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The clouds had been covering the server for several hours by now, making Etho weary of what he hoped would not come next. The rain began to drip down, making it difficult to continue working, but Etho persisted. If he believed the storm wouldn’t come, then maybe it would stay away.
His breathing began to shake as he felt the rain speed up. Etho was no coward though, he would continue to work, it was only some water after all. His mind began to pull away from his tasks as his eyes made their way to his covered left arm and hand. He thought of the fractured scars lying below.
The hairs on his arms and legs began to lift up as the cold weather made him shiver, but not on the scar. The discoloration stretched all the way from his face to his hand not allowing hair to grow in any of the right spots.
He looked off into the distance, grateful not to find any white flashes in any direction. At least not yet, Etho could never be too sure. His ears began to flatten as his tail refused to move.
Etho was losing focus, his right eye beginning to blur, matching that of his left. He knew he should probably stop working, but he was no coward. It was just a little rain, just a little cold, just a little dizziness, just a little nerve wracking. Nothing Etho should be scared of.
As if the sky could read Ethos thoughts, a bright flash of lightning struck the ground only a mile or so away. The crack of thunder that came soon after shook the floor Etho was standing on.
Etho, wasting no time, rushed into his base as low as possible. He felt his pride get struck with the lightning, even if he was far from getting hit this time.
Standing in his dry basement, he was a pathetic wet cat, scared of a little water and a little electricity. He was a coward, he knew it and hated it.
Another strike of lightning hit the ground outside, sending etho running into the corner with nothing but his jacket to give him comfort. He sat down, back resting against the wall, his hands slowly brushing his tail. His fingers tightened in the fur each time he heard a crack of thunder.
Etho's ears twitched as he heard a recognizable set of footsteps making their way down his stairs. Bdubs turned the corner and instantly found Etho shivering in the corner.
Bdubs pulled off his jacket as he walked closer to Etho with a loving look on his face. He sat down next to him without saying a word. Bdubs draped his jacket over the both of them as a makeshift blanket.
Bdubs rested his head against Etho's shoulder, acting as if everything was normal and that his boyfriend just needed a little love, because to Bdubs, it was.
"You don't need to pretend, Bdubs. I know I'm a coward." Etho tilted his head away from Bdubs, not wanting him to see his eyes which were already red in shame.
"Aww, sweetheart..." Bdubs moved his head, trying to get a good look of Etho's expression. Even if he couldn't see Etho's eyes, Bdubs wanted him to see his. He wanted Etho to see the loving look he would always share, no matter the state Etho was in.
Etho did not respond, but Bdubs didn't mind, he just wanted to be there for him. Bdubs took Etho's hand in his, locking their fingers together. Etho hated being touched, especially his left hand, but Bdubs was his exception.
Etho's ears flattened in discomfort as Bdubs began to pull his glove off. Bdubs could see the discomfort, but he didn't stop. He pulled their interlocked hands out from under his jacket, exposing Etho's pale and scared skin to fresh air.
Etho wanted Bdubs to stop, but he was not quite sure how to ask him to without ruining what was good.
Bdubs pulled Etho's hand up as he bent his head down, meeting in the middle to place a soft kiss on the scar. "You're beautiful, despite the scars."
Etho appreciated the sentiment, but that wasn't the issue he was dealing with at the moment. He could trust that his scars didn't make him ugly, the way Bdubs would always look at him assured him of this fact. No, his issue was that he was a pathetic coward because of that dumb scar.
"Thanks," Etho responded, unsure of how he really felt. He didn't want to ask for the right kind of comfort, it would feel less genuine if he did.
"Is something wrong? You know I'm here for you no matter what, right?" Bdubs continued to hold on to Etho's hand, his glove discarded somewhere forcing Etho to deal with the uncomfortable feeling the fresh air provided. He hated being so vulnerable, even with Bdubs, but he was too scared to speak up.
"It's... It's nothing, really. I'll be okay," Etho responded with a sense of distrust at his own voice.
"I want to help Etho. I genuinely do, but I can't if you're not honest with me." Bdubs was trying his hardest to be there for Etho, but he never knew the right words. Bdubs had no clue how to read Etho's emotions, or anyone's for that matter, but he only cared about the fact he couldn't read Etho's.
"I---" Etho wanted to respond. He wanted to say he was uncomfortable. He wanted to say he was scared. He wanted to be told it was okay to be scared and it wouldn't make him any less of a man. He didn't want any 'aww, sweetheart', Etho wanted to know it was okay to fear thunder. "---Can I- can I get my glove back?" Not only was he a coward from the sky, but now of the truth as well.
Bdubs instantly let go of his hand, feeling awful about himself for putting the man he loved in an uncomfortable situation. "Y-yeah," he responded as he reached for the glove that had been left below the jacket. "Here you go."
Etho took the glove and put it back on without a word, making Bdubs feel even worse. They sat in silence for a long moment, Etho's head turned away from the man who only wanted to help.
Another lighting strike hit the floor outside, much closer to Etho's base this time. The hair on his tail puffed up as his ears instinctively shifted in the direction of the thunder before quickly going back to their flattened state. He was shivering in fear and now there was a witness to see his cowardlyness.
Bdubs wanted to hug him, to tell Etho it was all going to be alright and that he was here for him. But he couldn't, he was scared it was too late for these words. He didn't want to make Etho more upset than he already was.
Etho wanted that hug, he really did. Maybe he was too harsh on Bdubs, even if he hadn't even done anything.
They sat in the silence that was occasionally broken by thunder, causing Etho to shiver more. They were sitting close, but not close enough.