Chapter Text
Herb was stuck, it was like this every year or two. A few months stuck underneath wraps and wraps of vines, the thorns stabbing into his skin as he felt the wounds continue to bleed. On top of that he could feel vines slowly creep up his lungs and throat for the hundredth time. Because he couldn’t just suffer once… He couldn’t just have his immortality and call it a day. The vines would disappear after a day or two, as the routine, and he would spend the next few hours coughing blood, leaves, and thorns.
If he could, he’d put some sort of painkiller together, but there were multiple things getting in the way of doing that. So he’d just have to wait out the pain till the vines decided he had suffered enough till next time.
He heard the sound of crunching leaves next to him and he slowly opened his left eye (the right being currently stuck shut by thorns). He spotted Sparkling’s shoes and trench coat, swaying in the autumn breeze. Sparkling knelt down to talk to his husband.
“How are y-?” He asked, getting cut off by Herb hacking up blood and leaves. He looked at the leaves for a moment, processing. “...Well, that answers that..”
Herb tried to crack a smile despite knowing Sparkling couldn’t see it, although the vines made it difficult.
“It should be almost over at least… Mint and Vampire have been wondering where you are.”
“I know…” Herb whispered, triggering even more coughing. What blood got out from the vines wrapping his mouth dripped from them and landed on his shirt, he couldn’t really do much about it as he was so weak.
“You don’t have to reply if it hurts,” Sparkling said, cleaning the blood off.
A few moments of silence passed as Sparkling tried to pick out some of the thorns stuck in Herb’s face, to no avail once another vine appeared to take the other’s place. He sighed in defeat and just sat in front of him. Herb knew he hated seeing him like this but there wasn’t much he could do other than ask him not to visit, but that was something he could never bring himself to do.
“I hope you tell them soon, I know you don’t want them to see you like this or think of you differently but I don’t like lying to them either.”
How would Herb even tell them, even if he wanted to? “Hey by the way you know how I disappear for a couple months every two years? Yeah that’s because I’m a god and am just suffering with the curse that comes with my immortality” there’s no way they’d take it lightly. Especially after figuring out he lied about just about everything to cover it up, they’d probably hate him.
“I can help you if you’d like,” Sparkling asked, as if he could read his husband’s thoughts.
Herb once again tried to smile, and even though Sparkling couldn’t see it he was sure he could feel it as he smiled back. It wasn’t the smile he ran his bar with but the one he wore when comforting Herb, the one Herb preferred.
“When this is over we’ll figure out how to break this to them, alright?”
Herb barely yet slowly nodded, it would be easier with Sparkling, yes so much easier…