Chapter Text
Nights were never easy for any of them. Filled with memories they thought they’d suppressed, terrors they pretending to not remember upon waking, and were complete with the mandatory break down that would ensue. They, of course, as functioning members of society, all dealt with them differently: Alex would take the strongest stuff the apothecary would give her to stave off the nightmares and would resort to alcohol if that wasn’t a readily available option, Steve overworked himself to exhaustion in the mines (while silently hoping the night terrors would hit when Herobrine was out of the house), and Herobrine only slept once every three days, if at all. But of course, there was always a moment. Someone would be at the wrong place, at the wrong time, on the wrong night, and witness one of these lapses in their fortified walls.
… …
Alex’s dreams were usually filled with horrors in the mines. Nothing she’d encountered on her adventures could top the things she’d seen down there, and of course, this specific one had been topped off with something she couldn’t discredit as morbid imagination. When Steve had gotten bit. He’d let his adrenaline get in the way of his rational thinking, completely disregarding the fact that Alex had it under control, and there was no need for him to get bitten when she was doing just fine. She couldn’t remember the walk back, it was all fuzzy but she remembered the look on Herobrines face. The look of pure terror. She would never forget it. The blood coating her hands, the stench of it all. She remembered the demons fear, she remembered Steve’s screams and pleas for her to just kill him as the poison, the weakness potion, and the golden apple worked through his system. She remembered and she was sure all of them did too. Rain pelted the windows and roof as she forced herself back into the real world. That event had been months ago. And now, in the dead of night, she sat trembling in Stevens home. Blocked by the rain.
As the storm increased she had been told — or rather very strongly forced — to remain here the night by the resident demon. And so, here she was: shaking and crying silently on his couch. A hand was pushed up against her lips trying to stop any noise from slipping through. The wind blew mighty breaths from the heavens, rattling the branches against the windows. Every crack, every howl of the wind outside from the trees, and she was sent spiraling right back to the day she almost lost him. It had been so long ago and still the memories plagued her. Alex drew a shaky breath trying to gain control over her body again, trying to trick herself into believing that the dream had been forgotten, that she couldn’t recall anything, and that it had been just that: a nightmare.
“Alex?” She jumped at the sudden mention of her name and was suddenly hyper aware of the tears falling from her cheeks, her stuttered breathing, and her puffy, saddened eyes. And she knew that godforsaken voice.
“I’m fine.” Her voice sounded pathetic.
“You don’t sound fine.” She hadn’t even heard him coming.
“You’re the last person I want to see right now.” She managed to bite it out without too much of a struggle, but the venom behind her words failed to manifest through the sadness and pain laced in her voice.
“I can get Steve if you want him instead.”
“…” That option was somehow even worse.
“If you want to be alone then fine, but I know how this shit works. Better than anyone.”
“Ha. Look who’s showing empathy.”
“You want help or not? Because I was very comfortable next to Steve.” There was a slight shake to his voice as the cold air settled around them.
“Just get over here.” She scooched over on the couch and patted the empty space. She needed to talk to someone right now… even if it was him of all people. Her hitched breathing filled the silence between them.
“…Steve tells me talking about it helps.” He played with the hem of her blanket. “I can…offer a ‘listening ear’ as Steve calls it.” He snorted a little. “It sounds stupid just saying it out loud.”
“Do you remember when Steve got bit.” She almost felt the mood change physically. Herobrines face seemed to darken, lips curling into a scowl, sharp teeth glinting in the blinding light cascading from his eyes.
“I wish I could forget it.” The sudden emotion in his voice threw her. “He still wakes up screaming over it too.”
“I can’t lose him Hero.” The nickname slipped out against her will but neither payed any attention to it. Maybe tomorrow when the banter started again, but this wasn’t the time and even the socially stunted demon recognized that.
“And you won’t.” Herobrine took a breath. “Can I show you something? It might bring… comfort?”
“It better be alcohol you stashed somewhere.” She rubbed her eyes with her hands.
“Sadly no, here take my hands.”
“What.”
“Just trust me.” And with a smirk added, “I don’t bite.” With a flourish of his sharp canines.
“You very much do.” But she took his hands anyway. He took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and suddenly this wave of heavy energy weighed down on her. Unease settled in the pit of her stomach and she felt fear ooze off her in waves.
Panic bubbled up inside her and just as quickly as it started, it ended. Herobrine retracted his hands and left hers shaking in her lap. He opened his eyes and found she couldn’t return his gaze. “What the hell was that.”
“What keeps the mobs away.” He said with a shrug. “You felt what they feel when they come too close. And since tonight is not my sleeping night, there is no chance any will come close to either of you.” He let the words sink in before continuing. “Steve is stirring right now, and he’ll wake up soon. I don’t think you want to deal with him right now.” He made to leave but she grabbed his wrist.
“So mobs won’t hurt him again?”
“Or you.”
“What?”
“Just as easily as I could have lost him, i could have lost you. And I refuse for death to take either of you from me. Not now, and certainty not like that.” He turned around to fully face her again, grasped her hand in his, and with a ferocity Alex had never seen in his eyes before, said, “I swear to you, here and now, that as long as I live, nothing will touch you or Steve. I swear it.”
She stared at him and felt the strangest, most fleeting feeling that a hug would be appropriate in this moment. Acting on a feeling like that would earn years of teasing from the demon and from Steve when he inevitably found out from said demon. So she settled for a smile, and a punch on the shoulder.
“Alright tough guy.” Their hands left each others and both ignored the tingling left on their hand from the contact. “And thank you. You helped. A lot actually.”
“Huh. Maybe I do have this whole comfort thing under control.” He turned to leave, paused, turned back around and said, “You’re okay?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Holler if you need me. Not too loud though, you might wake Steve.” He smiled, genuinely smiled at her, and turned to leave but she had one last nagging question.
“Why have I never felt that before?”
“Hm?”
“On adventures Steve says you’re the ‘mob repellent’ but I’ve never… you know.” She gestured around too tired to come up with a proper explanation. But the demon understood.
“I uh usually block it from you both.” He scratched the back of his head. “Not sure how to explain it, but I know what it feels like.” He shuddered from some past memory seeping through. “Didn’t want to scare the shit out of anyone except the mobs.” With a small smile the awkwardness between the two returned.
Alex almost wanted to say something. Some sort of acknowledgment of the fact that he went out of his way to shield both her and Steve from that. And, sure, it didn’t really mean anything, but somehow her view of him was shifting. And she was damn sure she would never admit it to anybody.
“Well I should probably…” Herobrine threw a thumb over his shoulder, breaking eye contact first.
Alex coughed, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Yeah. Yeah sure. Uh Goodnight.”
For a moment he faltered, perhaps not expecting a Goodnight from her. If she was being honest, she wasn’t really expecting one to come out of her either. “Oh uh… goodnight Al.” That nickname slipping through didn’t go unnoticed by either of them, but they both pretended like it had.
With that he turned once more, and disappeared into the darkened hallway towards Steve’s room. She felt his heavy and foreboding presence fill the space again and then it was gone. As though it was his way of telling her he was looking out for her, that she was safe. She settled back onto the couch, and though sleep didn’t come easy, Herobrine’s pulses of energy kept coming rhythmically until sleep claimed her again.