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The night sky was filled with so many stars, that Loonac could not remember seeing before. The moonlight was bright, generously illuminating the platform his teammate had built earlier as a foundation for the new base. Probably because of a recently revived server that was supposed to die.
The perfectly white floor shone, looking both like something out of a floor cleaning commercial and a mystery novel. The large main beam looked almost majestic, and the ender chests around it glowed with magic.
That looked nice, the snowman thought, playing with the hair of said teammate, who was now hugging him tightly around the waist, as if he were an anchor, the only thing keeping him afloat right now.
Now, listen, it's not like Loonac doesn't understand why Nufuli is acting like this, holding him tightly around the waist, resting his head on the shoulder, hiding from the rest of the world. No, it was, to be honest, justified.
After all, who wouldn't do that when your best friend literally dies twice, one of which in front of your eyes, and you're left alone with a sense of guilt? So yes, Loonac understood him.
And, between the snowman and his thoughts, it was a miracle that Nufuli was able to act nonchalant at all at first, telling Loonac and the others to go to a safe place while he dealt with the bad guys. And then return to base and greet everyone on their return, just hugging Loonac on the shoulder, as if this was just another adventure that Nufuli had overcome.
But he can't fool the snowman. He knows Nufuli like the back of his hand. He knew that the guy was really restless, never leaving Loonac's side for more than two steps, dragging him along when he needed to talk to Galaxy, about whom he had not had the good fortune to learn much before, but Loonac was sure that Galaxy was a good man.
And when they said goodbye to Dimofyy, with whom Nufuli made sure he had shared his gear, the base fell silent.
Loonac watched for a moment as their friend descended from the base to the ground with particular caution. Then he turned to Nufuli, saying, "Wow, that whole thing was an absolute madness—" he interrupted himself, noticing how intently the other guy was looking at him, as if his eyes were taking note of his every move.
It felt... well, strange, for lack of a better word, but also reassuring. It was much better to see Nufuli's intensely observant gaze than his desperate one.
"Hey, man," Loonac finally muttered, moving closer to his teammate, "I'm here, I'm okay. You can stop looking at me like that." He laughs softly, stopping a few steps away from the other guy.
A second later, Nufuli covers this distance like a professional athlete.
The snowman screams in surprise as the water dragon's arms wrap around him in a suffocating grip. He struggles with it for a moment, trying to push Nufuli's hands away from him in a panic before calming down.
"Okay, okay—" Loonac barely utters.
"Sorry," Nufuli mutters, his voice sounds different than it did just ten minutes ago, burdened in such a painful way, making him forget that the guy is about to become his third death.
"Um, sure, but—you're going to suffocate me."
It seems to work instantly, as Nufuli's grip quickly goes from one that could suffocate to one that is groundingly strong. As if proof that Loonac is actually alive.
Only then does Loonac hugs the water dragon's back with a gentle smile on his face. "I missed you too," he says, "You know how boring eternal death is?" This makes Nufuli snort.
"No. And I don’t want to find out." Loonac is the one laughing now, and he can feel it making Nufuli smile. This eases the feeling in Loonac's chest.
The snowman feels Nufuli slowly run his fingers down his back to his shoulder blades and then back, making a small journey, as if it were the best method of relaxation after a difficult day. Or days.
And it works for both of them. Loonac hums something under his breath as the tension in Nufuli's shoulders drops to zero, as if the weight of anything didn't matter now.
"I'm sorry I couldn't save you from death again." Nufuli muttered so quietly that Loonac wouldn't have heard, even in the dead silence of the base. "I wanted to. I shouldn't have taken the risk with you."
Loonac tries to shake his head, but it's a feeble attempt, considering Nufuli is leaning on his shoulder. "It's not your fault."
Nufuli laughs quietly, as if Loonac's words were a joke. But the snowman doesn't comment on this. He hopes they'll still have time to discuss all this about... Survivor's guilt? That Nufuli felt.
After a while Loonac felt that standing in one place was starting to tire him, and the cool breeze was penetrating his bones, so suddenly the bed that stood nearby, with its warm and soft-looking sheets, was starting to look appealing.
So Loonac slowly began to try to remove Nufuli's hand from his waist, this time not in a panic reaction. "The time for hugging is over..." the snowman said, and instantly Nufuli's shoulders tensed again, "...Or we could move this hug to a warm bed." Loonac folds under zero pressure.
And that's how they end up on Nufuli's bed, Loonac leaning against the bed frame and soft pillow, and Nufuli practically lying on top of him, his breathing is slow and measured, but Loonac knows that the other guy is awake. He knows exactly what kind of breathing he has when he falls asleep.
The water dragon takes a deep breath while Loonac places one hand on Nufuli's back and the other on his head, gently playing with his hair, sometimes stroking it, which the guy doesn't seem to mind at all.
For now, that's all Loonac can offer as reassurance. They'll figure out the rest later.