for WTP storm: not abandoned, just really tedious rewriting it to not be an x-reader! :'D
Heather took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of the lilacs planted around the small garden.
"This is better." She said aloud. Herobrine, his arm around her waist, gave her a little squeeze but didn't answer.
It had been five days now since Null had revealed himself in the mansion. Herobrine could walk now, and use both hands at almost full capacity, but his eye had yet to make any progress. So far, it wouldn't even open.
Notch had forbidden the both of them from leaving his dimension until Null was dealt with. However, Heather, Steve, and Alex had started to suffer from cabin fever, so Notch built them a sort of indoor garden so they wouldn't bother him. It was a representation of the surface of the overworld, featuring a 'sky' of blue lights and glass. Heather felt a little bit like she was in a diorama, but it was better than getting snatched by Null.
Steve and Alex were on the other side of the garden, speaking in low tones. They were constantly wearing the armor that Notch made them, weapons always close at hand. Heather and Herobrine had their armor available, but not equipped. It was a bit heavy for her to walk around in comfortably, and Herobrine had denied it in favor of hopefully healing more quickly. Heather wasn't sure if it was really working.
Also, they couldn't go home yet, even if they wanted to. Herobrine couldn't manage enough power just yet.
Notch had tried to get a message to Theo, but so far there had been no response. It was entirely possible that Theo was in class, or asleep, and wouldn't see it for the equivalent of a couple months for them. What an excruciating couple of months those could be.
Heather desperately hoped that he responded soon, because another thought had occurred to her, one that wasn't entirely pleasant.
"Herobrine." She murmured, getting his attention without alerting the pair across the room. "What if we can't get home?" Herobrine was silent for a moment, processing this.
"What do you mean?" He murmured back.
"What if you never… recover fully?" She laid her hand over his, still bandaged, on her waist. "I don't want to go home yet, except to try and contact Theo, but- I really don't want to miss my wedding, either." Saying it aloud abruptly made her throat close up, and Herobrine gave her a squeeze.
"Our wedding." He corrected. "Would Theo not be able to get us out, when he gets Notch's message?" Heather swallowed.
"Probably…"
"I've never been injured enough to be unable to leave, before." He reassured her. "Don't give it too much concern."
"Alright." His words hardly pacified her, but she dropped the issue for now. "Some of your injuries haven't healed, though." He grimaced, twisting his left wrist absently. Herobrine had a few scars and internal injuries that he had sustained before Heather met him, injuries that had never gone away. She'd asked about going to a doctor in the real world for them, but he had always refused out of concern that they would find other things… unusual about his body.
"Would you… ever consider taking Notch up on his offer?" She murmured. Hero shook his head firmly.
"No."
"Okay." Heather didn't argue. She knew he hated Notch, and didn't trust him any farther than he could throw him. But, secretly, she wished he would let Notch heal him.
Notch owed her a debt, and so far he's had enough respect for her to honor it. In her naïveté, at least, Heather thought that he wouldn't take advantage of Herobrine's trust. Especially with this new threat. Notch had worked with him the last time Null was around…
"Hero?"
"Hm?"
"Is there any particular reason you hate Notch? Other than him trying to kill you your entire existence?" Herobrine's lips twitched into a smirk, but he shook his head.
"If you're asking if there's something he's done I haven't told you, no." He glanced at Steve and Alex, across the garden. "But it's not only that he's tried to kill me… it's why."
"Because he's a control freak." Heather supplied. Herobrine nodded.
"A control freak, yes. And doubtless rather lacking in self-confidence, as he asserts his control over every being in his domain. Hence, I will never let him into my code."
"Even if it was life or death?" He sighed.
"Do you remember what he did to Steve?" Heather had to pause and think. That was a long time ago.
"When he wiped his memories?" Hero nodded.
"He had him try to kill you." She grimaced at the memory. Steve's eyes had gone very cold in that moment. "I won't risk that. Cannot risk that. I cannot risk being forced against the people I love by the whims of an egotistical dictator." Heather gave a quiet nod. "Do you want to try to go home again?" Her mood did a 180.
"O-of course, yeah! Do you feel strong enough?"
"I'm strong enough to try." He gripped her free hand, and Heather squeezed him back. She spied Steve and Alex turning to look, just in time for the room to vanish and for them to appear back in their apartment.
Heather had to restrain herself from whooping aloud, as it was about three in the morning.
"It worked!" She hissed. Herobrine smiled, gave her a squeeze.
"Go text Theo." Heather obeyed, breaking away from him and grabbing her phone from where it was charging on her nightstand. She was probably right in your assumption that Theo was asleep - it was around midnight for him. She shot him a quick text, asking him to come into the Minecraft world as soon as possible due to Null returning, then returned to her husband's side.
"Do you have enough energy to go back?"
"Probably." But he made no move to do so. "Are you certain you don't want to stay?" Heather bit her lip.
"We can't just leave them there to deal with it themselves."
"And why not?" Heather opened her mouth to retort, but he was already going on. "We're hardcore. They're not. Notch will figure it out on his own, he's done it before. If nothing else, he can make Null as insignificant as he made me."
"But what about Manfred?" She pleaded. Her words caused Herobrine's eyes to soften, and he let out a sigh.
"Notch can bring him back… correct?" Heather chewed her lip, nodded. She had caught him up to date when he woke up following that conversation.
"Yeah… but… would he?" Herobrine frowned. "I just… don't feel right doing something like that. I would be devastated if, say, Steve and Alex ditched me to suffer a super-powerful, sadistic demon creature."
"Even if they could die, and you were immortal?" Herobrine countered, but there was less conviction in his tone.
"If I was immortal, would you leave me?" He shook his head without hesitation.
"Very well." He conceded. "We'll go back." He grasped her hands in both of his large, bandaged ones. "But barring incredible need, you are staying out of danger." He told her firmly. Heather nodded readily. "Alright." He tightened his grip on her hands, and they teleported with a small flash of light.
When they appeared back in Notch's world, though, everything was dark.
Immediately, they were on edge, blinking around in the dim light.
"What's going on?" Heather hissed.
"I don't know." Herobrine muttered. They were in the garden still, but the fake sky had gone dark, all the lanterns turned off. The only source of light was a single piece of glowstone, which Notch had placed at the bottom of a little pool. As Heather's gaze flitted around, looking for and failing to find anything else out of the ordinary, she started to calm.
"Maybe Notch put it on night-mode or something." She murmured. Herobrine frowned, but nodded.
"Let's go find him." Not letting go of each other, the pair made their way out of the garden, into the wide hallway that connected it to Notch's chambers.
The rest of the rooms were dark, too, even Notch's room, which made Heather's apprehension grow again. Did Notch even sleep…?
When they arrived in Notch's room, it was almost pitch black. Herobrine lit a block on fire for a moment, just to light up the room, and there was no sign of anyone. Had they gone back to the overworld…?
An enderman's chirp nearly made her jump out of your skin, and Heather whirled. Purple eyes gazed out at them from the dark hallway.
"?derfnaM" Heather managed. The figure nodded, stepping closer, and Herobrine's grip tightened on her hand.
"No, that isn't-"
"Gotcha."