Has He Changed? (Hermitcraft 7 fanfic)

×Chapter 7×

   Xanthus had no clue where he was going, but he was going somewhere. Tears streamed down his face, starting to pool at the bottom of his helmet.

  He took off the helmet, letting the tears spill from it to the land below. Though something caught his eye. Whenever a droplet got far enough away, it glitched out of existence.

  Xanthus reached for more rockets, finding himself almost out of the fireworks. He panicked, putting his helmet on and quickly trying to land without getting hurt.

  He found himself on a small island, which only had a small beach and some flowers decorating it. Xanthus landed with a thud, stumbling into the sand.

   "D-dang it.." He brushed himself off, sitting down against a bit of a sandy hill.

   The news he had just heard still shook him to the core. He couldn't think of it without having the mental image of his brother with the administration screen up, showing Xanthus's coding.

  He took off his helmet again, wiping tears from his face. He didn't want to go anywhere, even when the comms system in his pocket went off like crazy.

  He deemed it as the hermits trying to contact or find him, since he did up and disappear after heading home. But still he ignored the messages.

  Xanthus just wanted to sit there until everything blew over, not wanting to go back and face the truth he tried to leave behind.

  Rockets began to ring off in the distance, startling Xanthus out of his thoughts. He quickly looked for a place to hide, rushing into a cave near the north end of the island.

   The hermit who Xanthus had heard landed on the island, panting after flying for so long and so frantically.

  Xanthus tried to keep quiet, but his glitching began to act up, causing his arm to drop his helmet like it had never been holding it. Xanthus went to pick it up, panicking as he heard footsteps come closer.

  No one spoke. But eyes were locked in an intense stare. Xanthus couldn't move, not from fear, but because he was glitching too much to move properly.

   "Xan, deep breaths, you need to calm down." Doc warned, keeping his distance as to not spook the glitching hermit in front of him.

   "D-doc... I-I-I can't.." He stuttered out, his panic causing him to glitch more.

  Doc stepped closer, hands in the air to show he meant no harm. Xanthus flinched, but still didn't move. Doc pulled the glitching male into a hug, helping him calm down.

  Xanthus weakly hugged back, crying into the hybrid's shoulder as his glitching slowed down.

  "We can stay here for as long as you need. X only told us to help find you But after seeing the state you're in, I want to make sure you're okay before we leave." Doc stated, sitting in the cave entrance with Xanthus.

  Xanthus only nodded, trying to calm down from his panic attack. He would occasionally glitch out, making him panic again. But Doc would keep helping him calm down.

  Doc pulled out his communicator, noticing people had questioned if Doc had found him. He glanced at Xanthus and responded in the negative so that they could have more time to relax.

   "You d-don't have to help m-me.." Xanthus mumbled, wiping more tears from his face.

  Doc looked down at his friend, sighing softly.

  "I didn't have to, but I couldn't just stand by while you almost glitched out of existence from panic." Doc explained, placing a hand on Xanthus's shoulder.