Work Text:
“I… I’m not hungry, Scott. Thank you for offering though. I think I just need to be alone,” Gemini sighs, curling into her sheets. The cottage feels suffocating, even with the open floor space. The floor feels far away and yet all too close.
“Okay, Gem,” He sighs softly, leaving the small cottage in complete darkness.
If she squints, she can almost see the red nether brick. Gem thinks she might hate red now, which is ironic to think about. Everything seemed to ache, like all of her muscles had cramped and then relaxed again. She almost wondered if her dead body would still be in the nether, being rooted by the fungus and eaten away by Hoglins. Her bones ache with the pain and exhaustion that reviving often brings. This was the first time she'd ever died, she'd gotten close before, of course— who hadn't?— but this was the first time she'd gone past the brink. Martyn had described death as being dropped into a violent storm, Scar described it as being truly free. She wasn't quite sure either of those fit what she'd experienced.
Gemini grips her skin, begging herself to refocus in the moment. She only has four more days to finish this damn task. Four. Every move she makes seems draining as she tries to curl into herself on her pink bed. Her chicken attempts to soothe her, although it doesn't work well.
“Jeremy… not now,” She mutters, bringing her knees closer to her chest. The new scar on the back of her neck throbs as the sun begins to rise again. She should be up, finishing her task. She shouldn't have died so stupidly. She could've done better. She should've done better. How many times has she failed already? How much damage has she taken because she just couldn't do a stupid task? God. She has a reputation. She should be better than this.
A knock raps against the pastel wood of her door. “Go away… I'm sulking,” She mutters childishly.
“Too busy sulking for some visitors?” Impulse said, peaking through the cherry wood screen.
“C’mon Gem,” Scott said, creaking open the door. Jeremy squawked quietly before running to go lay in his pen. Scott opens the door fully, taking the lack of complaints from Gemini as a go-ahead. “So, I know you said you weren't hungry, but you need to eat Gemstone. And eating your emotions can be comforting.” Scott says, snickering at the last statement.
“Mmph,” Gemini whines, rolling onto her stomach.
“Don't worry, I made it, you won't die from Scotts inability to be in a kitchen without making a potion of instant damage,” Impulse laughs, turning on the string lights. The overhead lights can be a bit… overwhelming, thanks to their harsh redstone bulbs. The lantern lights, though, are adjustable. Which means they could leave them just bright enough to see comfortably.
“Oh good, I won't die, again,” She muttered quietly.
“You know, it could be a worse first death. At least it wasn't in combat,” Scott said with a shudder. Impulse nodded solemnly, something about the old faded scars littering his body made her wonder if maybe, they were speaking from experience.
“How is that worse? At least you die fighting,” She muttered. Impulse helped her sit up, his callused hands almost expertly gentle with her still soft skin.
“When you die by another person, it's almost like… how do I explain this? It feels almost like having a chunk of your soul ripped off. Most people prefer the honor of dying by another person's blade, but… I would rather fall from the top of the world to the bottom of the void, y'know?” Scott says, re-warming the soup on the top of her furnace.
“Oh, I didn't know that,” She said quietly, face a bit warm.
“Course you don't, we don't expect you to either. You're from hardcore, aren't you? You guys don't die often.” Scott reaffirms while pulling the table and chairs over. Always mild mannered, he refuses to let anyone eat in their beds, ever.
“Yeah, isn't that where that one pig-guy was from? Heard he threw the towel in on it all and started a library out in the alps.” Impulse asks, pulling some strawberry printed bowls and pastel mushroom shaped placemats down from her cupboard. “Everything in this place is cottage core…” Impulse mutters to himself, making Gemini snicker.
“Mm, I think so.” Scott says, responding to Impulse’s earlier inquiry.
“I… don't know who we're talking about.” Gem says with a head tilt. She stands up, and then quickly sits back down.
“Ah, forget it, I didn't know him, Grian met his cousin or what not in passing. Bottom line, you're new to this whole… death thing. You'll never get used to it, trust me. Ask Jimmy. You're still learning how these games are designed. They're meant to make you feel weak.” Impulse says, helping gem back up so she can lean on him to walk over to the table.
“With that said, your Scotts have your back though, no matter what. We live and die for each other, yeah?” Scott says, patting her on the back gently. Impulse walks up behind them, a loaf of fresh bread cut into even thirds.
“Yeah.” Gem says, wiping her face. When had she started crying?
“I know you hate the crust, so you get the middle piece.” Impulse says with a lighthearted huff, as he sets the bread down on their placemats.
“Good, sap shit over for now, you need some fuel in ya so you can finish your darn task later. Because I know you, I can see that fire in your eyes. Gemini Tay never quits.” Scott says, running taloned hands through his light blue hair. He places three cups down before filling them with iced hibiscus tea.
"You're stronger than you know, Gemstone, we believe in you.” Impulse adds, spooning the soup into their bowls.
“Hey, potato and cheese soup, my favorite! How'd you know?” Gemini asks with a raised eyebrow.
“I saw how your face lit up last time he made it.” Scott chimed in through a bite of bread.
“Oh, you!” She chuckles, adding sugar to her tea and stirring it with the spoon she'd been given.
Maybe she could do this. She wasn't alone in this fight, she… she never really was, was she? She's got her Scotts, who have always had her back. She's sure other members of the server would be willing to help her too. Yeah. She could do this.
Really, on this server, you're never truly alone.