Work Text:
Morning was always Bdubs’s favorite time of day. He liked to sit on the steps in front of his glorious monolith and watch the mobs fry up nice and crispy. Some days, like today, he brought out his tools and spent some time polishing them up, making sure they were ready for the day’s projects. He was examining the handle of his pick (slightly worn, but nothing a little love and care couldn’t fix), when he heard the door open behind him. He was living with two roommates now, so he wasn’t as startled as he could have been, but he still jumped a little. He heard a familiar huff of laughter behind him.
“Morning, Etho,” he sighed as the man drew up beside him.
“G’morning, jumpy. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, no thanks to you,” Bdubs said, glancing up at Etho. The sun was rising over the birch tree tops now, burning off the morning fog and lighting in Etho’s hair. “What’s with all the hammering down there?”
“We can’t all be sleep kings, Bdubs,” Etho laughed, starting down the stairs. “You said I could do what I wanted with the place.”
“Within reason,” Bdubs grumped, refocusing on his pick. Etho paused on the stair below him and turned towards him with a grin.
“Don’t worry little guy, I’m going out to get your rent.” He reached out and ruffled Bdubs’s hair.
“Hey!” Bdubs squawked.
Etho gestured to the bag he was carrying. “What do you want?”
Bdubs brightened. “Caving? Can you get me some gold? I’m thinking I may add a clock to the rent price.”
“You and your clocks.”
“Well,” Bdubs sat back and considered his words, “they’re important to me.”
Etho smiled at him fondly. “I know.”
Bdubs narrowed his eyes. “You’re in a suspiciously good mood.”
“Am I?” Etho reached out and smoothed his hand through Bdubs’s hair again, causing Bdubs to sputter. “Don’t miss me too much, I’ll be back before you know it.” And then Etho was starting down the path, whistling as he went.
Bdubs willed away the heat in his face as he shakily looked over the pick a few more times. “What’s gotten into him?” he wondered aloud. “Did he put salt on my toothbrush again?”
Etho had only been living in the monolith for a few weeks, but he was making himself firmly at home. Bdubs’s already-cramped kitchen was made even more so by the addition of Etho’s tea mugs cluttering the shelves. The chest next to the door was overflowing with Etho’s junk, too. Bits of string, some half-broken shears, a few wilting crimson fungi. Don’t even get him started on the donkey outside. That thing ate twice as much as Lulu, and he was mean.
Other than that, though, Bdubs supposed having Etho as a roommate wasn’t so bad. Etho liked to tease, and he particularly liked to tease Bdubs, but so far the worst thing Bdubs had discovered was the ol’ salt-on-the-toothbrush trick. And that was only once, in the first week. Bdubs suspected Etho liked to keep his home life peaceful.
Still, Etho was in a strangely good mood, which usually meant bad things for Bdubs. Bdubs let himself back into the tower, scanning the ground floor carefully. He didn’t see anything out of place. The flint and steel still hung on the wall, Etho’s note scrawled on it. “Don’t lock me in… or else!” Bdubs snorted. Maybe Bdubs was the worse roommate in this situation. He had, after all, been the one to rig up a poison dispenser the other day.
Bdubs shrugged and climbed the stairs to the kitchen. If there was a prank, he would deal with it.
In the kitchen he ended up finding something, although it wasn’t quite a prank. Instead, Bdubs found a plate of still-warm pancakes under a napkin. “Enjoy!” was scribbled on the napkin in Etho’s handwriting.
“Poison,” Bdubs decided. “Definitely poison.” But he still took a bite. They were delicious and tasted like the honey Bdubs had found gleaning through the forest the other day. A strange guy, that Etho. But a surprisingly good cook. Bdubs finished the plate.
———
Today’s project was a less intensive one than usual. No building. Instead, Scar had contracted Bdubs for a consulting gig, so Bdubs headed over to Scar’s theme park for a tour. The build was still in the beginning stages, but far enough along that Scar needed some help detailing. Which just so happened to be Bdubs’s speciality.
He flew around the park once, admiring the well-planned roads and intricately-designed buildings before circling to a landing near Scar. The day was already warming, the field Scar had chosen as his theme park location buzzing with crickets and grasshoppers.
“Good morning, good morning!” Scar called. “You’re here late! I thought your old man genes woke you up the moment the sun rose?”
Bdubs rolled his eyes. “Nice to see you too, Scar.”
“New roommates giving you trouble? Although, I suppose Etho isn’t a new roommate, you did live together that one time.”
Bdubs stiffened. Scar had been there in that past life too, albeit a little more devious and evil than his current iteration.
“Some would say you guys were even more than roommates!”
Scratch that. Scar was just as devious now. “You wanted to talk about some building designs, Scar?” Bdubs prompted with saccharine sweetness.
“All in due time, Bdubs. Maybe I should get back into the crystal game— I have a feeling my love crystals would be a hot seller.”
“Scar,” Bdubs gritted out.
“Oh, fine.” Scar huffed, “You can be so boring. Here, I have some construction sets for the new builds, let’s take a look.”
Bdubs tried to admire the building plans, each one more unique and detailed than last, but the memories were rising in his head now. Etho and him had been roommates, sure. But that wasn’t really the right word. They had been teammates, partners. Etho had worked alongside Bdubs to build a fortress, stood bristling between Bdubs and danger, had bought Bdubs a life. And when the despair of the situation closed around them (the red names circling the fortress, eyeing them for weakness, the boogeyman stalking the night), they had turned towards each other for whatever solace they could find. They came together, hurried and desperate, Bdubs stifling his moans against Etho’s mouth, wrapping around each other to stave off the cold night. They never had time for anything more. Never had time to rest together, never had the time for sweetness, for ease. And then Bdubs died, Etho unwilling to save him at the last.
Bdubs cleared his throat. There was no place for such memories in this world. This world was kind and forgiving. This world was for collaborating and building, and a maybe a little civil war, as a treat. In this world Etho was his roommate.
———
Bdubs returned home much later than he expected. Time had the habit of slipping away from Bdubs and Scar when they started talking about building. Once Bdubs noticed the sun start to dip lower, however, he strapped on his elytra and bid Scar farewell. Bdubs had a solemn duty to go to sleep at a regular hour. “You really are a boring old man,” Scar complained, but waved him off anyways.
Arriving home to the monolith, Bdubs kicked his boots off at the front door, noting Etho’s were already sitting by the doormat. A couple beet seeds and glow ink sacs had been tossed on top of the barrel Bdubs was using to store cobble. Bdubs snorted at the mess and eyed the open passageway to the basement. He could hear faint music drifting from the depths, Etho must have put a record on down there. Bdubs might as well go say hi and collect his rent. Maybe thank the guy for the pancakes. He made his way down the darkened staircase.
Etho’s piston door was hanging open and Bdubs paused at the railing to admire the cosy nook Etho had built over the past few weeks. The room was paneled in dark wood, with a fireplace crackling away against the wall and two overstuffed chairs tucked close to the warmth. Etho himself was curled up in one of the chairs, jotting something down in a notebook, firelight limning the curve of his cheek. Bdubs’s chest warmed at the sight. He appreciated the scene a little more, the delicate way Etho’s hands curled around the quill, the warbling of the jukebox, before he cleared his throat.
Etho’s head jerked up in surprise, but a smile spread across his face when he saw Bdubs hovering at the entrance.
“Am I interrupting?” Bdubs asked.
“No, not at all, I’m just writing. I like to keep track of where I’ve been and what I’ve done.”
“I know,” Bdubs said, and they grinned at each other. Etho could be mystery incarnate but after all these years, there were a few things Bdubs knew about him.
Etho broke the moment of silence before it could slip into awkwardness. “Well, come down here. I have your clock.”
“Yes, sir.” Bdubs padded down the stairs and into the vacant chair while Etho searched through his bag. After a few minutes of fruitless searching (“You are the most disorganized man I’ve ever met,” “Some say it comes with genius.”), Etho finally handed him a golden clock.
Bdubs gasped a little at the craftsmanship. The facing was immaculate, sun and moon etched with precision into blue and black enamel. There was even a glass panel so Bdubs could see the glowing redstone mechanics inside, whirring away faultlessly. “You made this today?”
“Well, I had a schematic lying around…” Etho began, and chuckled at Bdubs’s shocked expression. “No, actually I started it a few weeks ago.”
Bdubs could hardly tear his eyes away from the clock, turning it over in his hands. “You know me too well, “ he murmured, tracing over an engraving on the back. “Hey! It says Etho on it!”
“Well, maybe you’ll remember who gave it to you, then.”
Bdubs raised his eyebrows at Etho, surprised, but Etho was fixedly avoiding eye contact, picking at the chair fabric.
“I wouldn’t forget!” Bdubs protested.
Etho glanced up then, peering at Bdubs through his eyelashes. His gaze was sharp.
Bdubs flushed. “I haven’t forgotten,” he insisted, thinking about another clock in another world. Thinking about loyalty, about trust. Thinking about dying, despite it all. “Thank you for the clock. I’ll treasure it. And consider your rent paid.” He flipped it over in his hand again, admiring the intricacy of the redstone gears. A genuine Etho original, and it was all for him. On a whim, he pressed a kiss to the clock, eyes closing. The gold was warm against his lips.
After a moment, Bdubs’s eyes fluttered open, his face warm. Etho was still looking at him with those sharp eyes, but his gaze was hot now. His gaze was melting.
“It’s getting late,” Bdubs stammered, and the clock backed up his story. The moon was rising past the horizon and Bdubs had a job to do. “I gotta shreep. I did want to thank you for the pancakes though, they were really delicious and not at all poisoned, as I had originally suspected.” Bdubs brushed off his knees and stood up, tried not to look at Etho. “And thank you again for the clock, it’s really wonderful…”
Etho rose out of his char. “Bdubs,” Etho said, interrupting Bdubs’s rambling. Bdubs made the mistake of glancing at Etho, then. Etho looked confused, and a little hurt. His eyes were shining.
“Oh, Etho” Bdubs sighed, and then they were stumbling into each other.
Kissing Etho was like taking a sip of spring water after wandering around in the sun all day. The clear shock of it splashed through Bdubs’s system, lighting him up fresh and new. Etho’s hands were cool against his nape, but his mouth was hot. Etho tangled his fingers into Bdubs’s hair and kissed him like he was a puzzle to be solved, some tricky mechanic to be tested. Bdubs tripped over himself trying to get closer, trying to tuck himself against Etho while standing on his toes. Etho clutched him close to steady him, and Bdubs giggled against Etho’s lips as they swayed together and almost toppled over instead.
Bdubs pulled away long enough to press Etho back into the chair, to clamber over him and settle in his lap. “There you are,” Etho murmured, and Bdubs had to kiss him again at the breathless way he said it, like Bdubs was something to be marveled at.
“Here I am,” Bdubs tried to say into the kiss. “Here I am,” he tried to say as he pressed his lips to the underside of Etho’s jaw. “Here I am,” as he kissed down the column of Etho’s neck. It felt so familiar, kissing Etho, but brand new. They had never done this before, not like this. Never without death hanging over their heads. Never just because they wanted to.
Etho was breathing heavy, chest rising and falling against Bdubs’s. Bdubs wanted to duck his head down and listen to Etho’s heartbeat, to hear it racing. He wanted to crawl into Etho’s chest cavity and inspect his heart personally. See whether Bdubs could engrave his name there, too. Bdubs dragged his teeth across a sensitive stretch of Etho’s neck and Etho stuttered out a whine, his back arching and his fingers tugging at Bdubs’s hair.
“C’mere,” Etho urged, pulling Bdubs into another one of those searching kisses.
Bdubs went willingly and they kissed until Bdubs was gasping and aching, canting his hips against Etho in search of friction. “Should we move this somewhere more comfortable?” he panted.
Etho seemed unwilling to look away from Bdubs’s lips. “Well, bad news about that. I don’t actually have a bed.”
Bdubs gaped at him. “You what?”
Etho cupped Bdubs’s face in his hands and grinned at whatever expression he saw there. “We can make the climb to yours.”
Bdubs imagined the several flights of stairs that separated them from Bdubs’s bedroom. “What a hike,” he grumbled.
“Come on,” Etho teased, “I’ll make it worth your while.” He kissed Bdubs a little more, just to make a point, and pulled away as soon as Bdubs melted against him again.
“Alright, alright, I’m going." He slid off Etho's lap, stumbling backwards ungracefully. Etho caught him by the wrist and pulled him down into another deep kiss. It was enough to make Bdubs’s knees weak. “Well, that certainly won’t help.”
Etho laughed then, a real laugh, from his chest. Bdubs couldn’t help but glow at the sound. He laced their fingers together and pulled Etho up after him. They crept up the basement stairs, giggling.
Once they were in the relative safety of the ground floor, Etho pushed Bdubs against the wall and kissed him quiet. “We should be on the look-out for your other roommate,” Etho warned when they parted for a breath.
“Well, you’re the one that keeps kissing me,” Bdubs complained.
Etho snorted and pressed a few more kisses to Bdubs’s lips. “It’s not like I can help it.”
Too cute. He was too cute. Bdubs took a steadying breath. “Upstairs,” he demanded, tugging at Etho’s hands.
They unsteadily began ascending the stairs again, Etho stopping to kiss Bdubs senseless in the storage room and then again in the stairwell, before they finally spilled out into the kitchen. And, luck upon luck, Ren was there, blinking at them while putting together a late night snack. “Everything alright, you guys?” he asked.
Bdubs turned to Etho, eyed his thoroughly mussed hair and the love bites blooming on the pale skin of his neck. “We’re just heading upstairs, your majesty. You have a good night!”
“Night,” Etho echoed, his voice rigid with the shock of being caught, but then they were up the final flight of stairs and into the bedroom, Bdubs all but slamming the door behind them. He leaned against the door and laughed helplessly. “His face! Your face!”
“I don’t know what’s so funny! That’s the king, Bdubs!” Etho said, tone mock-serious.
“Well, we all know he answers to me,” Bdubs said, and then he was pushing Etho back into bed at long-last.
“My little tyrant,” Etho said fondly. Bdubs blew the candles out.
———————-
It was morning, still Bdubs’s favorite time of day. Etho was stretched out next to him, skin pale even against the white sheets, one arm slung low across Bdubs’s torso. Etho slept on his stomach, it turned out. His head was bent towards Bdubs at what looked like an uncomfortable angle.
The clock was sitting on the nightstand. Bdubs reached for it, trying not to disturb Etho, and finally snagged it with his fingertips. He brought it closer, inspecting it in the morning light. The sun was rising above the edge now. He traced the engraving on the back. Etho. And the guy had been working on it for weeks, he said!
Bdubs turned his head to study Etho’s sleeping face. He didn’t really know where to go from here. In the past, they only came together in desperate circumstances, times when there was nowhere else to turn. Their unions were, by necessity, brief and doomed. But Bdubs supposed he had the clock now, and the small measure of security it afforded.
Bdubs rolled over in bed a little more, to more easily admire Etho in repose. He traced Etho’s brow and cheeks with a finger, and after only a brief moment of hesitation darted forward to press a kiss to Etho’s forehead.
Etho cracked an eye open. “G’back t’sleep,” he mumbled.
Bdubs wiggled closer, “Nah-uh, it’s morning.”
“I’m asleep.”
“You’re awake,” Bdubs sing-songed, and pressed more kisses to Etho’s face.
Etho scrunched his nose but pulled Bdubs closer, sleepily nuzzled at Bdubs’s cheek. “I’m awake,” he relented.
“Good, so that means we can talk.”
“Talk?” Etho groaned, rolling away and covering his face with his arms.
“Yes, well. You gave me a clock, and then we slept together, and now we’re cuddling in bed. So yeah, let’s talk.”
“I thought it was self-evident,” Etho said, gesturing at the space between them.
“It’s not,” Bdubs said. He was enjoying this too much.
“Well,” Etho began, twisting his hands self-consciously. “I was thinking I could keep using this bed. You know, because I don’t have one.”
“Mhmm,” Bdubs said.
“And…. And you’re really gonna make me say it, aren’t you? You know I’m no good at talking!” Etho whined.
Bdubs felt some pity, but he needed Etho to say it. Needed to hear him say it. He pressed a kiss to Etho’s sternum sympathetically. “Tell me.”
Etho was nervously twisting his hands in the sheets, eyeing the curtain above the bed. He wet his lips with his tongue. “I think… I think I want to try it.” His gaze darted to Bdubs then back to the bed curtains. “I miss you so much,” his voice tightened, “when you’re not around. And I just want to have the time to— I want us to have some time, together.”
Bdubs dropped his face into Etho’s chest and hid his smile there. “I do too,” he said, muffled.
Etho ruffled Bdubs’s hair. “What was that?”
Bdubs wiggled upright and pounced, pinning Etho to the bed. “I said, ‘I do too!’ And don’t you worry, we’ll have plenty of time. Starting now.”
Etho was smiling up at Bdubs, practically begging for a kiss or two. So Bdubs happily obliged.
———
King Ren mulled over his latest decree. He didn’t want to seem too desperate, but at the same time the situation itself was becoming desperate. The sounds coming from Bdubs’s bedroom in the tower had been scarring, to say the least. He read over the wording one last time. “Hear ye, hear ye, His Majesty King Ren is looking for a roommate. Must be: quiet, clean, considerate. Ideally will have a throne room for regular ceremonial use. NO COUPLES.” Ren nodded to himself. It would have to do.