Work Text:
Mapicc had never ripped out his intestines and raised them to the sky, but today he might.
On the off chance it helps with his period cramps, of course.
Here he was in the sludge of a swamp. The humidity, a blanket of discomfort rested atop him as the smell of still water and decay filled his nose with every breath he took. It was supposed to be a simple resource run. Prince Zam was on his ass because Flamefrags had at least offered to help her gather the coal needed to build his volcanic base. Mapicc, however, knew Zam was an independent woman who didn’t need his help with something as simple as material gathering, fuck’s sake! And yet, here Mape was, knee deep in mangrove mud to prove he was better than Flame fucking Frags. No way would he let Zam hold Flame's empty offerings over him when Flame didn't even gather the coal, Zam did. It took her several days, but she did!
Mapicc’s annoyance shimmered as he chucked stack after stack of mud into his shulkers. At least he didn’t have to wait around for the most annoying ingredient of packed mud to grow - Pangi's wheat farm would cover that. Sure, Pangi had his own mega project to finish, but hey, Mapicc knew no man needed that much wheat.
But maybe he was making himself more miserable than the situation called for. The red spotting last night and the ache of his lower back was a sign that he had a visitor, an unwelcome one a that, one that curled in uterus and made its presence known with warm rushes of blood and the ever present pain that could only be relieved with chugging healing pots. Damn, he needed to take a shit. Damn, his period sucked.
His visitor did not come at consistent times like it did with others. Haters (Minutetech, Baconnwaffles0, and Zam) will say it’s stress and poor diet, but he knows a gift when he gets one, even if he isn’t great at accepting them. The months in between his visitor's social calls was a gift, even if he was always unsure when the next drop in would be.
He thought of the tacky feeling of blood and the red clumps of lining he’d be faced with every time he pulled down his pants. Clumpy, red, squishy blood like the world’s grossest strawberry jam. He also thought of his lower back, the dull hurt which curled at the base of his spine and across his upper hips. Every menstrual cycle a person’s hips slide apart to pass a mini-blood baby. If this small birth ruined his life for a week, how did people manage real child-birth? Could he manage the real thing? Could he even manage being pregnant? The image of his own stomach, large and swollen with skin pulled apart so quickly he would have stretch marks like scars that would never heal, and the movement of an alert baby with its home under his skin trying to claw its way out from inside layers of muscle and fat but failing and only creating lumps on what should be a smooth round surface, flashed in his mind like a firework across the night sky.
Maybe he would be one of those unlucky moms who felt kicking from behind his ribs. Him. A mom. Much like a real firework, his emotions had its own crackle and boom as he felt dysphoria and disgust crash down onto him.
That was enough fucking mud. He needed to get away from his own sick and fucking twisted mind before he went insane.
Mapicc glided through the Nether, the gentle rushing of wind filling his ears. What was not gentle was the fucking Nether heat. Of course, lava pools stretching for miles trapped between bedrock would create a swelter and the wind he made from flying worked to keep him cool, cold enough to live anyways. Or at least he thought it was, when he felt his body temperature rise. However, the heat was not coming from the magma below him but the core of his body. Hot-flashes. Great. He felt a sweat pool on his forehead as he continued his flight.
To add to his misery as it was then, a wave of nausea hit him. What the fuck was that! He had never, ever, gotten motion sick while flying before. And nauseous? He didn’t even get regular fucking nausea. He could help a teammate put back in their hanging guts and wolf down a stack of golden carrots after, for fuck’s sake! Was this some kind of fucked up cosmic karma for thinking of stealing from Pangi? No, it couldn't be. The universe wouldn’t side with Pangi like that.
He considered briefly about stopping to rest, but he figured that the sooner he got home the better, although he decided flying above solid land instead of lava lakes was for the best, in case an emergency landing was actually needed.
And it was good that he switched courses, because soon after a cramp seized him. All his muscles tensed in response, a death sentence as he lost control and drove into a wall of netherrack.
Mapicc experienced kinetic energy.
“GOD FUCKING DAMN IT!” He screamed as he sat up in his bed. He was not at his team base, nor the many hidey-holes he had around the server - he was surrounded by black stone walls. This was his spawn castle, which meant Zam-
He heard the pounding of footsteps coming up the stairs -speak of the devil and she shall appear, or whatever corny ass thing Clownpierce would say in this situation.
“Mapicc, what happened? Where did you die?” Zam called out as she appeared at the top of the steps. Mapicc examined her - her skirt clutched tightly in her hands, yellow hair slightly messy, face flushed and mouth frowning. Aw, she had rushed up all those stairs just to help him.
It didn’t distract him from the fact she still had one boob out, though. Even while totally alone doing massive, sometimes dangerous builds, Prince Zam walked around with a single boobie out. Wasn’t that a safety hazard? An OSHA violation of some kind?
He was getting off topic, Mapicc groaned and ran a claw over his face. Brushing his hand against his hormonal acne in the process which made him wince even more. He felt bad she had came running over like this, but his pity didn’t eclipse his annoyance. “Fuck off, Zam!” Mapicc snapped, turning away. Was Zam stupid? Couldn’t she see he wanted to be left the fuck alone? Just him his failures and the blood in his pants, that’s all he needed right now.
Zam looked taken aback, but stood in place. “Dude, chill out. Tell me where you died, I’ll get your stuff.”
Mapicc snarled before looking back at her, “I don't need you shitty help: it's your fault I died in the first place!”
Zam frowned even more at this, crossing her flesh arm with her metal “What do you mean my fault? You died from kinetic energy, how is that my fault?”
Mapicc tail trashed in annoyance, “It’s YOUR fault because YOU'RE the reason I was flying in the first place! I was getting YOU mud since you were being such a little bitch about it!”
Zam took a step back with her hands raised, her sharp teeth bared at the offense, “Are you serious right now? How is that my fault? I didn’t ask you to get mud!” Her voice quickened like it usually did when they argued.
Mapicc scoffed in response, “The fuck you mean you didn’t ask!? You keep going on and on about how nice a guy Flamefrags was for offering to help you with the coal for his volcano! Only offering by the way- because you ended up getting that shit yourself!” He spoke with his teeth now, being sure to flash his sharp canines at Zam with every word. “And no fucking way I was going to let you think Flamefrags is better than me!”
Zam threw up her arms in disbelief, “That's not what I said! You know that's not what I said!” she shrieked. “I only said it was nice of Flame that he offered to help me gather materials.” She turned away to leave. “God, if i knew you were going to be so sensitive about it I wouldn't have said anything at all!”
This got Mapicc out of bed. Despite having her back turned she still jumped at the sound, picking up her skirt again to rush down the stairs. She had a lead, but was still easy to follow. Mapicc saw the flash of something black after her hand moved to her pocket. She was taking out her communicator, but for what? He wasn’t going to hurt her. He had caught up to her just as he saw her send a message. To whom, he wasn’t sure.
He snatched her wrist before she managed to walk away again, pulling her harshly back into him. “Fucking ow! What is that for?!” Zam had turned back to face Mapicc - he could see the rage growing on her face. This was the Zam he knew, the one hiding under all that peace, love, and pacifism crap she was preaching this season. He knew Zam, he knew the hunger that lived in her heart. He knew Zam, he knew the craving for blood, guts, and gore that boiled within her and everyone else on Lifesteal. No matter how hard she tried to bury it, he knew it was there, and he would be there to dig it up, like a dog digging up a bone with chunks of rotting flesh still on it. As he stared into her black beady eyes shiny in the dim candle light, he appreciated how much they looked like the eyes of a stuffed animal. He knew what dogs did to stuffed animals too, they ripped their stuffing out. He would rip her stuffing out. If she gave him a good reason to, of course.
Zam relaxed in his hand so his grip on her wrist relaxed too, “Honestly man, I do feel bad. I didn’t need the mud anyways.”
Mapicc raised his eyebrow and felt a deep frown, “You don’t need the mud?”
Zam shook her head. This wasn’t her usual large doopy smile “Nope!” She said, saccharin sweet, the type of sweetness that died on your tongue and made your stomach hurt. She was baiting him. This was bait. Another sentence left her mouth, “I changed the floor plans to be nether blocks so it’d be… more you!” Fuck it. Mapicc was going to rip her stuffing out.
“You dumb fuck! You mean I died for nothing?!” Mapicc dug his nails into her wrist. Zam winced - Mapicc saw the flash of fear in her eyes.
However, this didn’t stop her from pushing. “Oh, fuck off! I never asked for mud! You seriously can't be that mad!” Mapicc felt the heat in his chest rise again, a thin film of sweat collecting on his skin. Another hot-flash, great fucking timing. Zam, however, took this an an opportunity “People die, Mapicc, you lost one heart of your fucking twenty. Boo fucking hoo.” She splat. This only added to the sense of doom his hot-flash created.
“Yeah, I lost one heart! But I’m going to lose three more, I still have to fucking pay you, remember! Then I'm down to sixteen! Every one of the blindfold bitches has twenty!” Zam’s head jerked up. He could tell from her expression that she was listening for something, but the blood rushing in his ears stopped him from hearing whatever it was.
She looked back down at him with her expression firm, “Fourteen.”
“What?”
“You’ll be down to Fourteen. Five, I want five hearts for this build.”
At this, Mapicc yanked her arm to pull her closer. She was shaking now, her face now so near she felt his hot breath. He sneered at her, white teeth fully on display, wrinkles around his eyes and on his nose. He wanted to say something, but with the heat inside him only rising all he could do was jerk her around.
A sharp pain in his gut grounded him, his vision coming back into focus. It was so simple now. He was hurting, so he hurt Zam in return, and even if she was being a little bitch, he knew she didn’t deserve his. He took a deep breath. He was better than this, he was good. He could be good.
Her voice was level despite her body twitching. “I’ve done a lot of work on this base. I want five hearts.” As swiftly as the heat came into him it left, an empty feeling was all that remained. His tummy still hurt, though. “I did these huge walls, a castle, the park, I’m changing the ground, i’m adding villagers, a garden.” She continued. She had stopped shaking at this point, and her firm expression had softened. She saw his rage, but did she see his sweat? His pain? God, that’d be fucking embarrassing if she did.
“Okay, let’s talk about this-” Mapicc had started, but was cut off.
Zam shook her head “No, Mapicc, this has turned into a mega base that I designed myself. I detailed it on some signs-”
“Of course you fucking did-”
“-I detailed it on some signs, two for the walls, one for the castle, two for all the details.”
“Mhm…” Mapicc considered her explanation with a questioning look. “You want me to give you half the amount of the average person’s hearts?” God, he didn’t think he’d spend this much just to spy on her. But the closer Zam was to twenty the more her bloodlust would come out - he was sure of it.
“Yeah” was her only reply.
“That’s insane…” he let his words trail off.
She shrugged and turned away “If you don’t wanna do that, that’s okay! I could just stop building, and you can pay three.”
“Fine! What about four-”
The cracking of glass split the air, no doubt a strength pot - someone was here to jump him while he was weak. Mapicc shoved Zam behind towards his nether brick throne. Sure he was mad at Zam, but she didn’t deserve to die. He drew his sword- right. His sword. The sword that’s still in the nether. But he didn’t dwell on his lost gear for long as he was too focused on his attacker. Manepear was in his throne room in all his four-legged glory. Mane had no sword, but his unsheathed claws and strong potion particles still made him dangerous.
“Come on Mapicc- you know picking on the spawn Chugusses isn’t nice.” Manepear warned, but made no move to come closer.
This is who Zam was messaging. She did deserve to die. She fucking set him up! Like she did with Jepex! God, he knew he shouldn’t have trusted her - all that peace and love was dogshit. Zam was a weasel, a worm, who relied on stronger players to do her dirty work.
Whatever. He would get her later, he had a bigger problem right now. If he was being jumped then he wasn’t going to roll over and let it happen.
He snarled, stalking closer to Mane, tail raised high and thrashing, black claws at his side closer- closer- SWIPE! He missed, Mane had dodged his attack.
“Stop! Mane, just go- I shouldn’t have called you, I had him under control-”
Mane laughed as he leaped around the room, evading all of Mapicc’s swings. “Aw, but I’m having fun! I even got his stuff like you asked!”
But Mapicc had lost his strength to fight as the words ‘under control’ processed in his mind. Under control? Like he was a kid acting out? Or a misbehaving dog?
His body, the shitty meat prison he called home, also didn’t like this turn of events. Maybe it was the sudden movements, or his worsened emotional state, whatever it was pain at his lower back was it’s response. Sure the pain before was bad, but this was a whole different level. He gasped out as he clutched his stomach, falling to his knees, searing pain was all he had left. He couldn’t help it - after being betrayed by his best friend and feeling the worst pain of his life, he started to tear up.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” Zam cried out as she rushed to his side. She had tried to get him to stand. It was no use. The floor was his new best friend. At least the floor wouldn’t call fucking Manepear on him.
Manepear, right, he was at his side now too, but wasn’t fussing over him like Zam was. “What’s wrong with him? Did bro eat something bad?” God, cis men were fucking clueless.
Zam began to speak, “I’m not-” but Mapicc swiftly cut her off. “I’m on my period you dumb fucks!” He shouted, wiping tears away. He was getting too emotional. Fuck, people didn’t like talking to him while he was too emotional. He was mean and loud and didn’t deserve respect when he got too emotional.
Zam let out a small gasp. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know! I should have never called you- Mane, leave now, you’re making Mape upset.”
Oh, so now she was putting out the cute nicknames. He swore his anger would break him apart. A true growl left his chest- fuck, he hated when he did that, he felt like an animal. Still, he snapped his head up to meet her gaze. He stared into her shiny black eyes - god they looked like a toy’s, yet he was the one being played.
“Are you fucking joking!? Of fucking course you shouldn’t have called him! I’m here trying to be nice to you even though I’m the one having the shitty fucking time! Do you have any idea how much my period fucks my life up?! Do you even know what happens to me when my hormones shift!? I get dia-fucking-rrhea!
”And it gets grosser! Do you know what a Bartholin's cyst is!? It’s a fucking cyst that grows on your pussy lips and the only way to treat it is to let it pop! Do you know how gross it is to pull down your drawers and see puss and blood because you dared to sit wrong!? And even when it does pop that shit stills hurts because then it stings to fucking pee!
”And all that is before my actual period! Which starts with the feeling like there's a little devil that lives under my skin chewing on my lower back, that lasts for two fucking weeks straight!
”And the cramps, the fucking cramps! I died because I cramped so hard using my elytra I lost control and flew into a wall! How pathetic is that!? A cramp from my taint to my asshole so awful it killed me! And you want to know my newest torture? I got nauseous while flying! I have NEVER in my fucking life gotten nauseous while flying! And yet the DEMON that ruins me every couple months is inventing newer ways to kill me every time!
”And the blood, the fucking blood! I ruin a pair of underwear every single time- FUCK, MAN, this shit is so gross! I wish I had a dick, what's the grossest thing that would happen then, huh?! Dick cheese!? I’d take dick cheese over this anyday!
”And then the cherry on fucking top of this shit sundae is you getting my ENEMY to come to MY FUCKING BASE to jump me!? What kinda best friend does that to a man while he's already so down bad!?”
He finally stopped his rant to take a breath. He thought it would feel good to unload onto Zam, but looking into her sad eyes only made him feel worse, but he couldn’t stop. He pushed and pushed and pushed Zam all the time until she snapped, that’s what he did. What good was it to change now.
“God, all I did was try to help you and your shitty attitude and yet you make my shitty life even more fucking shitty!" Mapicc's throat was raw by the end of his speech. He curled up into a ball on the ground. “Whatever, Manepear. Just kill me.”
Manepear shook his head. “Aw, come on, bro, don’t be like this, it’s making me sad.” He said as he gently pawed at Mapicc, like he was a pumpkin filled with meat Mane was given for enrichment. Can Mane just chop on his skull to get his insides already?
Zam at least had the decency to look mortified at the information he divulged. "Look, Mapicc, I’m sorry. I didn't know you were on your period. I would have never pushed you so hard if I did. Don’t worry about Manepear, I'll get him to leave.”
“Nuh-uh!” Mane protested. “I wanna help! I’m good at this, promise!” Before Zam could say anything else, Mapicc was being lifted up into furry arms. Oh god, was Manepear gonna carry him to bed, wasn’t he? Manepear was going to carry him back to bed. Great. Kill him.
Mane uncovered his bed and set him down in the middle - gently, Mapicc would admit. With Manepear pulling his blanket over him, he was being tucked in like a little kid, and usually, he would snarl and snap and rage at this. But the fight had left him. Emptiness and overwhelming pain was all that he had left.
Surely Manepear would still kill him right? His spawn was right here. He could be farmed for all his heart and Manepear and Zam could live like royalty in his castle for the rest of the season with Mapicc death-banned forever and ever. Perfect ending. Roll credits.
Mapicc then noticed Zam had not followed them up the stairs. Manepear wasn’t talking either. He watched as Manepear began to set down shulkers, presumably with all the mud he collected and his lost gear inside. How was he so unbothered by this?
"Just stay there, I got you, bro” Manepear spoke out as he approached the bed.
Mapicc opened his mouth in protest. "But- dude, don’t-" he sputtered. Mapicc was smart: he was naked without pots or armor, or a weapon besides his claws and teeth. This was it, but if he wanted to avoid being farmed a little longer he would have to go along with Mane's demands. He sunk deeper into the bed, dreading whatever was coming next, eyes fixed toward the ceiling.
He felt a shift on the mattress next to him, weight being added, a lot of weight. Manepear came into view, standing over the demon's body. Well, Mane was a demon too- everyone on the server was a demon- whatever. Didn’t matter. What was Mane doing? Why was he coming so close? Was he going to choke Mapicc to death? It would be sick and fucking twisted, but the whole server was sick and twisted so nothing was impossible. With all four of Mane’s paws around his body firmly caging him in, Mapicc took in one last shaky breath. Goodbye world, fuck Prince Zam. But claws around his throat never came, Manepear plopping down onto Mapicc instead.
This is where he really would die. Not from Manepear's sharp teeth or shaper claws, but from sheer embarrassment. This is how Mapicc died for the second time today.
And maybe third and fourth and fifth and- whatever. All he knew is that he was scared shitless of the lion with his head on Mapicc’s chest. But something even more strange happened. The pressure Manepear was applying actually made him feel better.
Well, it wasn't that strange. He had trained dogs in previous seasons to lay on top of him to apply this same pressure, much like a service dog would. It was grounding and soothing and distracted his mind from his body’s aches. God, he missed his dogs. He needed a new dog army fast. They could protect him from Manepear. He missed their soft fur most of all right now.
But Manepear… was right here, and he had fur. Was his fur-? Mapicc raised a curious paw up to Mane’s face and placed it on Mane’s check. He was soft - softer than a dog, anyways. Slowly, softly, Mapicc began to pet Mane’s face.
Mane huffed. "Having fun?" No response, no reply. "...I knew you would like this. It always helps Flame through his period." The flick of one of Mapicc’s ears was the only indication he was listening as he kept petting Mane with an intense wide-eyed stare. He had crashed out. The demands of the day had dragged him deep down into the depths of a place he could not easily decamp: his nonverbal headspace.
It was then that Zam had reappeared holding three items. A healing pot, a heating pad, and a hot bowl of stew. Manepear did not need prompting, he rose from his perch on top of Mapicc, all the soothing pressure and textures leaving with him. Mapicc did not whine, not even a little bit. Still, Manepear did not leave the bed. Instead, after Mapicc sat up, he curled around Mapicc’s back. Mapicc could have used him as a pillow if he wished, but he did not dare lean into that unfamiliar comfort.
He watched as Zam uncorked the bottle of healing, and offered it to him. Mapicc rose the potion to his lips, the cooling effect of healing flooding into him. It was a low level healing pot, so it wouldn't cure all his pain, but it would make it more manageable, which he was grateful for.
He sat still as Zam lifted up his hoodie and placed the heating pad onto his stomach, and he was silent as Zam handed him the bowl of warm food. It was meatballs with grains of rice and sprigs of mint rolled inside, accompanying it was a broth along with vegetables like carrots, cabbage, potatoes, and chayote. These were the albondigas he meal-prepped for his week's dinner that thankfully the other frat bro’s hadn’t stolen yet. His hunger outweighed his nausea and he scarfed down the soup with haste. God, this tasted good. God, he was fucking awesome.
"Thanks," was all he forced himself to say. It was easier to start talking again when he stuck with simple sentences.
He handed his empty bowl back to Zam and fidgeted with the sleeves of his hoodie while he decided his next move. "Manepear, could you- argh!" He couldn't finish his sentence without feeling a flood of embarrassment. His face grew red and his tail flicked with annoyance. He was going to ask one of his greatest enemies to lay on top of him! How embarrassing was that!?
But Mapicc thought back to the relief the pressure would give him and Manepear's body heat did make him feel better. It wasn't like Manepear was going to kill him, he would have done it by now, and yet- His thoughts were cut off as Manepear stood up from his position curled behind him. Mapicc knew Manepear had gotten the message- thank god.
He flopped backwards and Manepear did the same as before, caging him in before laying down, huge head on Mapicc’s chest. What was new was the low rumble coming from the big cat. Was this the closest a lion could get to purring?
Zam finally spoke: "Mapicc, I apologize. I took an oath to not hurt anyone on this server and how I acted today hurt you in a lot of ways. And for that I'm truly sorry." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know what having a period is like, but I'm your friend! I want to help you! And if you're hurting or just having an off day, speak up! No one can do everything alone. Why else would we have teammates- alliances- if we can't lean on each other?"
Mapicc scoffed, "Is this an alliance?"
But before Prince Zam could reply, Manepear made a single laugh "Heh- period alliance.”
Mapicc laughed "Fuck no!" but made no motion to get away from Mane. Instead he petted the lion man's head, enjoying his soft fur. "Look, Zam- I’m not sure we can hug it out like this, but maybe you could lay beside me? Hold my hand if you reeeally feel like it?"
At this, Zam slid into the bed, her fingers intertwining with Mapicc's. "I - Prince Zam - take a new oath. To always be extra niceys to Mape while he is on his period. And to call on Manepear to help him, if the need arises."
Manepear’s expression shifted into a pleased look - Mapicc just knew whatever he cooked up would not be good for Mapicc’s reputation - before speaking himself, "I - Manepear - also take that oath. And things of that nature."
Mapicc groaned, "God, you two are so fucking corny." Whatever. At least he was warm, fed, and loved.
Mapicc would have been happy if things had ended there. But then he heard the woosh of flight fireworks, and two sets of footsteps coming up his stairs.
“Oh-” he heard. He looked over to see two of Lifesteal’s deadliest players at the top of his steps - Clownpierce and Flamefrags. No mames. “Looks like you didn’t need our help after all, Prince Zam,” Clown said. Mapicc could hear the smugness dripping off his tongue.
Kill him.