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Impulse sat by the lake, moving his feet slowly through the water. He had come out to have a party with the other hermits, something Grian had set up for… some reason that he couldn't quite remember.
Most of the other hermits had cleared out by now though, as the party had been over for at least half an hour. Looking out at the waterfall flowing quickly into the lake, Impulse let himself breathe.
The smokestack shulker game was complete, and he had nothing to worry about. Except, potentially, for the yelling coming from the clifftop that the waterfall flowed over. That could be a problem.
Deciding to keep an eye on it but not intervene, Impulse focused his attention on the treetops. Beautiful jungle trees greeted his eyes in every direction he looked. He could see a river snake off behind him, and hear parrots squawk in nearly every direction.
And no, he would not let himself be distracted by the beauty of this area by the yelling growing ever louder from the clifftop. If he wasn’t in the argument, it wasn’t his problem.
A terrified shout, followed by a splash and the sound of rockets firing suddenly made it his problem. Looking back at the lake, he saw someone’s head break the surface of the water before being dragged back down by the waterfall.
Impulse dove into the lake, swimming as fast as he could out to the waterfall where he had last seen the hermit go under. Impulse was not a strong swimmer, and he knew this. But he thought he was at least a good enough swimmer to pull whoever had fallen in out of the lake.
Diving down and locating the person, Impulse shot forwards. Grabbing them, Impulse fought to get back to the surface. He was not going to drown here, and neither was this person.
They broke the surface of the water, Impulse gasping for breath. The man in his arms didn’t move as Impulse pulled them back to shore. Bdubs, Impulse realized the moment they reached the shore. It was Bdubs who had just fallen in the lake.
Bdubs still wasn’t moving, and with every second that passed Impulse got more and more worried. He tried to remember how to help someone who had nearly drowned. Was it… CPR? Impulse wasn’t even sure he remembered how to do CPR properly. He might end up doing more harm than good.
Bdubs started to cough, shaking Impulse from his own thoughts. Rolling him onto his side, Impulse did his best to comfort him. Water spurted from Bdubs’ mouth as he coughed, eyes closed in exhaustion.
He finished coughing, rolling onto his back. His large eyes met Impulse’s as he breathed in slowly.
“Bdubs? You ok?” He asked.
Bdubs shook his head quickly, rubbing his chest.
“Lungs burn.” He rasped.
Impulse rubbed his shoulder, trying his best to comfort him.
“Do you feel ok enough to stand? I want to make sure we get home before dark, but I don't want you to try to move if you aren't ready to.”
Bdubs shook his head again.
“Ok. I’ll throw together a quick shelter, we don't have to move.”
Creating a messy shelter out of cobblestone around them, Impulse placed a bed in the corner.
“Is it ok if I pick you up? If you respawn, I'd like to make sure someone’s near you.”
Bdubs nodded, keeping his eyes closed. Impulse set him on the bed, sitting down next to him.
“Feeling any better?” He asked, hoping the answer would be yes.
“A little.” He shivered before adding “It’s cold.”
“Do you want me to try and warm you up?”
"Yeah." He whispered.
Impulse laid down next to him as Bdubs pulled off his wet shirt. Cuddling up to the shivering, shakily breathing man, Impulse looked behind him and noticed a dark shadow on the floor. Picking it up he realized it was his jacket. He had taken it off during the party, and he must’ve built around it without noticing it. He covered Bdubs in it the best he could, listening to his breathing even out. Bdubs would be fine, he told himself as he fell asleep. They’d both be fine.