Archive of Our Own ^beta

Bdubs was in the middle of sketching out some very important designs for his base when the front door was suddenly slammed open, two sets of footsteps barreling into his house with all the grace of a stampede.

“Bdubs! Bdubs Bdubs Bdubs!” A voice chanted, and Bdubs sighed internally. Grian. 

Whatever Grian wanted would either benefit Bdubs, or be the cause of his demise, he was sure.

“In here!” Bdubs called out, shoving his blueprints to the side. At the very least, Grian was much more entertaining than some sketching.

Not a moment later Grian’s head peeked through the doorway, gaze catching Bdubs and smiling. Surprisingly, it was Gem who stepped through the door with him.

“Grian. Gem. To what do I owe this visit?” Bdubs asked with a narrowed gaze, looking between the two Hermits. 

Grian batted his eyelashes. “Oh, just stopping by for a visit. Have I ever told you how great your base is? ‘Cause it’s great. Best on the server. Uh, just don't tell Scar I said that.” 

Oh, something was absolutely up.

“And- oh, are you looking taller, Bdubs?” Gem joined it, faux innocence written all over her face. “You might almost be as tall as Doc! Who would’ve thought.”  

Grian nodded along rapidly with the redhead’s words. “And hey, your moss coat is looking real healthy lately! Real, uh, green. Greens a good color on you, you know-”

Bdubs held up a hand to cut off the duo’s rambling, skepticism plain on his face. “Stop it. What do you guys want?” He knew Gem and Grian well enough to know that they only teamed up like this and spouted compliments when they were in need of something. It was kind of a bad habit among most of the server, actually.

..Bdubs himself may or may not have used that strategy from time to time, too, but that wasn’t important.

Grian and Gem exchanged a quick and meaningful look, communicating something between themselves that Bdubs was clearly out of the loop for. He watched as Gem raised an eyebrow, and Grian tilted his head slightly in response, like that was all they needed to do to be on the same page. 

It was Grian who eventually spoke up. “Well.. We might need you to ask Etho to come to the server party tonight.” He explained in a rush, Gem nodding solemnly next to him.

Bdubs paused, processing the words. “You- what?” He stuttered. confused at the request. “Ask him yourself.”

At that, Gem sucked in a breath, a sheepish look on her face. “Yeah, see about that..” She trailed off, awkwardly scratching the back of her neck.

“We already tried.” Grian finished with a small kick to the floor. Bdubs raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. He was.. pretty sure he knew where this was going, because if Bdubs knew Etho, and he did, then he knew what Etho’s response probably was.

To be honest, the guy had the social battery of a peanut and talking skills of a goldfish. Or something. Point was, large parties just weren’t Etho’s thing. It had taken Bdubs years to make Etho fully comfortable with just him, an accomplishment he wore like a badge of honor.

“Okay.” Bdubs said slowly. “And I'm guessing he said no?”

The two nodded their heads in unison, and Bdubs threw his hands up in exasperation. “Then what’re you here asking me for! He said no, what am I meant to do about it?”

Gem fixed him with a weird look. “Well, he’ll say yes if you ask. And he’s the only one not attending, so we need you to fix that!” The redhead all but begged.

Grian began to say something too, but Bdubs’ brain was halted on Gem’s first sentence. He’ll say yes if you ask. 

That was.. a weird thing to say. And also not true. If Etho didn’t want to do something, he wouldn’t do it. And Bdubs certainly wouldn’t be forcing him to go to anything, that wouldn’t have been good friend behavior.

“Hang on, I don’t- what? What’re guys even talking about, Etho won’t change his answer if I ask. Where’d you get the idea that he would?”

Gem cocked her head to the side. “Where’d you get the idea that he wouldn’t?” She fired back, and. Touché. 

Bdubs opened his mouth to snap something back, but Grian beat him to the punch, eyes glimmering with the mischievousness the blonde was known for.

“Why don’t we test it out, then?” He challenged. “Go up to Etho and ask. Worst case scenario, he says no. Best case, me and Gem prove that we’re right and Etho goes to the party!” 

Bdubs leveled a glare at Grian, who just smirked back. “Fine.” He conceded, with a huff. “I’ll show you how crazy you are.”

—*—*—*—

“Hey, Etho!” Bdubs greeted his best friend with a large smile the moment he opened the door, resisting the urge to side-eye where Gem and Grian were crouched watching in the bushes. 

Game on, you two.

“Hey, Bdubs. What’s up?” Etho asked, the crinkling of his eyes proving a smile underneath the mask. “Miss me that much?”

Bdubs rolled his eyes, but there was no heat in the action. The banter was familiar territory. “Yeah, right.” He retorted. “You wish I missed your face. I actually had a question.”

Etho perked up, interested in whatever Bdubs had to say. “Oh?” He goaded, hanging just off the doorway.

“Okay, so, you have to hear me out.” He began, rocking back on his heels. “I know you don’t like parties, but, there’s a server one this month and I’m helping to get a head count, so, I was wondering if you’d want to come?” He batted his eyelashes for extra emphasis. 

Etho’s eyes drifted to the side as he hesitated, and Bdubs knew he’d won. Etho had already said no, so even Bdubs’ incredibly convincing argument wouldn’t change his mind.

Suddenly, Etho’s eyes snapped back to Bdubs. “Okay. I’ll go.” He shrugged casually, mind apparently already made up. Bdubs blinked a few times in shock, because he’d fully been expecting to be politely declined the same way Grian and Gem had been. And he wouldn’t have taken it personally, because that was just who Etho was. Really, he had been doing it more to prove a point that to actually try and convince Etho to come to the party, but-

But Etho said yes. Etho said he’d go, words slipping off his tongue so easily like it’d been his plan from the beginning to say yes, even though Bdubs knows Etho originally said no.

..But Etho didn’t know that.

“Are you for real? Really?” Bdubs blurted out, causing Etho to shrug again, nonplussed by Bdubs’ reaction. 

“Sure. It sounds- fun.” He said, and usually Bdubs would have taken the slight pause in his words as Etho just trying to find the right word, or something, but this time, he knew better.

Etho was lying. But he’d said yes anyway. So why?

“Oh. Oh! Well, okay. Cool, cool cool cool. Um, I’ll see you there?” Bdubs not so subtly played off, trying to keep his composure. Etho must’ve mistaken his shock for excitement, though, because he chuckled at Bdubs and said, “Yeah, I’ll see you there. Was there anything else?”

Yeah, Bdubs thought, why’d you say yes to me and not anyone else? Unfortunately, he couldn’t muster up the courage to confront Etho about that right then, especially not with Grian and Gem still stalking in the bushes.

He could just hear their “I-told-you-so’s” already. 

“No.” Bdubs eventually managed to say. “That was it. Bye, Etho.”

“Bye Bdubs.” Etho said with one last smile before closing the door.

Instantly, Bdubs whipped around to glare at Grian and Gem, who were half-folded over and desperately trying to cover their laughs with a hand.

“How did you know he’d do that?” Bdubs hissed as he approached them, feeling like he was missing something.

Grian tried to speak up, but another laughing fit took over before he could. “Because, Bdubs.” He forced out, a large smile on his face as he made eye contact. “You’re the Etho whisperer.”

“The Etho whisperer.” Bdubs deadpanned. Grian giggled again. Bdubs kind of wanted to strangle the man.

Gem, at least, had stopped laughing at Bdubs’s confusion, placing a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Bdubs. You’ll figure it out eventually”.

Bdubs blinked. “Figure what out?” He asked, becoming more and more perplexed by the minute. There was clearly some kind of joke being passed around that Bdubs wasn’t in the know of, and it was starting to drive him up a wall. “Gem! Figure what out?” He shouted when Gem didn’t respond, just sliding her wings on and giving Bdubs a knowing look.

“Thanks for the help, Bdubs. See you at the party tonight!” She called as she flew off, leaving Bdubs sputtering and without a single answer. When he turned around to interrogate Grian, the blonde was also already in the air.

Bdubs stood for a moment, staring blankly at the empty spots his friends had left. He ran a hand down his face, groaning in irritation.

Instead of going home, Bdubs changed course for someone he knew would be a lot more blunt with their answers.

—*—*—*—

“-and then Grian called me the Etho whisperer and Gem said I’d ‘figure it out eventually’. Whatever that means.” Bdubs bemoaned, miming quotations around Gem’s words. 

From the other end of the couch, Cleo listened intently with a small smirk on their face that immediately got Bdubs suspicious. He narrowed his eyes, leaning closer to his friend. 

“Don’t tell me you're on their side.” He threatened, to which Cleo just laughed.

“No, it’s not about that.” Cleo denied with a shake of their head. “I mean.. you know they aren’t wrong, right?”

Bdubs frowned. “What do you mean?”

For a second, Cleo looked thoughtful, until her face turned all-knowing again. “Bdubs.” They chastised, “you really haven’t noticed?”

Bdubs threw his head back in exasperation. “No! Obviously not!” Honestly, he was one more unhelpful response from ripping his hair out in frustration. He just wanted answers about Etho’s behavior, answers everyone else seemed to have except for him.

And to think, he was Etho’s best friend, yet he was apparently the only one clueless about the man’s behavior. 

“How do I put this..” Cleo started, tapping a finger against her chin. “Let’s just say.. if you’re going to be attending something, Etho wants to go. And even if he doesn’t want to go, he can’t say no to you. That’s why Grian and Gem made you ask. Etho just likes you more.”

Bdubs thought about Cleo’s words, but they didn’t quite make sense. He can’t say no to you. Etho just likes you more. Sure, Bdubs was Etho’s best friend. Etho had said it multiple times, and every time it filled Bdubs’ stomach with butterflies. But what Cleo was implying..

“So you’re saying.. Etho gives me special treatment because I’m his best friend?” Bdubs put together. Cleo pursed her lips. She almost looked like she wanted to correct Bdubs on something, but thought better of it and nodded.

“Yeah, pretty much.” They confirmed.

Bdubs was having trouble wrapping his head around it. It was- weird. Of course he knew Etho liked him, and he knew Etho was more open and comfortable with him than anyone else on the server. They’d been friends for a long time, and Bdubs had always been annoying and persistent enough to ignore Etho’s early attempts to try and shake him off until they actually became friends. 

Still, hearing out loud that Etho favored Bdubs that much.. it was nice to hear. To have from multiple different outside perspectives.

Something warm blossomed in Bdubs’ chest as he thought about it more. Etho liked him. Etho went to events because Bdubs was going to be there. He wasn’t sure why the thought made him so excited, so giddy, but it was like his heart was on fire.

Cleo must’ve noticed the slightly dopey grin on his face, because they coughed as a way to cover a laugh. “You know, Bdubs.” She drawled, “We’ve been throwing your name around as a way to get Etho to do things for years. Works like a charm everytime.”

“Seriously?” Bdubs blurted in indignation. “Really? And nobody ever told me?” 

Cleo leaned forward, eyes shining with mirth and something else unspoken. “Yep. But that’s not all, Bdubs.” 

Instinctively, Bdubs matched Cleo and leaned closer too, anticipation at whatever they were about to say next. “What? What else is there?” He goaded, sounding a little more eager than he’d meant too.

“You’re the exception to a lot of Etho’s rules.” They said, and Bdubs reeled back.

“What? What does that mean? Cleo?” Bdubs pleaded when Cleo, the jerk, didn’t answer, just leaned up and away from Bdubs with a wink.

“Guess you’ll have to figure it out.” They responded, parroting Gem’s words from earlier.

Bdubs groaned. 

—*—*—*—

Bdubs was only ten minutes late to the server party, yet every other Hermit seemed to already be in attendance. Naturally, he beelined straight for the drinks table. As he squeezed through the meeting house, Bdubs could hear karaoke going on in one room, and what he was pretty sure was a game of Twister with more people than what fit on the mat in another.

Upon reaching his destination, Bdubs immediately found what he was looking for- a certain white-haired redstoner, awkwardly standing away from the crowds and holding two plastic cups. 

“Hey, Etho!” He greeted with a smile. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Etho looked relieved as Bdubs sidled up next to him. “Jeez, Bdubs. Almost thought you stood me up.” He teased as he passed Bdubs the second cup in his hand. 

Sprite mixed with grenadine. His favorite. He hadn’t even had to ask Etho for it. 

Dutifully pushing that thought to the side, Bdubs smirked up at his friend. “You? Never.” 

As he continued to chat with Etho, his conversation with Cleo kept bubbling up in his head. He can’t say no to you. You’re the exception to a lot of Etho’s rules. Etho just likes you more.

There was some truth to the words, Bdubs mused. But that was only because of his long history with Etho, anyway. He wasn’t the sole exception to all, or even most of Etho’s boundaries anyway, he was sure. Cleo was just being dramatic. And Grian and Gem-

Well, Bdubs didn’t even know what they were on about.

A hand clamped down on Bdubs’ shoulder, and he startled from underneath it. It was just Etho, though, head tilted in silent consideration.

“You good?” Etho asked, withdrawing his hand. “You look like there’s something on your mind.”

“I dunno. Just thinking, I guess.” Bdubs said with a small shrug. Not a total lie. 

Etho hummed. “Careful. Could be lethal.” He joked, rapping his knuckles against Bdubs’ head. Bdubs yelped in offense, ducking away and glaring. Etho laughter before straightening up. “But seriously. You know you can talk to me.”

Bdubs grumbled, taking a sip from his cup before letting out a sigh and shaking his head. “It’s just- ugh, I don’t know. Gem and Grian were saying some cryptic stuff about, well, you and me earlier, so I went to Cleo to try and get some answers.”

Instantly, Etho tensed, the action so small and minuscule that Bdubs wouldn’t have noticed it if he wasn’t constantly in tune with Etho’s behaviors. He narrowed his eyes, but didn’t call his friend out on it.

“..Oh.” Etho said slowly. Then, “And.. what did Cleo say?” He sounded strained, his hand gripping his red solo cup just a little tighter. That’s weird. Why’s Etho being weird?

“..Nothing.” Bdubs lied, eyeing his friend with suspicion. “Just that I’d ‘figure it out’. Whatever that means.” 

Like a switch, the tension leaked out of Etho’s body. “Hmm, interesting. I wonder what they were talking about.” 

He sounded distant, Bdubs thought. Like Etho did have some idea of what they were all talking about, and was just now realizing it.

“Yeah.” Bdubs half heartedly agreed, “Me too.”

—*—*—*—

The party was good, all things considered. Scar made some of his famous chocolate chip cookies, which might have been the only thing the brunette could bake but damn if he didn’t bake them well. Bdubs hopped from group to group, chatting with Pearl and Grian about gradient patterns for a while before getting lost in a redstone conversation with Tango, Impulse, and Mumbo. 

Bdubs’ extrovert side was absolutely thriving.

He played a long game of Uno with some of the Hermits, until eventually Ren won by placing a wild card down as his last move, causing False to roll her eyes at her friend’s loud victory noises. 

It was good. It was great, even. 

Except for the fact that throughout the whole night, Etho was always just a few steps next to Bdubs. He’d contribute minimally to conversations, or speak whenever another Hermit directed their words at him, but not more than that. Mostly, he just stayed in Bdubs’ circle, speaking almost exclusively to Bdubs.

And that was where Bdubs began to realize, just slightly, maybe what Cleo and Gem and Grian had been talking about. 

Because the whole Etho following him around thing wasn’t new. In fact, Etho did it at every event- used Bdubs as a social buffer so he didn’t have to do more than he was comfortable with. Bdubs never cared, still didn’t.

But now, he was noticing.

You’re the exception to a lot of Etho’s rules, Cleo had said. Which- yeah, Bdubs already knew that, to a degree. But it was never something he’d thought too hard about before, hadn’t really noticed before.

He couldn’t seem to stop noticing, now.

The way Etho would shy away whenever another Hermit passed by him just a little too close for comfort, avoiding touching them at all costs, only to drop his whole body weight on Bdubs’ side whenever they were stood still for too long.

Or when Etho awkwardly avoided eye contact with Tango when discussing their plans for the gaming district, yet stared Bdubs right in the eye when he ranted to the white-haired man about how annoying mining for deepslate could be.

And Bdubs hadn’t seen it before, the way Etho looked so deeply into Bdubs’ brown eyes like he couldn’t get enough of them. The way Etho often left a lingering touch somewhere on Bdubs’ body as he followed him from place to place like letting go would physically pain him.

It was far past just being Etho’s best friend, Bdubs decided. Because the more Bdubs thought about it, the more he realized that Etho looked at Bdubs like Bdubs himself looked at Etho. And Bdubs looked at Etho like he-

“You know, you stare at Etho a lot.” Scar said suddenly with a raised brow, eyes flicking from Bdubs to where Etho was standing at the other side of the room. 

“Wha- what?” Bdubs recoiled, because seriously, what? 

Scar shrugged, but there was a mischievous glint in his eye. The kind that usually screamed trouble. “It’s nothing, just an observation.” He said, like he hadn’t just caused Bdubs to bluescreen.

“No, hold on, I don’t- I mean, I don’t look that much, do I?” Bdubs pushed, embarrassment creeping into his voice. Sure, he looked at Etho. He was just- he was a nice guy to look at! White hair that flopped across the headband he wore, shocking white and red eyes that Bdubs could get lost in for hours, a strong figure underneath the perfectly fitted black undershirt and green vest-

Yeah, Etho was nice to look at. He was- attractive. But Bdubs wasn’t staring. 

Scar’s smug grin told him that wasn’t true. Bdubs slid deeper into his chair, covering his reddening face with his hands. 

“Oh my god.” He bemoaned. “Scar, please tell me I have not been that obvious?” 

Scar grimaced, making a so-so gesture with his hand. “Well..”

Bdubs wanted to bury himself in a hole.

“That’s so embarrassing.” He muttered, sitting up again but keeping his face hidden. “Do you think he noticed?” 

Getting caught by Scar was one thing, but getting caught by Etho? Bdubs would never live it down. 

In response, Scar snorted like that was the funniest thing Bdubs had ever had. “Trust me, you don’t have to worry about that. Etho hasn’t noticed. Although, that does beg the question..” 

Bdubs peeked through his fingers, curious on where Scar was taking the conversation. 

“Whenever you’re looking at Etho, you always have this little light in your eye. Almost like- oh.” Scar’s eyes widened, like he suddenly figured something very, very important out, and Bdubs’ heart began to pound hard in his chest.

Scar broke out into an excited grin, leaning forward and capturing Bdubs’ hands in his own. His eyes flicked from Etho, still standing far away with a small group, to Bdubs, whose pink cheeks absolutely gave him away. “You- you and Etho, you guys are-”

Bdubs surged forward, slapping a palm over Scar’s mouth. “Shut up!” He hissed, double checking that Etho wasn’t looking. “And- and no. It’s not ‘me and Etho’. It’s.. just me. Who.. you know. Likes him.”

Understanding dawned over Scar’s expression, and he slowly pulled away, but there was still a hint of something akin to mischief in his eyes. “Well, I don't know about that. I’ve definitely caught Etho loo-”

“Alright, is everybody ready to start the meeting?” Xisuma suddenly called out, interrupting Scar’s sentence and calling attention to himself.

Bdubs tried to catch Scar’s eye, but the brunette was already shuffling over to whisper something to Mumbo on his other side. Bdubs sighed. It probably wasn’t important anyway.

..But that couldn’t be right. Bdubs’ crush on Etho had always been one-sided, something he’d come to terms with and accepted a long time ago. 

He was just mis-seeing, that was all. Mistaking the way Etho looked at him for the way he wanted Etho to look at him. It didn’t mean anything, no matter how much he yearned for it to.

“Bdubs? All good in there?” Etho’s soft voice cut into his spiraling thoughts, and Bdubs shook himself back into awareness. He blinked up at Etho, who was awkwardly holding a hand up to Bdubs’ eyes with a concerned expression on his face.

“Oh- yeah, sorry. I just spaced out.” He murmured. A quick glance around him showed that him and Etho were set up in a quieter corner of the room, away from the rest of the Hermits. 

Etho still looked unsure, but thankfully didn’t press Bdubs on it. If he did, Bdubs wasn’t sure he’d have been able to hold his tongue any longer. 

He had a bad habit of sharing all his secrets- and, on occasion, everybody else’s- with the man.

“We’ve been here a while. Do you wanna get out of here? I have the stuff to make brownies at my base.” Etho suggested. Bdubs beamed up at him.

“You had me at brownies!” He cheered, grabbing a pliant Etho by the sleeve and dragging the man away with a hastily shouted ‘we’re leaving’ as their goodbye announcement.

Hanging with Etho was a million times better than some server party anyway.

—*—*—*—

“You better not have been lying about those brownies.” Bdubs demanded the moment they landed at Etho’s base, barging in the door like he owned the place, Etho allowing him to lead the way.

From behind him, Etho badly held back an amused smile. “I didn’t, I didn’t. Promise.”

As Bdubs haphazardly rifled through Etho’s pantry for ingredients and bowls, a thought suddenly struck him. Did anyone know Etho’s base like this?

He knew Grian and Scar were practically roommates with Mumbo with how much they bothered the man in his base. He knew Tango, Impulse, and Skizz knew exactly where every one of Zedaph’s lab supplies were. But did anyone besides Bdubs know the insides and outs of Etho’s base?

As far as Bdubs was aware, no. Etho didn’t host people. Ever. And yet, there Bdubs was, shuffling around in Etho’s kitchen with familiar steps, not blinking twice as he opened a cupboard and reached for the flour.

But that was just another benefit of being Etho’s best friend, wasn’t it? It didn’t matter that Etho was different, in a lot of ways. Friends knew the way around their friends’ houses. It didn’t mean anything. 

Bdubs really wished he could stop thinking it meant anything.

“E, you’re almost out of flour.” Bdubs called out, lightly testing the weight of the bag in his hand. Etho made a noise and walked over, leaning right on Bdubs’ back and sliding his arm right over Bdubs’ to take the bag from him. It took all of Bdubs’ self control not to start blushing at the touch, so simple and easy yet so monumental when it came to Etho. A feeling only Bdubs would ever have, nobody else.

The thought wasn’t good for his heart.

“Should be enough for tonight.” Etho surmised, and Bdubs turned around only to see-

Etho’s bare face, no mask covering up the bottom half of it. Without the accessory, Bdubs could see the way Etho’s mouth was twisted into a slight frown as he peered inside the bag of flour, his scar twisting with the motion. 

Bdubs was staring. He knew he was, but Etho’s face looked soft despite the fact he wore the mask more often than not, and the scar only accentuated the naturally pretty features of Etho’s face. Etho thought the scar was ugly, but Bdubs thought it was beautiful. 

He thought Etho was beautiful.

But that wasn’t the only reason Bdubs was staring, because- because Etho had his mask off. His biggest insecurity, his biggest boundary, and he was casually walking around his base without it on. 

The thing was, he always did, when it was just him and Bdubs, and Bdubs had never thought too hard about the privilege that was, about what it could mean, before. 

“I don’t just show my face to any old person.” Etho had said the first time he’d ever taken his mask off around Bdubs, clearly nervous and trying to play it off with a joke.

“Oh? So I’m special, then?” Bdubs had murmured back, eyes tracing the tip of the scar to the bottom of it. Etho had given a small smile, words quiet and breathy as he responded, “More than you know.”

“Um, Bdubs?” 

“Your mask is off.” He blurted, only to immediately snap his mouth shut. 

Etho just hummed, but the slight crease of his forehead gave away the confusion the man was feeling. “Uh. Yeah. It.. usually is?” He said, voice quirking up in a question that Bdubs had no intention of answering.

“Sorry. I don’t know, I guess I just never noticed it before.” Bdubs muttered, turning away to hopefully hide the embarrassment flooding his face. Why would you say that?

“Are you.. sure you’re okay?” Etho tentatively asked, sounding worried and concerned. Bdubs knew he didn’t want the press to be hard, but also wanted to fix whatever the issue was.

Etho was nice like that. Etho always cared more than he let on, especially when it came to Bdubs.

And oh, Bdubs wanted wanted wanted.

“Sorry.” Bdubs apologized, scrubbing his face. “I’m just tired. ‘S getting to my head.”

There was a beat of silence where Bdubs knew Etho was deciding what to do next, how to approach the situation. Eventually, Etho placed the bag of flour down on the counter. “Well, it’s kind of late. Maybe we could save the brownies for tomorrow, put on a movie instead?”

It was as genuine a request as any. “Yeah. Yeah, that sounds nice.”

They ended up as a heap on the couch, Etho’s long legs planted over Bdubs’ own, Bdubs’ arms resting atop the lanky appendages. Etho was smiling as he looked at Bdubs, saying something the brunette didn’t hear because he was too distracted by the way Etho’s lips oh-so beautifully quirked upwards like Bdubs was the best thing the other had seen all night.

It was cute. It was domestic. It made Bdubs’ heart squeeze painfully. They were friends. They were friends, and Etho didn’t like Bdubs the same way Bdubs liked him. 

That didn’t stop him wishing, though, as he fiddled with a loose seam on Etho’s pants as they searched for a movie. It didn’t stop him from longing.

—*—*—*—

It was three days later when everything came to a head.

“Spruce or oak, spruce or oak..” Bdubs contemplated as he stared at the beginnings of what was going to be a porch, carefully analyzing both wood options for the flooring with squinted eyes and a hand on his chin.

Admittedly, Bdubs had been slacking on his building. The past few days had been busy, Hermits coming by and distracting him- or vice versa- and he had put his building plans on the back burner.

Now, though, Bdubs was throwing himself back into it. Building had always been a good stress receiver for Bdubs, a way to clear his mind and focus entirely on gradients and structure and beauty.

He was deep in thought, totally oblivious to the world around him when he was rudely interrupted.

“Hey, Bdubs!”

Bdubs had barely a second to process the voice before bony arms were wrapping about his waist and yanking his backwards into a toned chest.

“Wha- Etho!” Bdubs scolded, squirming in his friend’s grip but making no real effort to get out. “You scared me, you absolute jerk!” 

Etho just laughed, placing his chin atop of Bdubs’ head, and oh if that didn’t make Bdubs’ heart start beating out of his chest.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the server, Etho could be real clingy if he wanted to. But he only ever was with Bdubs.

He can't say no to you.

Etho just likes you more. 

You’ll figure it out.

Bdubs cursed his friends for ever planting those words in his head, because it messed with his heart and his carefully boxed away feelings. Because it made him hopeful. And when Bdubs got his hopes up, the rejection was all the more crushing.

“Whatcha working on?” Etho asked, light and airy and snapping Bdubs out of his thoughts. He was in a good mood, Bdubs noted. 

Bdubs shrugged. “Nothing much.” He brushed off. Normally, Bdubs loved to explain the thought processes behind each intricate detail of his build, what kind of story it was telling, and Etho was always more than willing to listen. Unfortunately, he just.. wasn’t in the mood.

“Nothing?” Etho parroted, apparently making the same observation. He tilted his head to the side so his cheek was resting on top of brown curls. “But you were so focused! Aw, don’t tell me you overworked your brain.” 

Bdubs squawked in offense at the playful insult, jabbing Etho in the gut in retaliation. “Yeah right.” He huffed as Etho caught his breath. “You wouldn’t understand the patience perfection takes.”

From beneath the mask, Bdubs could tell Etho was smiling. “You think my builds aren’t perfect?” 

“Not with all those half-finished farms of yours they’re not.” He snorted. Etho laughed.

“Touché Bdubs. Touché.”

God, it was always so easy, with Etho. The lighthearted insults, the familiar back and forth, the large smiles as they exchanged soft blows. It was like a dance that Bdubs had all the steps memorized too, a part of his daily routine. Being with Etho made him feel so light.

“What brings you ‘round here anyway? Don’t tell me you need to borrow some diamonds, I told you not to spend them all yours in the shopping district!” Bdubs accused, crossing his arms and leveling Etho with a look. Etho held his hands up in mock surrender.

“I didn’t, I didn't! Unless you're offering?” 

“I am not!”

Etho laughed. “Then no. I was just bored.”

Bdubs raised an eyebrow. “‘Just bored’, huh? So you came to me?” Mostly, the question was rhetorical. They always went to bother each other when they were bored or had no plans for the day.

“I was curious on what you were working on. You haven’t ranted to me about your building plans in a while.” Etho noted off-handedly. Bdubs felt guilty, suddenly. He’d just been so in his head around the man lately. 

“I guess not, huh? Well, it’s nothing really good right now. I haven’t picked out the wood for the porch, and I’m worried the railing might be too tall? And I haven’t even thought about what kinds of plants are going to match best with the color scheme-”

“I think it looks beautiful.” Etho smoothly interrupted. Bdubs halted in his ramblings immediately, staring wide-eyed at Etho.

Etho compliments weren’t usually so explicit. They were layered in jokes or implied through context. “Well, you could probably turn this into a mob farm with the lack of lighting, but there’s ambiance.” or, “Using diorite here was an interesting choice.” 

“Oh. You- you really think so?” Bdubs searched Etho’s face for something, anything. 

“I think everything you do looks beautiful, Bdubs.” And oh, if that didn’t make Bdubs’ stomach burst into a million butterflies. Etho sounded so genuine, so in awe. It was- it was-

It was too much, and Bdubs felt like he was one more compliment or smile away from bursting.

But the euphoria dissipated when all his friends’ words came flooding back, and Bdubs just- he had to know. Had to put his questions and curiosity to rest. Had to get some closure. So he steeled himself, pushed down his anxiety as much as possible, and spoke.

“Hey, Etho? Can I ask you a question?” Bdubs asked quietly, vulnerable, as he looked down and ran his hands over his mossy jacket to help calm his nerves.

“You just did.” Etho joked. When Bdubs didn’t laugh back, Etho sobered instantly. “Or- of course you can. What’s.. what’s up?” His voice was much softer now.

Bdubs hesitated. Swallowed. “Why.. why do you let me do things that others can’t do?”

A pause. “..What?”

Bdubs resisted the urge to groan in frustration. He slowly peeked up at Etho through his eyelashes, vulnerability shining in his face. “Like, y’know. You won’t let anyone else touch you, but I can. And- and you don’t take your mask off around anyone else. Um, I also.. I know about the party thing? When you told Grian you didn’t want to go, but changed your mind when I asked. So I guess I’m just.. curious? Um.” 

Etho didn’t say anything for an excruciatingly long moment, still as he looked deep in thought. Bdubs didn’t know if that was a good response or not. 

After what felt like an eternity, Etho shifted. He took a single step closer to Bdubs, reached up, and brought his mask down so it hung around his chin. Not at all the response Bdubs thought he’d be getting.

“I know I’m not really.. like everyone else on the server. With, um. The touching. And stuff.” Etho started tentatively, awkward and out of his comfort zone but trying, for Bdubs. “But.. I don’t know. It’s just so easy with you. I don’t like it with anyone else, but I like it a lot with you. Only you. You’re- ha, you’re pretty amazing, Bdubs. I wasn’t kidding when I said you were, you know. Special.”

Etho gave a small smile, hands fidgeting as he tried to gauge Bdubs’ reaction. He’d never been so open and honest before. He’d never said anything so affectionate to Bdubs before.

Bdubs’ heart beat fast and heavy in his chest. He was in deep, too deep for his best friend.

Finally, his want outgrew his logic, and Bdubs lost all rational thought. He surged forward, fisted a hand in Etho’s vest, pulled him down, and locked his lips onto Etho’s. And oh, if Etho didn’t taste so, so sweet. Everything Bdubs had ever imagined, all his boxed away feelings exploding out of his chest with a new type of fire. 

He was, however, halfway through kissing Etho before realizing that he just kissed Etho and that was a bad idea and he needed to pull away when Etho did the unthinkable.

Etho began to kiss back.

It was slow and cautious, something new for the both of them, but passionate all the same. Etho was, sort of surprisingly, a good kisser. His hands roved across Bdubs’ back and sides, Bdubs’ grip tightening on his vest in return. They pushed a little closer, went a little deeper. Etho’s mouth was minty.

“Woah.” Bdubs marveled when they finally pulled away for air, blinking up at Etho with something akin to awe. He’d kissed Etho. Then-

Oh. He’d kissed Etho. “Wo- oh. Oh! My god!” Bdubs panicked. “Shit, Etho, I’m- I’m so sorry, I-”

Bdubs went to pull away, but Etho's hands circled his wrists and pulled him right back in. “What’re you apologizing for?” He laughed lightly. Not.. mad. Or weirded out. 

Happy?

“Well, I.. kissed you.” Bdubs felt dazed. Etho’s leather gloves felt cool against his heated skin.

“Yeah. You did.” Etho’s lips tipped up into a shy smile. “It was- it was nice.”

Bdubs couldn’t help the incredulous laugh that ripped its way out of his throat. “Wow. Glowing reviews from Etho, over here.” His voice pitched downwards, then, drilling the teasing tone. “But you really didn’t mind? I mean, I should have asked first, but- I don’t know. I got caught in the moment.”

Etho’s grip tightened for a moment, before he released Bdubs’ wrists and reached up to hold his face instead. “Bdubs, I have been wanting to kiss you for years. Sometimes I couldn’t even look at your face for too long because of it.” The words were joking, but Bdubs knew Etho was being dead serious. A light pink blush dusted his cheeks.

“Oh. I didn’t- huh. I mean, I’ve been in love with you for forever, but man. I never thought.. thought you’d feel the same way.” Bdubs confessed, feeling suddenly a little bashful.

Never in a million years did Bdubs ever think he’d be having this conversation with Etho. It was something he’d accepted a long time ago, and yet- there they were. Etho gently cupping Bdubs’ face, eyes carefully tracing every single part of him with something fond as Bdubs confessed what he thought would never be. 

“Wow, I guess Cleo was right.” Etho mused, thumbs still tracing Bdubs’ face. Bdubs frowned.

“What?” He questioned. What did Cleo have to do with anything?

Etho looked a little sheepish suddenly. “I.. might have told her about my feelings for you a while ago. She swore you felt the same way, but I didn’t listen.” He admitted. 

Bdubs felt like his eyes were going to bug out of his head. “So that’s why Cleo was saying all that weird cryptic stuff!” He realized. “And why you were acting so weird after I brought it up! You- you- you!”

Etho just grinned, leaning a little closer. “Guilty. But, maybe I can make it up to you..?” He breathed. Bdubs’ own breath got caught in his lungs.

“Yeah, guess you better.” 

Kissing Etho was better the second time.

When they pulled away again, catching their breaths, Bdubs knocked foreheads with Etho and groaned. “Oh god, I’m going to hear so many I-told-you-so’s from Grian and Gem. This sucks.”

Etho just laughed at Bdubs’ misfortune and tilted his head down, capturing his lips in another tender kiss.

Well, maybe it wouldn’t suck that badly.