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It was a lovely afternoon. The sun shone bright over the secluded lake surrounded by trees, where Etho and Bdubs sat, overlooking the water. Bdubs wasn’t wearing his hoodie, and Etho wasn’t wearing his mask.
Bdubs’ fluffy kitty ears swayed lightly in the breeze with his hair, and Etho took in a deep breath of fresh, unmasked air. They were quiet, but that was fine. Just being in each other’s company was good enough for them. Currently, they were throwing rocks in the water, seeing who can throw them the farthest, though they weren’t keeping score.
It was nice.
Bdubs threw another rock, waited for it to hit the water, and then broke the silence. “Hey, Etho?”
Etho began the crucial process of selecting the next throwing rock. “Yeah?”
“Have you heard that… that Joe and Cleo have finished their castle?” Etho picked up a stone and tossed it in the air and caught it, testing its weight. Yes, this one would do nicely.
Etho pulled his arm back, preparing to throw, measuring the trajectory, taking into account the wind speed… and hummed. “That’s nice.”
“Yeah. Anyway, Uh… they’re gonna be throwing a party to celebrate. Like, a big fancy one.” Etho threw the rock. “And I was wondering, if, if you wanted to, that is…”
Splash!
Bdubs paused. “Wow, that one went really far.”
Etho smiled. “Thanks.”
There was another beat of silence. This time, Etho was the one to break it. “So, what’s this about a party?”
“Right, yeah.” Bdubs rubbed a hand against the back of his neck, his tail flicking nervously. “I was just wondering if… maybe, you wanted to go… with me.”
Etho blinked. “Bdubs, are you asking me to be your date?”
Bdubs flushed all the way down his neck. “WELL! only if! Only if you’re interested! You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I- I know you’re not really a party person, so, I mean, I just thought that…”
Etho smiled, and put his hand on Bdubs’ soft, soft head to stop his rambling. “Sure Bdubs. I would love to go with you.”
Bdubs leaned into Etho’s touch, and it seemed like his chest rumbled. He was… Bdubs was purring. Etho couldn’t contain his grin. Oh this was too good.
He pulled Bdubs in closer and petted his fluffy ears, causing him to purr louder.
It was adorable.
Etho giggled. “You’re like a kitty cat.” Bdubs covered his face with his hands and groaned.
“Nooo I’m not .” This just made Etho giggle more. Despite his protests, Bdubs continued to purr.
“Yes you are.” Etho gently scritched behind one of his ears, and Bdubs tilted his head into the touch. “You’re a very cute kitty cat.”
Bdubs dramatically groaned louder, but snuggled up to Etho anyway, rubbing his cheek affectionately against his shoulder.
Yeah, Etho could get used to this.
Bdubs stood nervously at Etho and Iskall’s scattered savannah base. He promised he’d pick Etho up at seven. It was 6:56. He was a bit early, but he also had no idea where Etho was. His feet shuffled nervously on the wooden deck, and he fiddled with his tie, other hand occupied with holding a small bouquet of lilies. He had forgone his usual mossy hoodie and instead wore a deep green tailcoat and a matching top hat to cover his ears and tail.
He stood next to the empty doorframe ( really, they should get a proper door here. ) and was just about to knock, when Iskall appeared in front of him. They were obviously going to the party as well, what with their formal attire and slicked back hair. They tilted their head and raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “Oh, hallo Bdubs. What are you doing here?
Bdubs stood there dumbly for a second before responding. “Uh, hi Iskall.” He shifted his weight between his feet. “Do… you know where Etho is?”
Iskall crossed their arms and leaned against the doorframe. “He’s still getting ready for the party. Why do you ask?” Bdubs felt a cold sweat run down his brow. Oh no.
Iskall was going to give him the Shovel Talk.
Bdubs gulped, and tried to mentally prepare himself. “I’m here to pick him up. I’m…” Bdubs stood up tall, holding his ground. He was brave. “I’m his date.”
Iskall somehow raised their brow even higher. “Oh, really?” Bdubs nodded. “Well then. I’m happy for you two.”
Bdubs sighed in relief. Maybe he’d be spared from the talk after all. “Thank you.”
“And you know that if you hurt him I will make you wish for death a hundred times over.” Ah. There it is. Bdubs immediately tensed up again.
“I would never hurt Etho!”
Iskall nodded. “Right, right. Of course. And you’ll keep your…” iskalls voice dropped then, tone absolutely dripping with malice, “diorite away from him?”
Bdubs gasped in offense. “ Excuse me! Diorite is a perfectly respectable building block! It’s perfect in every single way!”
Iskalls entire face cringed, as if they’d just heard the most horribly offensive and incorrect thing ever said. They opened their mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind them. They turned around. “Oh, Hallo Etho. There’s someone here for you.”
Bdubs could hear Etho, but couldn’t see him from behind Iskall. “That must be Bdubs. He said he was gonna pick me up and take me to the thing.”
Iskall nodded. “Right, right. Well, he’s right here.” They stepped aside, leaving Etho in full view, and, wow.
There before him stood Etho, all dressed up in a slate gray button up, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His tie matched Bdubs’ jacket, and the vest he wore matched his own tie, mirroring each other perfectly. His hair was slightly coiffed, and looked like he had been messing with it in a mirror, trying to get it to look right. His mask and fingerless gloves stayed on in their usual place. The sight of him made Bdubs’ heart race, much like his beloved horses. “Hi Bdubs.”
Bdubs flushed, and tried his very best to remember how to formulate words. “H- Hi Etho! uH!” He hunched his shoulders and looked down at his feet, unceremoniously shoving the bouquet into Etho’s direction. “These! These are for you!”
Warm fingers brushed his own as Etho took the flowers, and Bdubs looked up to see him holding them close to his chest. “Thank you.”
Etho was smiling under the mask. Bdubs could tell. He was so, so pretty . Bdubs’ voice was soft when he said “you’re welcome.”
Etho shuffled a little on his feet. “I’m gonna go find a vase to put these in. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Bdubs blushed. “O-okay. You do that. I’ll be… here.”
Etho nodded, and walked off to who knows where in the base. Bdubs watched him go with a longing look and a dreamy sigh. His heart felt like it was going a million miles per hour just being in the presence of Etho, of his date. Bdubs could hardly believe this was real.
Iskall cleared their throat and Bdubs jumped. He had honestly forgotten they were there. “Wow, dude. No offense, but, you’re kind of a disaster.”
Bdubs scoffed. “Ex cuse me, I am not a disaster! I am incredibly smooth! I am a master of redstone and romance!” This just made Iskall laugh, which offended Bdubs more. The audacity! “You’ll see! I’ll sweep Etho off his feet tonight! You just wait!”
Iskall just rolled their organic eye and snorted. “Sure, sure. Of course. Whatever you say.”
Etho returned, but instead of the whole bouquet Bdubs had given him, he had only one flower. A single pink carnation. “Here, Bdubs.” He stepped forward, getting close, so close to Bdubs, and reached forward, to his jacket. He carefully pinned the carnation to his breast pocket. “There you go.” Etho stepped back all too soon, and Bdubs found himself missing his warmth. Etho smiled with his eyes, and his ears were tinted a lovely shade of pink. “That’s for you.”
Bdubs didn’t think he could even function properly anymore. The bees in his tummy swarmed ferociously, and he felt lighter than air, like he was walking on a cloud. It felt like a dream, but it wasn’t a dream, this was real. Etho had just… Etho just did that. Etho did a date thing. Etho was his date!!!
The two just stood there for a moment, like they were the only two people in the world, the only people who mattered.
Iskall coughed. “Well then, I guess I’ll be off. I’ll see you two lovebirds at the party.”
Bdubs sputtered, and Etho’s ears turned a shade pinker. Iskall just chuckled and waved goodbye as they jumped off the side of the deck, elytra wings unfurling and spreading out behind them, catching the wind. They ignited a rocket, and sped off in the direction of the replica castle Hohenzollern.
Once they were fully out of render distance, Bdubs cleared his throat, once more capturing Etho’s attention. “So…” Bdubs held out his hand in offering, dipping into a slight but still dramatic bow. He gave Etho his most dashing and handsome (and not at all nervous. Bdubs wasn’t nervous. He was smooth) smile. “Shall we go?”
Etho laughed, and took Bdubs’ outstretched hand in his. “Yes, let’s.”
They shared Lulu’s saddle on the way to the castle, though Bdubs could hardly concentrate on the road ahead with Etho's hands on his waist. He was holding him a little tighter than was strictly necessary, though it wasn’t like Bdubs was complaining.
The finished castle was beautiful, standing tall and proud as they approached. The custom trees framed the build perfectly, their branches, decorated for the occasion with festive white string lights, rustled slightly in the cool night breeze. Each window and archway was carefully and painstakingly detailed, with small designs carved into the sandstone masonry.
Needless to say, Etho was impressed.
The driveway was a pain to navigate, though.
They managed to get through it eventually, with a little squabbling and a lot of confusion, but they made it to the courtyard. Bdubs dismounted, offering a hand to help Etho down. Etho laughed as he took it, saying Bdubs was “such a gentleman.”
Once Lulu was tied to a convenient hitching post and given an adequate amount of pats and treats, the two went to greet and mingle with the other hermits who were around, all dressed to the nines.
The doors to the interior of the castle were wide open, and signs were put up with directional arrows and neat cursive that said “ ballroom this way!” A few people were already filtering in, so Bdubs, still convinced he was romantic and smooth, dramatically bowed and offered his arm to Etho, who mimed a swoon to match his theatrics and linked his elbow with Bdubs’.
The hallways were beautiful and intricate, and expensive looking artwork lined the walls. The ceilings were tall and arched, and everything seemed to have a warm gold glow.
It wasn’t a very long walk, and the signs were easy to follow, so they made it to the ballroom in no time, and of course, the ballroom was just as gorgeous as the rest of the castle. There were sparkling chandeliers and tables lined with refreshments. Pretty sounding music with lots of strings was playing from speakers somewhere. It was amazing.
“Howdy Etho and Bdubs! Welcome to the party! I’m glad you could make it!” Joe Hills greeted, seemingly having appeared out of thin air. Bdubs startled, but Etho was unfazed. Joe was smiling, arms open and friendly. He wore a neon suit jacket and triangular glasses the same bright green as his hair. It should have been tacky, but he made it work.
Bdubs grinned in return. “Of course, Joe! We wouldn’t miss it for the world! Right, Etho?” Bdubs looked up at him then, positively beaming, and Etho was all too aware of the hand still lightly holding his elbow. Etho wasn’t really one for parties, but to see Bdubs smile like this… it was worth it.
“Right,” Etho nodded. “Not for the world.”
They just stood there, for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. There were warm bubbles in Etho’s chest, almost like it was full of soda pop, but it wasn’t unpleasant, and his nose wasn’t bleeding.
Joe clapped his hands together suddenly, and this time even Etho jumped. “Well then! I’m happy you two are here! Feel free to help yourselves to snacks and drinks. Cleo and I made them ourselves! The fruit punch especially is very delicious. Cleo says it’s a special family recipe!”
“Thanks, Joe!” Bdubs replied, as sunny as ever. “The castle is gorgeous, by the way. You and Cleo did a real great job with the place.”
“Well thank you kindly, Bdubs. That really means a lot, especially coming from a building aficionado such as yourself.” Bdubs smiled harder and flushed a little in pride at the compliment. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there are more guests for me to greet. I do hope you have a simply magical evening here tonight.” Joe started to walk away, but stopped, looking at them from over his shoulder. “By the way, you two are very cute together.”
Bdubs turned bright red, but before he could even respond, Joe just smiled and kept walking, making his way to welcome more well dressed hermits.
“Ah, uh, anyway! Hey! Is that Tango and Keralis? Come on, let’s go say hi.” Bdubs took Etho’s hand and practically dragged him off toward his friends, not that Etho minded at all. It was nice, seeing Bdubs so in his element like this, even if Etho still felt vaguely out of place.
They floated around for a while, saying hi to their friends and complimenting their outfits, well, ‘ they’ as in Bdubs, since he did the vast majority of the talking.
The friendly chatter was interrupted by the telltale sound of a spoon tapping against a fancy champagne glass. Everyone turned their attention to Joe and Cleo, who were standing next to each other on the stage at the far end of the room. Joe smiled and pulled the glass and spoon he was holding away from the microphone. Cleo rolled her eyes.
“Attention hermits! I would like to formally extend my thanks to you all for joining us here tonight to celebrate the completion of our illustrious castle Hohenzollern build. As you all know, there is no ‘I’ in team, even though if you shuffle the letters a little you can spell ‘me’… it wasn’t me who built this castle, but we. We built this castle, Cleo and I, together, as well as all the other hermits who lent a helping hand along the way. I am very much proud of this community, and what we have accomplished together. Because together, we can do some pretty remarkable things. So once again, thank you kindly.”
Everyone clapped, and a few people cheered. Cleo snatched the microphone from Joe before he could continue onto whatever longer, more drawn out speech he probably had planned. She grinned wickedly, and shouted into the mic. “Now let’s party like the freakin world is ending!”
There was more enthusiastic cheering, this time. The lights dimmed, and a super rad laser light show started from the stage. Cleo and Joe had both ducked away, probably back to the floor to do more party host things. As the stage filled with smoke-machine fog, three silhouettes appeared. One was behind a drum set, another held an electric guitar, and the last was next to a keyboard. A heavy drum beat started, and the smoke began to clear, revealing Doc, Ren, and…
“Martyn?” Bdubs tilted his head. “What the heck is Martyn doing here?” Etho just shrugged.
“Good Evening, hermitcraft!” Ren shouted. “Are you ready to rock?!” The crowd cheered, and the music started. It was some rock song that they probably wrote themselves about darkness and the moon . They sounded pretty great, and the music was definitely danceable. All around them the hermits laughed and danced like no one was watching. Grian in particular was going absolutely wild , and had even accumulated a group of spectators clapping their hands and cheering him on as he breakdanced. It was amazing. Overall, everyone was having a pretty great time.
All the lights and noise were really starting to overwhelm Etho, though.
Bdubs seemed to sense his discomfort, and squeezed his hand gently. He leaned up to him, and spoke softly, but loud enough to be heard. “Hey, whaddya say we go somewhere else for a few minutes?” Bdubs smiled at him patiently, and honestly, what incredible thing did Etho ever do to deserve this man?
He squeezed his hand back, and wordlessly nodded. Bdubs led Etho away from the dance floor, past the refreshments table where TFC was currently lurking and hoarding hors d'oeuvres, and out the same entranceway they came in, back into the blessedly empty hall.
Etho felt like he could finally breathe easily again. The music was still there, thrumming from inside, but it was much less intense out here. More bearable. “So…” he said, after taking a moment to take a few deep breaths and enjoy the (relative) peace and quiet. “What do we do now?”
Bdubs shrugged. “I dunno, I haven’t really thought ahead that far.” He took his free hand and rubbed his chin, ‘hmm’ing in thought. Much like all things Bdubs did, Etho thought it was ridiculously cute. Then he snapped, and his eyes lit up with an idea. “Oh! I know! How about we go explore the castle?”
Etho raised an eyebrow, but couldn’t help his own growing smile. “Won’t we get in trouble?”
Bdubs grinned, and he had that mischievous glint in his eye that Etho found absolutely impossible to say no to. “Not if we don’t get caught.”
Etho laughed, light and airy, much like the way being with Bdubs made him feel inside. “Alright, then. Lead the way, Bubs.”
Somehow Bdubs’ grin grew even more intense, and he immediately took off running, calling over his shoulder “Race you up that spiral staircase!”
They both laughed as they playfully chased each other through the ornate hallways, pointing out neat details and architecture, allowing themselves to get lost in the grandness of it all.
They eventually came to a fancy looking door leading to an even fancier looking sitting room. It really had everything; couches, tables, bookshelves, a fireplace… Even a diamond chandelier. Bdubs let out an impressed low whistle. “ Wow, they really outdid themselves with this place, huh.” Bdubs took off his hat, setting it down on the coffee table as he draped himself dramatically over a chaise lounge. He batted his eyelashes at Etho while his ears flickered. “Draw me like one of your moss men.”
Etho chuckled as he casually looked around. “I would if I had a sketch pad. And if I knew how to draw.” He pulled out one of the books from the selves. It appeared to be handwritten. He checked the title. Fanfiction Written in the Modern Style. Vol. 13.
…
Etho put the book back on the shelf.
“Oh hey look! A balcony!” Bdubs leapt up to his feet from the lounge with surprising grace and sauntered toward the glass paned French doors on the other side of the room. He pulled them open, and Etho came to his side, following him out into the cool night air.
“Wow,” Bdubs gasped as he stepped onto the masonry, taking in the thousands of stars glistening above them. The moon was large and imposing, but it also lit up the surrounding landscape in soft moonlight, allowing them to see for miles. “It’s beautiful.”
Etho crossed his arms and leaned on the railing next to Bdubs. “Yeah, it is.” He agreed, before turning his head to smile cheekily at him through the mask. “Not as beautiful as you are, though.”
Bdubs immediately blushed and stuttered, turning his attention away from the view. “Buh! Wh! HEY! You! Oh, you think you’re real smooth, don’t ya?”
Etho chuckled. “No, not really. It’s just easy to get you flustered.”
Bdubs scoffed. “How dare you. I am an extremely composed and well put-together gentleman. I am not easy to fluster .”
“Oh yeah?” Etho raised an eyebrow. Bdubs raised his chin defiantly, flush still present on his cheeks. “Watch this.” Etho lowered his mask to rest against his collar, and immediately Bdubs’ eyes widened and lips parted. Etho smirked, watching Bdubs’ face grow redder and redder as he leaned in, and Bdubs closed his eyes, and…
Etho booped him lightly on the nose and grinned as he leaned back to stand in his original position. Bdubs once again made a very much flustered noise as Etho laughed at his expense.
“See?” He said, leaning his elbow against the railing and resting his face against his palm, “too easy.”
Bdubs was frozen for a few moments, so much blood in his face that Etho wondered if it was even healthy , before he buried his face in his hands and groaned dramatically. “ Void, Etho, you’re so unfair. ”
Etho hummed. “Yeah, I tend to get that a lot.” Bdubs lowered his hands so he could look at Etho, who still had made no move to replace his mask over his face, and was smiling genuinely at him.
It was sort of faint, but they could hear the music from where they were. They must have been somewhere just above the ballroom. It had slowed down from before, and now a soft, smooth song was playing. “Hey, Etho… do you wanna dance with me?”
Etho’s smile turned a little more shy, and he could feel his cheeks heat up a little. “Well, sure, but uh, I don’t really know how to dance.”
Bdubs’ eyes softened as he took one of Etho’s hands in his, resting the other against his waist. “That’s alright.” He said, and his voice was so much softer than it usually was, not loud, or energetic, but more genuine. More intimate. “No one's around to see us anyway.”
Etho could tell he was fully blushing as he placed his own hand on Bdubs’ shoulder. The height difference made it slightly awkward for Bdubs to lead, but neither one of them minded very much. They just held each other and gently swayed to the music they could barely hear. Etho stepped on Bdubs’ feet a couple times, but they simply laughed it off and continued dancing.
Just as the song was beginning to come to a close, Bdubs moved his hands to support Ethos back and waist, and gently dipped him. Etho’s heart raced as he was held up by Bdubs, who was… surprisingly strong. He looked into his eyes, which held so much affection, and he felt so warm, so giddy, so safe in his arms. Bdubs smirked down at him and leaned even closer. His warm breath grazed across his lips. “Who’s flustered now?”
Etho breathed out in an almost half laugh. “You talk too much.” He said, and kissed him.
Bdubs instantly melted into the kiss, holding Etho tighter and turning his head slightly for a better angle. Etho quietly hummed in approval while his hands migrated from Bdubs’ shoulders to his neck to his hair, carding through the short locks and gently petting his soft ears.
Bdubs purred, and Etho briefly broke the kiss to chuckle lightly. Before he could properly pick on him for this, however, Bdubs just captured his lips again, more insistent this time. Etho gasped into it, and Bdubs used that opportunity to deepen the kiss further.
Etho felt like he was flying , like he was in a dream he never wanted to end, with just him and Bdubs together in their own little bubble on top of the world. Etho always considered himself a man of science, but there truly was no other way to describe this feeling, other than it was magical.
As much as they didn’t want to, they had to break apart, both for air, and because they weren’t exactly in the most comfortable position. They both stood up straight, but still held each other close, with their foreheads touching and their noses still brushing.
“We should… probably get back soon, huh?” Etho breathed. He made no move to back away.
“Yeah, probably.” Bdubs mumbled, and his lips brushed against Etho’s as he spoke, “doesn’t mean I want to, though.”
They stood together on that balcony for what could have been an eternity, but probably was only a few minutes. Everything felt warm and syrupy sweet as they held each other, exchanging light kisses and soft breaths. Etho never wanted this moment to end.
They did separate eventually. There was still a party going on, and it seemed to have calmed down a bit since they left. The other hermits were probably wondering where they went, too. Bdubs gently pulled Etho’s mask back in place for him, and after one more affectionate ruffle of his hair, Etho placed Bdubs’ hat back on his head.
They walked back to the ballroom hand in hand, retracing their steps from earlier, and only getting a little lost. The lights were still dimmed, but the light show was over, and on the stage sat Mumbo with an acoustic guitar, playing… Wonderwall. Some of the hermits were swaying and singing along, while others milled about, minding their own business.
They arrived during the last chorus, and when the song ended, they politely clapped. Some people whooped and whistled, and someone, probably Scar, said “he’s still not a very good singer.”
Mumbo smiled wide and stood up to take a bow. “Thank you! I’ll be here all night!” He waved cheesily at the audience, before Iskall effectively dragged him off the stage.
Iskall took the microphone. “Attention Hermits! I have a very important announcement to make!” Everyone quieted and turned their full attention to Iskall. “As you all know, I am the founder and President of the No Wings Club.” This was met by scattered applause and a couple light hearted boo’s, proclaiming ‘Yes Wings Club for life!’
Iskall laughed and continued. “Yes, yes, I know. Anyways, as President and founder of the club, there is something very important that I still have to do.” Iskall smiled brightly. “Joe Hills, can you please join me here on the stage.”
Their friends clapped and cheered him on as Joe made his way forward, saying ‘yeah, Joe!’ And ‘you go, Joe!’ Joe stood next to Iskall, and they gave him a quick side hug. “Now, a few of us have reached the omega milestone of one thousand days, and have been awarded accordingly.” In the audience, Xisuma specifically cheered.
“But there is one of us who has truly gone above and beyond! ” They turned to Joe. “Mr. Hills, for reaching a whopping two thousand days with no wings, I award you with this!” Iskall took an iridescent trophy out from their inventory. “The ultimate omega No Wings trophy of doom! ” Iskall presented the trophy to Joe. “For you, Joe Hills, the champion of No Wings Club!”
Everyone cheered and clapped as Joe took the trophy, holding it above his head in triumph. Joe took the mic from Iskall. “Wow! Thank you so much! I feel as though this has been a transformative experience for me, as I have launched myself gracefully through the skies with my trident like the almighty Poseidon, and I have mastered the art of ender pearl teleportation. I have had no need for wings during these months, for it was never about the destination, but the journey, and the hand made horse paths I have taken along the way. I thank you all kindly, for this incredible honor and title as champion, and this illustrious trophy I hold now in my hands. And I believe I speak for all of us when I say,” Joe turned to Iskall, giving him a smug look, “It’s about darn time.”
Iskall blushed and smiled awkwardly. “Hey, I was waiting for a special occasion!”
They both laughed and shook hands before stepping down off the stage, letting the party carry on as normal. The music playing from the speakers wasn’t nearly as loud as the live performance earlier was, allowing people to mill about and talk at normal volumes.
The rest of the party went well! They danced, had snacks, made a little small talk. Keralis slapped Bdubs on the back and waggled his eyebrows at him, saying something about “don’t get too too crazy tonight you lovesick kids.” They were complimented and cooed over about their matching outfits, Scar commended Bdubs on his excellent taste in hats, and Beef pulled Etho aside for a moment to say he’s really happy for him, for both of them.
The party was winding down, the refreshment tables nearly empty, when Etho and Bdubs decided to take their leave. Bdubs climbed up onto Lulu and held out a hand to Etho to help him up as well, and although he really didn’t need it, he appreciated the gesture. Etho held Bdubs closely by the waist and nuzzled up to him on the whole ride back to the savannah base.
Bdubs walked Etho to the door like a gentleman, but they both stopped before he stepped inside. “So…” “Uh…” they both paused as they realized they spoke at the same time, but laughed it off. “Alright, alright, you first.” Bdubs said.
“Right, well…” Etho smiled shyly through his mask. “I had a really nice night, Bdubs.”
“Yeah,” Bdubs smiled, and he looked at Etho so affectionately, “so did I.”
They both just stood at the doorway for a moment, neither one of them wanting to say goodbye. Bdubs looked down and kicked awkwardly against the ground. “I… guess this is it, huh. Time to… time to go home.”
Etho looked out at the stars, and how high the moon was in the sky. “You know, it is pretty late.” He shuffled a little nervously. “You can… you can always just stay here, for the night. If you want.”
Bdubs’ eyes snapped up to meet Ethos. “Really? You- you don’t mind?” Etho nodded.
“Then y-yes! I would like to! Stay! With you! For the night!” Bdubs stuttered, and Etho just laughed and took his hand, leading him inside.
It was early in the morning, and Bdubs quietly closed the door to Etho’s bedroom behind him, turning to where he believed the kitchen was.
He didn’t even have his hand off the doorknob when he made eye contact with a still in pj’s Iskall, who was holding a lime green mug filled with some steaming liquid.
Neither of them moved. They both just stood there, completely frozen, staring at each other.
Finally, Iskall spoke.
“Are those fucking kitty ears?”