The message just had to send everything to shit.
Just as Purple had hit send and shoved his phone back in his pocket, Aaron had started opening fire. British soldiers had followed them into the basement and discovered them.
Purple got Alex behind a table, and the two hid there while Aaron fought for their protection.
"Are we gonna die?" Alex asked. His eyes looked up at Purple with terror.
Poor kid. Hurry up, Washington.
"No. Aaron won't let that happen. I promise." Purple answered, running a hand through Alex's curls.
It wasn't much, but it was the least he could do. He wasn't even sure if they would get out of the base alive.
"GET DOWN!" Aaron screamed. Alex on instinct clung to Purple, and Purple looked around to find out what was happening.
A soldier had fell onto a ray, that Purple knew had to just be a model of the real deal, and it had turned on.
Fuck.
Guess they had taken the real deal.
"Alex...DUCK!" Purple shielded Alex and himself as best he could.
He didn't remember much after that.
Purple groaned, squinting at the brightness of the area.
What the fuck just happened?
"Oww...Alex? Alex! Aaron! What happened?!"
Nothing. No sign of Aaron or Alex.
Jesus Christ, where the fuck was he? Where were Alex and Aaron?
What the fuck happened?
"...Alex?" Dear God, please let the boy live. He was five, and he was the army's only shot at winning the revolution.
Washington was probably worried sick, now that he thought about it.
"Alex! Alexander!" Purple shouted again. Nothing.
"God fucking damn it, I hate the British." He thought to himself.
"Come on, James! Don't leave!" A voice shouted from behind him. The desperation in the woman's face made him flinch.
"And why shouldn't I, Rachel!?" The voice Purple had identified as James, shouted back. "Do you realize what you've done to this family?! You've ruined it by fucking another man! Alexander is not my son!"
"Does that matter?! That was years ago! Alexander is still your son, as long as you decide to let it go! We weren't married, it does not matter! Just stay, and we'll put this behind us!"
"No! I refuse to raise a whoreson with a whore! What do you take me for, a sympathetic for the weak?!"
"James, please..."
A slap. "No. Not another word out of you. I refuse to raise a whoreson with a whore. I'm leaving."
"James, no!"
Purple flinched at the slamming door, watching as Rachel slumped to the floor, sobbing.
Purple flinched at the reminder of his own family. His own father left, his mother a mess.
Good God, it was almost a carbon copy. As if the heavens above set him up to be just like Alexander.
Another harsh slap filled the empty void.
Navy had thrown Purple off his mother and across the room into a wall, where he currently was, covered in blood and bruises.
"NAVY! WHAT THE HELL?! YOU COULD SERIOUSLY INJURE HIM!" Orchid suddenly screamed, gesturing to the young stick.
"Oh, relax, he's fine!"
"You could've killed him. Do you realize how fragile his bones are at this age?! He's only seven!"
"He's not that fragile!"
"You could've broken a rib, Navy! Do you have any care for your son whatsoever?!" Orchid screamed.
Navy slapped her so hard she fell to the ground.
"MOM!" Young Purple screamed, desperately trying to get to his feet.
"Why can't you just be happy with what you've got?! Purple doesn't need to be a fighter!"
"He needs to learn to be a fighter! Right now, he's learned that he's NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Navy screamed.
"Purple's always gonna be good enough! If only you could realize that!" Orchid snapped.
"He's not good enough! How do you think he's going to do in life without these skills! My father did this exact same thing and I believed it! If you don't know how to fight, your not good enough!"
Orchid pushed Navy to the ground.
"Well then, your father obviously was just as big a piece of shit as you are," She said angrily. "I wish you could see how proud you'd be of Purple when he's older and living his life the way he wants to be."
Navy growled.
"You know what?! I'm done! I'm leaving! You can rot here with our stupid, useless, worthless son who will never be good enough for anyone in this world!"
Purple ran towards his father, grabbing him arm, ignoring the pain it brought him. No, that was not going to happen. His family was going to stay together.
Navy again threw him off of him.
"Jesus Christ..." Purple whispered to himself, looking away from the younger version of himself.
Literally the worst thing he could ever think about. The stupid void.
A strangled sob sent him out of his thoughts.
"Alex!"
It was indeed Alexander, sobbing his heart out on the ground, surrounded by what Purple could only estimate were the darker parts of his thoughts.
"Alex!"
The small boy looked up, and Purple really starting feeling terrible. The poor kid.
"Alex, hey..."
"No! Stay away! They'll hurt you too!"
Purple flinched, pulling his arm back. What was he talking about?
"What are you..."
"They'll get you too! They'll take you and you'll be alone forever!"
Oh.
Oh.
That's what was going on.
"No, Alex, they won't. I promise. You can think that, but I promise you it isn't true."
"What makes you say that?! Your just like me! Alone forever!"
"Actually, no. Sure, I was alone for years, and we both went through mostly the same, but that doesn't mean anything. We both have people who care about us. I have my friends, and you have yours."
Alex blinked at him. "Friends?"
"Yeah! You know, John Laurens, Lafayette, Hercules Mulligan, Tallmadge, Aaron Burr, and Washington. Your his right hand man, remember? The king of insulting Congress?"
Alex giggled. Purple smiled. "We both have people who care about us. You just have to let them. Like I did."
"Where's Purple?!"
"We don't know."
"I don't think he made it.." Yellow says solemnly.
King's heart drops.
"No...no, he had to have made it. He can't be..."
"I'm sorry, King, but I don't think he did."
The reality of Purple's fate fully sinks into King.
"Purple's...gone?"
"Afraid so."
King blinks back tears. "No, no...Purple..."
Green takes a few steps forward and hesitantly places a hand on King's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay."
No, it wasn't. King went through all of that for Purple...and Purple was gone.
Everyone he cared about was gone.
King sinks to the ground, sobbing into his hands.
"Purple..."
Nobody is really sure what to do for a while.
King just sits on the ground and sobs for a while, before realizing someone has crashed through the the Nether portal.
Everyone glances up at the exact same time, and finds Second has crashed through the portal, an unconscious Purple beside him.
King, who was already heartbroken and confused, was certainly even more destroyed now.
"Purple.."
"Holy Alan, are you two alright?!" Green asked, slowly calming down from his earlier panic as he hugs Second.
"Partially. The blocks are separated, at least. But, Purple...I don't know."
King runs over to Purple, shaking him and begging for him to wake up.
"Purple, please! Wake up! I still...I still need you! Please! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, just...wake up..."
Nothing.
King's entire world came crashing down.
"Purple...please, don't do this...I...I love you..."
Instead of stopping himself, he lets the words slip before he can do anything.
But the words were true. He loved Purple more than he realized, and only now did he have a chance to prove it.
Only, he might have been too late.
"Please, Purple..."
"King..."
King snaps his head up at the sound of his name, looking around frantically to find the source.
Only then he realizes Purple has started moving again.
"Purple! Purple, say something!"
"King..?"
King tries wiping tears away, but gives up entirely.
He's okay.
He's alive.
"Purple...your...your okay..."
"Yeah.."
If King wasn't sobbing before, he was now.
Strangling back a sob, he hugs Purple.
"I'm so sorry, Purple..I didn't mean-"
"Hey, hey. It's okay. I know."
"I'm so sorry for hurting you..I just...I lost myself and didn't realize it was you who was getting the worst of it. I'm so sorry."
"I know. It's okay. I'm here now..."
"Purple, listen!"
"Purple, please answer! It's King and the others. I don't know what the hell your under, but please listen if you can. Navy and Silver are talking shit. Don't listen to what they're saying. Whatever they're saying, they're wrong. Your not stupid, or worthless. And you are good enough. Any one of your friends can tell you, but I know you'll listen to me the most. You are good enough, even if your dad doesn't acknowledge it. Your a good friend to everyone, and your an amazing kid, Purple. I wouldn't have let you come with me if I thought you were a failure. Because you aren't. You are amazing in so many ways. And...I am so, so proud of you and how far you've come, even with everything you've gone through. I wouldn't have begged Mar to help me get adoption papers for you if I didn't love and care about you."
"Oh, Purple...I'm so sorry..."
Wait, what?
In less then a minute, King was right in front front of him.
"King?"
"I'm so sorry, Purple. I..."
Purple, against his better judgement, runs up and hugs him.
"I know."
"I should've known I was hurting you more..."
"King, it's okay."
"No, it isn't," King is crying, almost on the verge of breaking down in hysterics. "Your dad hurt you more than he needed to, and I picked up where he left off. Your in this whole mess because of me. I am so sorry, kid. For everything that I've ever done to you. I never meant to hurt you, I promise. I...I cared about you."
Purple froze. "You...cared about me?"
"I still do. Even after...everything I did to you, I still cared about you, maybe more than I cared about Gold. I'm so sorry for not realizing how much you actually meant to me. Because you mean so much more to me than just an assistant."
Purple looked at him. "You..."
"I know I never showed it, but I loved you. So much. I was just so scared of losing another person that I loved that...I just numbed the feeling of caring for other people...until it was too late."
Purple froze. King...loved him?
"You loved me?"
"I still do, Purple. I love you...so much, kid. I don't want to lose you. I'll never forgive myself if I lose the only person that I have left..."
"Who?" Purple was confused. Was King genuine about this?
Or was this just a cruel prank?
"You, Purple. You're all I have left. I can't lose you. Not again..."
Purple hugs him tighter. "You won't. I promise."
"You...promise?"
Purple stared up at him, smiling softly. "I promise."
King presses his forehead to Purple's, returning the smile, clutching his hands tightly. "I love you, Purple."
"I love you too, King."
If only he had friends or family to reunite with-
"PURPLE!"
So much for that statement.
King hugs him a second later.
"I thought I lost you..."
Even after King admitted to caring about him, it still shocked Purple to hear the real King actually be worried about him.
Hell, he was surprised the real King would even hug him.
Confused but grateful, Purple hugs him back. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't be. It's not your fault. But...I should be sorry...for getting you into this mess."
"King..."
"I'm so sorry. For everything. I didn't mean to hurt you..."
"You just didn't want to lose another person you cared about."
"I...I didn't. I should've told you how important you actually were to me beforehand...none of this would've happened."
"I know."
"I'm so sorry, Purple. For ever making you think I didn't care about you. I do care about you. I...I love you, kid. Your more like a son to me, and I couldn't be more thankful to have you in my life."
Purple smiles through tears. "I love you too, King."
King returns the smile, holding Purple's hand tightly. "I'm sorry for everything."
"I forgive you."
"Purple!" He heard King yell out. It sounded very close. He just didn't know how close.
"Purple!" The voice suddenly ended up right next to him.
"Purple! Come on, kid, open your eyes! Please!"
While he could hardly muster up enough strength, he found plenty to open them a little bit.
"Purple?! Oh, thank Alan your alive!"
God, every inch of his body hurt like a bitch.
"King..."
"I know, you hurt. A lot. It's okay." King grabbed a splash healing potion and slammed it on the ground.
Purple felt a tiny bit better, and thankfully he was able to speak a little better.
"What..happened?"
"Herobrine stabbed and slashed you God knows how many times before throwing you into the cliff. Somehow, your not dead, but your close to being dead."
"Wouldn't be the first time."
King grabbed his hand to stop him from going farther.
"Purple, please. He's already tried to kill you. You'll get yourself killed out there."
"I'll manage, King. It's okay."
"I can't lose you, Purple. None of us can. You mean a lot to them, and everything to me. We can't risk losing you to him, not after we just got you back."
Purple suddenly noticed the Minecraft staff sitting next to King's crafting tables. Grabbing his torn elytra, he ran for it.
He grabbed the staff and launched a beam of light at him.
Herobrine was caught off guard by the attack, but flew past it to double his damage from earlier.
Herobrine tackled Purple so hard they both crashed into the cliffside, and the staff was thrown into the water.
Purple joined it soon enough as Herobrine threw him into the water afterwards.
King glared at him through tears. "You son of a bitch."
He felt his voice break at his tone.
He just lost Purple yet again, and he couldn't do anything about it.
He felt horrible. "I should've protected him..."
Suddenly, a blur splashed out of the water and slammed Herobrine onto the water before crashing onto the ground near King and Chosen.
"Holy shit-Purple!" Chosen exclaimed. King best him in running towards him, since he shot to his feet and ran towards the small stick.
"Purple!" Once Purple had barely gotten to his feet, King tackled him in a tight embrace.
"Oh, Purple...thank Alan your safe..."
Purple weakly returns the hug. "Is everyone okay?"
"For the most part, yes. Herobrine can't really do much right now, seeing as you just curb-stomped him. It'll probably be ten times easier to defeat him now." Chosen explained.
Chosen looked at the sky. It was nearing sunset. "Fuck. You guys are running out of time. If we don't stop him soon."
King hugged Purple tighter. "Don't even say it. It's not happening."
"King, if we don't stop him soon, they will die. And you won't see them for another year."
"NO! I'm not losing Purple again!"
Chosen backed down.
"Please...he's all I have left." King pleaded.
"...We've gotta find a way for kill him then."
"The staff." Purple said. "If we can make a source of power strong enough, we might be able to defeat him."
"But there's only one block."
"We can work around that. King found many ways to improvise failed plans, and I'm sure you guys found ways to work around flaws in your plans."
Chosen sighed. "If you think it'll work, be my guest. But..."
"Please be careful." King finished Chosen's sentence.
Reluctantly, Purple grabbed the staff and flew down to Herobrine, who was quickly regaining his senses.
Purple stopped midway and prepared to attack. "Well, here goes nothing." He fired the staff at Herobrine.
Herobrine didn't see it coming, but quickly began to fight against it.
Purple felt just like King fending off him and the Color Gang back in the Nether.
Herobrine was advancing as he thought, and he increasing the staff's power.
"Come on, Purple. You can do this." He increased the power again.
"Your never gonna get away with this." Herobrine snarled.
Purple returned the smirk Herobrine had used so many times at this point. "Oh, but I already have."
He launched the staff at the deity with full power, and the place was engulfed in a white explosion.
"PURPLE NO!" King screamed in horror.
The white began to die down, and nobody emerged from the ball of energy.
King sank to the floor, tears glistening in his eyes and beginning to fall as he began sobbing.
The sun continued nearing sunset as a stick figures shadow began to be visible.
"...Purple?" Chosen asked.
King shot his head up, and through tears he could clearly see the form of a stick figure flying down from the energy beam.
"Purple! He did it!" Chosen exclaimed, listening to the others happy cheers from around the mountain terrain.
King hugged the kid tightly as soon as he was on the ground.
"You did it, kid. You actually did it..."
Purple hugged him back. "He's dead...?"
"Yeah...you defeated him, Purple. I'm so proud of you."
Purple himself started crying as soon as King had mentioned how proud he was of him.
By this point, King had been inconsolable at the loss of Purple, for the second time, too.
The poor guy hadn't stopped sobbing since they had all disappeared, and nobody knew what to do.
"King, it's gonna be okay..."
"No the fuck it isn't!" King snapped, his eyes filling with tears once more. "Purple's gone! The kid that means so fucking much to me is dead!"
Chosen sighed sadly. "Dark's gone too."
Suddenly, the air was filled with orange, red, and purple particles.
"What the.."
And then those particles started forming stick figures.
One of those floated down into King's arms.
"Purple...Purple!"
Purple slowly opened his eyes. "K...King?"
King hugs him so tightly he fears he might've crushed his ribs. "Oh, Purple, thank goodness."
Purple hugs him back, smiling softly.
"I thought I lost you!" King sobs.
"It's okay. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
King presses his forehead to Purple's, still sobbing. "I love you so much, Purple. Your everything to me."
Purple's smile softens even more. "I love you too."
Purple groaned, partially grateful to wake up on the floor and not in a void.
Pushing himself up to a sitting position, he glanced around.
"Alex..?"
A groan from beside him.
"Alexander?"
Aaron shook the redheads shoulder, and Purple noticed how much older the guy looked.
Wait.
"Ow...fuck, Aaron? What happened?"
"Alex! Thank goodness!"
Alexander blinked. "Uhm...what happened?"
Aaron and Purple glanced at each other.
This was going to be a long conversation.