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The server was calmer these days. The usual chaos that filled around spawn had settled into this odd peaceful atmosphere. Most of the other members have been busy with other server events, so only a handful of people have come by every now and then.
Jude had been alone since earlier, wanting to fix some of his traps around spawn. Taking advantage of the server inactivity to maybe slip some new ones around. He’d invited Parker earlier to come join him in his escapades, but the voidling had said he's got something to do with Shadow, a good friend of both of them from another server.
That's been his answer for days now, and as much as he didn't want to admit, he is a bit salty. But what can he do? They're probably cooking up some new type of trap so better not to disturb them.
The peace in the server was quite unsettling, he wasn't used to this. But at the same time it was a nice change, he could finally breathe for once without worrying about someone jumping his ass every minute.
conexion has joined the game
Okay, he might have jinxed himself.
He didn't know why Sharpness was even here in the first place. The blonde probably had seen his name on the server list and joined right after him. Even though Jude distinctively recalls the blonde mentioning about an important tournament happening in his own server today.
As soon as he joined, the swordmaster casually walked right into his base, like he didn't just blow it up to smithereens just a few weeks ago.
“It was boring”. Sharpness claimed when Jude had asked about the said tournament. Turns out it was some sort of test to assess the new batch of people who were trying to be admins.
“No one’s good enough to beat me.” The blonde continues.
Jude had responded but right after that, the wild goose chase had begun as soon as he finished arranging his shulker boxes filled with trapping materials. Then again it was Jude’s fault for provoking him, but who would miss such an opportunity?
“Are you sure? Or did you die in the first round?” He smirked, immediately running off as soon as he saw the blonde materialize his sword from out of his inventory.
“Come back here bitch!” He hears Sharpness shout, though he was already quite far away. For someone who claims to hate him so much, he sure is pretty clingy.
After the JudeLow and Sharpness classic. Jude didn't exactly know how they ended up in this situation. Here they both were sitting right next to each other in this cramped, enclosed hole under the ground.
The sounds of pistons working in the background filled the silence between them.
It was just both of them.
On the same server.
Within the same space.
The swordmaster was quiet beside him–for once. Though Jude could feel the other's gaze burning right through him. Watching him closely as he works on the redstone wiring on his trap.
He didn't really know what Sharpness wanted–a fight probably, but the brute was surprisingly respecting Jude’s space. Earlier, he had had enough of Sharpness chasing him around and hid. Typing in his communicator to leave him alone and that he just wanted to fix one of his traps. But he had received a message he wasn’t expecting from the blonde.
<conexion> “Can I come?”
Jude would’ve declined. Especially now since they weren’t even teammates anymore. He wasn’t worried about Sharpness learning how to trap. Seeing the previous trapping attempts the swordmaster had made, it was unlikely for him to succeed in this profession.
<JudeLow> “sure”
<conexion> “cords?”
But he was bored out of his mind anyways, and having some company wouldn’t be that bad, right?
Catching the slight movement out of the corner of his eyes, Jude glanced over at Sharpness. He was expecting to meet curious emerald orbs, boring right into his own magenta ones. But the blonde was staring intently at Jude’s gloved hands instead.
“Dude, are you good?” Jude broke the silence.
The swordmaster blinked, his gaze instantly snapping up to meet Jude’s. No thoughts behind those innocent looking eyes, a fact that always pissed Jude off. How could this proclaimed swordmaster have the most innocent looking face while he smashes your whole entire brain with a mace. It was terrifying.
“Oh.” Was all Sharpness had said, sounding like he hadn’t even realized he’d been staring.
“Just your gloves” The blonde continues, pointing vaguely towards Jude’s leather gloves now covered in redstone dust.
“What about them?”
“I've never seen them off before,” He was curious. “I think” he mumbled to himself.
Did Jude just hear him right? He glanced to his own hands, before returning his gaze towards the swordmaster who was looking right at him now, expecting. Sharpness wanted to see his hands. To see his ungloved bare hands for whatever reason.
Why was he suddenly so interested in them?
Unless…
“You're a freak! Do you have a hand fetish or something?” Jude gasps, scooting back to the nearby stone wall. Acting disgusted while he hid his hand in an attempt to “protect them”. But he couldn’t help the massive grin spreading across his face
“What teh fuck?! Hell no!” Sharp snaps back, looking offended at the accusation.
Jude bursts out laughing. It was honestly just way too much fun teasing him, even after everything.
“I was just curious!” The blonde defended himself, a blush of his own forming across his cheeks. “Don't make this weird!”
“That'so gay dude!” Jude continues to laugh his head off. Doubling over his nearby shulker box filled with redstone..
But he stiffens as soon as he sees Sharpness materializing his netherite sword straight from his inventory. The message was loud and clear and Jude didn’t want to fight in this cramped hole right now.
“Okay okay!” The bunny hybrid puts his hands up in surrender, though he doesn’t stop laughing. “Man, are you really that curious?” He chuckles as he scoots back to his spot next to Sharpness.
“Well, I haven’t seen you take it off at all, even when I still used your base.” Sharpness mutters as the sword evaporates out of thin air. Jude assumes it’s back in his inventory, and thanks gosh. He doesn’t feel like dealing with Sharpness’ killing streak right now.
and..
“The fuck you mean?! You still use my base! More than I even use it!”
“I do not! I’ve already got a base with Flow!” Sharpness argued, looking offended. He paid a hefty amount of gold for that to get built, he was not a freeloader. Not like he was ever one in the first place.
“Yeah! But you're still mostly at mine!”
“It's cuz you have a turtle farm!”
“That is not a good reason!” Jude shot back, he was annoyed but the wide smile plastered on his face said otherwise. “You didn't even know how it worked!”
“It's because you made it complicated!”
“That's the simplest Turtle farm design you fucking idiot!”
The bickering went on for a bit, their voices echoing in the tight space, but it eventually died down into a quiet silence.
And honestly? It felt familiar and as much as Jude didn’t want to admit, It made him feel warm inside. It reminded him of those late night arguments he had in his room with Sharpness' about dumb shit that eventually led to them fighting in bed. Leading to them wrestling and falling on top of each other, before laughing their asses off.
Though, that was all in the past now.
“Why’re your suddenly curious anyways” Jude mutters. His hands fidgeting on the straps of his gloves. He had gotten these gloves from Shadow, a gift from when he started gaining traction for being the best Minecraft trapper ever. They were sturdy, a perfect fit for trappers like himself. Though he had noticed it was getting quite worn out lately.
“I told you I'm just curious,” Sharpness pouts.
What was even that look for? Why is he acting like this is a big deal even.
Jude rolls his eyes. He knew how stubborn the man was right in front of him, and he knew that he wouldn't stop pestering him until he got what he wanted. “Ugh fine whatever, I don't have the prettiest hands if you're planning on selling them or something.”
“What do you mean sell them?!”
The bunny hybrid snickers before he adjusts his position to fully face Sharpness.
He takes a breath, and slowly takes off the straps of his gloves. The blonde in front of him just watched him in silence the entire time, completely still.
Soon Jude had taken both of them off, revealing his hands littered with scars. A lot of them were from a long time ago, when he was still a complete beginner, when Hoplite’s respawning mechanic was still awful.
With a sigh of defeat, Jude gaze meets up with those emerald-green eyes, staring down at them. Why did he even look upset? What was the blonde even expecting? He’s a trapper for godsake, not a hand model.
JudeLow was about to say something, until Sharpness suddenly reached out without even thinking. His large, yet somehow delicate hands enveloping Jude’s own rough and jagged ones.
The hybrid’s breath hitches. His fight or flight instincts instantly kicked in. What the fuck is this guy doing. He looks up at Sharpness with wide eyes, his ears twitched as he tries to get rid of this weird warm fuzzy feeling growing inside him.
Sharpness notices the small reaction from Jude and he stops almost immediately. Though he didn’t release his hands. Instead his gaze meets up with Jude’s and he waits. Jude doesn’t know what for but he guesses, some sort of indication if he hated this or if it was okay to continue,
Jude tries to fight back a blush creeping up his cheeks. Stop.. Why is he acting like this?
He gave him no verbal answer. Opting to turn his head away instead, finding the stone wall far more interesting than the swordmaster sitting directly in front of him. The same swordmaster who was holding his hand like it was the most precious thing in the world.
But the important detail there was, Jude didn’t pull away, and Sharpness took that as a sign to continue.
He looks fascinated for whatever reason, tracing over a rather large scar he got back then. It was a scar that ran from the palm of his hand to his wrist. An accident with dripstone when he first started experimenting with them.
“You got a lot” Sharpness mutters quietly, more to himself as he continues to examine Jude’s hand.
Jude’s ears twitched, why the fuck did this feel weirdly intimate. Nah, who was Judelow even tricking. This was definitely normal, two guys just stuck in a 2x2 hole under the ground, while the other caresses his hands. This is just naturally what bros do, no homo.
No homo at all.
“Does one scar represent one trap?” Sharpness looks up at him with genuine curiosity.
Jude snorts at that, a stupid but also good question. He didn’t really pay attention to them, sure they hurt but it wasn’t his top priority when he’s always on the run.
“Just a day in the life of a trapper, we do all the heavy lifting you know” Jude says casually, or so he attempts to. But his voice came out a little too breathless for his liking.
Though he wasn’t lying. As a trapper you do everything all by yourself, especially if you’re solo. From gathering materials, to building the actual trap and to baiting people to kill them, it was heavy work.
“It’s-” Jude breath hitches as soon as Sharpness starts massaging his hands, now where did he learn this now?
“Do they hurt? I thought scars disappear after you respawn”
Judelow felt the heat rising in his cheeks, this needs to stop.
“I've been doing this for like 2 decades now, Sharp. Some scars just don't fully heal..” No matter how long they've been or no matter how many health pots you consume, some scars just stay.
“Oh..”
A silence filled them again before Sharpness took off his own glove on his right and intertwined them with Jude.
Jude swears his heart stops beating for a second or two.
What teh fuck.
What the actual fuck.
What the actual fuck is this guy doing.
Jude just feels his brain turn into mush. It's not like the first time he’d held hands with Sharpness. Hell, why is he even blushing at holding his hands! It was just holding his hand! They’ve held hands together a lot when they were teammates, helping each other get out from messed up situations. But why does this feel different?
“Dude.” Jude starts and Sharpness looks up at him. Fuck.
“What are you doing?”
“Hm? Checking your hands, It's smaller than mine”, Sharpness turns his hand again, brushing over a rather new scar he got. Jude hisses, immediately pulling back his hand, startling the blonde.
“Sorry” Sharp mutters quickly, looking guilty. “Did I hurt you?” he asks.
Why the fuck is he asking.
He had killed him before, they’d been at each other's throats since day one. So why the fuck is he apologizing for something like this. If he did actually have the guts to apologize then why didn’t he ever apologize for betraying him. For blowing up his base two times now?
That realization just left a sour taste in his mouth.
Sharpness saw his expression dim and assumed he’d hurt him so, what did the almighty Sharpness do?
He gently grabs Jude’s hand with his gloveless one and brings it up to his mouth, kissing his palm.
And Jude just malfunctions.
HUH???
Jude yanks his hand back so fast that he nearly smacks his elbow to the stone wall behind him. That would’ve been painful if he did but it didn’t.
“Are you actually insane?” His ears were pinned to his head. Flustered. Where the fuck did he learn this one from?! Is he playing with him right now? Maybe he should just push him into the funnel right here and now.
“What! I was told it would make it feel better!” Sharpness defends, raising his arms up in surrender.
“Says who?!”
“Flowtives!”
“Wh- So you kissed his hand?!” Jude sputters, just what is he hearing right now. What is this bullshit? He could feel his ears burn, his whole body is. It’s probably just the heat. It is pretty cramped in here.
“What?! NO! Stop saying bullshit!”
“Then why the fuck did you kiss mine?!”
“I-”
Why did he kiss his hand?
“Oh.”