#guys i have a confession to make .. i love Bdubs | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cielcreations · 30 days

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"Hung Up"

When Solidarity confessed his feelings to Tango, expressing his love and desire and asking the other on a date, Tango immediately said yes. He was so happy and excited, especially since he had been crushing on the other for what felt like years. They went on a couple of dates, smiling, laughing, getting to know one another, having fun.

"So, does this make us boyfriends?" Tango teased.

Solidarity blushed and smiled, going to say something before he paused. He seemed to remember something, then sighed, "Listen, I'm going to be completely upfront with you because I do want to be your boyfriend and stuff, but I have this... ex..."

"Is it a crazy stalker ex?"

"Not really. Just..." The dirty blonde tried to think of a way to word it, "He and I share a big friend group and he has convinced them that I'm apparently still hung up on him and that he was so kind to continue being my friend even though we broke up. Oh, and the reason I haven't dated anyone is cause I'm totally waiting for him to come back!" He groaned, visibly annoyed as sarcasm laced his voice, "Hell, he's convinced my siblings of this when he's the one calling me drunk in the middle of the night!"

"Why haven't you blocked him, if you don't mind me asking?" Tango questioned.

The dirty blonde sighed, "It's cause of the friend group we share. I've always been really awkward, so I just became friends with my siblings friends and then when I began dating Scott, my ex, I became friends with his friends. I don't really have a lot of my own friends and, if I block him, everyone would make it this big deal, like I broke the law or something and I just..." He sighed again, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to vent..."

"No, no, it's fine." The blonde reassured with a smile, gently putting a hand on his shoulder, "I understand. It's probably really annoying and frustrating and I'm guessing you don't have a lot of people to talk to about this."

Solidarity weakly nodded, "...I just don't want to rock the boat. Makes my anxiety shoot through the roof. If I just go with it, no matter how uncomfortable I am, it'll be fine."

Tango hugged him, "But that's not healthy, Soli..."

"I-I know, I know... I just don't know what to do..."

"We'll work on it, okay? First step to fixing a problem is acknowledging there is a problem, so you're on the right track already!"

Solidarity laughed before he hummed, "Anyways, all this to say that if we do start dating and you get these comments about how I'm supposedly not over Scott or how you're 'just a rebound', that's untrue and ignore it. Scott and I broke up in high school."

"Wait, wait, with how you talked about this, this sounds like a recent break up! You guys broke up in high school?"

"Yep. And trust me, I know." He sighed, "It's why I moved here, mainly to put some distance between myself and the friend group and my siblings. I don't want them to choose between Scott and I, but I just don't want to hear how hung up I apparently am or how I need to get back in the dating field or if I ignore Scott or don't do something for him, I'm holding a grudge!" He huffed.

Tango hugged him more, "Well, don't worry, I'm not one to take shit lying down! If they want to poke fun, I poke back but harder!" He giggled, "In the meantime, why don't I introduce you to my friends? It'll be good to meet new people, plus it will help to keep your mind of things!"

Solidarity smiled, "I'd like that."

The two became an official couple, Tango showing Solidarity off to all his friends. Solidarity asked Tango if he was okay with him waiting before he told his friends and siblings, Tango not minding. In the meantime, the dirty blonde fit right in with Skizz, Impulse, Zed, Bdubs, and Etho. With his clumsy, adorable but sweet attitude, it meshed well with the chaotic mess that could be Skizz and Zed in the same room. Solidarity also got along with Etho and Impulse, the three usually acting as the peacemakers when Tango and Bdubs joined in on whatever chaos Zed and Skizz tried to bring. It was overall a great thing and Tango could see his beautiful boyfriend seemed to glow even more. It was like a dark cloud he noticed that was always over Solidarity's head seemed to finally disappear, especially since he's been on his phone or computer less, talking to that friend group less.

One night, the group were all at Impulse's house, sharing a few drinks and laughs, when Solidarity's phone buzzed. He hummed, a bit tipsy as he answered the phone without checking the caller ID.

"Hello-" He paused and his face fell immediately. He looked at Tango, who looked at him, concerned. Solidarity then seemed to get an idea, eyes widening as he smirked, "Okay, wait one second, hold on!" He put the phone on speaker, leaning into Tango, "Can you hear me?"

"Yeaaaah?" A Scottish voice responded in a questioning tone.

"Okay, good." He then looked at the blonde, playing with his hair, "Tango, Light, could you introduce yourself to Scott for me?"

Tango's eyes widened before he smirked, taking the phone, "Hello Mr. Scott, my name is Tango Tek, aka light of Solidarity's life, aka his honey, aka his handsome man, aka his soulmate, aka his rancher, aka his boyfriend, and we are actually currently in the middle of making out so we would appreciate no more interruptions! I know it's been awhile for you, but I need Soli's soft lips on mine, it is quite addicting! To bad you can't experience it! Buh-byyyyyyyye~!" He hung up, everyone laughing as the blonde gave Solidarity his phone back and kissed his cheek.

"Who was that?" Zed asked.

Tango wrapped an arm around his boyfriend, "Crazy ex."

"Crazy stalker ex?" Etho prodded.

"Not stalker level yet." Solidarity reassured, "But definitely crazy ex. From high school."

"Yep, that'll do it." Bdubs joked, "Anyone need another drink? I'm heading to the kitchen."

The night continued and everyone slept over, seeing as they were not going to drink and drive. Tango and Solidarity shared the couch, the dirty blonde acting as Tango's blanket as they cuddled and slept together. So, it made it very obvious when Solidarity got off the couch, causing the blonde to stir as his weighted blanket was no longer there. He sat up, glancing around before hearing something outside. Tango walked outside and saw Solidarity, very clearly frustrated, tears in his eyes with the tension in his body.

"...Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, i didn't tell you guys for this exact reason?!" Solidarity yelled, "...Yeah, you're my brother, and yet you constantly choose Scott over me! Don't-! ...No, you can't even say that, don't you dare say that! I've told you repeatedly that Scott makes me uncomfortable, that I don't like him being around, and you, with everyone else, brushed me off because I 'have to get over him!'" The dirty blonde said in a mocking voice with air quotes.

He was silent, before hissing out, "He called me! The only reason you all now know I'm dating is cause Scott can't get over the fact I moved two hours away from everyone and refuse to give him my address or pick him up when he goes out drinking! I was going to tell you all on my time, but of course, Scott ruined it because he fucking ruins everything! So, yes, I am dating someone! Okay?! Happy?! Bye!" He hung up.

Tango moved and hugged him, Solidarity leaning into him. The blonde rubbed the other's back, feeling Solidarity shake in frustration as his tears stained Tango's shirt. Tango cooed and rubbed circles into his back, kissing his forehead.

"I'm so sick of him..." The dirty blonde murmured.

Tango nodded, "Do you want me to block him for you?"

"No, it-"

"I can be the bad guy. If he complains, tell him and his flying monkeys that I feel uncomfortable with your ex trying to talk with you."

Solidarity hummed, "Later... Just hold me now..."

Tango hugged him tighter, "Gladly."

After everyone had woken up and began eating breakfast, Tango took Solidarity's phone, sending Scott a text and prefaced it by saying it was him and how he didn't feel comfortable with Scott talking to Solidarity when they were together and to please not text or call him anymore before blocking him. When the two got home, Solidarity had gotten a bunch of texts from his brother and sister as well as mutual friends he had with Scott, all saying how they didn't know he was dating someone new, asking why he didn't tell them, and then asking why Tango blocked Scott.

"The more they talk, the more I just want to go no contact." Solidarity admitted, "It's always about Scott. If I don't help him, I'm an asshole holding a grudge over the breakup. If I do help, I'm still hung up. Blocking him for 'no reason' is not okay and I need to let go. I'm just so over this."

Tango took his phone and shut it off, "Okay, let's just forget about electronics for the day. How about we do something to get your mind off things?"

"Like what?"

Tango kissed his cheek, smiling, "We could go to the bedroom~?"

"Oh my god!" Solidarity laughed, "Trying to get in my pants when this is serious talk?"

"Serious does not mean important! Besides, it'll make sure your mind is only on me soooooo~?"

"You're ridiculous." The dirty blonde kissed his nose, smiling, "Let's go."

When Solidarity turned his phone on the next day, he sent a simple text to everyone.

Solidarity: Yes, I'm in a new relationship, I have been for two months. I didn't say anything because I wanted to wait and get more serious. I also don't want to jeopardize this relationship. Out of respect for Tango, and myself, I'm going to ask you to stop trying to get me to talk with Scott.

Of course, people tried to ask more questions, but he made another text, simply saying "I don't feel comfortable sharing anymore details. Please just respect my boundaries." Of course, some complained, but he just closed his phone, ignoring it.

"I think they're starting to see you've developed quite a backbone!" Tango encouraged.

"Thanks to you, really." The dirty blonde smiled, "I really like you and our relationship means more to me than that friend group. Time to actually prove it, I guess."

"I'm proud of you." Tango kissed his lips, "I know it's hard putting down boundaries and sticking up for yourself, but once you get used to it, it becomes easier."

Solidarity nodded, smiling.

***

Solidarity didn't introduce Tango to his brother and sister and the friend group for about a year. Tango respected his decision and understood why, judging from their reactions when the dirty blonde first blocked Scott, he wasn't sure they would even accept that Solidarity actually moved on. However, it was Christmas and Solidarity explained he had been skipping the past couple holidays because he knew Scott would be there and didn't want to deal with the inevitable.

"It's been a year and we've been together ever since. Why don't we give them a chance?"

Solidarity was hesitant, "...I don't know."

"Come on, please?" Tango hugged him, "I can handle myself just fine, love! And I can shut them down! You know I can!"

The dirty blonde hesitated again before he sighed, "The moment I feel uncomfortable and ask you to pack your stuff, we leave."

"Of course!"

So, they made their way to Solidarity's brother's house, two hours away. Solidarity tapped anxiously on the steering wheel, biting his bottom lip.

"It's okay, we'll be fine." Tango reassured, able to see the other white-knuckling the steering wheel.

"I-I just-!" He took a deep breath, "I know Scott is probably going to be there and he's going to mention our high school days a lot."

Tango shrugged, "Okay?"

"We used to call ourselves 'Flower Husbands' because we were teenagers exploring our sexuality or how he was my first relationship or how he was my first kiss or how he was my first whatever else." The dirty blonde rolled his eyes, sighing, "He's just going to try to embarrass me or make you jealous or something else."

"Was he your first? In, like, the bedroom department?"

Solidarity blushed darkly, "T-TANGO!"

"Yes or no?"

"I-I already told you, you were my first- oh..." The dirty blonde chuckled, "You are going to use that, aren't you?"

The blonde snickered, "Of course! I'll just mention how I deflowered one of the Flower Husbands and maybe it'll shut him up!"

"Idiot." Solidarity teased.

They continued talking and laughing, having an amazing time as they distracted themselves while driving. Eventually, they pulled up to the house and Solidarity sighed, taking a deep breath. There were a couple of cars already crowding the driveway, so Solidarity just parked in the grass. Tango was the first to step out, but the dirty blonde didn't move. He went to the driver's side, opening the door and kneeling down. He could see the other shaking a bit, biting his bottom lip anxiously, tapping his fingers on the wheel.

"It's okay." Tango reassured, cupping his face, "Soli, it's fine. You know me, I won't get jealous or feel threatened or whatever, no matter what anyone says."

"I-I know, I just..." Solidarity leaned into his touch, closing his eyes as he shook a bit, "I'm not worried about you..."

"Excuse me?"

Tango turned, seeing a brunette woman standing on the porch.

"Can I help you?" She asked, "Are you lost? This is private property."

"Uh, no, I'm not lost! Hi, I'm Tango, Soli's boyfriend!" Tango explained, standing up.

"'Soli?'" She repeated, confused.

"Solidarity?" Tango explained, "I-I call him Soli!"

Solidarity hesitantly got out of the car, Tango hovering over him. He shut the car door and smiled, but the man could see the anxiety written on his face still. Solidarity took Tango's hand in his, the blonde squeezing reassuringly.

"Hi Pearl." Solidarity smiled, relaxing a bit as he motioned to the blonde, "This is Tango. My boyfriend for a year and three months."

"Four months, really! I just wanted to take you out on a lot of pre-boyfriend dates!" Tango argued.

"Don't tell on yourself, Tango, my sister will think you're a coward for waiting a month to officially ask to be my boyfriend." The dirty blonde teased before looking at Pearl, "It's good to see you."

The brunette laughed, "Awww, you both are cute. It's nice to meet you Tango!" She walked over, hugging her brother, "And good to see ya, Jim. Come on! We're still waiting on a couple of people!"

They walked inside and Solidarity introduced Tango to Grian, his brother, and then some of the people in the friend group. Gem and Fwhip (who were twins), Joel and Lizzie (a married couple), Cleo, Scar, and Mumbo. All were polite, introducing themselves.

"Other people will be coming, but it's good to finally meet Solidarity's secret boyfriend!" Joel teased, raising an eyebrow, "Scott will be coming, hope it won't make you uncomfortable." He said in a nice tone, but Tango and Solidarity knew he was mocking the blonde.

Solidarity narrowed his eyes slightly, annoyed.

However, Tango just smiled, "Actually, it'd be great to meet the person who drunk called at two am and immediately hung up when I answered!" He said in the same nice voice before he looked at the dirty blonde, fake gasping, "WAIT! Do you think he hung up cause he had a crush on me?! Oh my god, Soli, I'm not prepared, where's the bathroom! I need to make myself presentable!"

Everyone laughed besides Joel, who narrowed his eyes a bit. Solidarity looked at Joel, took Tango's hand and kissed the blonde's cheek before pulling him to the couch. Everyone either caught up with Solidarity or got to know Tango better. Occasionally, either Fwhip or Joel would slip in a snarky comment about Tango blocking Scott or feeling uncomfortable with Scott, but disguised it as playful banter. Tango never took the bait, laughing it off or giving it right back.

At one point, he asked Joel, "Oh, so Lizzie must still talk to her exes, right? Seeing as you're so interested in Soli talking to his!"

Joel actually seemed shocked by this, responding, "Uh, no? Why would she? We're married, I wouldn't want her doing that."

"Huh, weird that you wouldn't want your wife talking to her exes." Tango looked at Solidarity, "I couldn't imagine that."

"Me either." Solidarity hummed, looking at Joel, "Anyways, what were you saying about Scott?"

That seemed to be the moment Joel sort of backed off. Fwhip still tried to get under Tango's skin, but Solidarity knew his boyfriend was a master of "not giving a shit". He watched Tango take whatever was thrown at him and either laughed it off or gave the same energy right back. He smiled and leaned into the other, happy.

However, after about an hour and a half, a couple more people arrived. Tango was introduced to Sausage, Martyn and Ren (a couple, Martyn being one of the ones who Solidarity actually talked to on a regular basis and who Tango immediately liked as the blonde whispered to him "Scott's a huge dick but has everyone wrapped around his finger, don't let him get to you or Timmy."), Big B, and Cub.

And, of course, Scott.

The man was last to arrive. He walked in and everyone, besides Solidarity, Tango, Martyn, and Ren, cheered, saying hi to him and giving him a hug. Scott laughed and hugged back before turning. He gasped as his eyes landed on Solidarity, smiling brightly.

"Dary, oh my god, it's been forever! How are you? It's so good to finally see you again!" He opened his arms to give the other a hug.

Tango could see his boyfriend stiffen up. So, he stepped in front of him and hugged Scott instead, "Hi! It's nice to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you from Grian, Joel, and Fwhip!" Scott pulled back, confused, but Tango held his hand, shaking it.

"Oh, uh, who are-?"

"It's such a pleasure to meet you! My name is Tango!" The blonde smiled innocently, "I'm Soli's boyfriend! We've been dating for a year and four months, not that anyone is counting."

"Three. You insisted on taking me on one month pre-boyfriend dates." Solidarity laughed.

"But we were still exclusive!" Tango turned around and gave Solidarity a hug, the dirty blonde happily returning it, "So that month counts!"

"You know what? It's Christmas, we'll let it count!"

"Yes!" The blonde cheered before he looked back at Scott, leaning into the dirty blonde. Solidarity wrapped one arm around his shoulders as Tango hugged his side, smiling at the other, "Anyways, yeah, it's so nice to finally meet you!"

Solidarity offered his other hand, seeing as the one was wrapped around Tango and too occupied for a hug, "Good to see you again, Scott."

Scott was obviously displeased, but smiled, shaking Solidarity's hand, "You too, Dary."

The man left to greet everyone else as Martyn and Ren walked towards Tango and Solidarity.

"Well damn, I like you." Martyn chuckled, whispering, "You sure know the rules of Scott's game."

Tango smiled innocently, "No idea what you're talking about."

Solidarity laughed, "Mar and I fake dated for awhile in hopes of Scott dropping the whole 'I'm hung up' shtick, and he's never acted like that."

"You got under his skin good." Ren complimented, the four looking at Scott, who was talking with Joel and Lizzie, "He's just going to step up his game."

"Good." Tango chuckled, "I hope so. Soli, how uncomfortable am I going to make everyone?"

"You have my complete consent to do whatever you want to do."

"Ohoho, that's dangerous, Love."

"It is for them, Light."

For the night, Tango stuck to Solidarity like glue, acting like the clingiest boyfriend in the world and Solidarity couldn't be happier with it. They mainly sat on the couch and talked with others, Scott moving to sit beside them occasionally. Because Solidarity was sitting against the arm rest and Tango was next to him, Scott simply sat on Tango's other side, even though he seemed a bit unhappy about it. The conversation flowed with people asking Solidarity how he was doing, if he would be visiting more, and asking Tango about his work, what he did, etc.

Scott would try to bring up something about an old date, but Tango would "accidentally" interrupt, telling a story about their first date or the time Solidarity taught Tango how to ice skate or the time Tango showed Solidarity a trick he knew on how to always win claw machines, even taking out his phone and gushing about the cat he and Solidarity adopted together that Solidarity named Norman.

"He loves naming animals human names, it's sooooooo cute!" Tango giggled before gasping, turning to look at Scott, "Oh, sorry, I hope you don't mind! I'm just so happy to finally meet everyone! I mean, Soli was so scared coming down here, thinking I wouldn't be accepted or fit in. I'm sure you've had to help him through an anxiety or panic attack before, right!"

Scott stared, "No, actually, I haven't."

"Oh, really?" Tango asked, faking confusion because he knew the answer.

"Wait, since when have you had anxiety, Solidarity?" Fwhip asked.

Gem elbowed him, "Dude. Not how you ask."

"It's cool Gem, I was only recently diagnosed so I don't blame him." Solidarity chuckled, smiling awkwardly before looking at Tango, "It was I think two months after I met you? So that's... what, two years?"

"That sounds about right." He looked at the rest of the group, smiling innocently, "He must've changed a lot since high school if no one noticed." He hummed, looking at Scott, "Poor thing was so nervous no one would like me! He was so scared no one would accept me because they all were hung up on you and your past relationship!"

Scott narrowed his eyes a bit, Solidarity blushing as he let out a "T-Tango!"

Everyone laughed, either not noticing the slight accusation or choosing to ignore it, conversation continuing to flow. At one point, Solidarity had to use the bathroom, the man standing up to go. Tango playfully cried out an "Don't leave me!", the group continuing to laugh, talk, and joke.

"Oh, Tango, I have to ask-" Scott smiled innocently at the blonde, "-does Dary still get embarrassed over PDA? I swear, kissing him is like pulling teeth sometimes!"

"No, actually! He loves to share kisses with me! He's such a giver, it's adorable!" Tango giggled, smiling back innocently, "He's such a cuddler too, he's like a puppy sometimes!"

"I guess that makes sense. I was his first kiss after all, he was so embarrassed about it. I could hardly get him to stay still sometimes!" Scott had a sly smirk on his face, "Guess you can thank me for his confidence! He learned from the best!"

"Nah, it's thanks to me! After all-" He leaned towards Scott, whispering in his ear as he smirked, "-I was the first one to get him to spread his legs."

Scott blushed darkly, eyes widening.

"His entire body was red, he was so embarrassed the first time. But now? I can't keep up, half the time. You should see him on his knees, begging. He's so good at it. He really is like a dog." Tango pulled away, smiling innocently, "A good one! The best one!"

Before anyone could ask or say anything, Solidarity came back. He sat next to Tango, the blonde smirking at Scott. He grabbed the other's chin and pulled him in for a kiss, Solidarity kissing back with no hesitation, even wrapping an arm around his waist. When they pulled back, Tango leaned into him, Solidarity keeping his arm in it's place.

Solidarity laughed a bit, face turning red, "You're ridiculous!"

"You love it!"

Scott excused himself to the bathroom, Tango just smiling.

Eventually, dinner was done and everyone got their plates of food. Scott had come back and got his own food. Tango and Solidarity hadn't noticed that they had switched places (with Tango by the arm rest), so Scott sat beside Solidarity. The blonde went to move or say something, but Solidarity gave him an "it's fine" look and smile. Everyone sat around in the living room, talking, bouncing stories off each other, Tango excitedly listening to the stories of young Solidarity, who either blushed in embarrassment or yelled to "not tell that one!" They asked Tango and Solidarity questions about them and their relationship, what it was like living two hours away, if they had any plans to move back, overall having a good time.

Until the alcohol was brought out.

Grian offered cups to everyone, Tango looking at Solidarity.

"You drink as much as you want, I'll drive." Solidarity reassured with a smile.

"Can you drive me too, then?" Scott asked, holding his own cup and beginning to gently draw shapes on his arm.

Solidarity stiffened, "I'm sure someone else can, Tango and I have to go in the opposite direction of your place."

"Awwww, you used to do it all the time when we would sneak alcohol." Scott chuckled, "Remember when we would steal my from my dad's stash? Grian caught us one time and was pissed!"

"Yeah, cause I thought Solidarity had never drank before, especially when you were both fifteen!" Grian teased.

Scott laughed, everyone did, but Solidarity and Tango. Tango held Solidarity's hand, rubbing circles in his palm to try and ground him as the other was stiff.

"Come on, I don't drink and drive and I left my car at home knowing about the alcohol! Are you gonna leave this power damsel all by himself?" Scott teased, drawing flower shapes on Solidarity's arm, "Will Tango not let you?" He accused, but said it in a teasing manner, everyone but Solidarity, Tango, Martyn, and Ren chuckling a bit.

The blonde could feel Solidarity tense up more. He smiled innocently, "Scott, why do you always ask Soli, are you still hung up on him?"

"H-Huh?! What, no, he-"

"Then I think it's weird how you always ask Soli." Tango said in the same teasing voice, though his accusation was more clear.

"He's right, Scott!" Martyn called, also having that teasing voice, "You know what, Ren can take us home! Ren's not allowed to drink outside our house!"

"It was one time!" Ren groaned playfully, both still trying to keep the playful energy, trying to ease the tension.

"One too many times!"

Solidarity was still stiff.

Tango spoke up, "Listen, if I convince him to take you home, will you promise we won't get a drunk call? Look how beautiful Soli is! He gets more pretty in his sleep and I can't have you ruining my eye candy!"

Scott flushed before he smiled, recovering with, "Come on, can't we share him? I mean, he already has me blocked because I make you uncomfortable, I just want to spend more time with him! He rarely visits nowadays!"

"Gee, I wonder why." Solidarity said, unable to mask his annoyance.

Tango stopped the teasing, looking at the other, "Soli-"

"What's wrong, Dary?" Scott asked, still tracing shapes on his arm.

Solidarity took a deep breath and retracted his arm, standing up, "Tango, get your things, we're leaving."

Tango stood up and grabbed his and Solidarity's things, seeing as Grian and Pearl stood up, trying to stop their brother, everyone else too stunned to move or say anything at the suddenness.

"Timmy, what's wrong?" "Nothing, I just want to leave-" "Come on Jim, it's Christmas, please stay!" "Both of you, move, I want to leave!" "You were never like this before, what the hell happened?!" "You know what happened!" "No we don't because you refuse to talk or visit us half the time!" "I've told you why, you just refuse to listen to me!"

Tango grabbed Solidarity's arm, pulling him past them, "Come on, Love, just look down, I'll drive-"

"Hold on, we're talking-"

"With all due respect, Grian, your brother is about to have a panic attack!" Tango glared, standing in front of Solidarity, protecting him as the other shook. Martyn and Ren climbed over the couch and tried to calm him down as Tango hissed, "I'm trying to get him away from people and in a safe place so he can calm down! So, if you'll excuse us-"

"Oh, and you know so much more about him than me, right?!" Grian glared, "You guys have been together for a year and yet you know more than his own brother?"

"Apparently, I do, he moved away for a reason!" The blonde hissed.

"You-!"

"Come on, Soli-"

Pearl grabbed Solidarity's arm, "Guys, please just calm down! Jimmy, if you need a safe place, you can go in your old room and-"

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND I WANT TO LEAVE BECAUSE THIS WHOLE HOUSE FEELS UNSAFE?!" Solidarity screamed, facing Pearl, retracting his arm, "THIS ENTIRE HOUSE IS UNSAFE BECAUSE OF HIM!" He motioned to Scott.

"Dary, what-"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" The man faced the other, "I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU COUNTLESS TIMES, I DON'T LIKE THAT NICKNAME! I DON'T LIKE ANYONE WHO ISN'T FAMILY OR MY PARTNER USING A NICKNAME! I'VE TOLD YOU THAT, OVER AND OVER AND OVER, AND I'VE TOLD YOU WHY, AND YOU REFUSE TO FUCKING LISTEN!"

"Hey, let's all just calm down!" Lizzie exclaimed, "Scott didn't do anything-"

"Shut up, Lizzie!" Solidarity growled.

"Woah, don't talk-"

"Shut up, Joel!" The dirty blonde repeated, motioning around the house, "THIS! This is why I don't come down here, this is exactly why! Everyone pushes my boundaries and then tells me to calm down, that I'm overreacting, that I'm being too sensitive, that I can't take a joke! So you know what?! FINE! I won't be back!"

"Solida-"

"NO! I'm tired of this, I'm tired of all this! I'm tired of being told I need to move on from Scott, that I need to let go of a grudge, that I need to just accept things, stuff that I have already done!" Solidarity looked at Scott, glaring, "I wish I never dated you if this is how you would react. Congrats, you've convinced everyone, including my own brother and sister, that I apparently am hung up on you! Despite the fact I have recorded voicemails of you crying, saying how you miss me, how you love me, how you wish we could go back to the way things were! Despite the fact I would pick you up so you didn't walk home drunk, and you tried to kiss me or make me stay the night! Despite the fact you would touch my arms and back and legs and I would not reciprocate, in fact, I would go stiff or tell you to stop, but you didn't care! Despite the fact I moved two hours away so I didn't have to deal with this! Yep, I'm still hung up on you! Tango is totally just a rebound and I am totally just waiting for you to confess your undying love for me so we can live happily ever after! Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing!"

He motioned towards the room, "And you all believe it! Let me tell you all the truth! Scott and I broke up amicably and I haven't looked back once! In fact, I blocked Scott, because I was uncomfortable, but Tango was gracious enough to take the fall because he knew the drama would stress me out!"

"Timmy, come on." Martyn gently pulled the other away, "You don't have to prove anything to anyone-"

"I-I am happy in my new relationship!" Solidarity whimpered, Tango hugging his arm as he was led out, "A relationship where I am respected, my feelings are considered, I can speak and not worry about if I say is the right or wrong thing, where I finally was able to grow a fucking spine! Unlike here, where I feel so shitty because you all make it seem like my comfortably doesn't matter." He was led to the door, "F-For future reference, if Scott is here, I'm not coming. If any of you try to make me apologize or try to reconcile, I will block you. I've been debating on doing this for months, but Tango thought I should give you all one more chance, see if you all have changed. Clearly, you haven't."

Solidarity was led to the car, getting in the passenger seat. Martyn and Tango calmed him down as Ren gathered his and Martyn's things. Once he was calm enough, Tango shut the door, thanking the two profusely. Martyn gave Tango his phone number, asking him to please just text or call him when they got home, Tango promising he would. Tango then got in the front seat and began to reverse, driving away. The dirty blonde gave him his phone, which was already beginning to blow up with texts and calls. Tango took it and shut it off. They sat in silence, the blonde holding Solidarity's hand as the other shook, tears streaming down his face.

"I'm proud of you." Tango reassured.

"...Thanks... You did really good... Not letting him get under your skin..." The dirty blonde shook, wiping his eyes, "I just couldn't, not when he began touching me..."

"I understand, Love."

"I'm s-"

"No need to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. Boundaries are for you, not for anyone else." Tango looked at him, smiling, "You should be proud."

Solidarity smiled a bit, "Thank you." He whispered meekly.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, driving home.

AN: This was more of just a story of setting boundaries and me projecting onto my comfort characters. Hope you liked it even if it was more of a vent kinda?

#hermitcraft #empires smp #hermitshipping #empireshipping #jimmy solidarity #empires solidarity #solidaritygaming #empires jimmy #tangotek #hermitcraft tango #rancher duo #team rancher #tango #solitango

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cosmosisfold · 2 years

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my favourite things ab hermits speaking voices (just the ones i watch regularly):

doc: "duuuude" sometimes the random evil laughs he does. the rly surprised "whaaaat!" when something unexpected happens. this dudes genuine laughs are always so fun too, love them. good shit. very nice chill talking voice, soft but not gentle, yknow?

keralis: high pitched "mhmhm!!" giggle. sometimes starts a sentence and takes 3 different turns and then does a 360 before parallel parking his meaning. when other people talks he starts speaking before interrupting himself a few times. most recently stuck out to be in the kings finale at the end when all the diamonds were stolen and he was like "ren? ren? re- r. r- ren?" cause everyone was talking.

xb: heyyy guys welcom baek to hurmitcraf seasun nain! i may just be canadian but this guys accent is fascinating to me. "shoo [so]". and the GIGGLES MANNN. hes so calming to lsiten to but every word he says is so engaging? its like im on a call with him and im muted.

bdubs: every word this man says comes from a deep well inside his brain in which there is a sentient rat calculating every word he says. theres comedic mastery in everything he does. also "yes wonderful job."

scar: hellooooo my fello miners and crafters. when hes doing something whimsical and makes his words all airy and floaty. when he says his outro at 6x speed so you can't understand a word he says. "what in the world!" [a lot of people say that but Him specifically].

ren: he has so many voices. what does he need all this linguistics for. also his intro makes me want to get up and scream it from the rooftops. "now we're cooking with gas baby!". he has such a bouncy way of speaking paired with fun in-game body language, you can tell he loves what he does.

grian: hes so british

honorable mentions of ones i watch only sometimes:

xisuma: if his face was leaked i dont think i would be able to put his face to it. sorry hes just pixels. i expect this guy to tell me about his candle making business that he made after his wife and him slowly grew apart, and then he'd confess to having a secret gay lover and cry while eating plain crackers.

cub: he is so casual and chill in his words its amazing. literally unshakable. you could show him nuclear bomb codes and he'd go "woaa that's pretty intense haha." i do like when he goes "lets gooo"

#dont ask me why only the british ppl got torn to shreds it just happened #i actually fell out of watching doc regularily cause of midterms but i USED to be a very loyal viewer so #hermitcraft

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lockoutkey · 2 years

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New fic after months sorry guys

Etho was going to die.

The phone was ringing and he could see the caller ID. Death. His phone said fucking Death. He had heard stories about how people felt when they saw Death calling them. He read the threads people posted of their final day on twitter. He read the submissions to tumblr blogs where people could anonymously confess on their death day like they were in a church. All the “Oh yeah I actually cheated on my wife by fucking her sister.” got old after a while. If you're gonna admit all your wrongdoings before you’re about to die, make it good.

That’s what he always thought. He always criticized them. Now he was the one thinking back on his sins. He never cheated on anyone of course. He could admit to burning down that abandoned factory, but it had been an accident, and he was also 16 at the time. Teenagers are stupid, lay off. He’d already gotten arrested for stealing all those plants, so no reason to admit to that.

The phone kept ringing. It was 12:02am and it would ring until he died unless he answered. Death stared him down through the iPhone. What a horrible way to find out. He should answer. What if it woke up Beef? God, he would have to explain this to his roommate. Should he? He wouldn’t be able to pay half the rent anymore. God, how do you even tell your best friend you have less than a day to live.

He picked up the phone with shaking hands and somehow managed to slide the arrow to talk. “Hello?”

“Hello! Am I speaking to Etho?”

Etho wanted to cry. Who the hell gave Death a phone. He hated Alexander Graham Cracker “Yes.”

“Perfect! I would like to inform you of your death. In the next 24 hours, you will die. Unfortunately, I am unable to provide information such as time and place due to past attempts of death cheaters. However, we are able to provide any resources you need on your final day.”

Fuck.

Etho was silent. He always had a morbid curiosity of what Death said on the final call. Why were they so chipper? He was being told he was going to die. Were they so jaded by their job that they just didn’t care anymore?

“I see you’ve already set up funeral arrangements, which makes this even easier for us. If you would like to make any changes you’ll be able to call us at any point before your death. Now, would you like to be in the death duo program or not?”

None of that made sense to Etho. “What’s a death duo?”

“Ah, my mistake. For those who may be alone or wish to spend it with someone besides their loved ones for some reason, they can be assigned someone else who will be dying the same day. Your death duo would be a man named Bdubs. Would you like to opt into the program?”

Etho laughed humorously. “Why the hell not. Add me in.”

“Lovely! We will send the contact information within five minutes. If you do not receive it, please call or email us. Are you in need of anything else?”

Time. “No.”

“Wonderful. We hope you’ve had a great life. Have a great last day!”

The call ended abruptly. Would he die like that? Suddenly and with no warning? Was he going to die slowly, maybe he would drown or be stabbed. He never feared death, most people didn’t anymore. Now that they knew someone out there was aware of their last day, someone would tell them, they lived life much freer. They could live life dangerously. Why be scared of skydiving if you wouldn’t die that day?

He could hear Beef snoring through their thin apartment walls. He was an early to bed early to rise kinda guy. Etho wouldn’t be getting any sleep tonight. How could he? He was going to die. He had just peacefully been playing terraria when he got the call. Now he was going through moral dilemmas.

Does he wake up Beef and tell him? He put on his green slippers and stood in front of Beef’s door. He was hesitant to knock. He couldn’t. The last thing they did was make homemade pizzas. The kitchen was still a mess from last night. He lowered his hand. He should clean up. For Beef. Maybe it was cruel to spend his last day away from his friend, but Etho wanted the last memory to be a happy one. He didn’t want Beef to spend the last hours together sad. Plus, he had that Bdubs guy to deal with.

He grabbed a wad of paper towels and sprayed down the counter. There was pizza sauce on the spruce cabinets. How did that even get there? Cheese was stuck on the tiles, and bits of dough were embedded into the counter. His speaker was still turned on. The two really were chaos incarnate. Etho leaned on the counter and ran his hands through his hair. He wasn’t going to cry. He wouldn’t cry. The counter was wet from the all-purpose cleaner. So was his face and hands. Who was he kidding? He slid against the wall and stared at the ceiling, feeling like a main character in a movie after they find out bad news. Not too far off from the truth.

His phone buzzed on the half cleaned counter. He wiped the tears across his face and stood up, he still had to put the dishes in the dishwasher. There was a text from an unknown number. He saw Death had texted him a number that matched with the unknown text. This must be his death duo. Bdubs.

Bdubs: Is this Etho?

Etho: Yeah, Bdubs huh?

Bdubs: Yep.

Etho: So…

Bdubs: We’re gonna die, huh?

Etho: I guess.

Bdubs: What are we gonna do about it?

Etho: Wdym?

Bdubs: I mean, I’m not saying go jump off a bridge or travel the world, what are we gonna do? We have a day to live, we might as well make it worth something.

Etho thought about it while putting the rest of the dishes into the washer. He was right. Etho could just sit inside and wait. He could let Beef walk in his room and find his body. He would probably scar his roommate for life, but at least Etho could relax on his last day. Where was the happiness in that though. There wasn’t much to do in January, but they could find some fun.

Etho: Do you know the fountain on Swing Road? Meet me there in an hour.

Bdubs: That’s almost 1:30am

Etho: Like you said, might as well make today worth it

Etho turned off his phone. Bdubs seemed like an interesting guy, but he had only talked for a few sentences. Etho walked into the living room, picking up his and Beef’s cat Chester along the way. He stood next to the coffee table, looking around. He probably wouldn’t see his apartment again after he left. He spent so many nights drinking and watching movies on that old smelly couch. Their Wall of Shame was filled with polaroid photos of him and his friends, mostly of them leaning over a bucket or toilet about to puke their guts out after a night of bar hopping. His favorite was Tango with sharpie dicks on his face. He had been pissed seeing the photo on the wall the next morning. He had soon gotten revenge on the others during their yearly camping trip. Beef, Impulse, Zedaph, and Etho floating on a lake would forever be ingrained in their memories, as well as plastered on the wall for any visitors to see.

Chester stretched in his arms. “Aww, come on buddy, you don’t wanna spend time with me? I thought cats were supposed to tell when people were going to die. Do you hate me that much?” Chester ignored him and hopped down. Stupid cat. He had to get dressed anyway.

What do you wear when you know you’re going to die? Should he be comfortable? Fancy? Casual?

Etho: What are you wearing?

Bdubs: Take me on a date first.

Etho: That’s…nvm

Why did he try? Was he making a mistake? Weren't you supposed to spend your last day surrounded by loved ones? He was supposed to spend it with friends and family, crying his eyes out wishing for more time. Should he back out? What were they even going to do? Fuck it, where was his flannel? He threw it over his white pajama shirt and called it a day. It wasn’t like he slept in it. Jeans, he needed those. He wouldn’t die in ketchup stained sweatpants. He would go out looking like a Calvin Klein model reject.

He looked at himself in the mirror and sighed. This was it. He was going to walk out that door and not come back. He should write a letter to Beef, right? He already wrote his will out, it was updated and ready for today. Beef deserved something more though. He shuffled through his desk for a clean sheet of paper and a pen, sliding into his chair for a hastily written death note.

So if you’re reading this letter, I’m dead. Sorry. Well, I don’t know if I should be sorry, cause it’s not like it’s MY fault I got the call. Better me before you though. Can you imagine if they told other people about someone else’s death instead? Like, what if you knew instead. How fucked yo would that be? Sorry, I’m rambling. I bet you read sorry in my accent, huh?

Anyways, since I’m dead you’re gonna be the one doing everything, right? With my will and funeral since my mom and dad are dead too. That’s for doing all that buddy, you mean the world to me, seriously. You don’t have to do all this but you said you would when the day came. We thought it would be in like 50 years, but well, can’t control death.

Take care of our little monster, okay? Chester deserves all the treats. Tell Impulse to finish his PhD and if he doesn’t I'm haunting him. Tell Tango I know he stole my cookies that one time in the fourth grade and I forgive him. Tell Zed not to join me too soon, I know his experiments get dangerous, stay safe.

I love you.

His roof must have a leak because there were splotches of water on the paper. He folded it and wrote his roommate's name on the back. There was no reason for Beef to go in here until he got the call Etho was dead.

He looked at the clock and swore. He had half an hour to get to the fountain. He would have to run rather than walk. Should he throw caution to the wind? It wasn’t like he was going to die tomorrow.

He slipped on his shoes and unlocked the door. The click seemed to echo through the house. He winced and turned the doorknob, keeping a close eye on Chester. The evil little demon liked to bolt.

The lock clicked into place and he made a run for it. God, he needed more exercise. Technical support workers only got so much exercise. He hoped his clients wouldn’t be too mad their computers weren’t fully fixed. Beef could recommend them to someone else. Hell, he could probably fix their computers for them.

The stress he dashed by still wasn't empty. Every few minutes a car would zoom past on their way to who knows where. Maybe they had gotten the call as well. He lived on the outskirts of the city and didn’t miss the chaos at all. The small apartment was nice, he could walk everywhere he needed to go, and if he needed to go somewhere further he could grab a train or bus. Life was nice.

Damnit.

He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to reminisce. He slowed down as he came up on the center fountain. It wasn’t hard to find Bdubs, seeing as he was the only person standing by the unused sculpture this late at night. His hands were in his sweatshirt pockets. The man was doing a strange dance where he would jump on the fountain edge, lean forward, back, and jump down as gravity and momentum took over. He slammed the label goofball on Bdubs before even speaking with him.

“Hey!” He shouted across the square. Bdubs, in the middle of a jump, turned violently and fell back into the fountain. Thank god it was the middle of winter and turned off, that could have spelled disaster.

Now, Etho was described as many things. He had an aura that strangers often found mysterious and intimidating. Friends knew he was just Some Guy. He refers to himself as a nerd who likes to fix computers and collect pokémon cards. He wanted to make a good first impression on Bdubs though. Etho ran up to the fallen Bdubs, who looked like a freshly kicked raccoon. What he wanted to say was an apology. Etho also wanted to ask about the status of Bdubs’s health. These thoughts ended with Etho saying the following.

“Are you fucking sorry?”

If it weren’t the last day of his life, the look on Bdubs’ face would haunt him for the rest of it. “Excuse me?!”

Etho ran his hands down his face. So much for good first impressions. “No, wait. I was trying to say ‘Are you okay’ and ‘I’m so fucking sorry’ at the same time and I messed up. My bad.”

Bdubs shook his head. “Man, this is the guy they set me up with. Well, I won’t complain. I would have stayed with my roommates, but…”

“You want them to remember you without the whole inevitable end thing?” Etho finished.

Bdubs nodded. Maybe that’s why people agreed to this dumb setup. Yeah, it was nice to spend your final hours with people you love, but why spend it sad and wishing for more time. Let them remember you for the person you were, right?

“So, what first?” Etho asked. He had a few ideas, but had no clue what to do at 1:30am. Nothing was open.

“You ever heard of insomnia cookies? It’s like 10 minutes away from the city. Closes at 3am?”

Etho nodded his head. He’d never been there himself but heard good things about the store. “There first?”

“Yup.” Bdubs twirled his keys and walked towards a lone blue car. It barely looked held together and Etho was sure this metal tube was his sentence. “I’ve always wanted to try it but I always put it off. Thought I had time, ya know?”

Etho rubbed his hands together. “Trust me, I know.”

Etho stepped into the passenger side and immediately made sure there was a handle to grab onto. Better safe than sorry. Then again, he had no reason to be safe today. Might as well live on the edge. He still put his seatbelt on though. Safety first.

Bdubs driving was, if he was to make a comparison, akin to a squirrel on ketamine. Etho was going to throw up. That would be how he died, in a car with a man he just met while puking and it would be all Bdubs fault. Where did he find this guy again?

“Let me the hell out.” Etho wheezed.

“Why? Is there something wrong with my driving?” Bdubs asked, flying over a speed bump and smashing into a traffic cone.

“Oh my god.”

Thankfully, he slowed down once they got closer to the city. There were few days and pedestrians, but just because it was their last day on earth didn’t mean they had to be the cause someone else met their end.

The city lights flashed off the glass skyscrapers. He had never really been a city boy, he liked plants more than sewer rats. However, when it was silent, when no one was out, it was almost peaceful. The scaffolding flew past and he imagined construction workers and their fear of falling.

“Where is this place?” He asked.

Bdubs gestured up ahead. “A couple blocks, trust me, you’ll like it.”

Etho raised an eyebrow. “How would you know what I like? You just met me. Maybe I like bitter things.”

“Do you like bitter food?”

“No.”

Bdubs smirked. “There you go. Okay, how ‘bout this, 20 questions, you and me. Easy way to get to know each other!”

Etho scoffed. “Really? 20 questions? Isn’t that a game teenagers play to ask each other on a date?”

Bdubs opened his mouth to retaliate and disagree, but accepted Etho was right. “Fine, it's not 20 questions. It’s two guys dying at any moment and they wanna get to know each other. That sound good?”

Etho tapped his chin. “Hmm, I can accept that.”

The cookie place wasn’t that impressive. It seemed like a bad start to the day, but Etho would stay positive. He hasn’t even tried the cookies yet. The door chimed open and the two stepped into the warm shop. It was nicer on the inside, chairs set up around the place. Paintings of cookies dotted the walls under posters advertising different types of cookies they sold. He didn’t know there could be cookies so big.

“Welcome to Insomnia Cookies, how can I help you?” The cashier asked with as much energy someone could have at almost two am. They were here close to closing, so they were rightfully annoyed at them. They could suck it up, today was the day for Etho to do whatever the hell he wanted.

Bdubs looked through the cookies on display. “Hmmm, I’ll have the deluxe monster’wich! Etho, what do you want?”

Etho looked at Bdubs in disbelief. “Why would you order that? It’s in the negatives outside.”

Bdubs shrugged. “Go big or go home.”

Etho laughed. “You know what? Okay. I’ll just have a snickerdoodle cookie.”

The cashier sighed and rang them up. “$10.87.”

Enthusiastic. Listen, Etho was an insomniac, he wouldn’t even get the chance to fall asleep until at least 3am on a good night, this was hardly the first time he would be awake for a whole day.

The cookies were already made so they sat down quickly. Bdub’s ice cream dripped onto his napkin and Etho couldn’t help but be the slightest bit jealous and wishing he had gotten it. However, he would rather have his cookie than freeze. His jacket was barely keeping out the cold.

“What next?” Bdubs asked, mouth full of ice cream and cookie bits.

That was a good question. There wasn’t much to do at 2am. Most of the population was asleep or at their homes. Only Walmarts and this Insomnia Cookie were open. “Wanna graffiti a building?”

Bdubs’s eyes widened. “That’s illegal!”

Etho took a bite of cookies. “I mean, only if you get caught. It’s not as bad as the arson.”

“You know what,” Bdubs smirked. “You’re not wrong. Alright, Mr. ACAB, where we doin’ this? Do you just have spray paint or whatever you use on hand?”

Etho tossed his wrapper in the trash can. “I know a guy. He’ll still be awake right now, he’s just like that.”

Bdubs followed Etho out, making sure to wipe off his ice cream covered hands before leaving. It was still freezing out and Etho was glad he hadn’t had ice cream. Watching Bdubs shiver, he wondered if the other man regretted it. Probably not.

Etho gave the directions to Bdubs and they headed off. Now that they were in the city, his driving was much better, however, Etho still feared for his life. He couldn’t even drive but he could probably stay between the lines better than Bdubs. “Why are you such a bad driver?”

“Is that one of the questions?”

Etho shook his head, turning green. “It’s a concern for our safety.”

Bdubs nodded to the wheel. “You wanna drive?”

“I can’t drive.” Etho admitted. “But I could probably do a hell of a lot better than whatever you’re doing.”

Bdubs grinned, Etho didn’t like it. “Is that a challenge?”

Oh no. “Yes.”

Bdubs cackled. “Fine then, we’ll see who the better driver is.”

Etho bit his lip. He might’ve just made a mistake. Oh well, something to pass the time.

“So, what’s this guys name? This mysterious stranger.” Bdubs swerved around the corner.

“Iskall.” Etho gritted out. “We were college roommates but he went off with some friends. Came back a few years ago and I helped him get set up around here. He owns a pawn shop.”

“Cool! So he has money, right?” Bdubs asked. Etho shrugged. He never asked how much Iskall made, but it was probably more than his measly salary.

The pawn shop was tucked between a thrift store and a chinese restaurant. The bright green ‘VAULT HUNTERS’ sign pushed away the darkness. Iskall should already be down. He’d texted his friend they were coming but gave no details. Hopefully the Swedish man could forgive him.

Etho rapped on the door. A shout came from within the door and brought a smile to Etho’s face. He hadn’t seen Iskall in a while, and although he wouldn’t let the man know why they were there so early in the morning, he would enjoy seeing his old friend one last time.

“What the hell are you doing here? Do you know what time it is? Who are you?” The Swedish man raged in the doorway.

Etho smiled. “It’s nice to see you too, Iskall! Can we come in?”

Iskall grumbled but opened the door for them. The two walked into the pawn shop, ignoring the burning glare of Iskall. The shop was filled to the brim with who knows what, probably organized in a way only Iskall knew. In one corner was a grand piano and in another was a ceramic clown. Paintings that had to be worth thousands hung on the wall. How has this place not been robbed yet? Though he wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of Iskall’s rage, they were friends, and the man wouldn’t actually hurt him. Probably.

“I need the stuff.” Etho requested.

Iskall raised an eyebrow. “The helpful stuff or the bad stuff.”

“The fun stuff.”

“Damnit Etho.”

Iskall beckoned them further into the mess. Bdubs looked as if he was resisting the urge to touch everything in sight and he was relieved the man kept his hands to himself. He led them to a counter that Iskall walked behind and disappeared into a back room.

Bdubs glanced nervously at Etho. “He’s not gonna kill us, right?”

Etho looked thoughtful. “Probably not.”

“Great.”

Iskall came back out and threw a duffle bag on the table. Metal clinked together inside the ripped bag. “I don’t know what you two are planning, but this isn’t mine.”

Etho nodded. “This isn’t yours, got it. Thanks, Iskall.”

Iskall waved him off. “You’re lucky you’re one of my best friends, Etho. Let me know if you need anything else, preferable at a different time, though.”

Etho shot finger guns at him. “You got it. We’re heading out. Bye, Iskall!”

Iskall waved and headed up a set of stairs. Etho turned to Bdubs and grinned, holding up the bag. “So, where first?”

Bdubs walked towards the door. “Luckily for you, there’s one place that has been annoying me for way too long. You know Boatem?”

Etho ran through his memory. “That new shopping center with the train?”

Bdubs nodded. “My favorite cafe used to be there. I live close to there and that train goes off at all points of the day. It’s time for revenge.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Etho cheered, throwing the bag into the back seat. Good thing cops rarely showed up late at night. Plus, Etho knew how to evade them. He had practice.

The cans rattled in the backseat as Bdubs sped through the streets. On second thought, maybe it would be nice for some cops to show up. They could actually pull the man over and explain what a speed limit was. “Slow down…”

“Hell no!” Bdubs cheered.

They got to Boatem in record time. Etho himself had never been as he was more of a thrifting man than hundred dollar shopping outlets. Sometimes capitalism needs to be sent a message in the form of toxic pain.

“Where do you wanna do this?” Etho asked. “You know the place better than me.”

Bdubs motioned towards a large platform. “The train, it annoys me the most. What should we draw on it though?”

“Your mom.” Etho blurted without thinking. Silence fell between the two as they processed exactly what Etho said. “Wait, no, I didn’t mean YOUR mom, I mean the words. I’m sure you have a lovely mother.”

Bdubs doubled over laughing. “Seriously? The best you can come up with is that? How old are you?”

Etho crossed his arms. “It’s a classic joke…”

“Fine. You write your dumb jokes. I’m writing the communist manifesto.” Bdubs stomped off to apparently spread propaganda. To each their own.

Etho hopped next to the train. It was smaller than a real train and didn’t actually move. But from the wiring he could see, it probably made the same noisess as one. That would line up with Bdubs’s annoyance. He pushed a box over so he was level with the side and grabbed a red can. He didn’t care what Bdubs said, your mom jokes were hilarious. He didn’t just write jokes, he also drew various animals on the train. He wasn’t what you would call an artist, but a couple of circles definitely made a cat. Cats were cute. He couldn’t be arrested for cute things. That’s why he was never arrested, when he most likely should be.

“You done?” He heard after a while. Etho looked over his zoo work. Beautiful.

“Yeah!” He shouted back.

Bdubs wandered over and glanced over his art. “I’m sure Boatem will be thoroughly pissed off. Good job, E!”

“Thank you! What did you do?” Etho followed Bdubs over to his side where he did indeed see the first lines of the communist manifesto. He thought he was joking, but no, his new friend really knew it by heart. It was surrounded by some of the most beautiful graffiti he had ever seen. Was he an artist? He had to take a picture with his phone. “Bdubs, you’re amazing.”

“I know!” Bdubs flipped non-existent hair. “What next? It’s almost 5am.”

Etho bit his nail. “Are you hungry? I know a good cafe that’s open around this time. Since yours closed down, you can try this one out.”

“Sure, where is it? I can’t believe they open at 5am. Who does that?” Bdubs asked.

“Well, they don’t actually, they get there to get ready. I just know people.” Etho admitted.

Bdubs laughed. “Ok, Mr. Popular and Mysterious. Do you know anyone who could talk death into sparing us?”

The fun mood deflated from Etho. “No.”

Bdubs realized his mistake and tried to apologize. Etho waved him off but still felt the dark cloud fall over him once again. He felt bad for making Bdubs feel guilty, but he was still processing his impending death. The car ride to the cafe was as silent as it was dangerous, but Etho could even bring himself to lighten the mood despite Bdubs’s many tries. They only spoke once they pulled up to the cafe Etho had mentioned. “Well, we’re here.”

Etho snorted. “Let’s go in.”

The cafe was tiny but cute. It had a yellow and green exterior that emitted a vibe of joy. Despite it being winter, there were chairs and tables for outside seating. They were covered in a thin layer of frost from the low temperature. The glass front had the words “Stressless Cafe” in decals. He knocked on the door and a brunette woman in an apron opened the door. “Etho! What are you doing here? It’s not even opening.”

Etho rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I know, but I was out this early and this was the only place I could think to take us. Oh, this is Bdubs. Bdubs, this is Stress.”

Stress looked carefully at Bdubs before holding out her hand. “I haven’t seen you before. New friend of Etho’s?”

Bdubs shook her hand and glanced at Etho. “Um, something like that.”

Stress paused and a grin slowly spread across her face. “Oh! Well, good for you, Etho. It’s about time you brought someone around.”

Etho’s eyes widened in panic. “No, Stress, it’s not- that’s not- you’re misunderstanding.”

Stress winked at Bdubs. “He’s a shy one.”

Bdubs’s face heated up, catching on to Stress’s implication. “Oh, that’s not- We’re not- you’ve got it wrong!”

Stress laughed. “Whatever you two say. Come on in. You want the usual, Etho?”

Etho tried to hide more of his face in his mask. “Yes, that’s fine.”

Stress brought them to a table and pointed at the still red Bdubs. “What about you? Anything in particular?”

“Um, a hot chocolate please?” He squeaked out.

Stress nodded. “Strawberry cake okay?” She walked away to prepare their order before getting a confirmation. Who was this woman?

“Stress is nosy, I’m so sorry for her.” Etho said. He stared at the table. Well, the previous awkwardness was now replaced with a different kind.

Bdubs coughed. “It’s fine. Friends are like that, yeah?”

An awkward silence fell over the table. Great, how was this going to be fixed. “So, how long have you known Stress.”

Etho looked relieved to talk about something easy and familiar. “She was originally a friend of Iskall. They were in the same classes and she would come over all the time. She opened the cafe when she graduated and I’ve been coming here ever since.”

Bdubs nodded. “That’s cool she could open it right away. It’s hard to do that as a college kid.”

“Her parents have good money and helped her out, plus we spread fliers all over town for like a month before the opening.” Etho explained.

“What are you two doing here so early?”

Etho’s mouth dropped. “Iskall?!”

Iskall stood in front of them decked out in an apron and green shirt. He looked positively annoyed to see the two of them. “Yes, that’s my name.”

“Don’t you work at your own shop?” Bdubs asked. He was new to this friend group, so perhaps he was wrong. Judging by Etho’s reaction though the man wasn’t usually there.

Iskall placed their food and drinks down. “Eh, I help Stress out sometimes. Today is your lucky day.”

Etho nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay, I guess that makes sense?”

“Well…bye.” Iskall walked off presumably to help stress.

“Does he just work everywhere?” Bdubs asked. Etho threw up his hands. How was he supposed to know? He just dug into his muffin and tried to ignore his impending doom. Bdubs did the same with his cake.

It was nice to sit in silence after the crazy few hours they had so far. Etho would admit, it had been the most fun he had in quite a while. He never would have been able to do something like this without being under these circumstances.

The two were able to get over their awkwardness and just talk for a few hours in the cozy warmth of the cafe table. There really wasn’t much they could do at this time, but at least they could get to know each other.

Etho had barely touched his phone since he left the house. Beef must’ve noticed he wasn’t there because his phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket. Sure enough, a text from his roommate. Beef usually wakes up around 7.

Beef: Yo, Etho, where are you?

Did he lie? He should. He couldn’t tell the truth. Beef would want him home immediately and Etho just couldn’t face him.

Etho: Got a text from a client. Said they would pay more if I could check out their computer right now. I won’t say no to money. I couldn’t sleep anyways.

A pang of guilt ran through him. It was for Beef though. It would only hurt him to know what was happening to his friend.

Beef: Sweet, thanks for doing the dishes btw. It was a nice surprise.

Etho smiled and told him it wasn’t any problem. Bdubs looked at him suspiciously. “What’s that smile for?”

“Texting my roommate.” Etho put his phone back down and stretched. “So, you have any more plans?”

Bdubs grinned. “While you were busy texting, I made a few reservations for us.”

That worried Etho. “Reservations?”

Bdubs nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! First thing first, to the mall. We have a fitting to get to.”

Etho should be more worried. His last day on earth and he wasn’t being told where they were going. It could be Bdubs that kills him. What if Bdubs made him drink too much soda? What if Bdubs suffocated him in his car?

The voice of Beef haunted his mind. Stop catastrophizing Etho.

Right. Why would Bdubs kill him when they’re meant to be friends.

Etho pushed away his long finished drink and food. “Alright, tell me about this mysterious fitting.”

“Don’t worry, just follow me.” Bdubs said cryptically.

Etho felt a pant in his heart when Stress cheerfully called out. “See you later Etho! Nice meeting you Bdubs!” No, she wouldn’t be seeing them later, but that’s okay. He got to see his friend one last time. He made sure to leave a bigger tip than usual when she wasn’t looking. $100 should be good.

There were more people out and about now that the sun was up. Some were headed to work while others were simply starting their day with a morning walk. The now crowded land gave him an even bigger fear of Bdubs’s driving and his own death. At any moment they could reach their end.

“So, where are we going?” Etho gritted out. His heart lurched as Bdubs swerved across the lane. He heard a honk from behind him and looked in the mirror to see a woman throw her hands up in her car. He silently apologized on behalf of Bdubs.

“The mall! We have a fitting to get to.” Bdubs said with no explanation. What fitting? Huh?

He found out exactly what he meant when he and Bdubs walked up to a place called Suit and Shoot. He had never touched a place like this before.

“You ever been to a suit store before?” Bdubs asked.

Etho shook his head. “The last time I wore a suit was when I went to my brother's weddings.”

“What’s their names?” Bdubs asked innocently. Etho closed his eyes. Damnit. Oh well, it was bound to happen.

“Patho and Logo.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

“We’re triplets.”

“Fuck off.”

Etho sighed. He loved his mother, but sometimes he wished she didn’t smoke so much weed back in the 80s. Oh well, maybe this was just his punishment. He should stop saying things about himself. Actually, maybe he should stop speaking. Then again, he doubted Bdubs would let him.

“Welcome to Suit and Shoot! How can I- Etho? Bdubs?”

As if this situation couldn’t get any stranger. “Iskall?!” Etho gasped.

Iskall fiddled with measuring tape. “What are you two doing here?”

“What are YOU doing here?” Bdubs accused. “You were just at the cafe. How did you get here so quickly? Do you work everywhere?”

It was more of a rhetorical question, but honestly, Etho wanted to know as well. He only knew his old friend was working at that thrift shop, but a cafe and suit fitting store as well? How many hours a week did this man work? When did he sleep?

Iskall sighed. “Etho, follow me. Bdubs, you go with Wels.”

Wels gestured for Bdubs to walk ahead of him into a side room. Bdubs threw a peace sign at Etho before disappearing through the door. Etho sighed and followed Iskall towards his own fitting room. Did he really need this? What was the point?

Etho let his mind wander while Iskall measured him. What was this even for? Why was he at a fitting at 8am? What was the meaning of life? Wait, this was getting a bit too deep for him. He shouldn’t think that deep. He hasn’t known Bdubs for long, but from what he knows is he did everything with a purpose. What was that purpose? Etho didn’t know. He just knew there was a purpose behind it.

“Alright, done. Give me an hour. What’s this for anyway?”

Etho was taken back. He didn’t know much about being a tailor but didn’t it take days? Today was already strange, though. Might as well make it weirder. “No clue, Bdubs’ idea.”

Iskall looked suspicious. “You two are up to quite a lot today, aren’t you? What’s going on? Big tip for Stress and a suit. You finally take Cleo’s advice?”

Etho’s face heated up. “No! Nothing like that! God, no. Why would you- no. Anyway, it’s just…a thing. I’d rather not talk about it.”

Iskall raised an eyebrow. “Now I’m even more suspicious. Alright, I’ll leave you to it. His shoes do kinda look expensive though, if you’re not gonna, I might-.”

“ISKALL!”

Etho was instructed to wait in the front while Iskall finished up their suits. Etho stopped asking questions long ago. Bdubs joined hom not long after, chatting away. Etho closed his eyes, hoping to get a bit of sleep before the two tailors were finished. Was Iskall even qualified to work here? Was he qualified to work anywhere?

“Etho, wake up.”

He was shaken back into reality seconds later. He glanced down at his phone and saw he had indeed fallen asleep. Iskall was standing in front of him, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. “Welcome back sleeping beauty.”

Etho yawned. “Take me back.”

Iskall pulled his arms. “Nope, I didn’t fix this damn suit for you to sleep in my waiting room. Get up.”

“Your waiting room?” Etho asked, not quite believing the implication Iskall owned the place. How rich was his friend?

Despite Iskall’s many occupations, Etho had to admit, he made a damn good suit. Etho turned in the mirror, admiring the blue and red outfit. He’s never owned something so fancy. He also didn’t have money to pay for it.

Iskall seemed to read his mind. “Your friend paid for it, I know this is out of your pay range. Which brings me to my previous question.”

“No.”

“Fine.”

Etho walked out finally knowing what it was like to be rich. Well, he was still pretty poor, but at least now he looked like he was big money. Bdubs was in a matching green and red suit looking like a walking christmas tree. Etho kept it to himself but silently made it his goal to get someone else to bring it up. He didn’t have a death wish, considering he was already set to die, but someone else could take the bullet and make the comment.

Bdubs grinned, holding his arms out. “Fancy, right?”

Etho stifled a laugh. “Yep, dapper. So, not that this isn’t fun, but what was the point?”

“You’ll see, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“Mcdonald’s.”

Walking into a McDonalds in a three piece suit was definitely not something he thought he would do today. It wasn’t something he thought he would ever do, actually. They got some weird looks but the euphoria he felt about having no cares as to what others thought pushed the looks away. Who gave a shit what some middle aged mom thought when he was going to order chicken nuggets in a fancy outfit.

Bdubs marched up to the cashier with his head held high. The name tag said ‘Grian’ and the guy looked halfway between wanting to die and wanting to kill. They barely phased him. Poor dude probably saw more shit in a day than they did their whole lives. Their shenanigans were nothing.

“What?”

Etho glanced through the menu. “I’ll have a ten piece chicken nugget with a large fry. Oh, and a chocolate milkshake. What do you want?”

“I’ll have the same, but a twenty piece.” Bdubs added, holding out his card.

Grian sighed and took the card. He was going to hand it back but instantly froze. His eyes narrowed and for a minute Etho thought they were in trouble. “Tommy.”

Etho turned around and noticed a teenager standing behind him. He was grinning ear to ear looking right at Grian. “Groin! I didn’t expect you here!”

“Groin?” Bdubs whispered. Etho shrugged, just wanting his chicken nuggets.

“Iskall!” Grian called behind him. “I’ll be back, I have to eat Tommy’s walls again!”

“DON’T YOU DARE!” A voice yelled from the back.

“Iskall? You work here?” They had just seen him make their suits, why was he at a McDonalds? Why was he at any of these places besides the store he owned? Did he own this McDonalds too?

Iskall grabbed Grian’s shirt. “Leave and I’ll burn your house.”

“Don’t eat my house again!” The child, Tommy, cried in despair. Etho glanced at Bdubs and silently moved out of line. Whatever this soap opera was, he didn’t want any part of it. They had paid and that was all that mattered.

“So, Iskall works at a lot of places, huh?” Bdubs asked.

Etho shrugged. “I honestly don’t know if he actually works there.” A loud crash distracted the two and they saw a man storm out from an office. His nametag claimed him as Xisuma, the manager. Oh boy, this was about to get interesting.

“What is all this mess about?” The manager asked.

Iskall pointed at his coworker. “Don’t look at me, Grian is threatening to eat that kid's house again. I’m pretty sure this is against store code or something.”

“It is.” Xisuma turned to Tommy. “You want a job?”

“WHAT?” Screeched Grian.

Everyone ignored him. “Fuck yeah! Sign me up boss man!”

Xisuma waved them off and left for the office again. “Great, start now.”

Iskall sighed and reached for a bag of food. “Great, now I have to train a newbee. Take your damn food, Etho.”

Etho smiled in sympathy. “Good luck buddy.”

Etho was very careful with the sauce. He refused to ruin his new fancy suit. Sure, he would only have his suit for today, seeing as he was gonna die, but that didn’t matter. It was the principle. The world had other plans, however.

“Fuck!” Etho yelled, dropping ketchup onto his jacket. He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at it, hoping it wouldn’t stain.

“He’s goated with the sauce.”

Etho turned back towards the counter. The new trainee, Tommy, stared him down. Etho felt his skin crawl. “What?”

Tommy pointed. “Quirked up white boy bustin it down sexual style. Is he goated with the sauce?”

Etho looked at Bdubs, who shrugged his shoulders. “Are you?”

Etho was gonna pass out.

“Can we go?” Etho asked, pushing away the rest of his meal. He didn’t wait for Bdubs and instead hurried out of the McDonalds. Bdubs rushed after, throwing a quick thank you to Grian. Tommy shouted back instead, vastly misinterpreting it.

“I want to go hiking. We can drive to the mountain, but I want to get to the top.” Bdubs led the way to his car. Etho still couldn’t shake his anxiety of getting in that car. After the first close call he wanted nothing to do with that death trap. He did not want to die in a car. He had avoided cars for so long it would piss him off to die in one.

“I don’t think I’ve been hiking in years, I’m down. Converse aren’t the best but I’ll deal with it. It’s not like my feet are gonna hurt tomorrow.” Etho jokes. Bdubs punched him in the arm at the sick comedy.

Etho didn’t know if Bdubs drove like a maniac because he was going to die, or if that was his usual style. But he weaved through traffic like a tetris player in the middle of a prize winning competition. He either ignored the honking or straight up didn’t hear them. He was so focused on getting to whatever mountain they were heading to he nearly hit an elderly woman. He missed though. It wasn’t her day to die, then.

Bdubs slowed as they left the city. Etho had never really left, he’d grown up surrounded by metal and concrete. Maybe it was nice to die away from it all? Somewhere strange and new. Beautiful and wild. The mountains loomed large and dark, so similar yet different from his home, and in a way so like his enclosing fate. The paved roads changed to dirt and open landscapes changed to tall spruce and oak trees.

Etho threw himself out of the car as soon as they hit the forest. Bdubs ignored him and stretched. He grabbed a stick on the ground and tested its weight. “Look at that! Free walking stick!”

Etho groaned and pushed himself up. The one good thing about dying today; he would never have to deal with Bdubs’ god-awful driving ever again. After all, this was probably the last place they would end up. They somehow hadn’t died on the road. Etho had no clue how they could die on the mountain, though. Would they be killed by some bear?

Bdubs poked Etho with his stick. “Come on, we’re not dead yet.”

Etho pushed himself up and sighed. “No, but we’re pretty damn close. Let’s go, maybe this mountain is a volcano and is gonna explode soon.”

“Now that would be a way to go!”

Etho had to admit the long trek was relaxing on his mind. It was painful and he had to stop way too often, but he was disappointed he hadn’t done this more. He didn’t really believe in an afterlife or some god he’s supposed to see, but if he were to be reincarnated, he hoped he were smart enough to think about coming here. Maybe he would even be a tree. A nice dark oak tree.

Neither of them talked much during those next few hours. They didn’t have much to talk about. They were just waiting at this point. Who would be first? Etho or Bdubs? Etho didn’t know if he hoped it was him or not. It was a stupid and horrible system, the whole phone call business.

The top of the mountain was even more amazing, especially at that time of the day. The city was far, but Etho could still see the lights sparkling. The forest around them was dark with the waning light, only the last rays of sun dipped over the horizon and lit up clouds of pink and purple. Etho couldn’t help but stand and watch as the light disappeared and plunged them into darkness. Pink clouds were quickly replaced by gray whisps, the moon taking the place of the sun.

“Damn, it’s beautiful up here at night.” Bdubs breathed out.

Etho had to agree. The day had been long and tumultuous, but looking at the billions of stars was worth the climb. The day was ending and they had little time left. He had never been in the woods at night, but now that he was, he was glad he had come.

“I didn’t even say bye to my roommate.” Etho admitted.

Bdubs turned to him curiously. “Why not?”

Etho shrugged. “I couldn’t. I don’t want his last thoughts about me to be me dying.”

Bdubs sighed. “I told my roommate and he kinda understood. I told him that I’d rather not spend it sitting in my room just waiting for it. I can’t do that. You didn’t tell your family?”

Another shrug. “Same reason. Maybe it’s bad, but I want them to remember the happy stuff, ya know?”

“That kinda makes sense.” Bdubs admitted. “I think mine would try to stop it. I mean, you can’t, but they would try. They wouldn’t just let me wait around for it. That’s why I went out today.”

Etho nodded. He could understand that. Waiting for death seemed like a personal hell. He’s heard stories of people trying to get out of death by staying in one place the whole day only for someone to break in or die of a heart attack. Some people choose how they go out and a suicide death is slapped on. He always wondered what those people thought right before they did it. What if that truly was how they were to die? If they just had someone come at the right time, could death be cheated? Or were they destined to simply die one day, death be damned how it happens.

There were only a few hours left in the day. He was getting tired as well. All the adventures had taken so much out of him. It wasn’t just the running around and non-stop trips, though he had to admit multiple of those were his idea. He was hungry, they had missed dinner after all. He hadn’t expected to end up on top of a mountain, but he also hadn’t expected to die today. Hungry, tired, and ready to die, Etho was feeling content with how things had turned out. He could stop stressing knowing there was nothing he could do, there was no stopping the inevitable.

“What would you do if today didn’t happen?”

Etho glanced over at Bdubs lying on the ground. “Good question. Probably be working on a computer. I wouldn’t have done the dishes. I don’t really do much, I usually end up causing trouble when I do.”

Bdubs grinned. “So graphic design is your passion?”

Etho threw a branch at Bdubs. “Shut up. What about you?”

Bdubs shrugged. “Dunno. I’m kinda the opposite. I really like to explore the city. I get inspiration from random stuff I see so I’d probably just take a walk somewhere. I’ve been into photography lately. I wouldn’t have spent it running around with you.

“I wouldn’t have spent it in a car with your bad driving.” Etho grinned.

“Hey!” Bdubs yelled. “My driving is impeccable. You can’t even drive."

“I don’t need to drive to know you’re the worst driver in the world.”

“Why I outta-”

Bdubs complaining was cut off by the sound of a phone ringing. Etho’s phone. He looked at the caller ID and nearly dropped it. He was only supposed to hear from Death once in his life. Bdubs caught a look at it the same moment Etho did and paled. Why were they calling again? They never called twice. At least, not that he’s heard of.

“Answer it.” Bdubs forced out. Etho didn’t want to. Can someone die twice? Is that even possible?

Etho slid to accept the call anyway and heard the preppy voice of Death. “Hello! Is this Etho Slab?”

“Yes.” Etho answered shakily.

“Thank goodness I caught you! There appears to have been a mixup in our system. Your name was replaced with someone else. This is a 1 in 7 trillion chance of this happening.”

Etho fell to his knees. All day, all damn day he had feared every step he took, every breath, and it turned out it was a lie? He was going to pass out. “Oh.”

“Yes, congratulations! You live another day. Funeral plans will be canceled immediately and optional therapy sessions will be available to you. Have a wonderful day!”

They hung up. They dropped that bomb and just hung up. Etho stared at Bdubs, looking equally as shocked. “I’m not gonna die.”

Seconds after, Bdubs phone buzzed in his pocket. The two stared, not giving into the thought of it being the same call. There was no way. It was impossible. “H- Hello?”

Etho stared at Bdubs. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but could only assume the same conversation was happening on the other end.

Bdubs nodded but remembered they couldn’t see him. “Yes.”

There was a beat of silence and Bdubs hung up. He’d heard everything he needed to. This wasn’t happening but it was. He sat on the ground trying to process this new information.

“We’re not gonna die.” He whispered, smiling at Etho. “Etho, we’re not gonna die!”

Etho fell onto his back and gazed at the sky. Bdubs’s shouts of excitement were background noise to the racing thoughts. How does he even move on from this? He has trauma now. Bdubs sat next to Etho. He was grinning like a madman. How was he so happy when the world had just been flipped. An hour. They would’ve had an hour left.

What had happened to the other two? There were two people out there who didn’t realize they were dying today. Had they already died? Were they dying? How did it happen? They weren’t even warned, they didn’t spend their last days how they wished. Etho felt guilt gnaw at him. It wasn’t his fault, though. He didn’t tell people about their death. This wasn’t on him. He tried to rationalize with himself but the thought that he was selfishly spending the day carelessly while others lived in ignorant demise ate at him.

“What do we even do now?” Etho asked.

Bdubs shrugged. “Go back to life. Just, ya know, be normal guys. Bros being dudes.”

Etho had fun with Bdubs today. Sure, they never would have met were it not for the mixup, or maybe they would. Maybe this was fate's weird way of bringing them together. Either way, he didn’t want to leave his new friend. He had more fun than he had in months all in one day. He didn’t want to go back to normal life. He couldn’t.

“You’ll have to give me your address and stuff, though. I wanna meet that cat of yours you mentioned.” It was like his mind was read.

Etho laughed. “Yeah, lemme take a week to recover from this, then we’ll talk.” God, he couldn’t wait to tell Beef about this.

#ethoslab #bdoubleo100 #hermitcraft fic #key writes

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aroaceacacia · 2 years

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Everyone loves reading art explanation so here's a free ticket to talk about the details you drew and no one pointed out!

OOOOOOO man okay. okay. I'm going to talk a bit about where is your rider :)

1) I actually fucked up Jimmy's character design LMAO the one time I properly drew his chest, I gave him an A instead of an S

2) the opening montage contains every player! I decided to draw their hands, which connects to Martyn's role as the hand of the king; the hands are all either doing or showing something representative of their connection to dogwarts (ex. Cleo shushing/keeping a secret, Impulse holding an arrow), or their general role in the series (Bdubs building the crastle, Scott putting on a flower crown).

3) the song, "where is your rider", is from the oh hellos' album dear wormwood. the whole album is actually an extended narrative, and I cannot recommend it enough! "where is your rider" itself actually has a first part, "pale white horse" - in pale white horse, the narrator exists in a war, surrounded by destruction, and yet the only thing that terrifies them is when they see death (one of the horsemen of the apocalypse) and realize his face is familiar. "where is your rider", then, is the triumphant confrontation - it describes how evil and death are being conquered. the oh hellos Love biblical allusions and religious music, so "where is your rider" is basically about jesus conquering death. which... to be fair, in third life ren DID rise again!

4) in the frame "the armies of night", the current thumbnail, bigb is shown with the moon behind his head. the next time we see bigb hes shown with a halo of green behind his head - the moon was placed to make sure bigb contrasted against the night sky, but also he technically got a halo both times because he was the only player left green in week 8. it's to suggest that maybe theres a power or holiness in being green still and bigb is the only one with it left.

5) ren is naked in the altar scene, which is biblically accurate. I gave him his cloak for a bit more modesty, but I did have to apply some anime-style smoke censorship. no, I did not draw renis underneath the smoke layer

6) these arent clouds, they're phantoms! its a nod to how the phantoms were swarming and attacking during the whole altar sequence. the moon is also full because martyn points out how it's full at the beginning of the scene; the moon ended up being a recurring theme in last life for ren and martyn, so it's kinda funny to see the moon so prevalent in this video (between this frame and the frame of the zombie horde)

7) speaking of which.. what is up with moons? where is your rider and 3rd life had brief moon imagery, then last life had a moon cult. my video when you're an addams had prominent moon imagery and then hermitcraft had a moon apocalypse and a moon cult. wtf is up with that

8) some people have recognized this frame as the netherite sword, but it's not 😭 this is the skizz blade! its implied here to be cursed, or have some kind of energy or power in it - that being both enchantment and ren's grief for skizz; its then immediately followed, of course, by ren's "the blood is dripping in me eyes!" speech

9) the one time scar's face is visible (when hes in silhouette), he deliberately has a face similar to the vex!

10) this scene is ren's final speech to the red army before they die at the battle of dogwarts - standing on the bridge outside etho's burned castle, ren confesses that he cant go down without a fight and proposes they storm dogwarts. and he says that they'll have a drink together in Valhalla. like that still fucks me up bro, they knew they were going to die and they did it anyway.

11) when they're climbing the walls of dogwarts, only ren, martyn, and etho are visible - that's a nod to bigb suggesting they burrow under the walls instead of going over

12) my character designs are kinda inconsistent because I didnt really have character designs for most of these guys before making this video, and I rarely go back and fix frames after I draw them, so sometimes you'll notice errors like martyn not having the design on his t shirt, me not knowing how ethos mask/rens glasses work, bigb's hair being different lengths both times I drew him, etc.

that's what I'll say :D

#asks #bearscratches #3rd life #christianity mention #cult mention

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elliotl · 3 years

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Like we guys are doomed one way or another..

When two best friends who will do anything to keep each other alive. One who makes a deal to give a life to his red friend. Then they are again torn apart by the number of lives they have look at each other with a longing. One parts saying "I'll be back Etho" and goes to his new 'friends' who tell him "Etho doesnt care" he answers with "He loves me." He never goes back. The other stands in a big ravine doubting himself.

When two rivals who are on the same ground and act like they do not care for each other untill one says "i need to see if he is okay" "I wanted to see you anyways" and the other goes "why". When the first one goes "Friendssss" and the other still keeps his distance untill he says "I dont want you to experience death Techno" and is doubting the possession if the thing which keeps him alive. "Sam tell him to stop" come out the words as he punches his abuser because his best friend is being cut open my shears. There are no major confessions of love but the way they act says it all.

The soft half giggly voice calling out "bdubs" and a war hardened one calling "Dream" while wholeheartedly chuckling. we are doomed one way or another.

#i did not imply bdubs and c!dream are in a similar position #its is /rp ^^#bdubbleo100 #ethoslab #last life smp #dream smp #bladeblr #technoblade #dreblr #dreamwastaken #rivalsblr

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poppyseed799 · 3 years

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Okay fellow 3rd life fans I think it’s time I come clean. I have been silent about this the entire time, thinking about staying quiet cuz it seemed the whole fandom disagrees with what I’m about to say but I will stay silent no longer.

I don’t get why people say the Desert was “clearly the bad guys”.

Let’s get this out of the way: I mainly watched Scar’s POV along with Grian’s. I watched a fair amount of Martyn’s episodes as well, a couple from Scott and then random episodes from Skizz, Cleo, Impulse, Jimmy, and probably more. Definitely plot important ones I watched from more POVs than just my main guys Scar and Grian.

I just don’t get why, when people look at all of the different factions, they look at the Desert and go “yes they are clearly in the wrong and the only ones I can easily label as the villains in the overall story” what??? Don’t even get me started on “it’s interesting that the villains won in 3rd life” what??? I always viewed them as the more innocent ones, although the story is very morally grey so it doesn’t say TOO much lmao.

So let me explain why! Well, honestly, I’m more confused as to why y’all say they’re so obviously the villains, so I’m just explaining why I’m confused here lol.

So first of all let’s get the scamming and monopolies out of the way. I have less to say about the monopoly so let’s start with that. THEY NEVER HAD A MONOPOLY… if the idea of making a monopoly is bad enough for you guys, then might I remind y’all of the cow monopoly that was attempted? Everyone was looking for ways to make business… and a SAND monopoly was CLEARLY doomed to fail!! Not to bring Dream SMP into this but if y’all are gonna say OG L’Manberg was innocent because they didn’t succeed in the potion monopoly at all then let’s have that same energy for the Sand People!!!

Now for the scams. “Oooh poppy how are you gonna defend the scamming” BECAUSE IT WASN’T SCAMMING??? Scar made it clear what he wanted and what the person would receive in return. They were told they were going to receive a piece of paper and they agreed to it! Don’t listen to Grian “don’t listen to Scar it’s a scam the papers don’t mean anything” because he was LYING. Not purposely, but he was lying. Scar NEVER said “hey Grian let’s scam people with fRiEnDsHiP” instead he always told Grian that it WAS real and that he WOULD go through with all of the papers. And he did! There were a couple of mishaps but obviously it’s really difficult to control every situation. Plus Scar had a hard time remembering all of the friendship passes lmao. But he really did try, he really did value these trades, it wasn’t scamming just because Grian thought there was no way it was worth it.

The only Scar hater I stan is Skizzleman he had all right to be mad at Scar but that doesn’t mean Scar was the enemy of the whole story lol

Now onto something that I don’t know how to start explaining but is a very big reason why I’m confused about the fandom calling the Desert the bad guys. NOBODY IN THE SMP TOOK THEM SERIOUSLY. I saw SO many posts about how “Scar and Grian seem like fun guys in THEIR POV but in others POV they’re really scary!” Like no? I always thought it was the opposite. Like watching Scar’s POV I was like “ah man they have to kill people cuz red life this is so dramatic they are feared by the server…” BUT THEN I WATCH SOMEONE ELSE’S POV AND THEY LITERALLY SAY STUFF LIKE “lol we don’t have to worry about Scar” “dang all those people just exploded. Anyways Scar is the weakest red life and we have nothing to worry about when it comes to him it’s all the other red lifers that are a problem” “lol there goes those idiots trying to make a monopoly on sand so silly” and I’m like. Oh. The entire server treats them like silly cartoon villains that never achieve anything. And yes they say these things WHILE hunting the Desert People down like what. Basically the server treating the villainous things the Desert did as not very serious made me think the same, which is why I’m so confused that people think they’re the Big Bad Guys.

ANOTHER THING relating to how the server treats the Desert: alliances!! The Desert was very loyal. Scott and Jimmy trusted the Desert, which shocked many people on the server but were they wrong? No! The Desert trusted the Hobbits back fully as well. They were the only alliance they fully trusted, but they didn’t go behind their other allies’ backs just cuz they weren’t so sure about the alliance. Sure there were comments about Impulse, but that idea was fed to them by Impulse’s allies, they had no other information. And yet they STILL gave him stuff and didn’t flinch when alone with him above Dogwarts, because even with him being suspicious he was still their ally and they are loyal as heck!!! Sure there was Impulse’s demise but like. That was endgame, everyone was looking for a reason to kill someone, and the Desert was told that Impulse was sus af and his own allies didn’t trust him so it was an easy pick. Bdubs coulda said no. And yeah Scar betrayed Bdubs in the end but like. Once again, endgame, and also it was “kill the person who stuck with you since the beginning” or “kill the person who is only on your side cuz you gave him a clock a while ago and lied to you about liking watches”. What do you expect? Plus the ending showed how loyal Scar was to Grian, the guy who owed him his first life and stuck with him till the end. Beautiful.

ANYWAYS EVEN MEMBERS OF DOGWARTS WERE LIKE “I have a hard time killing Scar because he hasn’t really wronged me personally in any way, he’s fairly reliable as well” LIKE… bro they were ENEMIES. Scar also didn’t really want to hurt them!!! Also can I just say that the only reason Scar was as bad as he was was because he was the first person to go red? Red lifers are supposed to be like the villains, so I don’t disagree with people saying that at FIRST Scar was a villain cuz he was red (although wtf were some of these guys up to using excuses to kill people while green (not talking about Grian)) but he wasn’t even that bad while he was red. He was just the worst by default since he was red lol. Which was entirely not his fault, and he only wanted to kill Ren pretty much lol. So I guess Scar being the villain depends on if you consider Ren to be the main character of the entire server.

Which is another thing I don’t get… why people see Dogwarts as the good guys. There was a CLEAR corruption arc people. Dogwarts had loyalty, but it was very ride or die, as in “if you don’t ride with us you will die”. You watch these guys call everyone (not just the desert people) “filthy peasants” and not realize they are acting like villains??? Plus the ominous “red winter is coming” like what. Not saying they weren’t good at the start, nor that they were completely and totally bad, just that if you were to frame ANYONE in this MORALLY GREY SERVER as “The Bad Guys” why not the ones that made it their entire thing????? YES they were good at first, they had regrets and cared so much about their people (just not anyone else lololol). It’s a tragic story, and you’re gonna write it off like “no even when they started doing bad things to people who never hurt them it was justified” even when they regret those things towards the end or after death so clearly it was wrong??? Guys.

I don’t want to call anyone the Bad Guys in 3rd life tho. They all did bad things, they all had valid reasons, they all had people they cared about. I just don’t get why people pick the Desert when they try to pick villains. They weren’t totally innocent but I never saw them as THE villains. For me, even while watching Martyn, that was always Dogwarts, and even then I don’t consider them Total Villains because the server is so grey! I loved them I just think that if anyone is the bad guys maybe it’s the self-imposed king that threatens to take ALL of your lives if you don’t show complete and total loyalty to them and wave their banner above your house to show it. Even if that king started out innocent and only went red to protect his friends. Once again tho I don’t like picking Bad Guys for this server. It was a very good story without having a clear right or wrong.

Just wanted to confess that, don’t really feel like arguing about it cuz I see enough people calling the Desert the Villains just scrolling thru the main tag lmao.

#3rd life smp #third life smp #3rd life spoilers #dsmp WISHES it could achieve the moral greyness 3rd life has #long post #I had more I wanted to say but I didn’t know how to fit it in I’m bad at writing rants

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memryse · 2 years

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whatever scar & bdubs' duo name is

we are all love bdubs and scar here. do they even have a duo name. i do not know.

confession i haven’t watched bdubs’ latest episode yet i know i’m missing their interactions i really need to go watch it. but you know what i DID watch recently. All of 3rd life yet again. love 3l!scar and bdubs so much and same goes for them in LL. they always manage to end in this weird partnership where they’re technically allies but bdubs is frothing at the mouth in rage about it yknow?

3rd life: grian kills bdubs. bdubs enters rage mode towards both grian and scar and is only prevented from going apeshit on them by cleo. (stares grian down) I’m Told I’m Supposed To Love You. he hates every minute of it. then scar gives him a clock! bdubs is his hitman now! desperate for a way to survive against the last intact faction, who already took one of his lives, perhaps. and then scar stabs him in the back anyway ❤️ they’re both insane

last life: their dynamic here is just. wow. yes. i love it when scar threatens people btw <3 but yes the whole thing with etho making a contract with scar so scar will give bdubs a life, so they’re Technically allies, but again bdubs still hates it. then scar jumps to threatening BEST again for the return of the enchanter. they’re so “almost on the same side but absolutely compelled to antagonise one another”

in general i think their personalities lend themselves very well to them playing enemies, we saw more of this in s8 too with their prank war. scar is a scheming capitalist and bdubs is the arrogant but gullible guy who repeatedly falls for his scams and then gets Really Mad About It. they work SO well with this dynamic. i know they didn’t have this dynamic in s7 (again, from what i know at least, having only watched grian’s pov) but it’s cropped up a lot since then and it’s wonderful.

i did not intend to write this much but i think i just discovered a new duo i had previously not thought super in depth about and i am also compelled by the need to scarpost at all times

#ask #ask game

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some-days-we-get-sundays · 3 years

Text

Relationship Q&A - Wildmoore Edition

Who confessed feelings first?

Sophie. Definitely Sophie. Ryan is too damn stubborn to admit or even realize that she has feelings for Sophie. Sophie knew for a while that she had feelings for Ryan and she had an inkling that Ryan liked her back but she knew that Ryan would not realize it or admit it if she did realize. Sophie admittedly wanted to start kissing Ryan and going out with her romantically instead of always leaving their hangouts feeling unsatisfied lol so she knew she had to make the first move. When she did, Ryan slapped her playfully on the arm and said, damn Soph, it took you look enough.

Nicknames for each other?

Ryan still calls Sophie, “Crowphie” but it’s endearing and playful and Sophie doesn’t mind it. She calls her, “Soph” as well. They both call each other bae, babe, boo, baby. Sophie calls Ryan, “Ry Ry” and also calls her “Shawty/shorty.” When they’re playing video games and it gets competitive, Ryan refers to herself as “Bdub” short for BW (batwoman). Bdub finna drop this 30 piece on your head Soph. Sophie usually let’s Ryan win when they play 2k because she thinks it’s cute when Ryan gets competitive and gloats.

Who apologizes first in fights?

Since they are enemies to lovers they are used to fighting with each other and not seeing eye to eye. So they don’t ever really freak out about a big fight. They know one of them will eventually come around. Even though Ryan is more stubborn and hard headed, it’s usually her that apologizes first. Sophie can’t stay mad at Ryan’s puppy dog face and her sweet smile. They always hug and then Ryan says, Soph, I’m sorry. And then Sophie immediately says, no, babe, I’m sorry. They are good at talking through their issues and know how to have healthy communication Then once they talk they have a lot of make up sex and cuddles.

Who said I love you first?

Ryan said it first. Ryan was in the batsuit and she thought she was about to die after getting bested in a big fight. She turned on her comms and told Mary and Luke to get Sophie on the line.

Soph?

Yeah I’m here babe, what is it?

Sophie, I love you. Ryan said this with zero hesitation in her voice. She turned off the batsuit voice manipulator so that Sophie could hear Ryan’s real voice when she told her.

You wha-

I love you. I’m in love with you. And I have been for a while now. I wanted to tell you but I didn’t know the right time. I thought maybe I would take you to dinner at our favorite spot, but it doesn’t look like I’m gonna make it. Ryan’s breath was coming out in short bursts and she was struggling. Sophie heard the distress.

BABE, Ryan talk to me! What’s happening?

I’m ok, I just needed to tell you this incase I didn’t get the chance. I love you with my whole heart Sophie. You’re the most important thing in my life and I’m so glad I didn’t die before I met you.

Are you quoting a Bright Eyes song to me right now? Sophie let out a raspy laugh.

Damnit Soph, I’m trying to be serious here. I didn’t know you know that song.

Ryan, I hear you sing it to yourself literally every morning when you’re getting dressed.

Oh.

Ryan?

Yeah? Ryan’s voice comes out strained but she’s holding on.

I love you too. And you’re not dying today. Hang tight shorty. I’m on my way.

Who is the cuddler?

Ryan is more cuddly for sure. Ryan always wants cuddles even when Sophie isn’t in the mood. Ryan likes to act big and tough and she totally is but she’s also a huge softie. When Sophie is grumpy and they’re lying in bed together, Ryan rolls over and big spoons Sophie. When they’re on the couch watching movies, Ryan always wants the cuddles. She hasn’t felt very safe for most of her life and Sophie makes her feel safe. When she’s cuddled up with Sophie she feels like she’s in a cocoon where nothing and no one can harm her. Sophie has picked up on this being the reason Ryan cuddles so much and so she lets her do it whenever she wants even though Sophie isn’t the biggest cuddler.

Who wakes up first?

Sophie does. And she makes breakfast, has her coffee. Reads through her twitter news feed, takes a shower, brushes her teeth, does her hair, and gets dressed and is ready to go before Ryan gets out of bed. Ryan always marvels at how Sophie is always so prompt and ready. Sophie says it’s because of her military background. Ryan thinks it’s because Sophie has had trouble sleeping ever since Kate died (and then came back to life as something that is not Kate). Ryan knows Sophie doesn’t have feelings for Kate anymore and she’s not jealous. But she knows how traumatizing it was for Sophie and she’s had trouble sleeping ever since. Ryan hopes that some day she can wake up before Sophie because it will mean she has slept through the night comfortably, uninterrupted and unbothered by her worries.

Who falls asleep first?

Ryan usually does. Being Batwoman is tiring. They don’t tell you that when you sign up for this gig. Ryan usually knocks out on the couch while Sophie is making dinner or taking off her work clothes and slipping into something more comfortable. Sophie will come out of her room and see Ryan curled up on the couch asleep. Sometimes she puts a blanket over her and then sits near her and runs her hands through Ryan’s hair or rubs her back. Or they will be watching TV or a movie and Ryan will fall asleep on Sophie’s shoulder. Sophie always finds these moment tender because it reminds her of when Batwoman, before she knew it was Ryan, rested her head on Sophie when she thought she was dying. Sophie likes listening to the sound of Ryan’s soft breathing, in and out in and out. It puts her at ease. And she often sneaks a kiss onto Ryan’s forehead. At night when they crawl into bed, Sophie will be telling Ryan about some new case and Ryan after a while will stop responding and Sophie will see that she’s fallen asleep. Sophie always finishes her story anyway and then she reads a book until she grows tired too and shuts off the light.

Who is more Romantic?

Ryan is. I told you she’s a big softie. She loves spoiling Sophie. She kisses her all the time, she’s always reaching for Sophie’s hand and interlocking their fingers. She makes playlists for Sophie, she goes all out on Sophie’s bday or just because. And she likes planning dinner dates for the two of them. Ryan has been out longer than Sophie and she is more used to the PDA and the dating and spoiling a girl thing. Sophie is still learning what it looks like to be romantic with another woman. Besides the sex and kissing which she is very good at. Sophie does go all out for Vday, Ryan’s bday, and Christmas though.

Who has more of a temper?

They both are hot heads and fly off the handle but it makes for great angry sex and make up sex.

What do they argue about the most?

The others’ safety.

Who is more jealous?

Neither of them are really the jealous type. They know they each only have eyes for each other. Before they started dating, they both were a little jealous of Mary. But it turns out Mary didn’t like either of them in that way and they were both didn’t like Mary in that way, they were just projecting. The conversation went something like this: I thought you liked Mary? What I thought you liked Mary? No. I like you. I like you too. Some girls at the bar do try and flirt with Ryan and if Sophie is there she just laughs. She finds it more amusing than anything. Because Ryan gets all cute and flustered. Ryan finds it funny when they’re out and guys try and hit on either one of them- assuming that the two are just gal pals. They shoot the guys down and then they laugh and say to each other, “why are we so hot?”

What do they do for fun/in their downtime?

Ryan and Sophie are both huge tomboys and so it makes for a fun relationship. They play fight a lot! Mary walks in on some of their playfights and thinks they are fighting for real and tries to break it up. Then when she realizes they are play fighting she gets grossed out and says, ew is this foreplay?? They go mini golfing, bowling, go to the shooting range because Ryan wants to learn how to shoot like Sophie. They go to arcades, and they go to amusement parks and movies. When they’re at home they like to watch streaming services, watch sports, read, watch movies, take naps, and order take out. They like trying new places and ordering food for each other from the new places- and if they order food the other likes then they get a point, if they order food the other person doesn't like then they don’t get a point. Whoever gets 10 points doesn’t have to pay on their next date.

Favorite thing about each other:

Sophie likes Ryan’s lips, Ryan likes Sophie’s eyes. Ryan likes that Sophie is not scared of standing up for herself or what she thinks is right. She likes her bravery and courage. She likes how bad ass Sophie is but also how she is so kind and sweet. She likes Sophie’s raspy voice. She won’t admit it but she likes how Sophie proved Ryan wrong. She likes that she kept her secret as Batwoman and how she isn’t like the Crows in the way she thought Sophie was. Sophie likes Ryan’s cute smile and puppy dog eyes. She likes Ryan’s unwavering confidence and strength. She likes that Ryan doesn’t back down and that she protects the people that she loves with her whole heart. She likes that Ryan isn’t afraid of anyone and will challenge and step up to anyone. They both love how the other loves them. They both love how safe, and protected the other one makes them feel.

#ryan wilder #wildmoore #sophie moore #batwoman

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theres-an-impulstor-among-us · 3 years

Note

I have returned with writing prompt number two once more! If you have inspiration for it, of course. A quick refresher if you forgot:

Team ZIT play among us. Tango and Impulse get impostor, and decide to tell Zed. He third impostors for them, helping them win the game. Somehow, he finds a way to kill someone even though he’s a crewmate. Everyone is effectively terrified.

I really wanna write Zed playing Among Us more often; this was great to write! Hope you enjoy :)

...

Zedaph is doing his first task of the round in medbay on his own, when Impulse and Tango enter the room. He turns, smiling at the sight of his best friends. “Hey, guys. Got a task here?”

The two exchange a look. Their lack of an immediate response worries Zedaph.

“Zed…” Tango hesitates. “We, ah… We decided we have to tell you. Impulse and I are… We’re the imposters.”

Zedaph’s stomach lurches. His breath catches in his throat, but he quickly recovers and nods resignedly. “Okay.”

Impulse frowns. “Is that it? You know we’re gonna have to kill people, right…?”

“Then why did you tell me?” Zedaph demands. “Why not just kill me?”

“Because we didn’t think it would be fair,” Tango says. “We want you to know that we’re not going to kill you. You can report us if you want, but… we…”

“We just wanted you to know,” finishes Impulse. “Do with that info what you will.”

With that, they turn and leave as quickly as they arrived.

Zedaph clenches his fists. Fair? What isn’t fair is that his two best friends are going to spend the entire game viciously killing people, and now Zedaph knows about it. Does he tell the other crewmates? Or does he keep it a secret? Were they even being serious? What if they’re just playing a practical joke on him?

But deep down, however much he wants to believe it, he knows it’s not a joke.

His thoughts almost overwhelm him as he makes his way to reactor and starts the manifolds task. He can hardly concentrate on counting to ten.

Finally, a body is reported. When Zedaph turns up at the meeting, he sees Tango and Impulse standing together. He knows them well enough that he can tell by the looks on their faces that they are the ones responsible for Scar’s and Skizzleman’s deaths.

Grian is the one who reported the body. “I found Scar and Skizzle both in communications. All I know is that it has to be a pretty recent kill, cuz I saw Scar alive only a minute or so ago. And it has to be a double kill, obviously.”

“Ren, Bdubs, and I were together in electrical,” reports Pungence.

“Grian, you and I saw each other by comms a few minutes ago,” adds Etho. “I don’t think it’s you.”

“Oh, gee, if it’s a double kill, I wonder which pair would know each other well enough to pull off such a well-coordinated move,” says Bdubs sarcastically, pointedly raising an eyebrow at Tango and Impulse. “Lemme guess, you’re gonna alibi each other?”

Tango and Impulse exchange a slightly panicked look, causing Zedaph to make a very quick decision.

Before anyone else can speak again, Zedaph blurts out, “They were with me in reactor.”

All eyes turn to Zedaph. Tango and Impulse frown at him. They know they haven’t seen Zedaph since they told him that they are the imposters.

Zedaph simply raises an eyebrow back, and they understand. Their best friend is offering them an alibi.

“Yes,” Tango says quickly. “Zed, Impulse, and I were together in reactor. I messed up Simon Says several times and they waited for me.”

Zedaph knows the others are judging their alibis. It’s only natural for the group of best friends to stick together, but he knows what the others are thinking: “there’s only two imposters, so they must be telling the truth.”

Sure enough, the crewmates accept Team ZIT’s alibi and decide not to eject anyone this round.

Impulse and Tango try to take their friend aside after the meeting but Zedaph refuses. He heads to admin to do his card swipe task but when he spots Grian alone in there, standing at the admin screen with his back to the door, he gets an idea.

He runs back out of admin and hits the emergency meeting button.

“I saw Grian vent,” he says.

“What?!” yelps Grian, his eyes wide. “No I didn’t! What are you talking about?!”

“He popped up in admin,” says Zedaph, avoiding everyone’s gazes. “I was doing the card swipe and I saw him do it.”

Grian frantically shakes his head. “No, I swear, it’s not me! I didn’t even see you in there!”

“Would Grian really be that careless?” asks Etho dubiously.

“Remember he doesn’t vent a lot,” Impulse says, taking a risk. “It’s entirely possible he didn’t mean to pop up in admin when Zed was in there. Or he didn’t notice Zed.”

“No, guys, really, it’s not me!” Grian tries hard to defend himself. “Zedaph is lying!”

“Why would he do that, though?” Ren asks. “We’ve already established he isn’t an imposter. Why would he need to lie about you venting?”

Grian’s mouth opens and closes as he tries to think of a response. All he can think of to say is, “He’s protecting the real imposters.”

“Come on, he wouldn’t do that,” Bdubs says dismissively. “No matter who the imposters are, no crewmate in their right mind would help them. Sorry, Grian, but it looks like you’ve been rumbled this time.”

Zedaph is pleased that his lie has fooled the other crewmates.

As everyone votes, however, he spots Etho shooting Impulse a suspicious look. When the votes are revealed, he sees that Etho has even voted for Impulse.

Zedaph knows he has to do something; Etho clearly suspects his friends. His opinion holds weight in the group, so he can easily turn the ship against them.

Etho has to go.

After Grian is ejected, Zedaph pickpockets Impulse, stealing the gun he knows is in Impulse’s pocket, before his best friends head off together towards navigation.

Zedaph spots Etho leaving in the opposite direction, so he discreetly follows him all the way to security, where Etho starts to do his wires task.

Without hesitation, Zedaph shoves Etho to the ground inside security. Etho stares up at him with fearful eyes. “Zedaph…” He clears his throat as his voice almost fails him. “You… You’re one of them?”

Zedaph shakes his head. “I’m not. But two people I love are, and I once made a vow to always protect them, no matter what. I can’t let you hurt them.”

He takes out the gun he took from Impulse. His code fights against him; it’s not right for a crewmate to have such a weapon. The game doesn’t like one crewmate turning on another.

But Zedaph fights back. His finger tightens on the trigger.

With a single shot, Etho is dead.

As Zedaph is staring down at the body he killed, Tango and Impulse appear at the door to security. When Impulse realised his weapon was missing, he knew there is only one person who could have taken it. Their shocked eyes flicker from Zedaph to Etho’s body, then back to Zedaph. They can’t believe what they’re seeing.

“H-How did you do that...?!” chokes Tango.

Zedaph turns to face his best friends. He knows that for them to win, he must die, regardless of whether one of them kills him by their own hand. As there are only five people left on the ship, there is a very easy way to ensure his best friends’ victory.

He hits the report button.

Zedaph, Tango, Impulse, Ren, and Bdubs are the only people left on the ship. He looks at the faces around the table and says, “I’m the imposter.”

Everyone stares back at him in shock. “What?” Ren gasps. “You’re just… confessing?”

“Tango and Impulse both walked in on me killing Etho,” says Zedaph. “There’s no point in denying it. And there’s no way I can throw them both under the bus.”

Ren and Bdubs both turn to Tango and Impulse, whose gazes are fixed on their best friend.

Finally, Impulse nods. “It’s true. We walked into security and saw Etho’s body fall. Zedaph was right there. Right, Tango?”

Tango isn’t happy. As imposter, he’s not supposed to care about anyone except his partner. But nothing will ever change the fact that he loves Zedaph, and for him to be willing to sacrifice his life for theirs, despite their sole objective on the ship being to kill people... It hurts.

But he also nods. “It’s true.”

The crewmates seem satisfied by this. After all, why confess to a crime you didn't commit?

The decision is unanimous. Everyone has voted for Zedaph.

A grin slowly spreads over Impulse’s face. “You lose.”

Bdubs and Ren glance at each other in a panic, realising now who the real imposters are. “Wait, what?! How?!” spluttered Ren. “Why did he take the blame for your kill?!”

“He didn’t,” says Tango. “What we said in that meeting is true. We walked in on Zed killing Etho.”

“But- But- But-!” Bdubs can hardly speak. “He’s a crewmate!”

Tango grins. “Exactly.”

Bdubs and Ren look to Zedaph, absolutely terrified. They wish they could retract their votes, but it’s too late. It’s way too late.

Zedaph is ejected into space. He lies back and lets the darkness take him, rapidly chewing its way through his spacesuit and into his body.

And as his eyes close for the final time, despite being surrounded by the cold and unforgiving vacuum of space, he smiles. His best friends are alive and they’re safe.

That’s all that matters to Zedaph.

#hermitcraft among us #hermitcraft #hermits among us #team zit #impulsesv #tangotek #zedaph #Vaunna writes

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melon-wing · 4 years

Text

Hello Neighbour! (Grian x Doc)

Grian’s boat fell from the rocket and he landed in the water of the ocean with a splash and a tiny, totally manly shriek. He looked around at the empty landscape. Ocean and Islands undisturbed of buildings. He had made it. Season 7! This was going to be amazing. He had never jumped worlds with the other’s and he was so excited to start again. But before he headed out to find his own place, there was something he needed to do first. He got out his communicator, which had thankfully survived the world jump and typed in his message.

Grian > Just landed safely. You already there? Got any coordinates?

It took no more than a minute before his communicator beeped, the numbers he needed flashing up on screen. He started rowing, eyes on his own coordinates. He really missed his Elytra. He could have been there in a few minutes, but it took him ages. He was about to consider taking a break, when he saw what he was looking for in the distance.

It was totally surreal seeing his mansion in the distance… Well to be precise two halves of his wooden mansion. He wasn’t sure how they had managed to make it jump worlds with them, but he sure as hell wouldn’t question it too much or he would be bored to death with technical lectures he’d never understand.

Grian slowed down and stepped ashore, walking up the hill until he stood in front of the houses. It didn’t even take a second for him to figure out which of those sides belonged to Doc. The neatly trimmed grass in contrast to the wild growth said everything.

“Doc?”, he called, stepping into the house… half of the house. It was really weird how there was no wall on one side, but whatever. He hadn’t seen Bdubs anywhere on the other side of the property. He walked to the other room and smiled softly. Doc was lying on a couch, eyes closed and breathing deeply. On his stomach was a small kitten, fast asleep as well.

Grian stepped forward quietly, just looking at Doc’s peaceful face. He looked so good like this. He didn’t want to wake him up, but he knew Doc would be pissed if he didn’t. He had expected him after all and most likely hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

Grian smiled a little, bending over Doc’s sleeping form, careful not to disturb the kitten and pressed his lips softly onto Doc’s.

He felt the other stirring under him, eyes blinking a few times, before he looked at him. A hand rose up and buried itself in Grian’s hair to pull him closer. Doc’s lips parted slightly and Grian took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

This… This was perfect and he could have stayed like this forever if it hadn’t been for another sound, disturbing them.

“Awwww… Isn’t that the cutest thing to look at. Didn’t know you guys were that intimate.”

Blood rushed to Grian’s face and he jumped back from the couch, hearing an annoyed groan from Doc himself, who looked as disappointed as Grian felt, that their make-out session was cut short

“Bdubs?!” Grian looked at their fellow Hermit, who was sitting atop the fence, munching on some carrots and grinning at them.

“Man, I was just starting to enjoy the show. It’s kinda amazing to see that the old man has feelings, who would have guessed.”

Doc grumbled and stood up, glaring at Bdubs as if he was wishing a thunderstorm upon his new neighbour.

“You!”, he hissed, voice low and threatening. “Be glad, that I haven’t gotten a trident yet or you would have a new set of holes in your body right about now.”

Bdubs just laughed in amusement and jumped down the fence onto Doc’s side of the property.

“We are friends Doc, you wouldn’t hurt me, would you?”, Bdubs just replied unimpressed, walking up to them and looking past Doc at Grian. “And such a pretty, little thing you’ve caught yourself. We spend so little time together last season, Grian… my Bro. Had I known Doc was interested in you, I would have gone after our fearless Dragon leader earlier, just to annoy him a little.”

Grian blushed, too shocked at the forward attitude to formulate any answer. He didn’t have to reply any ways. A split second later Bdubs had Doc’s sword pointed at his chin. He looked at it in mild surprise, but then grinned again, looking at them curiously. “So tell me. When did you guys get so… close. Was it after Grian started a war against you… or after you stole his time machine? Oooor was it after he decided to kill you, so that his friend could win Demise… Honestly you two were fighting the whole season… Unless this is your thing. Violent hate-fu…”

“BDUBS!”, Grian cried out, finally stepping forward. “It’s not like this.” He cast a pointed look at Doc, who sighed in annoyance and put his sword away again. “Yeah, Yeah. No threats of violence over stupid stuff”, Doc grumbled, but still kept glaring at Bdubs.

“So~o care to explain?”

Doc just showed Bdubs his middle finger and turned away, walking back to his half of the house. “Just ignore him, Gri.”

“Gri? Oh how cute. You have pet names for each other? I want to know everything!”

“We have been dating since after the Area 77 chaos”, Grian began and heard a frustrated groan from Doc somewhere behind him. Well, how else was he supposed to get rid of Bdubs then telling him what he wanted to know? “And Demise was… Well we had agreed beforehand, that we wouldn’t hold back. And I had a deal with Iskall, so there you got it. We don’t hate each other. Any more questions?”

Grian instantly regretted the words that had just left his mouth. Bdubs eyes started to grow wide and sparkle in excitement.

He heard Doc from inside murmur a quiet “Oh shit… He has done it.”

“Oh! I love a good love story. You need to tell me everything! Who confessed first? How did you confess? Does Doc always call you Gri? What do you call him? Is Doc ever not grumpy with you? Aren’t you getting on Doc’s nerve with your cheerfulness? Why does no one on the server know? How does it feel to kiss a creeper? Isn’t his metal arm getting annoying when you cuddle? Isn’t it scary to have sex with a creeper? What if he explodes in a not so nice way? And who of you fearless leaders is the one leading in bed?” Grian blushed even harder than before at the intimate nature of some of the questions. Bdubs only winked at him before adding one more question to his long list. “Are you up for a threesome?”

There was an enraged roar from the house as Doc flung himself at Bdubs throwing them both into the damp grass.

Grian sighed in mild annoyance. Until Doc decided to get a wall added to his house this was going to be an awful neighbourhood. Next season… Next season he would make sure they both build far away from all of the other Hermits to have peace and quiet.

#hermitship #hermitshipping #gridoc #I read something about Bdubs watching gridoc on the discord #I hope it's okay I used the idea #don't get used to me uploading so often #I just had a day off work :D #🍉 stories

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mark-absolutelyfullycapable-lee · 5 years

Text

A Little Jealousy [1] | Lee Taeyong

Summary: Taeyong gets a little too overprotective, and that can cause him to get in trouble—with you and the law.

Pairing: Taeyong x Reader

Genre: angst, sum fluff, slightly yandere!yong

Warnings: some swearing, fighting, jealousy, kinda yandere

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: LET ME START OFF BY SAYING BAD BOY IN LOVE - LEE DONGHYUCK IS COMING SOON!!!!! butttttt my manz Taeyong ;))) nsajbchjbwjbcd this is kinda angst. i’m sorry!!! but it’ll end all good. i was in a relationship for a while where my boyfriend was really jealous and didn’t like my guy friends and lemme tell you, it’s not fun or cool. as much as people write about how jealousy is “cute” it can be something that breaks relationships and friendships and it could even lead to abuse. yeah, everyone can get jealous but if it ever gets out of hand, tell someone. ahhhh sorry for all my speeches i always put but i care about you guys and i don’t ever want you to be sad :(( i love you guys and thanks for the support!

so let’s start with how you and Tae came to be

you met Taeyong at a concert two years ago

One of your friends bought you a ticket to a summer festival for your birthday

since you always spoke about how much you wanted to experience one

at first, you were worried about going to a crowded concert alone

because

let’s be honest

you were scared to go to the movies by yourself

how could you go to a whole day long festival alone?

but for some reason as soon as you got there

you felt comfortable

you stood in the crazy long line

and watched the people around you

laugh and talk with their friends

you kind of wished you had someone to talk to as well

well this is where ur boi Taeyong comes in

its like he read your mind

because as you stood there thinking about how lonely you must look,

he was wondering how he should approach you

he was in line directly behind you and tbh he thought you were pretty cute

but you were by yourself and for some reason that made him sad

but happy at the same time bc he was alone too

so after thinking about it for wayyyy too long

he just taps your shoulder on impulse

“hey i’m taeyong. are you here alone? i’m here alone too.”

and that’s where it started for you guys

you spent that whole day together and even ended up swapping phone numbers

you thought Taeyong was so sweet and nice

and he was

but from the beginning

he definitely had a softer side for you and you only

so you guys began hanging out when ever you both were free

and it got to the point where you guys would adjust your schedules just so you could find time to be together

and of course, you both started developing feelings for each other

Taeyong was the first to confess his feelings

it was kind of unexpected

you guys had planned a day at the board walk

there were boats you could rent so you and Taeyong decided to try them out

so here you guys were

in the middle of this lake

just chillin in a boat

when out of nowhere, Taeyong just says it

“y/n, i like you.”

you were shocked, to say the least bc

you never thought someone like Taeyong would actually like you back

but after he further explained his feelings, you were beyond ecstatic

Taeyong asked you to be his

and bam

you guys were together

throughout your relationship with Taeyong, you’ve noticed the little things that irritate him, make him smile, make him upset

all his little quirks

and you have come to be quite good at reading his emotions

even when he looks like he’s happy, he could be angry

when he looks upset, he could actually be relieved of something

basically, you have just come to know him like the back of your hand

sooo now that we’ve explained all of that, let’s get to present time

you and Taeyong have been together for a little over a year now at this point

before you guys started even dating, he met your friends

so it was normal for both you and Taeyong to show up to your friend’s parties

you two are currently on your way to one of your best friends bday parties

your best friend Johnny literally rented out a whole ass bdubs just to throw his birthday party

this kid is extra

but you and Taeyong decide to walk from your place, since it’s not that far from the restaurant

it’s a little chilly outside, even with Taeyong’s coat around your shoulders

“are you still cold?” Taeyong asks you

you nod

Taeyong puts his arm around you, trying to warm you up more

you’re pretty happy in your relationship right now

Taeyong is even more of a gentleman than before

he’s perfect in your eyes

and you’re perfect in his

all you’ve been is good to him

and best believe that he shows you his appreciation

whenever Taeyong is going through a rough time, whether it’s with his family or he’s just having a bad day

you are always there for him

and he honestly feels like he is the luckiest man on the planet because he has you

Taeyong glances down at you as you guys reach the restaurant

he thinks you look great tonight

as he pulls open the door for you, he smiles to himself

he walks in behind you and brings you closer to him

“let’s go find Johnny.” you tell him as you grab his hand

Johnny’s party was packed

it’s no surprise tho, because he’s a social butterfly who just love, love, loves meeting new peeps

you and Tae squeeze through people, trying to look for Johnny

even though it’s making you lowkey claustrophobic you see so many friends you haven’t seen in a while

so it’s nice

after some more maneuvering you guys spot Johnny

but before you can get to him you and Taeyong hear your name

”Y/N!”

you turn to see the one and only Wong Yukhei

your first love

”Yukhei!” you yell back as you spin to hug him

Taeyong follows close behind you, eyeing Yukhei

Tae knows exactly who Yukhei is

before you and Tae began dating, he had seen the pictures of you two on your instagram

he didn’t like him for the simple fact that he once had you

“How are you? It’s been so long! You look amazing!” Yukhei compliments

as you two chat, it feels as if Taeyong isn’t there

he watches you and Yukhei talk

he can just feel the anger rise within him

Taeyong pushes himself next to you, making his presence obvious to Yukhei (as if it wasn’t before but ok yongie)

”oh, Yukhei! this is Taeyong.” you introduce him

”y/n’s boyfriend.” Taeyong adds, glaring at Yukhei

”oh, hello. i’m Yukhei.” he says awkwardly

Yukhei holds his hand out for Taeyong to shake

but what does Tae do?

he stares at his hand, not even flinching

you nudge him, beginning to feel embarrassed by his behavior

Yukhei awkwardly retracts his hand

“well, i guess i’ll see you around, y/n.”

you nod before waving bye to him

as you watch Yukhei walk away, you feel Yong grab your arm

you shake him off bc ur seriously annoyed and embarrassed that he acted like that to Yukhei, who has always been nothing but nice

before you can walk away Taeyong grabs you again

“where are you going y/n?” Taeyong is hot on your heels as you continue trying to walk away from him towards Johnny

Johnny sees you two and smiles

but of course as soon as he sees the expression on your face, his smile fades

“what’s wrong guys?”

instead of you telling him the real reasons you look annoyed,

ur bf decides to tell him what he saw

“that Yukhei kid, her ex? yeah he was getting too close to her.”

yeah, he really said that

“are you serious?” you say to Taeyong

Taeyong doesn’t see why you’re so mad

but the fact that you’re angry is making him angry

he was only trying to protect your relationship

he just couldn’t lose you to someone else--especially your ex and first love

because you know what they say

you never really forget your first love

but Taeyong wants to make you forget him

he wishes you two could have met earlier so he could have been your first love

it’s not fair

but since he has you now, he’ll love you more and better than Yukhei ever could have

you roll your eyes and begin to move towards Johnny

“he’s acting rude and jealous for no reason. we’ve almost been together for two years!” you spill to him

as you stand by your best friend, Taeyong honestly feels irritated bc

you should be thankful that he cares that much

right?

“we’ve been together for a while, but you were basically flirting with your ex!”

Taeyong yells, causing a bunch of people to look over

“i was not flirting! if you think asking how someone’s been is flirting, then you need some serious help.” you’re done with him

Taeyong has never acted like this for as long as you’ve known him

why is he starting to now?

out of everyone who heard your voices, Yukhei happened to be one

“is there a problem?” he asks, stepping in front of you and johnny

(Johnny is honestly shook)

Taeyong is #$***//FUMING\\***$#

“our conversations are none of your business” he steps towards Yukhei

“you’re shouting for everyone else to hear” Yukhei fires back

you squeeze between the two--who have not broken eye contact

“guys, stop” you say, glancing at the both of them

“no, this guy is gonna get what’s coming to him” Taeyong tries stepping closer to Yukhei

“Tae! stop!” you yell as you try to push him away from Yukhei, who’s being held back by Johnny

“why are you defending him, y/n? i’m your boyfriend, not him!”

by now, everyone has stopped what they were doing, and they’re paying attention to the current situation

Jaehyun has joined you in trying to keep Taeyong back

but of course you can’t really hold two grown men lmao back

Jaehyun cannot hold Taeyong back

he’s moving forward

he is so ready to fight

and so is Yukhei

you try to get in the middle

but unfortunately

when some people get to their breaking points, they black out and don’t realize what they’re doing

Taeyong seems to be one of those people

without thinking, he pushes you away

but it wasn’t just a soft push

Taeyong seemed to use all his strength which resulted in you falling to the floor, quite hard

but as soon as he’s done it

everyone becomes quiet

he realizes his mistake almost immediately after

“y-y/n, i’m--i didn’t”

you’re shocked

never in a million years did you think Taeyong would do something of the sort

“dude i think you should leave” Johnny tells Taeyong as both him and Jaehyun help you up

“wait y/n--”

“Tae, leave.” Jaehyun demands as they take you away from the situation

you can feel the tears beginning to form in your eyes

“y/n, baby i’m--”

this time you stop yong

“we’re done” you say as you turn around to leave with Jaehyun

tears are streaming down your face and you’re embarrassed that any of that just happened

Jaehyun quickly gets you to his car while Johnny trails behind

you turn to Johnny as hug him like your life depended on it

“i’m so sorry for ruining your birthday” you sob

Johnny pats your back “you didn’t ruin my birthday. plus, you know i love when the three of us spend time together.” he tries making you feel better

but you feel absolutely horrible

Jaehyun speeds up the process of you getting into the car when you three see Taeyong come out of the venue

“i’ll take care of this. go on, i’ll be there soon.” Johnny closes your door before Jaehyun reverses the car

after what Taeyong did, you don’t know if you’ll ever be able to look at him the same again

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