Chapter Text
~ Third Person ~
Admiring the sunrise, Branzy and Clown sat huddled together at dawn. Branzy's head was leaned against Clown's shoulder and Clown's arm was wrapped around Branzy's waist. Their breath had formed small clouds of smoke in front of their faces as different colours of light dance acrossed every inch of their skin.
Like an angry artist, the sun had thrown a plethora of colours across the sky. Red, pink and yellow pigments stained the dark canvas above them until it was nothing more than a chaotic mess. So ravenous, so greedy, so starved: warmth hugrily seeped into the cold expanse of the fading night above, quickly devouring any sign of the early darkness.
It was horrendously beautiful.
~ Branzy ~
It had almost been a month ago when he and Clown had officially started dating. Somewhere along the line, one day together had turned into two and into four weeks. Branzy guessed that people who were meant to be in your life always managed to find a way back into it, and that was indeed what happened with Clown.
Shortly after they had started dating, they made their relationship public to the Lifesteal SMP. Naturally, people congratulated them but surprisingly, it wasn't just some people, it was anyone and everyone.
Even Vitalasy, his old teammate, had come to visit Branzy again. A small smile danced across his lips as he thought about how they had started to rekindle the trust that had been broken between them. Their friendship had once again started to thrive depite the betrayal that still lingered in the air.
That wasn't all; after Branzy had made the bet with Clown, he couldn't sleep all night. He was simply too excited about the prospect of ten enchanted golden apples. Mind racing, thoughts erratic, sleep nowhere in sight: he remembered how he had given up any hope of rest. Instead, he had skipped to Squiddos house at 5 AM in the morning.
He had stood outside her door for ten minutes, knocking until his hand went numb. Eventually of course, she opened the door, but she wasn't happy at all. She had grumbled something about it being too early in the morning but as soon as he saw her face, Branzy had reminded her of the bet.
At this, she visibly paled. Thinking back on it now, Branzy recollected how nervous she had been. "What if he doesn't like me like that," she had stuttered. It was kind of funny in retrospect, because they now they were happily dating. He guessed he wasn't one to talk, especially with his whole relationship with Clown.
"He does, I've seen the way he looks at you." Branzy had replied. "I'll help you, don't worry." What had he meant by this? Why, of course he set them up on a date.
Branzy had dragged Clown out of the circus that very afternoon. He remembered how confused the jester had been, but even now, just thinking back to it made him smile. Natually, he didn't tell Clown anything, that way his reaction would have been way funnier, and it definitely was worth it. Clown's mouth fell open when he saw Squiddo confess to Ashswag. He had turned to Branzy in shock and Branzy just grinned back. Branzy never let Clown live down that moment, to this day he still reminded him about it and cherished the memory within his heart.
Ashswag, of course, said yes and that was the day he and Squiddo had started dating.
~ Clown ~
No words were needed when he was with Branzy, their love was enough. Together, they looked out into the distance as the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky.
A lot had happened in the past two months. The first month's chaos was something he decided to descibe as bad and the second month's was something he had decided to describe as good, after all he had been spending it with his boyfriend Branzy.
Clown had regrettably lost the bet, what he hadn't accounted for was Branzy and Squiddo having made their own deal earlier.
Even now, he was still feeling a little salty but he had scoured multiple ancient cities for enchanted golden apples. Of course, he didn't drag Branzy along because one, he was getting the apples for Branzy and two, last time Branzy had spawned a million wardens in and almost got them killed. No way did he want a repeat of that again! At this thought, he smiled affectionately. Branzy was such a massive a klutz, but he was his klutz.
Instead, he had actually gone with Ashswag. Clown guessed he trusted him now. Anyway, even if he did try something, Clown was certain he would be able to take him.
In the end, he and Ashswag had visited a multitude of ancient cities and had managed to scrounge sixteen enchanted golden apples. He had kept three for himself, gave three to Ashswag and of course left ten for Branzy, that absolute idiot. The thought made Clown giggle slightly to himelf.
At this, Branzy asked him, "Hey, what's so funny?"
Clown turned to face him. The rising sunrise had plastered hues of warmth across his gorgeous face. Clown looked into his amethyst eyes, the very same eyes that
had lit up in delight when he had given him those ten enchanted golden apples. Branzy had kissed Clown on the cheek and said, "Thank you!"
So Clown replicated that. He leaned in and pressed his lips to Branzy's cheek. "You're so beautiful."
Life had somehow fallen into a routine. It was almost as if when he had accepted Branzy into his life, he had found his purpose. Every morning, he'd wake up next to Branzy, thankful for the second chance he'd been given at life.
Branzy smiled at him. "No, you're beautiful." He pulled Clown towards him, his smile drawing closer and closer to Clown's until it eventually morphed into a kiss.
One morning, Clown had noticed a music disc hanging in an item frame on one of the walls. This had confused him because he didn't know Branzy owned Pigstep. What Clown hadn't seen coming was that Vitalasy had given it to Branzy as an apology gift. This almost made him want to laugh; it was strange really, everything that had happened had started with Vitalasy. If Clown hadn't happened to be fighting Vitalasy on that fateful day, he would never have been shot at by Kevin, he would never have gone to The End and he would never have died.
But he also would never have realised he was in love with Branzy.
Clown sunk his weight deeper into Branzy, his eyes fluttering closed in contentment. The kiss felt like soft rain on a summer evening.
Clown did still hope this wasn't the case. In whatever universe he and Branzy were in, he better have fallen in love with Branzy. If he hadn't, then Clown deserved to die.
Branzy's lips tasted sweet and they were soft against his. Clown was addicted to them, he didn't know how he would cope without the feel of the other man against him; the withdrawal would most defenitely be enough to kill him.
Funnily enough, The End wasn't the end. Life hadn't stopped after it, but rather life had begun. Clown was currently helping Branzy become better at PvP and he was getting better and better each day.
Branzy gently cupped Clown's cheek with a tender hand. Clown wasn't just floating, no he was soaring. He was like a dove flying though the sky. You could say that he was on cloud nine, but that couldn't quite describe the experience it was to be with Branzy. If there was a cloud nine he would be the farthest place from it, for he was way above cloud nine, he was on top of the world.
Clown hadn't just helped Branzy though. No, Branzy had helped him to see that not every person on the server was out to kill him (although he still wasn't 100% certain that this was true).
When they slowly pulled apart, they sat there looking into each other's eyes, looking into each other's souls, looking into each other's hearts. Their breath mingled in the charged air, still sizzling with the embers of their embrace.
~ Third person ~
Clown's scarlet flecked, brown eyes weren't the colour of the ocean, but Branzy was drowning in them.
Branzy's amethyst eyes robbed Clown of his ability to breath, they were truly encapsulating.
Dawn had broken and the night had surrended to the new day. By now, the sun had risen far above the distant horizon. The pinks, reds and yellows in the sky had subsided to make way for the calm blue of the morning.
Clown's and Branzy's hands were intertwined, breathing in sync as they shared a moment of pure love. Even the world around them, which always seemed to race past them at a million miles per hours, had stopped spinning.
The events of the past flashed before their eyes.
Fighting Vitalasy.
Being shot at by arrows.
Being attacked in an empty alleyway.
Following coordinates.
Finding a letter in the jungle temple.
Falling into a trap.
Being confronted by Kevin.
Meeting Lefu.
Finding allies in unlikely people.
Reafirmed trust.
A spark of friendship.
Another surprise attack.
A crossbow and fireworks.
The End.
Crimson, vermillion, scarlet: red.
The truth.
Darkness.
Life?
Life.
Kevin and Lefu were gone, but they weren't really gone. Kevin was Branzy and Lefu was Clown. Likewise, Clown was Branzy and Branzy was Clown because they were one, two parts of a whole.
Sitting under the fading sunset, Clown and Branzy were enamoured as they looked at each other. Not only was it the start of a new day, it was the start of a new chapter, it was the start of a new life.
Somewhere along the way, two people had genuinely fallen for each other on the deadliest server. How had that happened? Neither of them knew or cared to wonder because one thing was for certain:
It had all been a journey of the heart.