Chapter Text
A small fire was already sizzling away by the time Etho collected himself and followed Bdubs’ trail back to where they’d left Giddy. They hadn’t dared to unsaddle him, but Bdubs had apparently untied him when he’d returned, tying a knot on his reins to allow him to roam freely around him as he got the duck ready to eat.
Bdubs didn’t look up when he stepped out of the cover of the trees, though Etho was sure he had noticed him, from the way his shoulders tensed up. He wasn’t clumsy with the blade, Etho noted as he watched him skin the duck. He wasn’t as experienced as Etho himself was with preparation of meat, at least, but it was sort of hypnotic to watch him work. He pulled his eyes away, turning to poke at the fire instead. The flames licked at the branches he dropped on them, before scraping away the burning wood to make a space for the little cooking pot that Bdubs had pulled out of one of their packs, in which the cleaned pieces of duck now laid. He crossed his legs, making himself comfortable on the hard ground as he watched Bdubs settle the pot into the coals.
“Did ya catch any herbs on the way here?” he asked, finally looking up to meet Etho’s eyes, but just as quickly turning back to the food.
“Wasn’t really what I was focusing on,” he mumbled, but looked around, searching the undergrowth for anything he recognized. A bit further out from the trees, he spotted clumps of light purple flowers gently swinging in the breeze. He jumped up, trotting over to the plants to tug them from the ground revealing small, familiar onions at their bases. He let out a victorious noise as he carried a small handful back to their fire, pulling his knife from his belt to hurriedly clean and cut them before dropping them into the pot alongside the meat and cheese. It sizzled away happily for a while, and Etho used that time to clean his arrow and reorganize his hastily thrown-together packs.
The smell of cooking meat pulled him back to the fire in no time, though, having gone without it for so long. He poked through the juicy pieces with the tip of his blade before wrapping his hand in the folds of his kaftan to drag the pot out of the coals. Bdubs even brought out the kumis as they settled down to eat.
When they had finished, Giddy picked his way over to him, nudging at Etho, with probably what was meant to be a careful gesture, but instead very nearly pushed Etho right into the still-hot coals. He couldn’t help but grin, after he steadied himself against the snout nosing at his back, turning back and grabbing his bridle to bring his head closer, gently stroking down soft fur. His hands traveled further back, scratching under his chest. His fingers caught on something and suddenly, the weight of Bdubs’ grief rolled over him like an avalanche.
He could recognize the familiar texture of the rash, the same ridges underneath his fingers as what had been on Mi Amore’s body. His eyes snapped shut and his whole body tensed up. He didn’t dare move, as if that might undo what he had discovered. The desperate call of Bdubs’ name was just at the tip of his tongue, but he bit it down before he could say anything.
If Bdubs found out about Giddy contracting the disease, he would freak out. He’d blame himself for making Giddy come along, for letting him get close to Mi Amore, Etho knew, even as far from Bdubs’ fault the whole situation was. And beside that, he wouldn’t dare ride him anymore, even as weak as he still was. Even if it meant that they would get to the other tribe – to the cure – a whole lot slower. Etho blinked his eyes slowly open, pressing his forehead against his horse’s snout to whisper into his fur.
“I’m sorry Giddy. But this is the only way I know how to keep you safe. You know how it is. It gets worse before it gets better. But you’ll be okay. Alright? You’ll be just fine.” The answering snort almost made Etho believe that he’d understood him, even as Giddy pulled his head from between his hands, going back to grazing at Etho’s feet.
He turned back toward the remains of the fire, stamping the coals into the ground. Most of their things had already been shoved back into their packs; he just pulled his hat off of the ground and dusted it off before slipping it back onto his head. Bdubs inspected his hasty preparations with curious eyes.
“Wanna get going quick?” he asked, and Etho nodded his agreement, beckoning the man over to help him into the saddle. Giddy started off at a click of his tongue even before he finished helping to fasten his archer’s belt to Bdubs’ hips. He knew that those extra few seconds would mean no difference in the grand scheme of things, but every moment that they spent on track toward their destination soothed the worry twisting up and chewing at his insides.
They made progress perhaps even faster than those first days, fresh on the road and with two horses to travel with. Etho’s legs started to burn not long after their departure, but he paid it no heed, glaring at the ground in front of his feet and letting his simmering anger at the very universe push him forward. He was thankful that Bdubs wasn’t in a talkative mood, still. He didn’t think he’d be able to keep up a conversation with his worry tying his throat up in knots. And either way, talking would just drain his energy, his focus. They would be doing much less progress. It was better this way, even if it meant he didn’t get to hear Bdubs’ sunny voice for the whole of their fast-paced walk to the crossing over the river.
Etho had been on the lookout for the formation of trees that marked the spot where the river shallowed out enough for them to be able to safely cross. It hadn’t rained in a while, so the water would just barely reach Giddy’s shoulders at its deepest, if Etho remembered correctly. They would still have to make a couple of rounds if they wanted to get all of their packs across dry, but it wouldn’t take so long that it would be a reasonable sacrifice to just leave them. Instead, he helped Bdubs out of the saddle, instructing him on how to rearrange the packs to be able to get them across the river. He quietly slipped the ointment that Bdubs had used on Mi Amore from its pack as he slipped it off of Giddy’s back, tucking it into the folds of his kaftan to use while Bdubs wasn’t looking.
By the time they got everything and everyone across the river, mostly dry, the sun was getting close to the horizon, light just barely seeping through the trees to reach the three of them. That was still plenty enough light to continue their journey, Etho thought, helping Bdubs back into the saddle, the bottom of his kaftan turning darker as the moisture from Giddy’s fur seeped into it. There would be no point in stopping, as close to the other tribe as they were. If they kept going all night, they would reach it before dawn. And wasn’t that motivating. Etho eyed Bdubs curiously as he guided Giddy toward the edge of the forest, where they could walk without being completely submerged in shadows.
“Did you ever work as a herder?” he asked, finally. The gentle rays of the setting sun hit Bdubs’ face at just the right angle as he looked down at Etho to answer.
“Yeah, for a little while.”
“So you wouldn’t mind if you had to sleep on Giddy while we continue? It’d probably save us almost a whole day.”
Bdubs’ eyes furrowed. “You’ve hardly been resting, Etho. You also need sleep!”
“I’ll sleep once we get there,” he said, with a wave of his hand, “We’re so close to getting the cure, we can’t stop now!”
“Etho, listen. One night here or there won’t count in the grand scheme of things. We can’t get there if you’re dead on your feet, anyway.”
Etho’s heart clenched, reaching out his fingers to drag over Giddy’s side, though he took special care not to touch him anywhere near his wounds. Bdubs didn’t know about that and he wasn’t allowed to find out. He wasn’t going to find out, Etho just needed to figure out how to convince him to continue without it.
“We just took a really long rest, and I got some meat in me. You don’t need to worry about me, okay? I’m fine.” Before Bdubs could open his mouth to argue, an idea sprang to his mind. “Listen, I’ll wake you up halfway through the night, and we can stop and have a proper rest. Or just switch places, if you’re feeling up to it.”
Bdubs grumbled a tentative acceptance, making Etho break out in a grin. It was a lie, of course. There was no way he would stop when they were so close, nor make Bdubs, injured as he was, walk while he got to rest. He was without doubts that he wouldn’t have a hard time keeping Bdubs asleep, as exhausting as the past few days had been. He could feel it all weighing on his bones, too. But he wasn’t lying when he said that he would rest when they got there. He wouldn’t be able to find peace otherwise, anyway.
They chatted quietly as they walked, until Bdubs’ side of the conversation got so interspersed with yawns that Etho finally sent him off to sleep. He settled into a more comfortable position in the saddle and closed his eyes. At first, Etho barely dared to breathe as he watched him, letting his feet pick up the rhythm of Giddy’s hooves thudding against the ground, the sound of their footsteps mixing with the crickets and the occasional hooting bird to create a gentle lullaby. Still, Bdubs was out faster than Etho ever thought possible on horseback.
The moon was a mere sliver in the sky, and soon Etho could barely see a thing around him, the stars doing little to illuminate the sea of grass they were traversing. He occupied himself by counting his footsteps, keeping them on track by following the sparse treeline. His eyelids started to droop even as his feet carried him automatically onwards, and every now and again he found himself walking into a tree trunk. At least that kept him slightly more awake for the next couple of minutes.
All in all, the night went by slowly, and he almost let out an audible cheer when he noticed the bottom of the sky starting to be tinted lighter, heralding the arrival of the morning sun. The first rays peeking over the horizon line made Bdubs shake himself awake, and as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of yurts in the distance, finally visible now that the sun broke through the darkness.
They glanced into each other’s eyes. The cure was a mere few minutes walk away. They had made it.
* * *
Etho was on the verge of collapsing, even as the shaman’s tent behind their backs blocked the blazing sun from reaching him. He could rest just yet, though, not with the anticipation, that anxious suspense draping over him like a blanket, blocking out everything from his world but himself, the fingers brushing against his wrist to curl into his hand, Giddy shuffling restlessly before them, and the shaman, pacing around him as he inspected his wounds.
His shoulders drooped slightly as he felt Bdubs squeeze his hand. He returned the gesture, seeing his posture relax just the tiniest bit from the corner of his eyes. The shaman hummed.
“This isn’t an easy case… He doesn’t look too good, as I am sure the both of you can tell.”
Etho’s shoulders tensed back up, and Giddy tossed his head, snorting as he felt Etho’s distress wash over him.
“But! It’s nothing I can’t handle, with just a little bit of–”
Notch must have continued speaking, but Etho and Bdubs heard no more, turning to lock eyes, frozen for a long moment, almost in disbelief. As if, after so much time, so many hardships endured together, it couldn’t be possible for the cure to just drop into their laps that easily. But the shaman wouldn’t lie to them, they were sure of that. The sudden relief was overwhelming, but nonetheless welcome. Very much so.
“We did it,” Bdubs breathed, tears beading at the corner of his eyes as he stared up at Etho with his mouth slightly agape. The words were spoken so softly even Etho wouldn’t have understood them, had they not been the exact same ones he was thinking. His eyes lit up as Bdubs’ lips stretched into his iconic, huge grin, though there was something behind it this time that made it so much different from every other time he’d seen it. He couldn’t help but echo the expression, his mask stretched taut against his skin. Bdubs surged forward, into his arms, burying his face in his chest as he squeezed them impossibly closer to each other. Etho wrapped his own arms around Bdubs’ shoulders, slowly swaying them forward and back, nose buried in dark curls. He could barely breathe, but it still felt like more oxygen than he’d gotten in the last several days.
He pulled away, suddenly, tilting his head down to lean his forehead against Bdubs’, a new burst of flame setting his eyes alight. His hands traveled over his shoulders, higher, until his palms were cupping flushed cheeks. He pushed his mask down, wetting chapped lips before opening his mouth to speak.
“Can I–”
Bdubs leaned forward before he was able to finish the sentence, surging into his arms with such force that it made Etho stumble back a step before he regained his footing. And his lips–
His lips were on Etho's, kissing him like he wouldn’t ever get another chance, and Etho couldn’t help but kiss him back, pouring every bright and beautiful emotion into it. Their heartbeats were erratic, but somehow in perfect sync as their chests pushed up against each other, a hand tangling in his hair, soft lips, shared breaths and–
Etho realized it was exactly how he had imagined. Because it was Bdubs. And it would always be Bdubs.