Hermitcraft Randomness - S7 Oneshots

Phantom Pains - Bdubs x Doc

(WC: 628
Category: Angst
Ship type: Platonic
Warnings: Phantom pains, like the title says

Going to be doing some prompts from the 30 Days of Quarantine Challenge list--you can find it on the Recap's Writers book, if you want to know.

Day 2: Hurt/comfort or whumper/whumpee

I used the prompt up above with my first and last initials and got "old wounds flaring up again" and "what do you mean you're fine THIS IS NOT FINE"

Let it be known that I was going to do some whumper/whumpee, but didn't have the time. You're saved for now.)

Everything was going fine until Doc dropped the steak.

Bdubs looked up lazily from his lounge chair by the pool. "Everything alright?"

He couldn't see much through the sunglasses he was wearing, but he thought he saw Doc give a nod. "Yup. Sorry, I, uh...I think your steak's being eaten by ants."

"Uhh...okay? Make a new one?"

"Alright, your majesty."

"Hey, thanks! You're never this cooperative." Bdubs glanced over at Doc. "Wait, that was sarcasm, wasn't it."

"Gee, who would've known?" Doc dropped a new steak onto the grill with a satisfying hiss.

The two had gotten together at the old half-houses and started up a friendly long-awaited neighborhood barbeque. Bdubs had done the job of finally taking down their fence while Doc cooked the steaks.

The smell of freshly grilled barbeque was taunting him. It was a slow process--first preparing the steaks, then having to prep the grill, then cooking them. Bdubs managed to go up into his half-house and clean the place up while Doc had been working.

He didn't mean to sound impatient, but he was getting hungry. "Hey, Doc, how long until the steaks are done?"

"I dunno, maybe 4 or 5 minutes? Ah, sh--"

Bdubs heard the clattering of something metal hitting the ground. "Don't tell me you dropped the steak again..." He sat up, taking off his sunglasses.

Doc was leaned against Bdubs's iron bar wall, clutching his right arm. His face was contorted in an expression of agony, and he was gritting his teeth. The steak was being overcooked on the grill. The spatula Doc had been using was lying forgotten on the ground.

"Oh, god--Doc, are you okay?" Bdubs ran over to him. "What's wrong? Can you hear me?"

Doc was obviously in pain, but he managed to nod. "I'm fine. It's just some phantom pains I get every now and then in this arm. Y'know, before I got the metal one in."

"Phantom pains--?" Bdubs spluttered. "No, Doc, you're not fine! Have you seen yourself? You can't even stand up!"

"I can stand up just fine, see?" Doc used the iron bars as support and pulled himself up with effort he tried to hide. He then promptly collapsed back onto the ground.

Bdubs lifted Doc's non-metal arm up, draping it around his shoulder. "C'mon. I'll help you."

With Bdubs's help, Doc managed to walk over to the poolside lounge chairs. Sitting on one of them, he gave Bdubs a glance. "I didn't need your help. I can handle the pains. I've had them before."

Bdubs didn't answer. He was trying to make sense of the so-called "phantom pains" Doc was having. "Phantom pains are, like, feelings you get after a limb has been amputated, right?" He tried to recall what Iskall had said to him a long time ago. "They can be anywhere from tingling to stabbing pains, which you have right now."

"Yeah...but, I swear, they're fine now."

Bdubs moved Doc's metal arm up and down. He let out an involuntary hiss, then yanked his arm away.

"Doc, they're not fine." He plopped the sunglasses he was wearing earlier onto Doc's face. "You're not getting up from that lounge chair, do you hear me? I'm going to go cook the steaks. you're not moving until those pains are fully gone."

"But--"

"You will sit here and enjoy the steaks I make, okay?" Bdubs tried to give him his best I will physically fight you if you don't look.

"...Fine."

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure the rest of the steaks don't burn to a crisp. If I see you move an inch from that chair, you're going to be in, uh...in big trouble!"

"Love you too, Bdubs."

"That's what I'm talking about."