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Cold, cruel, unforgiving ties. Etho was going to be pissed at him. Damn the sheer cliffs of the server, and the narrow bridges above deep river valleys that were so easy to fall off of. Those treacherous falls were taxing enough, but now that he had a soulmate bound to him who shared every bit of damage he took, those falls felt like they were more… impactful. Hah. Impact. Like the impact his legs made on the hard soil after he fell off of someone’s blumming narrow bridge.
A few seconds later, he saw a familiar, small, red and beaten patch on his arm, the faint mark of soft skin being scraped away with a small rock, Etho’s playful way of retaliating. Some might've called it toxic, but it was their own stupid way of relieving tension during the normally harsh air of the server entirely on red.
“What happened???” Etho chided as Joel climbed aboard the ravaged remains of their beached ship, and begun rummaging through storage chests with a huff, gathering the useful items that had survived the blazes into his inventory, preparing to move them to a better home. He knew that his soulmate wasn't actually angry with him, there was a warm undertone in his voice that Joel had subconsciously learned to pick out.
“I walked off their bloody bridge, Etho! Their narrow bridge! Who makes such a high bridge one block wide?”
“Well then, we'll have to get that fixed!” he teased, all of his apparent annoyance from mere moments ago melted away.
“Yeah, you can't let me get hurt cos’ you like me too much!” Joel wasn't expecting a response, but his soulmate muttered something under his breath, something that he couldn't hear. “What was that, Etho? Speak up!” He was just teasing, he didn't expect an actual response, and he sure as hell didn't expect the response he got.
“Maybe I do like you too much.” His face wasn't that visible, but what Joel could see of his cheeks, they were dusted a light shade of pink that he had to admit; complimented his pale skin quite nicely.
“I- oh- whuh-”
“What, did I shock you into silence? Surprised that I actually tolerate you?”
“I'd prefer liked to tolerated.”
“I tolerate you.”
There were words on the tip of Joel's tongue that he longed to say, but didn't dare utter out loud. Sure, the two were soulmates, technically, but to a good chunk of the server, the strings of fate entwining them were simply an indicator of their partnership, a bond between two allies forced upon them by the cruel fates themselves. The only two who considered their attachments romantic were Grian and Scar, and even then, their relationship was bumpy and conflicted. A romance wouldn't work. Not here. Not under these circumstances.
“I know you care about me,” he instead teased, burying his doubts deep inside him. So those feelings would never come up again.
“Maybe just a littleeee…”
“Please, I probably mean the world to you!” Shit. What was he doing? What was he saying?
“Fine, you got me,” Etho sighed, but with his voice was full of affection. That affection and warmth that Joel had learned to find in Etho’s speech. That affection and warmth that in his voice that Joel loved to hear. “I do care about you. And like you. A little bit, I guess.”
By now Joel had forgotten about what he was searching in chests and barrels for, he has gotten swept up in their playful banter. He hated to admit it, but Etho admitting that he actually… cared for him… sent warm prickles up his spine.
“Only a little bit?”
“Fine, maybe a lot.”
“Prove it.” His words were brash, reckless, and barely thought out at all. In fact, he hadn't even registered the words spilling out of his mouth until they were already out, and hanging in the air.
“You want me to prove that I care about my soulmate?”
“Yes.” He was digging himself a deeper and deeper hole with every word he uttered. He longed to just shut up already, but he kept running his loud mouth.
Etho sighed again, nothing but pure affection shining in his eyes. That affection he loved so much. He shrugged down to be closer to Joel's height, and cupped his cheek in his hand. “We've been together since the near beginning of this game. I think I know if I like you or not.”
Etho. The stupid bastard. The stupid, attractive, bastard. He pulled down his mask so Joel could see his smile, and Joel practically melted into his hands right then and there. Etho moved his hands down to the other's shoulders, and took one of Joel's hands in his own, and Joel lamented the loss of his hand on his cheek, the area where it had been rapidly cooling as it wasn't warmed anymore by his body heat. “So, to answer your question, I do like you. I like you a lot. I enjoy your company. I couldn't have asked for a better soulmate.”
He leaned down, and he kissed him. It was soft and light, and only lasted for one quick second, but to Joel it felt like an eternity. A beautiful eternity. He wouldn't mind if their last shared life was taken from them right then and there, at least he would die with Etho. Hand in charred and bloody hand.
But then Etho pulled away, and the world felt multiple degrees cooler than it had when the two were right up next to each other.
“I- I'm sorry,” Etho stuttered awkwardly after pushing himself away, and Joel's heart ached to see the regret in his eyes as Etho pulled his mask back up, in an attempt to shield his emotions from the outside world yet again.
“No, don't be.” Joel put a hand on Etho's shoulder in an attempt to catch him as he turned to escape. “I-”
This was his chance. Say the words. Those three words that had been weighing him down for ages, but when he tried to finally say them, he choked on air. Etho dejectedly brushed off Joel's hand and walked off. “We need to meet up with Impulse and Bdubs, right? It's best not to keep them waiting.”
Yet again, Joel was thrust back onto first base, and one again, the world was cold. He couldn't help but stand there for a moment in the burnt skeleton of the Relation Ship. He would try to talk to Etho later, maybe after they (hopefully) killed some people with The Homewreckers.
Then, maybe then, he could finally tell his soulmate that he loves them.