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The warm glow of shroomlights illuminated Xavier’s alert red eyes as he checked their communicator for what felt like the millionth time, only to see that, of course, this spastic glance had changed nothing. The same message still stood, there on the screen, incredulously short and thirty-minutes old as always:
[Helsknight_] omw
He sighed in annoyance, leaning against the rough, mottled bark of a warped fungus tree, resorting to scanning the thick forest for any sign of dark grey armor amongst the see of never-ending blue. They’d never admit it, and certainly never to Hels, but the cause for his annoyance was mostly rooted in impatience - hey, it had been two months, they were allowed to miss their boyfriend!
Suddenly there was the soft, near imperceptible sound of foliage being crushed, Xavier jumped up, only to yelp in surprise when an arm wrapped around his waist and their eyes were being covered.
“Guess who,” a teasing, and all too familiar voice chimed in his ear.
Xavier wrestled out of his grip, “A fucking bastard who’s gonna be sleeping on the couch for the rest of his life, that‘s who!” they barked, his racing heart still trying to make a great escape from their chest.
Hels cackled, lifting his helmet visor to reveal those fiery eyes now sparkling with joy, “Aw I missed you too, nether star,” he cooed, his voice sarcastically sweet.
His partner huffed - annoyed to find just how quickly their anger melted at the mere sight of him. He rose to their tip-toes to hold his stupid and infuriatingly hot face, waiting for a small nod before crashing their lips together.
“Idiot,” he mumbled into the kiss, though it came out more endearing and less of an insult than they had wanted it to be.
The idiot in question only grinned, tugging him closer by the waist as if they could make up for lost time with nearness. And they let him, staying pressed close to the knight even when burning lungs forced him to pull away from the kiss.
“So, are you going to explain what took you so long?” they questioned him sternly, an admonishingly intense gaze boring into him.
“Listen, it’s not my fault building a space shuttle is actual rocket science, and that Wels is sure as hell is not a rocket scientist!” Hels replied defensively, “I think the real injured party here is me, having to listen to his non-stop shanties all the way.”
Xavier rolled his eyes fondly, “Oh, I’m sure you absolutely loved it,” they teased.
“Sure,” he snorted, “But what about you? How did you and Xisuma get here?”
“Oh- I didn’t come with him.”
“Huh? Well then, how did you get here?”
Something dark flashed in his eyes, and their mouth trembled, tugging into a frown for a moment before he had time to mask the expression, “Doesn’t matter, I’m here now,” they mumbled, avoiding his boyfriend’s gaze.
Hels tilted his head, even if he wasn’t the best at reading emotions he was pretty sure this was a good cause for concern, “What happened?” he pressed, giving their hand a squeeze.
He shook his head and let out a shaky breath, “I don’t want to talk about it right now.” they said firmly, “Come on, you should see the server!”
To his relief, the other seemed to agree to drop the subject for the moment, letting them lead him to the nearby nether portal.
After a few ticks of nausea-inducing dimension travel the pair re-appeared in the overworld, and more specifically at Scar’s starter base - which even Hels had to admit was pretty nice, though he did typically prefer blackstone and lava to trees and their foliage.
He craned his neck to take in the huge pillars of diamonds casting their lanky shadows on the ground below, as usual, baffled by the Hermit’s constant tendency to make flamboyant displays of opulence, instead of safely locking away their richeties.
“That’s pretty impressive, I wonder how well the Evil Emporium’s profit would stack up to all this,” he commented slyly to his partner.
He got the reaction he wanted almost immediately, “I’ll have you know my business was very successful, probably the most successful of season eight!” Xavier retorted loudly, throwing up his hands emphatically.
Hels nodded rapidly, trying to keep from laughing, “Yes, of course, apologies for implying anything else.”
Xavier ‘humphed’ and eyed the other suspiciously but still continued his tour.
Personally, Hels had never seen the point in fancy building, all that mattered to him was if it was sturdy and fireproof - still, under a pleasantly overcast sky, with Xavier’s hand in his own, he seemed to find things a lot more enjoyable.
He especially appreciated the decimated crater Doc’s world eater had left in the quaint land, it was refreshing to see a little destruction amongst all the sickly sweet and all-too-perfect cottages.
Eventually, they came to a stop in front of a grassy hill, with something vaguely resembling a deformed house front - made up of uneven windows and a door that somehow managed to lean forward - set into it.
“This - this one’s mine,” Xavier mumbled, face going slightly red, “Don’t laugh!”
Hels pretended to be hurt, “I would never,“ he said in his most sincere tone, “It’s lovely, obviously the Hermits are rubbing off on you,”
“Oh come off it you prick!” they cried, holding back a giggle as he shoved the knight’s shoulder, “It’s nicer inside, anyways.”
And to their credit, it certainly was, though small with low ceilings and littered minimally with decorations it didn’t feel vacant but only seemed to give the space a cozy atmosphere. in one corner there was something akin to a kitchen and in the other a truly haphazard ‘chest monster’, all lit by small glowstone fixtures with a warm hue that reminded Hels fondly of the old nether base they had shared.
In the only other room of the starter base, a bed with fuzzy red blankets was shoved against the wall unmade, and next to it a crooked nightstand. In a moment Hels recognized the picture frame resting on it to be the painting he had done of him and Xavier. He’d always thought it was a blobby mess but Xavier had adored it insisting they hang it up in their last base.
“It’s been empty without you,” Xavier suddenly said in a quiet tone, gesturing to the bed, “Will you stay?”
It was hardly a question in his mind after so long, “Of course.”
With gentle touches, they helped each other out of their armor, as had been their custom for longer than either could remember.
The rising moon gleaned through the window, met by an anxious glance and sigh of relief from Xavier once he was certain it was no larger than could be normal.
Their slowing breaths synced up as Hels wrapped his arms around his partner’s waist, smiling when they nestled into him in turn, a few wayward strands of his white hair tickling his face. It was the first of many such nights they would have in this new world, he hoped.
“I’m glad you’re here,” they whispered softly against his neck, “I love you, Hels.”
“I love you too, Xavier.”