Work Text:
Letter 1
Dear Sharpness
It has been a week since we have agreed to be teammates. What an unlikely team – you and me. To be honest, I don’t know why I’m writing any of this down. Perhaps, it feels too good to be true. I have been working alone for as long as I know. It’s different. It’s difficult to have a teammate for once. I’m not used to it. I enjoy the silence of working alone, knowing that everything has been done and caused by my hand alone. It has been fun to work with you. Yet it feels like I can't get too comfortable… that one day, I will wake up, and it would have all been a dream.
This is a stupid idea. I’m an idiot for writing it all down. You might stumble upon this, and you will laugh at me. Look at me. I’m being irrational. I guess, what I want to say is, thank you for being my teammate. I have never had one before. It’s nice. It doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.
Your teammate
Jude this is sappy as shit, I’m not sending it
Letter 2
Dear Sharpness
Thanks to you, I have agreed to take on another teammate, Parker. If he is half as competent as you are, I expect our team to take over the entire server by the end of the month. I must admit – this was the most fun I’ve had. Ever. For once, the traps are secondary, which surprises me. You know better than most how much I love to trap people.
I’m very sleep deprived and should be getting some rest. Yet I’m sitting here – writing to you. I don’t think I’ll send any of these. I’ll keep them, as a diary of sorts, journalling our adventures together. My limbs ache from all that training we did today. I have no idea how you train so hard every day, but I suppose now I know why you’re so good. I do appreciate you for training me. I’m awful at it, but you have been so kind. You have the patience of a saint. I expect that both of us will dominate in Twirps’s event at the colosseum. If we don’t, well – I expect that my traps will carry us anyway. We will have to stay up all night to build it together. It will be tiring. But strangely? I’m looking forward to it.
Your teammate
Jude
Letter 3
Dear Sharp
We did it! Or maybe, I should say that I did it. Our trap didn’t go so well… who am I kidding? We didn’t manage to trap anyone. The 2v2 was disgraceful. We lost to Swizu and Sharkilz of all people. At least our training paid off. I managed to beat Swizu in the 1v1. And Sharp, I didn’t say it at the time but just hearing you cheering me on for the individual duels – I believe that’s the real reason I won. I’ve never had anyone by my side. This entire month was wonderful. We took on so many fights, more than I ever did before you showed up, and we won all of them too - even if we were outnumbered. I was clearing my enderchest. Sharp, we are very, very rich now. It feels good to have you as my teammate. So yes, we did it. Together.
Your teammate
Jude
Letter 4
I’m skipping the formalities.
FUCK YOU. I don’t even know why I’m surprised. You can’t see it, but I have gone through all of my paper – they’ve all ended up crumbled at my feet. This is the last paper I have left. I’ve written all my anger down. There is one paper, I can see it from here, with FUCK YOU SHARP written over and over again. That was so satisfying to write. There. Now you know how I feel.
Actually, no, you don’t even know.
It hurts. Honestly, I should have expected it. It was too good to be true. I thought maybe one day, you will betray me – for Strength or for something that I could never give to you. I didn’t expect the day to be today. Or yesterday. It’s past midnight. I have not slept. I don’t even know why I showed you the backup trap. Did I expect you to do nothing? I don’t like lying to myself, Sharp. Yet I feel like I’ve deceived myself. I’ve tricked myself into believing that maybe, just maybe, if you saw that trap I was standing on, you would not have pulled it. I thought that what we have done together, what we have gone through, would be enough for you to withhold your hand. I returned your shit when you asked, of course, pretended it didn’t hurt at all. That it wasn’t personal. That nothing in the past month meant anything to me. And the worst part? You believed me.
Heartbroken Thoroughly pissed off
Jude
Letter 5
I hate you. I used to think people were exaggerating about emotional pain. I would scoff, thinking to myself – this is why you don’t trust anyone. Betrayal is normal. Everyone leaves eventually. It’s all part of life. I used to think that they were being overly dramatic. Let me tell you – they didn’t exaggerate it enough. It hurts so much. I wake up thinking of you. You’re the last thing on my mind when I drift off to sleep. You occupy so much of my thoughts. It’s driving me insane. I think back to that moment. What I could have done to change any of it. Was there something I could have done to prevent it from happening? I hate you for causing this. Look at what you’ve done to me. You act like it doesn’t hurt. It hurts so badly for me. And it’s all your fault. I don’t understand. I don't understand you. Did none of it hurt you?
In pain
Jude
Letter 6
Dear Sharp
Today, I saw someone wearing red armour. I called out your name. It wasn’t you. I didn’t realise when it started, but whenever I see the colour red, I think of you – red was always your colour. I don’t hate you anymore. I don’t care about you anymore.
I think I like red, too.
Jude
Letter 7
Dear Sharp
Yesterday, you fell into my trap. I heard you yelling at me. That’s when I realise. We haven’t talked since you betrayed me. What are we now? Ex-teammates? Are we still friends? Do we hate each other forever? I don’t know what to think. I’m usually very clear of what I want, Sharp. I know what I’m thinking. Yet when it comes to you, I’m left scrambling for thoughts. I don’t like feeling so lost.
I wish you would talk to me.
Jude
Letter 8
Dear Sharp
First of all, fuck those arrow exploiters. They are cowards. Second of all, it was so awkward to see you today. We haven’t talked in so long. I saw you – standing in my base. And for a moment, I had forgotten that you betrayed me. I think you felt the same too. We had to work together, even with Tai. And of course, Tai caves under the smallest amount of pressure and immediately sells us out. Typical. It felt like old times again. You were running above acting as bait, and I was waiting down below. Do you remember how long we had to wait? We hopped onto voicecall together, talking about anything and nothing. I can’t tell you a single conversation word for word, but I can tell you how it feels. The fluttering in my stomach when I hear the warmth in your voice, the way you call my name. I can always hear the smile in your voice, Sharp. You’re always so easy for me to read. I have to say, even if I could read you, I didn’t see the betrayal coming – even if I expected it, deep in my heart. Third of all, well – to be honest, I’ve missed you. Parker is a good teammate and all, but he isn’t you.
Miss you
Jude
Letter 9
Dear Sharp
Today, you came to my escape room. It was amusing how you said you didn’t trust me anymore. Yet you walked in willingly, not even considering stashing your Strength away. I suppose you’ve always been so gullible and simple. Just because Tai said it was an event, and I told you there wasn’t a trap, you didn’t question it. Or maybe you do trust me. I’ll let you in on a secret. I killed everyone else with splash potions. But for you? I did it personally. It felt cathartic. I always did enjoy killing you before we were teammates. I think you like that I’m the only one who can kill you as much as you killed me.
And afterwards? It’s funny that you think you could use my own traps against me. Did you really think I’ll fall into them?
Perhaps I will humour you. One day.
Jude
Letter 10
Dear Sharp
You paid me to build you a trap. So of course, I built a back-up in it. It was hilarious that you were digging around in the crit-out chamber and so paranoid that I hid another trap inside. I thought you would have found it. But no, you didn’t look hard enough. Trapping you is always so easy. I’m starting to think you’re falling for my traps intentionally.
I’ve not told you this yet, but I’m leaving – for a while. I’m going to Money SMP for the entire week. I’ll keep myself busy. Maybe then, I’ll finally stop writing letters and do something productive with my time.
Thinking of you
Jude
Letter 11
Dear Sharp
I’m drunk. We didn’t win Money SMP, but Flow insists on taking us out for the night anyway. I think he’s coping with the loss the only way he knows how. I’m currently hiding in a corner while the others are singing karaoke. If they see me writing, I’ll never hear the end of it. Remind me never to partner with Flow if he ever comes to Strength.
But anyway, yes, I’m writing because I can’t help it, Sharp. I tried. I kept away, kept myself busy, and then I couldn’t take it anymore. I saw that you were teaming with other people. Cow, Saparata and Twirps? Really, Sharp? You could do so much better. Not with me. Obviously. I don’t think you want to team with me again. And anyway – I don’t think I can go through that again. If you betrayed me again, I would genuinely die.
I’m being dramatic. Don’t worry. But you do mean a lot to me. I’m happy for you, really. I’m glad you have teammates that give you stuff. I’m glad that you have people that are willing to fight by your side. I’m happy that you’re happy.
Also. Good news, Sharp. I’ll be teaming up with Tai for a 2v20. Not sure how Tai is as a teammate, probably not as good as you. I’m not sure how it’s going to go. Horribly, I expect. You'll get your chance to kill me. It's been long overdue.
Very tipsy right now
Jude
P.S. Also why would you accept Twirps’s offer to use his base instead of mine? What’s wrong with my base? It’s close to spawn. It has everything you need. I don’t understand why you would want to use Twirps’s base. His base doesn’t even have a roof.
Letter 12
Dear Sharp
Well, that was a disaster.
Safe to say, you’re the best teammate I ever had. Tai managed to have another arrow cannon incident by letting the arrows despawn (he also placed a repeater the wrong way, he’s still trying to figure it out). It was a humiliating loss. I didn’t want to lose to you, but I’m glad it happened that way. When you were chasing me, I felt like it was just you and me again. I don’t know if you remembered, maybe you said it in the heat of the moment, but you said, “I need you.” And my heart stopped for a moment, Sharp. I wasn’t sure if I misheard. I think… I don’t think you need me, Sharp. I think it’s the other way around. In fact... I can’t say it. Not yet. Is it possible to feel so lonely when you’re surrounded by others? I don’t think of you as much anymore. I see you sometimes, out of the corner of my eye, but I think my brain is playing tricks on me. I’m trying not to stay so close. It’s okay between us now. We’re… neutral.
But I want to be teammates again. I need you.
Jude