairs and put down your umbrella before pushing open the door.
Inside it's as dark as it is outside, only lit by candles.

That makes sense given so much of the power is down, but it's quite the shift from the only other time you've been in the museum.

You're used to the bright lights, the way all the displays are spotlighted.
The large windows flooding the rooms with sunlight.
Today those are not an option.

You carefully make your way around the museum, not wanting to break anything valuable in the dark.
"Cub?" You call into the darkness, hoping he will find you first.

You're slow moving around, every crack of thunder makes you feel more tense.
The candles really don't do a good job of lighting your way, but you do notice a small trail of skulk on the floor.
It glitters in the darkness, lighting a path for you to follow.

You don't know where it goes, but nothing else is highlighted.
It's all you have to go off of.

Through the cracks of thunder you swear you hear footsteps.
"Cub?" You call again.
Silence.
Then thunder.

Every fiber of your being at this point is tense. Every step you take cautious.
You move as silently as you can, not wanting to disturb whatever you can hear moving in the dark.

You get the feeling you're not moving quite silently enough.
You stop, so do the other set of footsteps.
A clap of thunder goes off somewhere nearby, followed shortly by a purple flash.

The extra light doesn't last long, but it illuminates a silhouette near the window.
"Cub?" You try again, creeping that way.

As you get closer you see the figure.
An armour stand.
Your muscles relax, allowing you to let out a breath you didn't realise you were holding.

Your attention turns back to the glittering trail of skulk which leads you further into the museum.

The footsteps continue, you think it must be an echo. When you stop they stop, so that must be it.
You wouldn't think with all the items in the museum that it would echo, but hey, what other option is there?
Well.. you'd rather not think about that.

The rain seems to somehow be coming down even harder outside, the volume having increased significantly.
The thunder is louder too. The storm must be right overhead now.

At this point you're unsure how far into the museum you are, what you've passed. All Your bearings are gone save for the skulk.

There is more of it now, not just one small trail but numerous that keep melting into one another.

You follow them into what seems to be a hallway, there are trails coming from illuminated rooms either side of you.
This room also has no windows, and it's too dark to see what's on the walls.

Following the skulk it takes you to a door on the far left.
The door is ajar, you can see the room is pitch black.
Or rather you know it is because you can't see anything.

In a moment of genius you move into the room across from the dark one and take a lit candle and it's holder as to not burn your hands.
Moving back into the hall you see the art now, it's possibly the least spooky thing you can think of.
Hot guy merch as far as you can see.

You just shake your head and push into the darkness of the room.

There is skulk everywhere, so much of it that you can see the outline of the desk and the chair that sit in the center.
"Cub?" You try once again.

The door closes behind you, the sudden movement in air flow managing to put out your only source of light.

You can feel yourself starting to panic, footsteps that definitely are not yours nor are echos of yours.
Your heart races.

You see something come into view.
It's skulk, that you're sure of.
But you can't make out the shape.
You have no idea what it is you're looking at.

"Are you there Cub?" You ask the darkness.
"I'm here." He finally replies.

You're relived to know you're here with him.
The sound of his voice relaxes you tremendously. You've missed it.

"Can I see you?"
"No." His response is instant. "I don't want you to see me like this." You frown, not that he can see it.

"Why not?"
"There was an accident. I'm not the same now. I'll scare you away." You can hear the sadness in his voice, you can feel it in yourself as well.

"Cub," your voice is soft, sympathetic almost, but loving, "there is no change that could happen to you that would scare me away. I married you for a reason."
"Not for this."

"Show me, please." Cub sighs at your request. He's still soft for you, he always has been.

A spark, then a flame as he lights a single candle before you.
In the low light you can still see him as he is.
You realise quickly that the skulk shape that you saw moving in the dark is actually a part of Cub, where the substance has taken over his body.

"It started some time ago, just a small patch I could cover, but it grew. Xisuma and I worked on a cure as it got worse and it worked. Unfortunately we haven't found a way to reverse it." He doesn't look at you, not even near you.

You study him, other than the skulk on his skin he still looks like your Cub, sounds like him.
"This is why you've not come home." You say quietly. He nods.
"I didn't know if you'd still love me like this. I didn't want to return until we found a way to return me to normal."

"And if that had never happened?" You ask. He shakes his head.
"That wasn't an option." Losing you, to him, was not an option. It never was.
He'd have come back eventually, although you wish he hadn't gone in the first place.

The silence between the two of you is comforting, just being in each others presence enough to keep you both relaxed as thunder rumbles through the building.
You know what you want, the same thing you have wanted for ages now.

"I miss having the man I married in my life. Will you come home?" You ask Cub quietly.
He doesn't answer you straight away, he doesn't even look entirely sure he should be considering it.

You know you'll respect his answer regardless. If he chooses to stay here then you'll just have to come see him often, no matter how much you don't want that to happen, it's possible it will.

He sighs deeply, finally bringing himself to look you in the eye.
"I'll come home."