Cruel but Gentle - Herobrine X Steve

Chapter 25

"If Steven awakes before I return, please ensure he does not leave the bed, Alexandra." The ginger human in question nodded. "And it might be wise to wait for him to react to your presence first; I'm not certain how he will respond."

"I won't let you down, Lord Notch." Alex assured before facing Steve (who was lying unconscious on the hospital bed...but alive, very much alive).

Dusky was standing with her front paws on the bed and watching her human with anxious hope. The poor dog had been through more than enough. First her owner gets kidnapped, then she lost all sight in her right eye and then said owner died by the hands of the god who had kidnapped him. Notch couldn't help but admire the canine's will to save Steve.

"I shall try to be back as soon as I can." The god promised before teleporting in front of his brother's castle in the Nether.

The sudden shift of the atmosphere and temperature would always catch Notch off guard. He didn't need to breathe to live, however the thick smoke of the Nether's many fires filtered though his lungs uncomfortably. He definitely preferred the Overworld. The thick smoke forcefully pushed its way into his mouth, his body trying to adapt to the sudden change. Notch had to stand still for a moment, waiting for his nausea to subside.

The god didn't dare teleport in without warning. He didn't want Herobrine to see him as a threat and attack him. Instead, he knocked three times on the huge doors of the castle's front, each of the knocks was firm and echoed from inside the building.

He waited for an answer, but none came. Notch tried once more, aiming to knock a little louder this time. The god knew his brother probably didn't wish to see him (the mere thought of this truth caused a pang in his heart) but Herobrine had been destroyed over the death of the mortal who he loved, especially since he was the cause of said death. Herobrine needed to know that Steve would be awake soon.

"Brother?" Notch tried after his third attempt presented the same result as the first two. "I only wish to talk, I come alone."

For a tense moment, silence was his only answer. Relief actually swept over him when a familiar and gravelly voice answered him from behind the doors.

"Leave."

"It's about Steven." Notch pressed his forehead against the door, wishing to be even a tiny bit closer to the brother he loves.

"...What about him..?" Herobrine asked after a moment, worry seeping into his voice. The door remained shut.

"He is about to wake. He is alive." The benevolent god felt his brother's presence press against the door and he almost let a gasp at how close Herobrine was.

"...Thank you, brother..." The broken god muttered, but Notch heard it all the same. He was taken aback; this was the nicest thing Herobrine had said to him since...since they had the fight, all those centuries ago.

"May I come in?" Notch requested once he found his voice. He was answered by the door opening a crack, so he cautiously walked inside. "Herobrine?"

Said god looked awful. His hair was a tattered mess and his clothes were scruffy. Prominent bags lay underneath dull eyes, making it clear he wasn't getting any sleep. Herobrine had wiped away any evidence of crying, but Notch knew. Even the way he carried his posture had changed. Instead of the bold arrogance he normally held himself in, Herobrine seemed to be...smaller.

"What?" He spat out, trying to hide his true emotions behind a mask, however he lacked the centuries of practice Notch had.

"I came to invite you to see Steven wake." Notch began, keeping his tone even despite how it killed him to see his brother so depressed. "I'm certain he would-"