Sapnap stood at the top of the cliff, staring down into the bubbling lava below him. Striders tottered to and fro, and he stepped closer, until his toes were hanging over the edge.
"Sapnap?" A quavering voice asked, and Sapnap spun around, quickly stepping away from the edge.
"Karl! Why are you here, I thought you didn't like the nether?" He saw the brown eyes flicker to the lava. "It isn't what it looks like, I swear!"
"You aren't suicidal?"
Sapnap hesitated, finding an answer. "Put it this way, I wasn't going to suicide just now."
"But you are suicidal? And what else were you gonna do, jump into lava and survive without a potion?"
"Yes," Sapnap said simply.
"Which question are you answering?"
"Both."
Before Karl could answer, they both heard a bow being drawn and turned towards the sound, just in time to see a skeleton shoot Karl. Sapnap stared in horror as he crumpled and fell off the cliff, plunging towards the lava lake. Without a second thought, he jumped after Karl, diving through the rushing steam.
The impact of the lava smashed against him, but he forced his eyes open and spotted Karl in the cloudy fire, burns forming all over him. Sapnap propelled himself forwards and grabbed the human, granting him temporary fire resistance and dragging him to the surface. Karl spluttered as he came conscious, gasping.
"S-Sap?" He croaked out.
"Don't try to talk, you're safe." Sapnap replies, gently pulling him through the lava towards some land. He heaved Karl onto it, then sat beside him as the older recovered.
"Thank you," Karl said when he could. "How did you do that?"
"I was born in fire, it doesn't hurt me," Sapnap said, dipping a hand in it.
"How can you be born in fire?"
Sapnap shrugged. "I dunno, I just was. Bad said he found me lying in a lava pool when I was five."
"That's really cool. And thank you again for saving my life."
Sapnap smiled at him. "Don't mention it. You would've done the same for me."
"Well, I'm working on it," Karl said, getting up and throwing his arms around the fireborn.
"What do you-" Sapnap starts, only to be cut off with a gentle kiss on his cheek. He flushed, watching Karl walk away, then put a hand up to his face, cradling the place where he could still almost feel soft lips.