Work Text:
Bdubs sighed as he sat down on the workbench beside him, his sore legs burning pleasantly, as if to remind him that he did, in fact, have working muscles. He had been standing around all day, but all this labouring had failed to bear any substantial fruit – all he had to show for his intense mental strain was at most a dozen foundation blocks at the base of the scaffolding frame of the maybe-not-so-soon-to-be stables.
This had begun at the start of another ordinary week on the server, though he could feel the stupor approaching even a month before, so it wasn't like this caught him off-guard; nevertheless, it still meant Bdubs was disappointed with himself. He had abandoned even landscaping the surrounding area, forcing himself to work on the stables, as if he could push through the inertia, beat it by exhausting his body along with his mind.
He caught himself gazing off into the great blue, cloudless, though it didn't make the sun warm him any more than it would've, the autumn cool omnipresent regardless of the weather. The man shook his head lightly as if to try and rid it of the fatigue he had found himself knee-deep in, and sighed once again, this time with frustration in place of relief, as his eyes landed on the scaffolding structure.
"Stupid friggin' build!" he murmured to himself and the dried leaves carried in the breeze. He got up suddenly and turned his back to the foundations of a build he wasn't sure he even wanted to see through at this point. Bdubs made his way back to the mossy house on a hill, his home for the past year or so, which he was quite proud of, he thought to himself, his metaphorical chest puffed wide and tall, though his physical body didn't follow suit.
He didn't even bother closing the door and had just barely managed to toe his shoes off and clamber up the ladder before falling onto the gray bed. Even with all the exhaustion of the day and, frankly, the whole week, as who was he fooling, even with being the sleep king and all, he hadn't managed to rest properly since the builder's block, if you could call it that, enveloped him, he couldn't fall asleep for the life of him. It was as if the brain had nothing to anchor itself upon, so it drifted from thought to fruitless thought, using up his energy yet not letting him give up his conciousness for rest. He watched the blue sky darken with the promise of rain as he laid there, staring at the rest of the attic.
After minutes spent idling wound into an hour, Bdubs sighed a third time and pushed himself up, pulling a communicator out.
You whisper to Etho: come over?
You whisper to Etho: bored out of my mind
You whisper to Etho: or ican if you cant
You whisper to Etho: you dont have to tho if im botheringy ou
Bdubs fell back on the bed, groaning with embarrassment. It was only a few moments before he heard the distinct chime of a private message having been received.
Etho whispers to you: omw
His eyes lingered on the message a little longer than he'd admit to himself and he felt his stomach churn. He dropped the device on the bed beside him and idly picked at his nails, examining them intensely as if they were the most important thing in the world. It wasn't long before the sound of rockets and the woosh of an elytra folding after flight cut through the tapping of rain.
He shot up from the bed with an unexpectedly sudden burst of energy, wincing as his muscles ached in protest. Scrambling down to his doorstep, his smile resurrected after a whole day's death, his friend right there in front of him, mirroring his grin under a mask.
In a blink, they were wrapped up in a choking tight hug that lingered after they pulled back, looking at each other, neither letting go completely. Bdubs pulled Etho inside, realising he was getting wet from the droplets of water as well as Etho's clothes which felt like they'd just been through the washer.
"Sorry about the weather, you shouldn't've done this for me," Bdubs broke the silence as he handed Etho a towel and hung his elytra with jittery hands beside the crackling fireplace to dry. Etho hummed in response, he meant to say it was nothing, Bdubs knew.
As Bdubs dropped onto the couch beside Etho, he groaned. "Now we're both gonna sit here being friggin' bored, sorry," he muttered through his palms.
"I could tell you about my project?" Etho suggested, turning to face Bdubs.
"Oh, anything to take poor Bdubs' mind off those stupid stables, please." He replied, exasperatedly raising the back of his hand to his forehead.
Bdubs listened intently as Etho laid the plans for a new game of Etho's, though he couldn't quite make the outline out in all his overexcited chittering, nodding along anyways. When the chat turned to other matters, Bdubs put a black kettle onto the fire – mint and rosemary tea. Etho joined him by the fire, grabbing mugs from atop a barrel. As Bdubs poured the tea, his hands shaking lightly, he mentioned something about a 'stupid art thing' he had been doing, grabbing Etho's attention instantly. After a minute of nagging, Bdubs gave up on refusing Etho and signaled him to the ladder, following behind.
Etho carefully laid down on Bdubs' bed, gasping audibly as he stared up at the outline of a wonderful paysage in white chalk which contrasted with the red, clay-finish ceiling – lilies in an overgrown pond, cattails surrounding the edges. A part of paint had been applied already – specifically, the water lilies had been coloured in.
Bdubs flung himself onto the bed next to him, their shoulders pushing against each other.
"So, uh, what do you think?"
"It's so pretty!" Etho exclaimed. "Except, are you sure you shouldn't've painted the layer of greenery first?" He continued after a moment.
"Man! You and your friggin' remarks!" Bdubs turned to Etho, flopping down onto him, nudging and poking at him. Etho exclaimed an 'ahh!', giggling and nudging Bdubs with his knee lightly.
"I'm just asking!" Etho pinched iBdubs' side, making him yelp.
"Well, should you know, mister slab, I'm going to paint how I like and you get to say nothing but praise me!" Bdubs shot back, poking Etho's side in retaliation.
Etho jumped, Bdubs apparently having poked a particularly sensitive spot by his ribs, grabbing Bdubs and, using his height to his advantage, rolled them over, reversing their positions, leaning by his arms over Bdubs, all smiley and red-faced.
"Seriously, 'dubs, it looks great. I'm sure it's gonna turn out wonderful, you're really good at painting."
"Well now you're just glazing me, man," Bdubs looked up at Etho.
They fell silent for a second, keeping eye contact untill Bdubs burst out laughing, Etho following suit. Then, Etho climbed off the other, clambering downstairs, poking his head up not long after, the mugs in hand.
As the pair sipped from their mugs, looking out the window, listening to raindrops hitting the dark shingles, Bdubs leaned on Etho, breaking the silence:
"Man, you don't know how much I hate those stupid stables I'm building, it for real feels like I'll never finish them! I'm pretty sure today I placed at most ten blocks down. I honestly want to tear all of the foundation up and plant a dozen trees there, call it a day; but noooo, my stupid horses need a place to go that it more permanent than what they've got now- uh-" Bdubs stuttered and fell silent as Etho started mindlessly toying with his free hand, tracing circles on his palm. His leg bounced slightly, brushing against Etho's.
"Oh, sorry," Etho looked Bdubs in the eye, placing his hand on his thigh. "I thought it would be alright."
"-no yes of course it's fine man! Keep doing th- I mean you can if you wan- but-" he paused after stumbling over what felt like all the words in the world in a sentence. "Fuck, I meant- ughh.." he trailed off, placing his mug on the barrel next to the bed, laying down. "Sorry dude, why am I so.. It's just, I get so nervous when you're around, it's like I'm getting a grade from whatever interaction we make. And with this stupid frustrating project it's like I can't even make a complete sentence."
Etho stiffened up, though Bdubs probably hadn't noticed it then.
Etho turned to the other, their empty mugs joining each other on the table.
"Does it make you feel nervous if I..." Etho grazed Bdubs' forearm with his fingers. "...do this?"
Bdubs gulped, his eyes meeting Etho's as his fingertips brushed Bdubs' collarbone, trailing up his neck to his chin, leaving before returning at the side of his head, fingers tangling in his hair. Then, Etho leaned in, placing his lips on the other's.
Bdubs froze. It seemed as if he stopped breathing entirely. Etho pulled back shakily, his eyes wide.
"I'm sorry. I should've asked. Fuck," he muttered, trying to read Bdubs' face, who nodded, looking down at his hands.
Etho took a deep breath. "I...- sorry. I'll go."
In a moment he was gone, the woosh of firework rockets blending into the rain, Bdubs there on his bed, alone again.
Why the fuck did he do that? He likes Etho, hell, he's loved him for as long as they've known each other. Why didn't he stop his leaving, then?
Maybe it's not meant to be. Maybe Etho kissed him out of pity.
/. . ./
You whisper to Etho: etho
You whisper to Etho: i love you
You whisper to Etho: come over? make things right