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Doc needed to finish this. He had to. It wasn't like anyone's life was in danger or anything, but Etho couldn't see unless he gave his eye back to him.
Mechanical, obviously, Doc would never steal his actual biological eye.
Regardless, Doc had to finish the technical extension to enhance movement on the eye that Etho had requested. Only problem, his mechanical fingers kept twitching, failing him when he needed them in pristine condition.
Doc let out a curse as his stupid fingers fucked up the redstone for what felt like the seventeenth time in the past hour. He was supposed to be good at this? Why couldn't he do it when his friends were relying on him?
You see, Doc had a persona. He was a man calm under pressure, emotionally detached from situations in the way that gave him the best logical thinking at the hardest of times, a role-model for the younger Hermits to look up to. Doc didn't fail at redstone, Doc helped his friends with their disabilities, supporting them the best he could!
But, staring at his own hands, he felt like… Doc felt like a failure.
And that could never happen, so he tried again. And again. And again and again and again.
Littered bits of broken components covered every surface surrounding him, all coated in a thick layer of red dust.
It was only when a Ping! rang out from his comm that Doc was pulled out of his concentration.
Etho: hey doc just wondering if you managed to get my eye finished? alr if not, just wondering when i can see again lmao
Doc stared at his comm, chest tightening. Etho was waiting on him, only for Doc to fail.
His fingers twitched again, managing to type out ';;[\' and send it back to Etho in their dms. It made Doc flinch, and he pushed his comm away from him.
His hand twitched again.
And again.
He tried to ignore it, to continue, but then another Ping! rang out.
Etho: doc? you okay?
He tried to respond, to say it was an accident, but then his fingers twitched again.
And it hurt.
It sent a sharp stab of pain all the way up his arm, effectively forcing himself to twitch again, but in the form of a flinch.
It was the breaking point after the build up of the last few hours took their toll. Doc, a steady figure in the Hermitcraft community, prided for always being able to 'tough it out', burst into tears.
It wasn't silent, it was messy. Great big heaving sobs that shook his whole being even more than his arm was doing.
He didn't know how long it continued on for. But he didn't care. It was long enough that his chest ached, and his face hurt from contorting. But he didn't care.
Eventually, Doc found it in himself to close the floodgates once more, and picked up his communicator. He ignored Etho for now, electing to respond later, and scrolled through all of his contacts, looking for someone to call.
Fate decided however, as his fingers twitched again, this time more painful than the last, and his hand clicked on 'Xisumavoid'.
Doc just stared at his comm while it rang twice, and then Xisuma's voice filled the air- Doc only ever called in emergencies, not wanting to bother the admin.
"Doc? What's up?" The kindness and patience in his voice, mixed with the way Doc hadn't even meant to call him, sent Doc into floods of tears again.
Usually, he would be horrified, but Doc couldn't think straight through the emotion, let alone speak to apologise.
"Doc, what's going on? Alright alright, I'll be right over, just hang tight, yeah?" Doc tried to tell Xisuma he was fine, but all that came out were more sobs. And so he just sat there, crying, for Xelqua knows how long, until his admin flying in was heard.
Even then, Doc couldn't speak. Xisuma would hear him anyway. In the time it took for Xisuma to fly over, Doc had curled up into a ball, and he didn't really feel like moving, other than the involuntary twitches he was desperately trying to hold back.
Xisuma walked into the room, concern emanating from every feature. It was enough to send another wave of tears through Doc. Years of pent up emotions and a need to feel something that he had always repressed surfaced and he just… let it go.
When Doc's tears were reduced to sniffles once more, Xisuma tried to ask him what he could do to help, when Doc's arm did its' thing again, this time wacking his other arm, bringing out a wince.
Xisuma paused. "Okay… is that what's going on?"
Doc nodded miserably, "Was trying… to fix Etho's eye. But my stupid hand is just-" He cut himself off with a huff, anger replacing his misery. "I tried so many time, Zisuma, but it failed me every time. I felt- I felt like a failure."
The words tumbled out before he could stop them, and Xisuma wrapped an arm, as a source of comfort, around Doc, who promptly curled into the touch.
Doc couldn't remember the last time he had been hugged. He hadn't even realised how much he had missed it until he had it back, but now he relished in the feeling. Xisuma pulled him closer as a response.
"Doc, you're one of, if not the strongest Hermit I know. There is no way you're a failure, I've watched as you have created the most spectacular things over the past years, things that prove your expertise is incredible. Needing a bit more help to do a certain task does not make you a failure, it makes you a player. Everyone needs some help at some point, and that's a fact."
Doc nearly burst into tears again. "I think- I think I needed that, thanks Zisuma."
Xisuma smiled, "No problem, that's what I'm here for. Now, shall we take a look at that arm of yours together?"
And they did. Together. And Doc managed to chat about some of the things going through his mind as they did, Xisuma offering endless support as always, and also some advice.
It turned out it was a minor redstone fault where the dust had leaked into a different section, causing the wrong wires to connect. A minor error with a complicated fix, however, and Doc had to remove his arm to correct it. Xisuma was there though, and Etho too, after Doc found the courage within himself to ask for help and apologise for earlier, after being prompted by Xisuma once more.
So the three of them worked together, first on the arm, then on the eye, and they got both of them done, and Doc felt lighter than he had in years.
They did it together.