Work Text:
Etho wasn’t mad. It would be silly to be mad about something so inconsequential like this. But, as he sat down in the noodles of his redstone alone, he could admit he was getting a little…frustrated.
There was nothing wrong. Bugs were part of the mini-game process, Etho knew that. But there was nothing wrong. Nothing that should be making the potions go into the shulker boxes when counting each person’s run, nothing that would make the piston not drop when Joel paid to play. Ohhh, and it just had to be Joel, didn’t it? This meddling little-
Leaning up against a line of redstone, he couldn’t help the exasperated, breathless sort-of laugh that ran through him as he ran his hands over his face. He was going crazy, wasn’t he? Sure, the water this season definitely had a different flavor, but there was a reason he hadn’t messed with it like Gem and the others had. Been there, done that with the whole possession thing.
The shiver that ran down Etho’s spine felt too much like the frost of a place left behind.
A distinct sound of rockets reminded Etho he wasn’t alone on the server, a tiny hum under a certain someone's breath making Etho’s blood pressure rise. A block was broken, easily sucked into his inventory as Tango dropped into Etho’s redstone. A large- far too smug- smile stretched across his face as he took in Etho’s desperation, something knowing lurking in the back of his eyes that reminded Etho of his own reflection.
“You’re an asshole.” Etho immediately said as soon as Tango opened his mouth to speak.
Tango’s smile just grew. “What, no hello?”
“Hello’s are given to people who don’t pass on their weird possession curse.”
Etho’s stomach cramped at the laugh Tango let out, the sound echoing oddly in all the redstone parts. “Come on Etho,” Tango held out the last syllable in his name. Etho was starting to think his eye was twitching. “I didn’t pass it to you. You won.”
Rolling his eyes, Etho turned around to avoid whatever horrible not-Tango look he was giving him right now and instead pretend like he was solving his issue with the wiring. “I won the first time too, and I didn’t have Decked Out following me around like some lost puppy in season eight.”
Decked Out apparently didn’t like that, an odd breeze coursing through the air and shifting some of the redstone dust around. Damn it, there went another hour. Tango peeked over his shoulder as Etho started reforming the lines, the same giddy smile on his face that had Etho on edge. “I don’t control it. I just gave in.”
Etho huffed, pushing Tango away from his shoulder only to have him back in his personal space a few seconds later. Clingy, just like his creation. “Yeah, not doing that.”
The groan reminded Etho more of a warden than anything human, Tango’s chin resting on his shoulder like a heavy weight. “Why not? It’s kind of fun being possessed.”
Etho tried knocking him off. Tango came right back, this time leaning more of his weight on Etho. “You would be the one to say that, ‘Mr. I Was Possessed For 13 Months’ Last season.” Tango dug his chin in deeper. Fine, if Tango wanted to be annoying, Etho could work around that. “Besides, I have actual stuff I gotta get done this season, I can’t be making mini-games the whole time.”
Tango didn’t say anything to that, just watched Etho redo his redstone line. It was almost nice, if Etho pretended like there wasn’t some spirit hanging around with them. “Gem’s doing it.” Tango grumbled sometime later, now pouting on a shulker box like some child after they didn’t get what they wanted. “Gem’s getting possessed.”
“If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you?”
“Yeah, if it was a fun, possession cliff.”
“One day we’re going to have to talk about your avoidance of being present, and that’s going to be really awkward for the both of us.” There was more grumbling from the corner, soft enough for Etho to know Tango’s own lingering spirit was taking a back seat. Looking up from his work, Etho couldn’t help the quiet sigh of relief that left him as he looked into red pupils, not blue. “Hey, Tango.” Etho grinned at the sheepish smile Tango offered back. “I didn’t know the prize for winning Decked Out was the looming threat of possession.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Tango stood up to actually look at what Etho was doing. It was nice to see Tango back to himself, at least for a few hours. Etho wasn’t naive enough to think Decked Out had left Tango completely, especially when he was working on a new game already. “I didn’t either.” Tango admitted, mouth twisting in a knot. “It does make a lot more sense on Pearl’s whole situation though.”
“I think that might just be Pearl.” Etho disagreed, leaning back on his hands to look at Tango fully. “You know how she is.”
Tango nodded sagely. “It’s probably just Pearl.”
The two sat in silence for a moment, both thinking about the third part of their post team with a mix of horror and awe. “She’s insane. A good insane,” Tango added once he saw the look Etho gave him at his comment. “But insane.”
Humming, Etho continued to study Tango with a more critical eye. His friend was there, mostly. The same flames burning above his head, the mostly normal slouch that came with bending over to do red stone for hours on end. There was just one thing that was still off about him.
“Tango,” Etho started slowly, watching his shoulders tense like he knew this callout was coming. Fingernails dug against his thighs, his smile fading the longer Etho stared at him. Etho didn’t want to make him uncomfortable. And honestly-
It was better him than Etho.
“Thanks for stopping by.” Etho said instead of voicing his concern, watching the nerves melt away from Tango’s body. Shoulders relaxed, mouth fell into a natural smile, eyes still reflected a checkerboard tile Etho knew Tango had just placed in Plate Up.
Someone was getting possessed again.
It was none of Etho’s business. What Tango allowed into his code wasn’t anything he needed to know about. There were a few more niceties, offers to look over wiring and knowing looks when Etho denied any help.
“I should probably head out, getting late.” Etho nodded, watching Tango stretch his arms above his head. When he dropped them, Etho wasn’t surprised to see code run wild in his left eye, his right just as normal as the day he first landed in Hermitcraft. “I’m sure my projects are missing me.”
Snorting, Etho waved him off with an eye roll. “Sure, sure.” The chill had settled into Etho’s bones now, it was almost comfortable. “Say hi to Plate Up for me, yeah?”
It wasn’t something to joke about. Tango laughed anyway.
“Sure, sure.” Tango agreed, lifting himself up through the hole before popping his head back down to look at Etho upside-down. His hand reached down, patting the walls surrounding him like a pet looking for attention. “Keep taking care of Decked Out.”
“You’re taking it back next season!” Etho called out, his frown growing at the loud laugh his statement earned him. The block Tango broke was placed back in the flooring, footsteps and rockets heard and echoing in Etho’s mind even after his friend was long gone. Asshole, leaving him like that. Another chill ran through the air, this time actually adjusting the redstone dust into a better line. “Don’t think you can be cute about this.” Etho mumbled, welcoming the cold that settled neatly between his ribs. ‘I’m not like Tango, you’re not going to be able to boss me around like you do with him.”
Decked Out didn’t talk back, obviously, but Etho still felt its laugh trail up and down his spine. Etho couldn’t help but laugh with it. He wasn’t getting possessed. He had done that already, wasn’t his thing. But Decked Out wasn’t doing much this season anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to have it hanging around Ravager Rush. Feed off the deaths, do whatever a possession without a home did while waiting for someone to take over.
Etho stood up with a groan, feeling the building groan with him. He wasn’t getting possessed. He would know if he was. Afterall, his left eye was always green, wasn't it?