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“This party is gonna be so epic.”
Doc spoke up from his precarious spot on a tower of scaffolding. It was maybe the fifth time he’d voiced his excitement in a similar expression, and it only seemed to grow with time. He fumbled with some cables and leaned way further than he probably should to plug them into the speakers he was setting up.
Etho grinned from where he clicked the foldable table in place. He glanced over, just in time to see the other wobble a bit, and shook his head.
“Do you need any help?” He pushed the table underneath the window before turning around and walking over.
The throne room was already looking like a proper party venue. All the columns were outfitted with either lights or speakers, strings of decoration hung overhead and the old throne had even been pushed into a corner to make room for a stage.
Doc had his tongue stuck out in concentration as he plugged in the final cable. Then he sighed in relief and climbed down the scaffolding before turning to Etho. “I only have one left to set up.”
Etho picked up one of the shulker boxes by the entrance, and walked back up the steps to place it down on the table by the windows. He opened it, and the smell of cookies and popcorn instantly washed over him. Besides the tasty treats were cups and drinks. He took the latter two out to arrange on the table.
The two continued to set up the place in relative silence, until the sound of rockets outside announced the arrival of a Hermit.
“Oh wow! It’s looking amazing!”
Etho glanced over, a grin evident even from underneath his mask. “Hey X!” He returned to his task, paused, then whipped his head back to X so fast his neck nearly cracked. “What are you wearing?”
The man stood in the entrance by the shulkers, hands on his hips. “My suit! For the party!”
Etho took it in for a moment. Instead of the usual muted and neutral colours, the suit was bright neon green. The visor had turned from a darker purple to a neon pink.
They could tell the exact moment Doc looked over to see said suit, if the boisterous laugh was anything to go by. “Oh my god! That’s perfect!” He tried — and failed — to tone his laughter down to just giggles.
“Don’t you laugh!” Xisuma crossed his arms. “You haven’t even seen the best of it!”
“Well, go on! Show us!” Doc prodded at the suit playfully, so excited to see the additions to his suit he was practically vibrating.
Still, X hesitated. He shot a look at the glassless windows. “It’s too light, I don’t think I can show it off until later.”
“Don’t tell me-” Etho laughed. “It lights up?”
They didn’t get a verbal answer. Instead X simply showed them, little lights flickering on across the whole suit. They changed colour, sparkled, they even dimmed and brightened at his control. In the light of the room they were dull, but it was a promise for how much of a show it’d be later.
“It’s absolutely perfect. What about your guitar?”
Etho didn’t have to wait long for an answer, as Xisuma placed down an enderchest and carefully took out his most beloved possession. Instead of the bone mage axe it’d been turned into, it was back to its normal shape. With a new coat of neon orange it looked nothing like the gothic axe from before. The spikes and bones were gone; instead it rocked glow in the dark stickers and paint splatters.
Doc was all over it in a heartbeat. He hadn’t hesitated a second before gushing about the design choices and geeking out over the guitar with X, his work on the speakers completely forgotten.
He went back to the table and let his friends nerd out. By the time their drummer for the night walked in, he’d finished setting up all of the tables. He waved to Impulse, the realisation kicking in that these three were the guys backing him up tonight. His little band. Plus Bdubs, of course, who had no idea about Etho performing at all.
Thinking about it made his breath hitch. The party promised to be nothing but amazing, yet he couldn’t help but feel incredibly anxious. Stage fright was a hell of a thing.
As if Impulse noticed his internal panic, he walked over. The shulker he’d carried on his shoulder was placed on the table. “Hey Etho! Are you ready for tonight?”
An unsure noise escaped him. When he opened the box, it was filled with all sorts of lights. His mind bounced between thinking of the show and figuring out what to do with the lights. He wasn’t ready for tonight at all. Was it even a good idea?
Impulse hummed. “I know that look.” He raised an eyebrow. “Nervous?”
“Yeah.” He absentmindedly tugged at the strings of lights. “I’m excited, just … I don’t know. Everyone’s gonna be there, looking at me. At us.”
There was no judgement in Impulse’s laugh. “I get that. Performing can be scary, and tough to get used to.”
Etho sighed, untangling the knot he managed to tie in the cord. A pat on the back had him looking up, and the encouraging smile eased his worries — if only a tiny bit.
“I’ve heard you sing, Etho. We’ve practised together and you’re amazing. You’re gonna kill it on that stage, I know it.”
He couldn’t fight the blush spreading over his face. God. Compliments. With a chuckle, he shook his head. “I- thanks. I’ll try, for sure. I’m just not used to a crowd bigger than the four of us.”
“And that crowd is going to be full of friends. If anything goes wrong, no matter what, no one will be holding it over your head.”
He kept reminding himself of those words as the day progressed. He stayed at the Crastle the entire day, overseeing any remaining work and last minute changes. At some point, Bdubs walked in like he owned the place — technically he did, he did build the whole castle — but Etho couldn’t help but be amused by his obliviousness to their plan.
They blocked out the windows with large black banners. The lights turned on, the disco ball started spinning and music played from the speakers. Slowly but surely, Hermits trickled into the room.
The music turned a little louder when the majority of them arrived. After that, it didn’t take long for them to occupy the dance floor. Gem had dragged Pearl to the middle. Pearl dragged Grian along, Grian took Mumbo, Mumbo pulled a protesting Iskall with him. Etho watched with fondness as the floor filled with moving, dancing, laughing and cheering people.
He’d taken the first shift by the drinks. Someone had to make sure the Hermits got their snacks and drinks, and he didn’t mind joining the fun a little later than the others. He’d get the spotlight soon enough and he’d rather have that on the stage while he sang than on the dancefloor.
Standing there meant he had a near perfect view of the room. He could easily tell when Doc signed to Xisuma, who waved to Impulse, who knocked his elbow against Bdubs’. It didn’t take long until Doc and Impulse sneaked onto the stage to get ready.
Instead of joining them, Bdubs took a detour to the drinks. Etho filled a cup with water, and already held it out by the time he made it there. “There you go. Have fun!”
A grin split his face in two. Bdubs took the cup. “Thanks! You’ll be cheering for me, right? The loudest?”
“Right, of course. ” He caught Xisuma’s eyes as he said that, and the man motioned for Bdubs. “X wants you to come over already. Good luck!”
“I’m going, I’m going!” Bdubs chugged his water down and with only a wave for goodbye, he ran to the stage.
Before going to watch them play, Etho made sure to prefill some cups so Hermits could grab some themselves. He didn’t want to miss the band’s first performance. That way he could get used to the sound, to the crowd, he could mentally prepare himself. Oh, and support Bdubs of course.
As soon as the Hermits noticed the four on the stage, cheers erupted from them. Etho stepped out from behind the table while Cub paused the playlist. It only took a moment for Xisuma to start their first song. Impulse twirled his drumsticks, an impressive show of talent, before joining him.
Even if he didn’t know the song being played, they were so good. The four of them worked in perfect harmony. They’d practised a lot, of course they had, and Etho could clearly remember the times the other three had bugged him to practise with them as well.
His worries eased a little when he saw his friends having fun. After the first song, most turned back to dancing, their conversations or simply enjoying themselves. It was relieving to see not all the attention was on the band the entire time.
He didn’t manage to stay on the sidelines for long. Before he knew it, he’d caught Cleo and Jevin’s attention. The two worked their way through the crowd to find him at the edge. They didn’t even need to utter a word for Etho to know their purpose.
“Etho! You’re not planning on hiding in this corner all night, are you?” Jevin crossed his arms. “We can’t have you standing around like a loser!”
He raised his hands in defence. “Hey, I’m perfectly fine standing here like a loser! I’m supposed to stand like a loser by the drinks and help you guys when you need it. I just wanted to watch them play for a bit.”
Cleo playfully punched him in the shoulder. His wince went ignored. “Not happening.” She grabbed him by the arm to pull him towards the dancefloor. “You are not standing around like a loser. You’re going to dance, whether you like it or not!”
Neither gave him the chance to even protest. He’d lost sight of them before he could get a word out. Then, Xisuma started to play the familiar tune of The Weight Of Love, and he couldn’t find it in himself to be annoyed with his friends.
The Hermits were friendly, welcoming. The dance floor was a place where they could all enjoy themselves and Etho joined them with a smile. The beat, the instruments and the wonderful voice of Bdubs himself easily guided his body to dance along with the rest. Everyone eagerly sang along with the chorus, making the song even more perfect.
The loudness of the music waved away his anxiety. His heart still raced in his chest, but the drums and the bass were much stronger. He barely got the chance to think about performing, not when Gem took his hands and pulled him into a dance.
They adapted to each other easily — memories of wooden swords and MCC practice flashed by — as they danced with matching laughs. “Thank you for setting this up!” she shouted over the music.
As if they’d done this a million times, Etho twirled her around and she followed his lead. “No need to thank me!” They’d all agreed a party would do them good. He only helped set up a few things. Besides, the others had done much more to make the party a reality. “I did the least.”
Gem scoffed. “I don’t want to hear it!” she scolded him, but she smiled anyway.
A pause in the music. He looked up to see the band change up their settings. Xisuma worked his magic on his guitar. Cub helped set up from the back of the room.
When they continued playing, the instruments played much different sounds than before. The telltale music of a tango filled the room. A few giggles were sent Tango’s way. The energy in the room went up immediately.
“Stalker’s Tango?” Gem laughed. “How much do you wanna bet Bdubs will jump down and dance with him?” She nodded towards them.
As if on cue, Bdubs held his hand out for Tango to take. The latter didn’t hesitate, eagerly joining the band on the stage. And of course he knew how to tango. He danced right along with the other as if he’d been in on the plan all along.
Etho could only clap at the complicated dance, cheering them on. It didn’t take long for him to be swept away by someone else. It came less as a surprise this time, and Beef’s bright grin was a welcome sight. All he could do was laugh and be led by the music and his friends.
At some point, after many songs and a couple changes in music style, Cub took over. From where he’d hooked his communicator up to the speakers, he switched to a playlist full of party songs.
Etho looked up just in time to see Bdubs drop from the stage. Excusing himself from Beef, he weaved through the Hermits to meet his friend. He knew neither of them would hear if he tried to talk over the music, so he grabbed his hand and dragged him to the drinks table. Besides, they could both use one.
“You were amazing!” He wasted no time pouring them both cups of water. He handed one to Bdubs. “How was it?”
The other gulped it down in a heartbeat. He could barely blink before the other cup was taken from his hand as well. This time, he savoured it. “It was great! I can’t wait to get back on stage!” He flashed a brilliant smile, crumpling the empty cup. “It’s so fun, you have no idea! I know you’d never get on that stage but I tell you, it’s amazing.”
But he would, in a minute or two. Biting his tongue to stop himself from spoiling the surprise, he just patted Bdubs on the back. “Everyone loved it. Especially Tango, I don’t think he’s stopped laughing since you started playing that song.”
It was a reminder for himself. The Hermits were going to love him. He’d practised, he knew the songs by heart and he’s had three of his best friends to hype him up the last weeks. They’d left no space for him to feel bad about his ability to sing, crushing all negative feelings the moment he voiced them. He was going to do great.
Bdubs glanced back to the stage. “I’m glad! I’ll get back on in a second, I just have to wait for the others I guess.”
He hummed, hiding a smile behind a cup. Xisuma had already noticed him standing by the drinks and signed that they'd get back on the stage in five. Etho had to stop himself from tapping his fingers nervously.
He couldn’t wait to see the look on everyone’s faces, Bdubs’ most of all.
Pulling the mask from his face, he stuffed it in his pocket. Luckily, it only really got him an odd look. Bdubs was too busy talking about one of the songs to worry about it. He had no idea which song or why he was so enthusiastic about it, the nerves in his stomach so strong he couldn’t pay attention to the words.
The moment came much too soon. He watched Doc hop back onto the stage. Impulse broke off from his conversation as well. He shot Etho the smallest smile and thumbs up before he jumped onto the stage.
He took a deep breath in to steel himself. “Hey, Dubs? I’ll be right back,” he said, trying to smile but probably looking beyond nervous. Instead of waiting for a reply, he walked up to the side of the stage.
“Okay! Wait- where are you going?” Bdubs called out after him.
Etho replied with only a grin. At the edge of the stage, turning away from his friend, he looked over the crowd. There were … so many faces. But they were all friends, he reminded himself. Nothing but friends in front of him.
Deep breath in, deep breath out.
Impulse, Doc and Xisuma were already waiting for him on the stage. They were all brimming with excitement, and Etho found himself matching that energy soon enough. He shot X a nervous smile as he walked past. The mic waited for him at the centre of the stage, right in front of everyone.
He caught Bdubs staring at him from the back of the throne room. His mouth hung open, eyes wide in shock.
In mere seconds, he was noticed by others. He hadn’t even fixed the mic to the perfect height before Cleo saw him and called out his name. It was enough to make everyone turn to the stage again. He sheepishly waved back.
The instant he took the mic in hands and Impulse hit the first drum, his anxiety spiked. A moment later, it all dissipated. All his worries faded away with the bass from Doc’s guitar.
When he began to sing — perfectly, like he’d practised all those times — he fully relaxed. The words came naturally. His foot tapped along with the beat. Guitar filled his ears, the drums and bass moved his body. Lights flashed. The grin on his face came easily.
It was like he couldn’t tire. The music guided him through the evening. He swung, laughed, stood back to back with X. The night couldn’t get any better. Even when they paused to catch their breaths, Etho couldn’t wait to get back at it. The night was far from over, and the drink graciously gifted by Bdubs couldn’t be finished fast enough.
Most important of all, he’d completely forgotten what he was even worried about the entire time.