Oneshots! (Mostly Hermitcraft)

Why the helmet? [Joel]

Febuwhump Day 19: "Please Don't" ft. human!Joel
Requested by PacificExists

Summary:
Xisuma doesn't take off his helmet. Joel wants to know why.

TWs: none

If there was one person's face the hermits hadn't seen, it was Xisuma's. He wasn't the only masked hermit – Etho kept up his Naruto cosplay religiously – but he was the only one who, as far as the hermits were concerned, never took it off. It didn't matter where they were or what they were doing: X always had his helmet on. Rain or shine, night or day, Xisuma kept it on.

There were plenty of opportunities for him to do so, and the hermits made it clear to him that they would never judge him by his appearance, but he still refused. Naturally, they resorted to subtler ways – their curiosity was getting the better of them – but he still managed to keep it on. No matter where they were or what they were doing, Xisuma never took it off. If they were swimming, he had a feature that allowed him to participate without taking it off. If they had a meal together, he packed a to-go box and made conversation while watching the others eat. Any time a hermit needed reassurance, he would smile at them, the corners of his eyes crinkling behind the visor, and give them a hug.

Naturally, the hermits had their inferences about why he wore the helmet and armour. Some said he just liked the aesthetic, while others said it might have something to do with insecurities about his face. Joe had the strangest reason: he maintained the Xisuma was a possessed suit of armour that just happened to be British. All the guesses made Xisuma grin wryly, then he would neither confirm nor deny their hypotheses.

Eventually, Joel decided he couldn't take it anymore. Hermitcraft had been running for what, twelve years? And Xisuma hadn't shown his face once. The Admin was an enigma, and he was determined to figure him out.

Step one: asking. Politely.

"Xisumaaa!" he called, landing in the ruined monument and deactivating his elytra. "Xisuma, Xisuma, Xisumaxisumaxisumaxisuma!"

"Oh, hey Joel!" the Admin responded, appearing from beneath his storage system. His armour had a few smears of red on it, most likely from the redstone he was putting away into his inventory. "What can I do for you, my friend?"

"Your base is looking cool!" Xisuma nodded gratefully, dusting off his hands. "I have a question for you, though."

Xisuma appeared to raise an eyebrow, although the glare from the sun made it difficult to see through his visor. "Ask away," he invited.

"How come no one's seen your face?" The Admin stiffened and he turned away slightly, looking off into the distance. "Sorry, that was rather blunt, wasn't it?"

"I– no, you're fine," X said, rubbing his arm with one hand. "I have my reasons."

"What type of reasons?"

"Background reasons." He shrugged, then released the tension in his shoulders, shaking his arms out by his sides.

"Okay," Joel said slowly. "What sort of background? Do you have, like, a secret identity? Do you have superpowers, and you just don't want us to know? Superhero on a different server?"

Xisuma laughed, holding up his hands. "No, no, I'm just your ordinary Admin. I don't have anything outside of my Admin training."

"Then... does it have something to do with your face?" Joel squinted at him, trying to search his eyes for the truth.

Xisuma's face seemed to darken and he looked away, his fingers fidgeting. Joel tilted his head to the side, unsure about how to interpret his expression.

"Please don't," Xisuma said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Joel asked, bouncing with anticipation.

"Just don't," Xisuma said.

Joel froze as he watched the Admin turn away, watching him face the horizon and cross his arms. He sighed and looked away. "Sorry," he said, "I'll leave you be for now."

"Thanks," was all Xisuma said before returning to his redstone. Joel made a small, sad noise, then walked away, determined to come up with something to make it up to him.

^-^

Hi all, sorry for the short one. I kinda set you up there, lol

Losing motivation, but that's okay because there are actually quite a few coming up that I'm really excited for. Just gotta get through this round of writer's block (and finals, ew) first.