Credit to idea Creamy_snickerdoodle
Word Count: 1,372 words.

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Bdubs was not short.

He definitely wasn't.

And most importantly he wasn't short-tempered.

Sure, he lost his temper every 'now and then', but that didn't mean he was short-tempered! Nor was he being dramatic either.

It had been as sensible of a day as it could be on the Hermitcraft server, and Bdubs was just minding his own business when he'd discovered that he needed to pop down to the shopping district to buy some items.

Upon arriving there, he found a few of the Hermits who were simply chatting with each other. For a moment, he contemplated on whether he should approach them or continue on with his tasks.

However, Keralis unknowingly made the decision for him as he caught sight of him before he could come to a decision. "Bubbles!" Spotting him, Keralis called out to him with a wave, and Bdubs found himself heading towards their direction.

And that was how he found himself in a discussion with the Hermits, and nowhere near completing his tasks that he had originally come to complete. It had started off calmly, a simple conversation, but somehow, after a while, the conversation took a sharp turn and its ambers started to heat up — or in much less dramatic words, the Hermits had jokingly started to tease each other.

The first time his height had been used as a comparison in the conversation, he had shrugged it off - it wasn't such a big deal. The next time it was brought up, Bdubs felt a frown start to tug at his lips. "I'm not that short," He retorted. There were plenty of other things that were shorter than him that could be used in comparison!

The third time, however, he had gotten annoyed, his patience running out, and the conversation going around and around in circles... the result being that he had ended up storming off. He heard the Hermits call after him but with a frustrated huff, he ignored them and left.

"Now look at what you've done..." Keralis chided right after Bdubs had left. Despite being the one who had waved Bdubs over, he had stepped aside to help fix another issue and had come back to a conversion that did not resemble the one he left. On his usual soft face, a sort of concerned (and, perhaps, even displeased) look had begun to form.

"It was just a joke—"

"Well, clearly not," Keralis cut them off. "Besides, you know how he is... the server's barely managed to catch a break lately." He gave them a look that silenced them before running off to find Bdubs. After all, somebody needed to make sure he was okay.

Hesitantancy sparkled around the group. "Y'know, I think maybe we've gone too far—" One of them blurted out.

"Oh relax," Cleo interrupted from behind them, having overheard the conversation from the beginning. They all jumped, having gotten... well, as silly as it sounded, unnerved at seeing the usually cheerful Kerlias mad. "Just apologise and you'll probably live," She continued.

"Huh? Probably?!" Upon hearing their response, she barely suppressed a laugh and tossed her head slightly. Continuing on her way, Cleo left the flustered group behind. Ha! And they thought that Bdubs was the dramatic one...

While Cleo was having fun, Keralis had gone after Bdubs. He found Bdubs sitting on his living room floor. And for reference, Bdubs was not sitting with a pout on his face. "There you are, I was looking for you."

Now Keralis had assumed that they had been joking around, but without knowing what had exactly happened, Bdubs could either be a bit dramatic or not. But he also knew that the tension on the server had been building up—nobody had had a proper break and, somehow, everyone on the server was sleep-deprived in some way. So all in all, it was a wonder any type of incident hadn't occurred earlier...

"Hmph..." was all Bdubs replied. A soft chuckle escaped Keralis' lips.

"I'll make some tea." Heading to the kitchen, Keralis filled the kettle with water and pressed the button so it would boil. He softly hummed, as he opened two tea packets and popped one into both of their cups. Upon hearing the kettle finish boiling, he filled the cups. A sudden thought came to Keralis, "I should grab something sweet... that might be nice." Grabbing a tin of cookies from the cupboard, he placed it beside the cups on the tray.

"Here we go!" Keralis chirped. He was carrying the tray in his hands and he placed it on top of a small table.

"I'm not thirsty though-" Bdubs protested.

Tilting his head slightly, Keralis thought for a moment before shrugging nonchalantly. "I guess that means there's more tea and cookies for me then!" He placed the tray down anyway and headed towards the hallway to grab a blanket.

"Huh?! Why you... no, gimme back my cookies and tea!"

"Y'know, they're right next to you!"

"... I know that!" Bdubs let out another huff. "I was just ... testing. Yeah, that's right!" Reaching out for a cookie, he grabbed one and started munching on it (like it was all part of his plan).

He felt a soft blanket drape over his shoulders, wrapping him in a comforting embrace. "Sorry," Bdubs mumbled, the words tinged with awkwardness. He left out the reason why, but he also knew Kerlias already knew why.

"You're fine," Kerlias said, his voice light. He gently patted Bdubs on the head. "Besides, according to Xisuma, everyone's in dire need of a serious nap. He's five seconds away from calling a meeting and telling them they're all acting like toddlers."

"Oi! I hope I'm not included in that- Also what happened? You stepped away to assist him with something, right?"

"Mhm! There were... let's just say some errors, but it's been more or less sorted."

"Well, if the server's sleep deprived, how much more sleep is the server's admin going to get? Oh, and don't think that I didn't notice that you didn't say anything about the first part either."

Kerlias hummed in agreement. "True. Also..." Bdubs narrowed his eyes at him, giving him a pointed look. Kerlias' lips curved upwards into an innocent smile. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Bubbles."

"Hmpth, sure. You can keep telling yourself that."

After some more random tidying up, Kerlias eventually sat down beside him. "They're all mine now," Bdubs declared, referring to the plate of cookies. A bold declaration considering he was holding the plate to begin with.

"Sharing's a valuable life skill you know."

"Or so they say," Bdubs added. "Fine, you can have three," He relented with a dramatic sigh.

Kerlias chuckled, "How generous."

"I know. I should have charged you diamonds while I was at it."

And before you knew it, the cookies had been devoured and the dishes had been set aside. "I was supposed to buy- No, I need to buy some resources in the shopping district," Bdubs muttered but, despite his words, he made no attempt to move. Instead, he nestled comfortably against Keralis, who wrapped his arm around him. The blanket was also nicely snugged around both of them.

Keralis hummed softly, "Later. A small break won't hurt."

Letting out a soft sigh, Bdubs agreed. "Fine, but let me know when it's getting night. My title cannot be taken away from me—" He paused with a huff, feeling Keralis vibrate with barely suppressed laughter. "This is serious!"

"Absolutely," Keralis nodded, mirth laced in his voice. "Now, how about a small game, before we get back to work?"

"Keralis."

"Yes, dear?"

"Ugh, you're a menace-" Bdubs complained. Once more, he found himself on the verge of agreeing with Keralis. This was too much agreeing on his side, so for that Keralis would pay by losing to him. "A game it is."

Not that he would say it out loud, but it was worth agreeing just to see the smile brighten up Keralis' face. As for Keralis' side? It was a mission that had been accomplished as he had wanted to get the other to take a break with him.

And if one game turned into a sleepover, well, that's just one detail.

-♡