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Branzy was working on some traps a bit farther out from the circus for Clown. He was alone, he had been alone for the past few days since Clown had vanished with no explanation, he was probably out killing people. Of course, Clown wasn’t around, he was literally the deadliest player so he was busy, Branzy had no right to be upset over being left alone.
But Branzy did want Clown to not leave him, or at least not leave him out of nowhere with no explanation. Why? Branzy had made the mistake of falling for Clown. Clownpierce, the world’s deadliest player, and also the person he was in love with.
Branzy was hopelessly in love with someone who did not like him back and never could like him back, but it wasn’t his fault! How could he not have fallen for Clown? He was literally perfect. These feelings, however, did cause him to be upset and spiral whenever Clown just disappeared, which he did quite often.
Why didn’t Clown leave him a message or something, was he not worth even just that? Yeah, he probably wasn’t. He was, at the very least, good with redstone, that’s why clown kept him around. Other than that, he was weak, an easy target and useless. Clown had no reason to bother with him, it made sense that he didn’t.
None of that demotivated Branzy at all, he was still just as infatuated and head over heels for the assassin, even if he knew that these incessant feelings would lead to absolutely nowhere. He couldn’t image a universe where Clown shared his feelings, that was just how Clown was. A hardened, ruthless, powerful assassin, he could probably never have such gentle feelings for anyone.
While mulling over his feelings for Clown and how useless he was, he was also trying to properly connect the redstone to get the trap to work. He wasn’t wearing gloves so his hands were coated in redstone which stung his skin, and he also wasn’t using a mask so he was breathing in all the toxic fumes and getting dizzy from them. How responsible of him.
All of this also meant that he was too preoccupied to notice or hear someone sneaking up on him from behind.
What shattered his bubble of thoughts was a sharp, excruciating pain blooming from his stomach and back.
First, he looked down to see blood slowly permeating his vest. Then, he looked behind him to see…no one, just a floating sword and diamond armour.
Oh, an invis player.
He had just gotten stabbed.
After staying idle for a few seconds out of shock, it suddenly seemed to dawn on him how much danger he was in. He quickly weighed his options.
Could he fight? No, of course not, he usually had Clown to do most of the fighting for them. Plus, he wasn’t even wearing good armour currently.
So he opted for the next best thing: Running away. He swiftly got up from the ground, ignoring the agonising pain he was in, and bolted.
He sprinted without looking back even once, he had no idea if his attacker was even close to him, he hoped not. Adrenaline really did do a lot for him, he was being pretty fast. He fled inside a forest that was in the opposite direction of the circus. Bad idea.
As he ran he could feel his heartbeat pound in his ears. There were only a few thoughts circling in his mind.
He didn’t want to die. He never did want to die even if he was dumb enough to join lifesteal of all servers. As miserable as his life was he didn’t want to lose yet another heart, he was already running low. He didn’t want to experience the painful process of respawning either.
And where was Clown? Dumb question actually. Because why would he be there? Clown wasn’t obligated to save him from his own foolishness, he was the one who was too distracted to notice someone behind him, this situation was his fault and his inability to defend himself was his fault too. If Branzy was anyone else, he wouldn’t come to save himself either.
Clown wasn’t coming to save him, no one was.
That grim realisation was what made his pace falter. He was just a second too slow and then he felt the same sword as before penetrate his chest.
The next thing he registered was the feeling of his body hitting the cold, hard floor. The other player had caught up. He had gotten stabbed again.
As he laid motionless on the ground, barely having the strength to twitch his fingers, he didn’t feel anymore attacks even though he was sure the attacker was standing right above him. Were they just watching him suffer instead of giving him a quick death? Probably.
He was bleeding out, like severely. The pain was arduous and he was still wishing that Clown would show up and save him.
It hurt.
He was going to lose another heart.
Unable to bear the pain anymore, he accepted his fate and slowly let his eyes close. He hoped respawning wouldn’t be too bad this time.
————————————————————
He woke up in his bed, located inside one of the circus’ many inner rooms.
He instantly shot up, frightened. His breathing was erratic as his widened eyes scanned the room frantically for any danger.
He was safe, of course. He was in the circus, which he had personally rigged with a multitude of traps, nothing could harm him here. Most people wouldn’t even dare step foot inside out of fear of facing Clown.
He let himself bonelessly flop back onto his bed. With the adrenaline and panic gone, he could really feel how tired he was and just how much pain he was in. It hurt a lot.
Respawning on this server wasn’t that simple. The injuries that caused him to lose a heart were healed, but they left scars. He was still in a lot of physical pain and the process of respawning fully drained him out, he would be exhausted and probably sick for the next few days.
Obviously, some potions could help him, but Branzy didn’t have the energy to go grab any at the moment. He wanted to rest, he wanted the unbearable pain to go away and, most of all, he didn’t want to be alone any longer. He wanted Clown to come back.
He really was pathetic. He had just lost a heart out of his own incompetence and all he could think about was how horrible it felt to be alone, without the person he loved who certainly didn’t love him back and most likely didn’t even care for him.
Should he, maybe, message Clown to check where he even was? Yeah, no. Clown was most definitely busy, he shouldn’t disturb him during times he surely didn’t want to be disturbed.
He curled up on his bed, fully buried beneath the blankets, and let his eyes fall shut once more. He was sure he would wake up feeling like shit and in as much anguish as before but he couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it.
———————————————————
“…Branzy! Branzycraft, wake up.”
He felt horrible, as though he was both hot and cold at the same time. There was a ringing in his ears and his head was throbbing. His body ached and he could bet he was physically unable to move.
He sensed a gloved hand trying to prod him awake and he could hear a muffled, alarmed voice calling out his name. A voice he recognised to be Clown’s, though, with an unexpected undertone of worry. He was probably imagining that, Clown would never sound like that.
Clown was next to him for some reason, he didn’t know why but he was glad for his presence.
A particularly rough nudge prompted him to crack an eyelid open only slightly. He stared at Clown dazedly, or rather, at the unchanging mask which revealed nothing of Clown’s expressions. Maybe it was better that way, Branzy didn’t want to know how Clown would look at him anyways, he didn’t want to see the expected disappointment in his eyes.
“Branzy, what happened? I just suddenly see a death message and find out you lost another heart. What were you even doing? Didn’t you think to tell me if you were in danger? I did kill that dude on my way here, by the way, so I can give you back the heart you lost later. Also, you have a fever.” Clown’s tone held no hint of its previous concern, it was back to its usual cold edge. Branzy wasn’t even comprehending his words, too disoriented and dejected for it, he just felt like he was getting scolded, reasonably, of course.
Clown paused as he realised his words were falling on deaf ears. “You’re not listening, are you? Fine, I’ll ask slowly.”
”How did you die, as in what were you doing?”
There was an awkward period of silence before Branzy weakly mumbled “…Was building a trap and got attacked.”
“Why couldn’t you have, at least, let me known where you’d be if you were going to work outside of the circus?” Clown pressed.
Branzy grumbled incoherently, something that sounded like the words “don’t know”.
”Why didn’t you message me? If not as soon as you were in danger then when you respawned so I could check on you.” Branzy couldn’t tell anything about Clown’s feelings, they were obscured by both his mask and detached facade, they made all his words feel cold and therefore condescending.
Maybe it was caused by his pre-existing feelings of abandonment but the more Clown “scolded” him, the more upset he got. He didn’t feel like answering Clown, he stayed silent and tried to look anywhere but at the person who was interrogating him.
Why did he care anyways?
”Aren't you going to answer?”
”’Cause…” He begrudgingly uttered.
”Because?” Clown urged. He sounded as if he was finally losing his patience with Branzy, who didn’t blame him.
”Because you were gone, Clown, without saying anything either! I didn’t want to bother you.” Branzy attempted to bring the blankets closer to his face to hide. It was hard to have a conversation with someone whom he couldn’t tell anything about while he himself felt so exposed.
“Bother me? You aren’t bothering me. Your safety is very much my concern, we’re partners. I’m literally supposed to keep you safe!” Clown was evidently agitated.
Branzy was taken aback. He hesitated to speak, while he really shouldn’t anger Clown if he valued his life, he was frustrated at the moment so his emotions clouded his reasoning. “I didn’t… I’m just not trying to burden you any further. I know I’m already a liability!” He still refused to look at Clown’s form, he wouldn’t be able to say anything if he did.
…
”What!?” It was Clown’s turn to be shocked now.
“Did you just call yourself a burden?” His emotionless facade seemed to falter.
Branzy rolled over in the bed so he was facing away from Clown. “You don’t have to lie to me or pretend to care about me you know…” He said quietly, Clown wasn’t meant to hear that, but, since he had sharp hearing, he did anyways.
Clown grabbed him to turn him over again so he was met with the towering figure of his business partner yet once more.
“Branzy, I…” This was the first time Branzy had ever heard Clown doubt himself before speaking.
”…Do you really think I don’t care about you?” Clown’s voice sounded so uncharacteristically soft, maybe bordering on hurt, it was such a stark contrast to everything else he had said in the whole conversation.
Why did he say that?
He didn’t mean to upset Clown, he never did, he loved him. He regretted his words as soon as he heard Clown’s response.
And then he barely nodded anyways because he also couldn’t bring himself to lie to the person he loved.
Clown stayed eerily still for a while as Branzy wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. He couldn’t face this situation at all, good thing Clown had the mask so he wouldn’t have to see his expression, at the very least.
Then Clown first took off the jester hat and reached up to unclip his mask.
Oh no.
The first thing that Branzy noticed, because he lacked situational awareness, was that Clown was beautiful. His long black hair, with streaks of red, cascaded down his shoulders and back while framing his face perfectly. His skin was pale and he had a scar on his face vertically crossing his eye, though, it didn’t seem to have damaged it or affect his vision whatsoever. Lastly, his eyes were two different colours, one a piercing light blue and the other a crimson red. Branzy was sure those eyes could see right through him and all his prevarications.
He looked like a god.
Branzy noticed the actual problem a bit too late: Clown’s expression. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed and his mismatched eyes were looking at him with worry, heartbreak and, most importantly, care.
Why did Clown look at him like that? He didn’t deserve such tender feelings directed at him.
Branzy regretted everything he had said. Not as much out of fear of Clown anymore but out of remorse for causing him worriment.
”I-Im sorry…” Branzy sounded very insecure of himself. Was an apology even what Clown wanted to hear?
Clown laced one of his hands into Branzy’s and helped him sit up straighter against the pillows.
”Branzy, this whole thing is precisely because I care about you…like a lot. I’m worried about you, I wanted you to have messaged me when you were in danger because I care for you and can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt while I’m not around.” Clown seemed to be trying his best to convey his emotions, his tone was unsure. Branzy stared at him dumbly, wide-eyed partially because of what he was hearing and how unused he was to seeing Clown’s expressions.
Clown continued “I know I did kinda leave out of nowhere and I guess I…apologise… for that but I thought you knew that I still wanted and expected you to contact me. Do you actually feel like a burden? Why?” The expression etched onto his features turned more serious at the last part so Branzy knew he had to give a genuine answer, Clown would know if he was lying.
”…I guess I feel useless both in general and to you. I can’t do that much, except redstone, while you are one of the most skilled players. So, to me, it makes sense how you could view me as a burden.” Branzy felt exposed saying all that. The look on Clown’s face wasn’t helping, he looked even more brokenhearted.
”Yeah, well, I don’t and you’re not. Is it not apparent how precious you are to me? Maybe I’m not the best at showing it sometimes but I literally just took my mask off infront of you, you are like the only person to have seen my face!” His eyes were overflowing with fondness, maybe the reason Branzy never realised was because he couldn’t see them.
”Branzy, I love you. Never do that or feel like that again! You’re the most important person to me so don’t make me worry like this.”
…
What.
Clown loved him?
Clown loved him.
”You…” Branzy was too stunned to speak. He was actually sure he was dreaming, this was the outcome he expected the least. He was incapable of fathoming what he had just heard.
”Oh, come on. Are you that shocked?” Clown’s manner began to slip into teasing. His voice was affectionate as he intertwined both of his hands into his partner’s. Branzy’s stun seemed to lift his mood.
”I…uh… I love you too! I just… never expected you to return my feelings, I guess.” Branzy stuttered out as soon as he snapped back to reality, not missing the chance to clear up his feelings about the other. Clown chuckled knowingly, did he know!?
”Yeah, I figured. You’re kind of really bad at hiding your feelings.” Okay, now he was just making fun of Branzy. He momentarily let go of the other’s hands to reach into his inventory and hand some potions to Branzy.
Branzy drank the potions with no questions even though he had no idea what they contained, he trusted Clown wasn’t going to poison him after being confessed to. He hated the taste but it was preferable to how horrible he physically felt at the moment.
Clown swiftly climbed into the bed, which was large enough for both of them, next to Branzy. He wrapped his arms around his partner protectively and pulled him closer so that he was flush against his chest.
”So…are we anything now?” Branzy seemed to be very content burying his face into the crook of Clown’s neck.
”Well you’re my boyfriend now. Like partners, I suppose, but this time not in the business sense.” Clown pressed the back of his hand against Branzy’s forehead to check if his fever had gone down before tangling his fingers in his partner’s hair to play with it.
”Mhm…that sounds nice.” Branzy had fully relaxed in Clown’s hold, closing his eyes and basking in the attention he was being given.
“Branzy, I was being serious in everything I said. I really do love you. Promise me you’ll tell me if you ever feel upset in the future and that you won’t get into anymore dangerous situations, without me, at least.” Clown had backed up a bit so his eyes were looking into Branzy’s purple ones.
”Okay, I’ll do that.” Branzy was sure he could stare into Clown’s eyes forever, they looked ethereal. “I still can’t belive the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen likes me.”
Clown lightly laughed, adoration palpable in the sound, and then tugged Branzy impossibly deeper into his embrace “I said I love you, not just like you.”
Branzy merely sighed lovingly in response, twirling a strand of Clown’s ebony hair between his fingers.
A few seconds later, Clown leaned down. First, he glanced at Branzy’s eyes to check for any signs of apprehension, finding none, he carefully slotted their lips together. That was something Branzy wasn’t expecting, though, when the initial shock wore off, he was quick to kiss him back.
The kiss felt far too short, but when the two broke apart, Clown was grinning widely, clearly pleased with himself. Branzy realized once again, for the nth time that day, that he was breathtaking.