mcyt sideblog

Etho sat up. Digging himself from the bed's comfortable clutches took Herculean effort, but it was worth it to feel the way his joints and muscles loosened with his first stretch. Arms over his head and back arched, he breathed deep of the nature carried in by the wind.

There was something else, too, a sweet smell from behind the bedroom door that told Etho exactly where he'd find Bdubs.

If he could just find his clothes.

They hadn't been particularly careful with that last night, things chucked left or right to get them out of the way as quickly as possible. Bdubs must have tidied after he woke up- if draping the shed articles in a pile over the bed's footboard could be considered such- but none of it was what Etho had walked in with yesterday.

It beat a nude stroll, though. He helped himself to a pair of boxers from Bdubs' drawers, and picked through the pile for the rest. Etho didn't have the broad shoulders Bdubs did, the white shirt's V-neck sitting lower than it should. The dark jeans were loose on his waist and short on his legs, the artful rips showing more of his thighs than his knees. It felt silly, but he could handle silly for a couple of hours.

Etho crept from the bedroom on bare feet, the sweet smell joined by the sound of sizzling and the promise of breakfast beckoning him closer to the kitchen. It was mouthwatering, enough that he almost didn't notice that he'd found his missing clothes.

Bdubs' back was to him, manning a pan that now held something savory- pork sausage, if Etho had to guess. He was humming something, slow and familiar, swaying on his feet. His sweatpants- or rather, Etho's sweatpants- were rolled up, the ankle elastic folded to hold the fabric around Bdubs' calves. The compression shirt, black and sleeveless, was doing the work of his absent binder, the neck zipper partway undone.

Etho leaned against the doorway of the kitchen, "I was wondering where my clothes went."

Bdubs startled, but recovered quickly. "My floor, my clothes!" He answered smugly, shooting a cheeky grin over his shoulder and brightening even further as he got a look at Etho, "And I knew you'd wear that if you couldn't find yours."

Ah. "Oh no," Etho chuckled softly, pushing off the doorway. Bdubs turned to face him properly, eyes sparkling as they looked Etho up and down, "You mean I played right into your hands?"

"Eeyep," Bdubs drawled, arms threading around Etho's waist. His voice was soft, chin on Etho's chest, looking up at him with something like awe. "Gods, get a look at you. I'm so proud of me."

Etho snorted, and reached around to take the pan off the heat before draping his arms around Bdubs shoulders. "This really does it for you, huh? An old shirt and ripped jeans that don't fit?"

Bdubs pulled away just enough to squint at him, "First of all, whaddaya mean, an old shirt? Cleo made it for me in Season Nine, I'll have you know!"

"Which was like two years ago now, but y'know..." Etho ribbed.

Bdubs scoffed, "Second of all! You look good in anything! I'll be accepting no complaints, criticisms, or depreciations-"

"What about grievances?"

"Nope!"

"Objections?"

"Overruled! Now, the third and most important thing," Bdubs continued, leaning in again to nuzzle the column of Etho's neck, marred in spots with bruising color. The scratch of morning stubble made Etho shiver, and Bdubs smiled, "It doesn't matter what you're wearing. I like that it's mine."

Joel always seemed busy. Never too busy to indulge a conversation with any passersby who grabbed his attention, never too busy to pay calls and visits to his wife, and certainly never too busy to build- but busy enough that by the time he showed up on Bdubs' doorstep, Bdubs hadn't seen him since the season introduction.

It was nice, having Joel to himself for a while. They chatted, they caught up, they talked about their building plans as Bdubs toured Joel around his house and the space he'd cleared for future projects. Joel was a great rubber duck, taking all Bdubs' ideas and bouncing them back a little to the left, helping him see what could change for the better. Using the tree as a living indicator of the passage of time? Genius.

Bdubs tried to be the same, when it came time to tour Joel's base, but what could he add to perfection? His builds had so much visual interest, each decorated sign and hanging banner significant to the image as a whole. It felt like a part of a city, chiseled right out of the mountainside, and Bdubs was incredibly impressed. Verticality, especially, was a tough thing to work with.

They were on their way through the shopping district when Joel stopped. Bdubs walked a few paces ahead before he noticed, and stopped as well to let Joel catch up. The next time it happened, Bdubs paused with him. "You alright?"

Joel seemed to stare at the corner of the building they'd just passed. "Fine," He said, turning back around and gesturing with a nod for them to keep moving. As they did, Joel continued, "Any ideas why your boyfriends are following us?"

"What?" Immediately, Bdubs tried to backtrack to the corner Joel had been staring at, but Joel grabbed him by the arm.

"Shh! Bloody- don't make a scene of it. Etho's lurking behind the building," Joel nodded towards the shade behind the oddly tall pop-up shop, "And Impulse is going from roof to roof."

Bdubs had known for a long time that he was going to love Joel some day.

He just... didn't expect it to start here, with enchanting eyes glinting mischievously and a smile that made compelling promises as Joel said, "We should mess with 'em."

Bdubs' throat dried. Now wasn't the time to be looking at Joel's mouth. "Yeah, uh-huh," He said with a nervous-excited chuckle, "They've got it coming! Wh-what do they think they're doing, spyin' on us!"

Joel giggled back, and the sound made Bdubs' heart do these funny little flips that he hadn't felt since he and Impulse were bound in Double Life, "Gotta make it convincing," Joel warned.

Oh. Joel's lips were soft.

Softer than Bdubs would have expected from a man who bit them while he thought. Warm, as well, and Bdubs' awareness narrowed to that point of contact. It was tame, as far as kisses went. Joel wasn't much for tame, and possessed by resentment that Joel might be doing something stupid like holding back, Bdubs grabbed Joel by the folds of his kimono and pulled him closer, kissed him harder.

They broke apart with a gasp only after hearing the sound of Impulse falling from his rooftop perch.

For a moment, there was nothing. They both stared at where Impulse had been, then to the dissipating smoke of his lost life, his items scattered haphazardly around the area. They looked at each other, kiss-drunk and surprised, like they'd forgotten that this started as a way to get back at Etho and Impulse for stalking them through the shopping district. Like they'd forgotten that they're very much still in the, very public, shopping district. Admittedly, Bdubs might have forgotten his own name if they'd kept up like that for much longer.

They laughed.

"That's enough of that," Joel finally said, "We should get Impulse's stuff put away, before it despawns on 'im."

Bdubs nodded his agreement, already in the process of crafting a chest. "And what happens then?"