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Tango wishes he could say it was because of some outside influence. This project of theirs has taken up so much of his time, even though he usually gets distracted halfway through and ends up going off to do something else. Fifi has remained pristine since Gem’s attempt to turn him into a ballerina, albeit a small bit demanding. He complains that his spot underneath the terraformed mountain is bland and unlike him, pleading with the other Big-Eyes members to get something done. Tango has taken up that mantle.
He has never been known to short-hand a task, putting everything he can behind it-- no matter if it is for his benefit or the benefit of others. It’s what made him such a valuable friend to have, despite the terrible yet witty puns and strange euphemisms he was famous for. Nothing really could have ruined his mood. He had met up with Bdubs earlier in the day, trading ideas for what he wanted to do within the mountain, listening intently to the other rant about how he made a successful redstone contraption. It was a good idea to bunker with him this season, though he could swear he’s been avoiding him since Last Life ended.
No matter how many times he told the Glare that there was no bad blood between them, Bdubs refused to give in. Quite the stubborn man, he is. While most of the server is going above and beyond with their builds-- Tango included- he was content with the crescent shaped house on top of the smaller hill, the large clock that dangles off the side giving extreme prognotion on who the cosy abode belonged to. He couldn’t think about that right now, he had a build to complete!
Having passed his own shop reminded him that he was getting low on rockets. He should be fine for the time being, however the next time he passes by it would be best to grab some. Wouldn’t want himself getting stranded out in the middle of nowhere. Walking into Fifi’s cave, he gave the cyclops a wave before moving to the side, starting the plotting process of where he wanted each stalagmite to go. The one eyed creature looked on with amusement, his head tilted slightly to the side.
“I’m going to spice things up for you here, make it look more homely!” Tango told him, getting used to the way he responds in expression. Pure joy appeared on the cyclops’ face. All of the materials he required could be found within the nine shulker boxes he had brought. Tango thought it would be best to tackle them one at a time, starting with the two that connect both the ceiling and the floor. Those were no problem. He finished building them in two hours, leaving the more gruelling task left at hand.
Halfway through the first day, Keralis visited to check on how he was doing.
“Heya, Tango! Hard at work, I see,” he said with a kind smile. Placing the last detail of the one stalagmite, the netherborn turned to face him fully.
“This place ain’t going to build itself, y’know! Besides, someone has to take care of our large friend here,” Tango said, motioning over to where Fifi was now sleeping. Keralis mosied up to him and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
“You’re remembering to take breaks, yeah?” Keralis asked. Tango sheepishly looked away, scratching the back of his head.
“Y-Yeah! Of course.” Clearly from the look his friend gave him, he did not believe a word that came out of his mouth. Tango grabbed some more materials from one of his shulkers, ignoring the scolding look from behind him. “I’ve been careful! Don’t look at me like that!” Tango shouted, getting back to work.
“I just don’t want to see you pushing yourself too hard.” Keralis told him. Seeing the lack of pause in his friend’s step, Keralis deflated slightly. “Did you hear what happened to Pearl last week?” He asked, changing the subject. Tango hummed.
“Mhm. That Boatem hole is dangerous, man. I keep telling Impulse that he needs to cover it up, but he’s adamant that it’s harmless. It makes my stomach churn,” the netherborn admitted. Imagining those pitch black splotches on the skin of his friends. If Pearl was anything else but the remnants of a goddess, Tango was sure she would have died. It is amazing that she recovered so quickly.
“You know how stubborn he can be,” was all Keralis responded with. “Hey, can I ask a favour?” Tango perked up.
“Yeah, sure, what’s up?” He asked.
“I ran out of rockets on the way here and I have to meet up with Xb in an hour. Can I borrow some from you?” Tango looked down, checking his pockets to see just how low he was. He could not afford to give any away if he wanted to complete this project on time. But at the same time, this is Keralis.
“Is my shop out? I thought I just refilled it…” Tango muttered under his breath. Keralis looked somewhat guilty.
“I didn’t see. I can check if it’s really too much of a hassle.” The netherborn shook his head, exhaling sharply.
“No no, it’s fine,” Tango told him, reaching in and pulling out a few rockets, handing them to Keralis. “Is this enough?” The large eyed man nodded.
“Plenty! Thank you so much, I’ll pay you back, I promise,” Keralis said, bidding the netherborn farewell before shooting off into the sky. Tango shook his head. He would just have to make sure that he’s extra conservative now.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A few hours into the project, Tango had himself standing on a pillar of scaffolding. The sheer amount of concentration written all over his face didn’t make up for the pounding of his heart against his ribcage. Adrenaline rushes while building is normal amongst the Hermits, however nothing comes close to the stomach dropping feeling as you look straight down, hundreds of feet in the air. The details on the ceiling need to be perfect! As Tango leaned forward, his sight briefly dropped to Fifi passed out in his alcove. A corny smile appeared on his face, relishing in how much he’s going to love the new additions to the cavern. He’s put so much work into it.
Placing another piece of scaffolding in front of him, Tango worked around to the other side. The Netherborn found exhaustion licking at every movement, reminding himself that it’s been quite some time since he rested. He had promised Keralis that he wouldn’t overdo it. Rubbing his eyes, Tango chuffed angrily. He was so close to being done, he couldn’t stop now! Just a few more hours and he would be ready to show the others his accomplishment. Keralis could forgive him.
This is when things started to go downhill.
Tango knew when he mapped the project out that this part was going to be tricky. He had just enough scaffolding to loop evenly across the ceiling, the Netherborn tiptoeing his way across to add more, pushing past how his body screamed at him to stop. He would be fine! Or so he thought. Getting to an intersection where it requires him to step up one, Tango’s foot caught against the edge. A surprised choked off noise came from him as his body jerked forward, completely missing the other side of the scaffolding.
Tango was falling.
Through the haze of exhaustion, he puffed out his wings, attempting to use his momentum to slow himself down a bit. All it really did was push him to the side, sending him completely off centre and spiralling further towards the ground. Tango’s stomach lurched. He needed to right himself, he was getting too close to the cavern floor! In a moment of panic, he reached for some rockets to use. All he felt was the leather of his bag and the materials he brought to build.
“Oh, shit!” Tango cursed, completely unlike him, but the fear factor was too much for him to care about being PG. He's out of rockets.
Keralis took most of what he had left. He forgot to restock. He has no more rockets.
His mind flashed to Zed and Impulse. They have been so distant this season, Zedaph within his mountain side laboratory and Impulse within his conglomerate of Mooners. He hasn't been too friendly this season himself, too caught up in the incoming moon and the eldritch horror Boatem is persistent on releasing. Maybe now they'll understand that life is too short.
While death was normal in their realm, the respawn factor made things incredibly unpleasant. He would come back, yes, but who’s to say that death will be instant? What if he remains crumpled on the stone floor for hours upon hours, bleeding out and begging for his friends to come save him before finally succumbing to his injuries?
He didn’t have much more time to think about it.
With a sickening crack, Tango felt unbridled agony before everything went black.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
When he finally stirred, it didn't take long for him to start screaming. Curling into himself, Tango's throat burned from how loud he was as red hot pain shot from his leg up his back. He squeezed his eyes tighter shut, gripping onto his shirt and jacket, pulling as whatever he could to ground himself. Slamming the palm of his hand into the ground a few times, he tried to make his aching body stop moving, wincing at every thrum or pulse his muscles made of their own accord. That was such a long fall, how did he survive that? Did his wings actually manage to slow his momentum down enough for the damage to be minimal?
Tango felt the tears that had been running down his face. How long has he been out for? Surely someone would have heard him screaming? Unless Keralis was still at that meetup with xB and Bdubs was in his bed, sleeping like a player should when the sun goes down. He whimpers as another thrum rushes through him. Utterly humiliating. Tango can't believe he forgot to restock on rockets! He needed to get up, needed to tell someone what happened, so for the first time since coming back to consciousness, Tango finally opened his eyes. It isn't pretty. The bone protruding out of the middle of his right leg cleared up what he had been feeling for the past… how long has he been here?
A small pool of blood has grown under his body, stemming from places other than just his leg. Where else was Tango bleeding from? His back hurts. His arms hurt. His head hurts. Did he hit his head? He knows his name, knows he’s in the cave, knows that Fifi lives here. Zed is better at that whole concussion protocol thing, Doc and Stress too! Speaking of which, he’s getting light headed. Is that from blood loss? Oh yeah, he was trying to find out where he was bleeding from. How injured is Tango and why hasn’t anyone come for him yet? Clearly he must have messaged the chat by now. Where’s his communicator? He’s getting distracted.
“This… this is… oh no,” Tango muttered through clenched teeth, shaky hands lifting to reach for the broken appendage. His back protests the movement but he needs to sit up, get himself to a more sturdy place. Looking around, Tango winced through the nausea as he located his comm a few feet away from him. “Gotta… need to tell someone.” Respawn does not heal broken bones and he doesn't think it would do him any good, seeing how he wasn’t one hundred percent sure he didn’t have a concussion. Respawning with head injuries suck more than broken bones. Managing to grasp onto the device, the Netherborn held it in both hands, biting his bottom lip as his body spasmed uncontrollably.
<Tango> i nned helkp
<Xisuma> What happened? Is everything alright?
<impulseSV> What’s up?
<GoodTimeWithScar> Do you need some cheering up?
<Grian> Not sure that’s what’s going on, buddy
<GoodTimeWithScar> You don’t know that!
<Tango> so huppothrtically iff i fell form the topp of teh cavrrn wiuld that b badd?
<Zedaph> YES
<stressmonster101> Incredibly bad!
<ZombieCleo> Oh dear…
<BdoubleO100> Oh my goodness, I’m nowhere near Big Eyes!
<Keralis> Me neither! I’m over at Horse Head Ranch!
<Grian> Are you in a safe place Tango?
<Tango> mhm up gainnst rocks
<Xisuma> Any injuries we need to be made aware of?
Tango looked over at himself again. He looked like garbage. Blood seeped through his clothes, he can’t stop looking at the way his bone is protruding unnaturally through his leg-- it would make him sick if not for the fact that he wasn’t one hundred percent there.
<Zedaph> I’m at his rocket shop, I can rush over to him!
<impulseSV> I’m on the way too! Hang in there Tango!
<Tango> prtty sure m legs brrken
<Tango> tink my baack ss all mesded up too
<Tango> cant stpp shakkin head hrrts
<stressmonster101> You need to get there fast. If there’s a possibility of a concussion, respawn could mess up his code even more
<Zedaph> I’m about ten minutes out
<impulseSV> I’m here! I can see him!
Lifting his head, Tango saw through blurry vision a person running towards him. A loopy smile appeared on his face. What good friends he has, coming to his rescue. Impulse kneeled in front of him, chocolate eyes blown wide with fear as he reached his hands out to him, not actually touching Tango at all.
“O-Oh gosh… Tango, can you hear me?” Impulse asked, voice wavering ever so slightly. He nodded.
“Mhm… I fell,” Tango said. The Demon laughed nervously.
“I can see that, buddy. Need you to stay awake for me, alright?” He asked, earning a small nod from the blonde. He pushed himself further against the wall, whining at the pain shooting through his back. Impulse caught onto that. “Is that what hurts the most?” Another small nod.
“Landed weird, blacked out. Everything hurtificates,” Tango groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut. Even delirious and in agony he still has a way with words.
“Zed is on his way, for sure, and I think Bdubs mentioned he was coming as well. We’re going to get you all fixed up, don’t you worry,” Impulse promised.
“Okay…” Tango trailed off softly. “I trust you.” Taking some time, the Boatem member patched up what he could. Obviously he was no professional at this but he did his best, leaving what is super serious to Zed when he gets there. Eventually he did see his sheepish friend rushing their way, a bag in his arms and Bdubs in tow.
“Oh Tango!” Zed exclaimed, clearly tearing up at seeing his friend like this. “How did this happen to you?” Tango groaned, rubbing roughly at his eyes.
“Was working on the stupid ceiling… tripped on the thingies that help you go up… pulled my wings but had no more rockets… I’m so tired,” the Netherborn admitted. The sheer amount he had been crying showed plainly on his face, tracks running from his eyes all the way down past his chin. His red eyes are dulled and his hair is snuffed out completely, unlike what they would usually see when he’s in the midst of building. Bdubs looked down to the broken leg.
“Th-That doesn’t look good. We’re going to have to set it, aren’t we?” He asked. Zedaph nodded.
“Yeah, yeah we are… um, Impy--” the demon jumped slightly, snapping back into reality. “--you’re the strongest out of all of us, you’re going to have to hold Tango down. If he flares up, also, you can’t be burned, so…” Impulse nodded, swallowing before turning back to his friend. Tango looks at him pleadingly.
"You're going to be alright, I promise," Impulse told him, trying to look confident for his friend. "Can you shift yourself towards me? I need to get behind you." Tango hummed, bracing himself as he attempted to move closer to Impulse, a few groans leaving him as his leg continued to seathe. Eventually, the Netherborn's back was flat against the Demon's chest, allowing Tango a moment's peace.
Zed sighed, pulling out his communicator and opening chat.
<Zedaph> X, I need you to be ready to teleport us
<Xisuma> Just give me the word! Would your base be best?
<PearlescentMoon> Definitely wouldn't choose Impulse's, he doesn't even have a proper bedroom yet
Impulse's face reddened at that, somewhat embarrassed. It wasn't that he didn't have one, he just hadn't had the time to make it all nice!
<Xisuma> I will bring some regen potions as well, to maybe speed up some of the lesser damage
<Xisuma> To help heal him, I meant
<xBCrafted> We gotcha, X
<Keralis> How bad is it?
<BdoubleO100> Pretty bad. Actually, that might be an understatement.
<Zedaph> Leg is definitely broken. Can't get a good look at anything else right now but we'll take precautions
<FalseSymmetry> Please do, and keep us updated!
Zedaph exhaled, turning his attention back towards his friend. Shuffling closer, the sheep placed a soft hand on Tango's shoulder, gaining his attention.
"This is going to hurt. We need to set that leg," he told him. Tango winced.
"More than it already does?" The blonde asked, gaining a nod from Zed. His hair flickered briefly, terror flaring inside the Netherborn as the idea of further hurt crept into his mind. How could anything be worse than when he woke up?
"I've got his lower half!" Bdubs said, putting all of his weight onto the leg that isn't broken.
"You ready?" Zed asked, waiting patiently for everyone to give the green light, especially Tango.
"He'll give you a countdown," Impulse assured him. Grabbing the necessary components, the group of four silently prepared themselves for the worse. Zed licked his suddenly dry lips.
"On the count of three. One--" Bdubs' brow furrowed at Zedaph's shaky tone. No one is masking just how nervous they all are. "--Two--" Impulse braced himself. He knows what Tango is like while in pain, it's going to take everything he has to keep him from moving. "Three!" A sickening snap echoed throughout the cave. Tango wailed .
His hair, tail and wings erupted completely into blue soul fire. Impulse cringed at the searing heat that slammed into his front, bearing down, pinning Tango to his chest as the Netherborn thrashed in his grip. Bdubs grunted as his tail skimmed the bridge of his nose. The two of them combined kept the injured blonde in check, allowing Zed to place two sturdy pieces of plank on either side of the broken leg. The appendage refused to stay still, however, even with their efforts.
"Push down harder, Bdubs!" Zed ordered, ripping some medical tape via his mouth before beginning to wrap around the planks. It wouldn't be the sturdiest or most practical thing in the world but it will do. Bdubs looked at him wide eyed.
"I don't want to hurt him further!" The Glare admitted. Impulse hissed through clenched teeth as Tango's claws dug into his arms.
"Calm down, it's alright Tango. We've got you, it's almost over," he whispered, doing his best to soothe him. Tango could not hear a thing. As soon as Zed had put his leg back into place all he could see was white, red hot agony coming wave after wave, turning seconds into hours. His mind is a vast expanse of nothingness, muttered pleas fumbling out of his mouth at such a rate that neither of the three Hermits could understand him.
“StoppleaseZedithurtssomuchImpyletgo--” Tango begged. One of his hands found Impulse’s shoulder, the sheer grip alone causing blood to leak through. Finally, Zed got the leg properly taken care of. Tango could feel the blood pulsing through his veins and wracked sobs accompanied the weak bodily twitches. His breathing is sharp and laboured, the fire that was once an inferno sputtering down to a small blaze, having returned to it’s orangey red colour. Bdubs cautiously let go of the Netherborn’s lower half.
“How’re you feeling?” The Glare asked. Tango’s grip on the Demon behind him did not ease up. Someone was groaning other than the blonde. Zed and Bdubs’ gazes turned to the brunette, seeing the way small droplets of blood oozed down Tango’s hand and through the yellow jacket Impulse is wearing. One eye is squeezed shut and his teeth are clenched.
“His claws are… really starting to dig deep,” Impulse said, a nervous laugh following it. His clothes are singed, jacket pretty much useless at this point. The sheer heat-- while it did minimal damage to the Demon himself-- turned as much of what he is wearing to ash. To avoid further damage, sometime during the process, Impulse had turned off most of the glamour. His horns are longer, fangs clear with his grimace and wings puffed out to protect them. Zed smiled sadly.
“You both did amazing, you as well Bdubs,” the sheep told them as he moved to Tango’s right side. “Can you hear us?” A gulp followed by a small nod gave them all they needed to enact on the next part of helping Tango out. Typing in chat a few words, the four waited with baited breath. The first to go was Zed, followed by Bdubs. One of them must have informed their admin that Impulse and Tango were inseparable at this moment, that they should be moved together. A wave of nausea filled the Demon’s stomach before a sudden lurch sent both him and the poor man in his lap to another place on Hermitcraft, somewhere with soft blankets and a plush bed.
Tango exhaled as his body began to relax. Now that the pain in his leg is starting to dull, he could focus on the uncomfortable feeling his back and skull were feeding back to him. His wings ached as well.
“Don’t worry, Tango, we’ve got you.” Bdubs, that was Bdubs. He felt the source of heat behind him start to move away, causing a sad whimper to leave him. A hand ran through his extinguished blonde hair, soft and comforting.
“I’m still here, don’t worry. We’re not going anywhere,” Impulse told him. What good friends, amazing people they are, making sure he gets better. He’s so tired, he wants to go to bed, but something in the back of his mind told him not to, something Zed had mentioned. Protocol? Is that it? Yeah, he hit his head, that’s it. They want to make sure it didn’t give him a concussion.
“M’ name is Tango, ‘f the Tek variety…” he muttered out weakly, opening his eyes. “I’m a m’mber of Big Eyes, we're in s’son 8. Your name is Zed’ph, yours is Bdubs, yours is Impulse. I am fr’m the Nether, you r’scued us Impy.” Relief flooded through the room. That was the fear which prevented them from letting the Netherborn rest and now, finally, they could cross that idea off.
“Yeah, that’s right, I did. You both are so brave,” Impulse said, tone clear and full of emotion. That hand stayed in his hair, calming him.
“Thank you, T, you did so well. You can rest now,” Zedaph told him. Leaning into the comfort of his friends, the blonde’s eyes fluttered shut. He was safe, he was going to be okay, they were going to take care of him.
Tango slept.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Seeing the calm rise and fall of his friend’s chest, Impulse finally allowed himself to relax. The strain of the past hour or so weighed heavily on him. It had been a while since any of them had gotten seriously injured-- if you ignore Pearl’s void sickness-- so running in and seeing Tango crumpled on the stone floor like that? It had sent agony through his core. He was so scared, afraid that at any point Tango could die and make things so much worse. He didn't want to see the Netherborn suffer any more than he already did.
Zedaph audibly sighed, all the tension in his body releasing as his shoulders slumped forward. Bdubs looked Tango up and down.
"So… what now?" He asked, taking a seat beside the bed. Impulse-- without disturbing Tango's sleep-- moved him onto his side. The flare of the Netherborn's wings are diminished, barely enough light to show that they are even still working.
"We're going to have to take his top off, see the full extent of the damage done," Impulse said.
“You check his wings then, Impy, seeing how you’re more familiar with them than we are,” Zed said as he started to walk out of the room. Bdubs raised an eyebrow at him.
“Where are you headed?” Bdubs asked, tone nervous and strained.
“X and Keralis said they were on their way, I’m going out to meet them. Keep an eye on things for me, yeah?” Zed requested, earning nods from the other two Hermits. Between the two of them they managed to get their friend comfortable, back exposed with his shirt and jacket folded on the back of the closest chair. A large bruise extends from the bottom of his right hip all the way up to the top of where his wings sprout. Impulse visibly cringed when he first saw him, wondering how much his wings were going to ache when the Netherborn woke up. He might have to request Tango not to use them until that is all the way gone.
Eventually Zed reappeared back into the room with Xisuma and Keralis in tow, a full shulker box of potions in the admin’s arms. Placing it on the ground beside the bed, they looked over the poor man unconscious on the bed in front of them.
“Goodness… poor guy, he looks like he’s in so much pain,” Xisuma commented, feeding the Netherborn the first Regen potion of the day. A groan left Tango’s mouth as some of the smaller bouts of damage started to undo.
“We’ve done what we can but those potions are going to be important to his recovery,” Impulse told them. Keralis’ eyes haven’t moved from his friend’s still form on the bed. Guilt heavily weighed on his chest.
“Oh no, this is all my fault…” The big-eyed Hermit mumbled, hand half covering his mouth as he let the other rest carefully on Tango’s arm. All eyes were on him.
“What do you mean?” Xisuma asked in a stern tone. Suddenly Keralis felt as if he were a small child being lectured by his parents. He looked down in shame.
“Not on purpose of course…” he murmured, running a hand through his hair. “I had come in to see what he was doing earlier. I told him to take a break and wasn’t convinced he would have! I thought maybe I could force him to, so I asked for some rockets. Hoped that he would run out and finally take some time for himself,” Keralis admitted.
“Keralis…” Xisuma droned out, disappointment heavy in his voice.
“I know, I know! I’m sorry…” He apologised. Bdubs placed a comforting hand on the big-eyed man’s shoulder, drawing his attention. The softness in the other’s face allowed all that sudden stress to disappear from Keralis.
“It was just an accident, Big K, don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks Bubbles,” Keralis said with a smile. Seven regen potions and a lot of worried hours later, they were confident that most of the injuries Tango had sustained were healed and taken care of. They agreed to keep an equal eye on the Netherborn, Impulse and Zedaph downright refusing to leave their friend’s side until he woke up. It didn’t matter if the Big Eyes Crew were corporate enemies of Boatem, this is so much more important than any factions the Hermits have conjured up.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The first thing Tango recognized is the plush of a soft bed beneath him. Opening his eyes, he groaned softly at the ache and strain his body had been through. Though it is nothing like when he had awoken the first time, he still could feel every jolt of pain each small move through him. Blinking a few times, Tango looked around. His gaze softened at Zed currently sleeping at the foot of his bed, his head laying in the crease his two arms made due to the top half of him being against the mattress. Impulse is directly beside him, curled up on one of the sofas that certainly did not belong in this room with his tail wrapped around his resting form. He is super confused.
Being as careful as he could, Tango pulled Impulse’s chair even closer, to the point where it is now touching the bed. He didn’t want to wake Zed up or else he would try to get him further towards him as well, however this would have to work. Tango grabbed Impulse’s hand and at feeling someone else’s touch, the demon’s tail latched onto the Netherborn’s arm. Tango let his own tail wrap around Zedaph’s hand, connecting the three together, comforting each that they were together again. Letting his eyes close, Tango drifted off to sleep once more.
They can forget about the impending moon crisis. They can forget about whatever it is that resides inside of the void below. They can forget about the exhaustion of sleepless nights. They can forget about the injuries and traumas the Hermits have endured over the years.
So long as they stay together, ZIT will forever remain inseparable.