Moobloom_Mention

She/Her || 20 || I write WAY too much fanfiction

[moobloom-mention]

Masterpost

Updated: 04/17/2026

Hi ya'll, I'm Moobloom (AKA Bloom) and welcome to my page!

Archive of Our Own | Reblog Station

Need to find something in a hurry? Here you go!

---

Active Tags

NOTE: Please feel free to filter out tags as necessary!

#project hail mary fics - any piece of writing relating to "Project Hail Mary"

#ethubs - you know what you're looking for

#life series fics - any piece of writing relating to "Life Series"

#hermitcraft fics - any piece of writing relating to "Hermitcraft"

---

Inactive Tags

#dogman fics - any piece of writing relating to "Dog Man"

#sonic the hedgehog fics - any piece of writing relating to "Sonic the Hedgehog"

#lmk fics - any piece of writing relating to "Lego Monkie Kid"

---

Current Challenges

N/A

---

Project Hail Mary Fics

(forever?????????) - Grace forgets to tell Rocky about the average human lifespan. It comes up again.

From Teacher to Savior of the Stars and Back - Grace learns that everyone on Erid sees him as a hero. Rocky sees him for who he really is.

What Are You Gonna Do? Call an Alien a Liar? - Rocky lies about Eridian culture. What's Grace gonna do? Call an alien a liar?

---

MCYT Fics

Life Series

One Before the Other - Etho awakes on Hermitcraft unprepared for the whiplash that comes after losing his last life in Past Life.

And It Goes Like This [Past Life] - Bdubs is tired of BigB claiming that he ate a frog. Etho helps solve that problem.

Push and Pull [Past Life] | [Warm-Up] - Bdubs shows up to King of the Ladder and really leans into the fact that Etho isn't a ray of sunshine about it.

Christmas In July [Past Life] | [Warm-Up] - Etho rage baits Bdubs for 600 words. It's pretty on-brand for them.

Hermitcraft

Redstone Revelations - Bdubs just wants to learn how to make an automatic brewing station for his newest potion shop. Unfortunately, the "Redstone Genius" meant to be helping him can't even get his own system to work.

That's What I'm Here For - Etho is nervous about his outfit change for MCC. Luckily, Bdubs is the world's #3 Problem Solver and #1 Etho Handler.

The Notion of Belonging - There's no place Etho would rather be than under the stars and with Bdubs fast asleep on his shoulder.

Falling on Deaf Ears [Warm-Up] - Joel has got to be the worst genin- no, the worst shinobi in all of history. At least, Bdubs think so. He just needs to convince Etho of that too.

Come the Bright, Brilliant Morning [Warm-Up] - A style analysis under the guise of a slice of life for Royal Architect Bdubs.

The Dimension Dilemma - If there's one conspiracy Etho will subscribe to, it's that Bdubs it from another dimension. He has to be- after all, Beef and Pause had always said that only a crazy person from there could love him.

Where Will We Be In the Morning? (Back Where We Always Are) - Forgiveness doesn't always begin with an apology. Especially not for Bdubs and Etho.

Divorce Proceedings Over a Cup of Coffee - Bdubs thinks he's prepared for the moment Etho and his lawyer walk into the attorney's office to discuss their divorce proceedings. As it turns out, it hurts more than he expected it to.

Real Person Fiction

A Little Bit of Color Never Hurt Nobody - Etho's Hytale character looks a little more like Etho than Bdubs expected.

---

Dog Man Fics

How Hard Is It to Keep a Clone Child Out of Trouble? (Extremely Hard, Apparently) - Petey's starting to get the hang of coparenting Lil Petey. Now if only Dogman would start taking it just as seriously as he is.

Doghouse Blues - It's been two weeks since Dogman last saw Petey. Thankfully, Lil Petey is there to give his own witness statement.

---

Sonic the Hedgehog Fics

Nothing in Life is Guaranteed (Except For Stasis and Uncertainty) - Through all the panic and confusion, Shadow can only focus on one thing. Maria isn't waking up. Why isn't she waking up?

To Obsess With the Future Is to Doom the Present - Shadow approaches the Professor with one question in mind: What does G.U.N. truly want from him?

Does She Chirp Too? - Shadow hasn't seen Maria for three days. Three, painstaking days that everyone's brushed off in regards to some "flew". Which is odd. Humans can't fly.

Making Amends Through the Splinters of My Patience - Shadow regrets agreeing to let Sonic teach him how to play video games.

---

Lego Monkie Kid Fics

To Wait for You Would Mean to Wait an Eternity (And By Then It'd Be Too Late) - Macaque escapes his own death by refusing to interfere with Wukong's JTTW. Besides, FFM needs a king that'll nurse it back to its golden age, a role he believes he'll fit quite well.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

Tomorrow's Far Away (So Let Me Dream of the Paradise I Share With You Today) - The struggle and pain Wukong is destined to go through doesn't start for another three months. For now, he enjoys his kingdom and the smug shadow that rests, ever-loyal, beside him.

This Isn't a Goodbye (But I Wish It Had Been) - This won't be the first time Macaque and Wukong utter their farewells, nor will it be their last. But gods does Macaque wish it would be.

Part 1

They Don't Call Him the "Great Sage" for Nothing [G/t Prompt] - Mk isn't new to being frustrated when trying to learn new abilities. But of all things, he never thought shrinking would take four hours to finally understand. God knows how long it'll take to get him back to normal.

I've Worked So Hard For This (And You Expect Me to Let It All Go?) [Warm-Up] - Wukong thought that his journey would be an official separation from the life he used to live on Flower Fruit Mountain. That is until a ghost from his past finds him, hoping to finally bring him home.

The Broken Pleas of a Familiar Face (And an Exhausted Shadow) - After centuries of being away from Flower Fruit Mountain, Wukong is finally able to visit its calming shores and his adoring subjects. Only, it's not joyous cheers and festivities that greet him, but his own shadow's tired eyes and pleads for him to stay.

Is It Really a One-Sided Friendship If You Just Haven't Convinced Them Yet? [5+1 Prompt] - Wukong doesn't know much about the shadow that lives in his favorite peach tree. He only knows they claim that they're "just too different" to be friends. Little does the shadow know, Wukong would rather die than give up a challenge.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6

The Price I'll Pay to Keep You Safe and Far From the Life I've Lived - The day the Heavens descends into chaos is not the day Nezha expects to be given charge of the Universe's newest celestial monkey. Now he must decide Xiaotian's fate: to follow the court's desire and mold him into "Heaven's Grand Weapon" or banish him to live a normal life in the mortal realm.

A Paradox [Warm-Up] - MK confronts Nüwa's hypocrisy over the world's destruction.

Violet Hues and Misconstrued Pretenses [Warm-Up] - Wukong purposefully triggers Macaque's monkey instincts to fight over personal space.

Oh, Woe Is the King (of Losing Board Games) [Warm-Up] - Macaque decides to join the MK gang for game night, only to find out that even after centuries of life, Wukong is still terrible at board games and even worse at losing.

Drunk Words Are Crafted From Sober Thoughts - Wukong's internal compass will always lead him to Macaque, especially in moments of intoxication.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far, Does It? - Pigsy comes back home to find MK and Tang have gotten into some shockingly wholesome mischief.

Dead Man Walking [Warm-Up] - Wukong better hope the Heavens forgive the chaos he brought upon them because he sure as hell won't want to stay on FFM after Macaque gets his claws on him.

Isn't It Ironic? [Warm-Up + Gift] - Macaque looks toward weed to cure his aching joints. Though, maybe he should've noticed its pungent smell before he agreed to hang out with MK and Wukong.

A Word. [Gift] - MK eavesdrops babysits a Shadowpeach argument about whether Peng gets to stick around or not.

Yeehawgust Inspired Prompts

On the Road Again - Wukong's come to enjoy his life as a small town sheriff. That doesn't mean he'd pass up an opportunity to deliver cattle to a familiar town a week's ride south. Especially not with how excited MK is over the trip.

Gossip & Groom

Is a Good Night's Rest Really Too Much to Ask For (Yes. Yes It Is.) - For all the drama and squabbles Macaque's forced to endure on a day-to-day basis, all he asks for is a good night's rest so he can do it all over again come morning. But of course the Sisterhood still manages to worm themselves into his sleep schedule.

---

Dream SMP Fics

Life is Unfair (But I'd Do Anything to Make it Fair for You) - "It'll get better," Quackity had promised. "Schlatt can't pick fights with me forever."

Five years later and Tubbo's tired of hoping for a better tomorrow.

Part 1 || Part 2

TommyInnit's First-Hand Guide on How to Say Goodbye - It was a stupid idea- especially with how badly Purpled was already handling Punz's death. The last thing Tommy wants is to shove the same grief onto his own family.

But at least it's better than not getting the chance to say goodbye.

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

TommyInnit's Therapy Sessions (Gone Right???) - As much as Tommy hates to admit it, maybe Puffy's therapy sessions have begun to work.

---

Challenges

Trick or Treat

Falling on Deaf Ears [Naruto AU] | [Warm-Up] - Joel has got to be the worst genin- no, the worst shinobi in all of history. At least, Bdubs think so. He just needs to convince Etho of that too.

Christmas In July [Past Life] | [Warm-Up] - Etho rage baits Bdubs for 600 words. It's pretty on-brand for them.

Come the Bright, Brilliant Morning [Royalty AU] | [Warm-Up] - A style analysis under the guise of a slice of life for Royal Architect Bdubs.

The Dimension Dilemma [Hermitcraft] - If there's one conspiracy Etho will subscribe to, it's that Bdubs it from another dimension. He has to be- after all, Beef and Pause had always said that only a crazy person from there could love him.

Tricks

Push and Pull [Past Life] | [Warm-Up] - Bdubs shows up to King of the Ladder and really leans into the fact that Etho isn't a ray of sunshine about it.

Done by Dusk [Hermitcraft] | [Sneak-Peek] - Today is the day that Bdubs finally gets to work on his Season 10 starter base. The sun is shining, he's got all his materials ready, all he needs to do now is actually build the darn thing.

That Kind of Love You Only Get When You're Young [Hermitcraft] | [Sneak-Peek] - Bdubs plans to meet up with Etho five years after their divorce proceedings. While the divorce was pretty amicable, it doesn't mean time has healed all of Bdubs' wounds. After all, there's a kind of love you only get when you're young.

Ethubs Week

Prompt List

Day 1 | Loyalty | And It Goes Like This [Past Life] - Bdubs is tired of BigB claiming that he ate a frog. Etho helps solve that problem.

Day 2 | Smiles | That's What I'm Here For [MCC] - Etho is nervous about his outfit change. Luckily, Bdubs is the world's #3 Problem Solver and #1 Etho Handler.

Day 3 | Refuge | The Notion of Belonging [Hermitcraft] - There's no place Etho would rather be than under the stars and with Bdubs fast asleep on his shoulder.

Day 4 | Divorce | Divorce Proceedings Over a Cup of Coffee [Modern AU] - Bdubs thinks he's prepared for the moment Etho and his lawyer walk into the attorney's office to discuss their divorce proceedings. As it turns out, it hurts more than he expected it to.

Prompt by Title Bingo

[START HERE]

Heart-to-Heart (What Heart?) [DreamSMP] - Who needs a soulmate when you can just fight crime instead?

Bad Things Happen Bingo

[START HERE]

Just One, Simple Errand [Leonine Contract] - Death is all Liu'er Mihou's known. That is, until it isn't.

Every Action Has Its Equal Opposite Reaction [Comfort Object] - MK tries to find a bowl for Macaque and him to put their take-out within only to accidentally stir unwelcome (but very-much cherished) memories for the shadow.

March Madness

Day 1 | Fully Present | Misguided Misery [LMK] - MK tries to find the tranquility in meditation.

Day 2 | "I can't trust you" | Fool Me Once, Shame On You. Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me. Fool Me Three Times- [Dog Man] - Petey takes Li'l Petey on their weekly gelato outing.

Day 3 | Flower Crowns | Flower Crowns and Friendly Conversations [Dog Man] - Li'l Petey wants to make a crown for his Papa. Thankfully, Molly and Flippy are both prepared to help in any way they can.

Day 4 | A Good Night's Sleep | It's ALWAYS Too Early to Deal with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven [LMK] - Macaque's well-deserved sleep gets interrupted by the Heaven's biggest nuisance.

Day 6 | Betrayal | Ignorance is Bliss [Dream SMP]- Phil teaches Wilbur an important lesson in patience. And in white lies.

Day 11 | Pet Peeves | Short Fuses and Even Shorter Tempers [Dog Man] - Petey has a lot of pet peeves. Especially when it comes to his work being interrupted.

Day 19 | Forgetting the Big Things | The Dog Weeps After It Kills is No Better Than the Dog That Doesn't. My Guilt Will Not Purify Me [Dog Man] - Petey is late to LP's first art contest.

---

[moobloom-mention]

What Are You Gonna Do? Call an Alien a Liar?

"I-" his words turn into a jumbled mess and I feel my claws clench. It's more than a little frustrating the way Grace keeps using new vocabulary without offering a translation for it. It probably has to do with grammar structure, but we've barely established +λ++ words. He can handle some grammatical sacrifices for the sake of ease, can't he? I definitely have. Grace presses one of his dull claws to his carapace. "-sleep now. I come back in +∀ +λ++ seconds." He takes another (clumsy) step backward and this time I do push my carapace into the barrier. He can't leave, the tunnel is too long for me to hear him whenever he's back on his spaceship. He's going to vanish and take that steady percussion beat within his chest with him. What if something happens to him while he's on his ship and he never returns? I need need need him. Erid needs needs needs him. "I observe."

Summary: Grace is so caught up with making himself look trustworthy that he forgets aliens might be able to lie just as well as he can.

OR

Rocky lies about Eridian culture. What's Grace gonna do? Call an alien a liar?

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 1909

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

From Teacher to Savior of the Stars and Back

"What do you think about your statue?" My finger freezes on the careful swoop of the “g.” “What, question?” Okay, maybe it’s a little childish to add the “question” bit, but it’s the only way I can think of conveying emphasis right now. It definitely gets the kids’ attention. “You haven’t seen your statue?” I have a statue? I glance around the room. Nobody speaks up. Oh god. I have a statue. Like an actual statue that apparently everyone’s seen except me. And as if it couldn’t get any worse, “It’s in the middle of the cluster. In the plaza.”

Summary: Grace learns that everyone on Erid sees him as a hero. Thankfully, Rocky's there to remind Grace who he really is. Human.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 2586

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

(forever?????????)

"Grace stay with Rocky forever, question?" Uh—well, not really, I want to say, maybe my forever. Like a family pet—here for a portion of Rocky's life and gone in the next. Except there's no human humane society for Rocky to get a new me from. Not unless the science Eridians can make an interstellar highway to Earth. That'd be neat. But that's if there even is an Earth by then. For all I know George and Ringo ran out of fuel prematurely and are suspended in the middle of space, two ugly alien objects that nobody will know hold what could have saved an entire planet from another ice age. That'd suck. Both for humanity and Rocky. Then I'd really be irreplaceable.

Summary: Grace forgets to tell Rocky about the average human lifespan. It comes up again on their flight to Erid.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 1960

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

I never thought this day would come, but lint-rolling's finally in the late stage of editing. I'm just hoping I don't blink and accidentally add another 1k of words to it; my soul can't take 5k of these freaks pining over each other

[moobloom-mention]

Day Four | Divorce (Divorce Proceedings Over a Cup of Coffee)

But Etho hadn’t blinked that cloudy Saturday morning, when Bdubs handed him a packet of papers thick enough to rival the books on their coffee table. He’d continued to sip at his coffee as he read over the words “Record of Divorce” like it was the day’s headline and asked for the pen in Bdubs’ other hand. To Bdubs, that was it.

Summary: Bdubs thinks he's prepared for the moment Etho and his lawyer walk into the attorney's office to discuss their divorce proceedings. As it turns out, it hurts more than he expected it to.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 2978

Read it here!

[shulkersneow]

id venmo someone genuine coffee money for writing ethubs rpf with etho Looking Like That im serious about this

[moobloom-mention]

2.2K words of RPF Ethubs with Etho looking like his Hytale character

Your fic, my liege

[moobloom-mention]

A Little Bit of Color Never Hurt Nobody

And they'll probably chat each other's ears off beforehand, right? Etho has never been the type to throw himself into the deep-end, especially not in matters regarding his privacy. He'll test the waters, dip his toes in and ask Bdubs about his day. Heck, Etho might not turn his camera on at all, just because he knows Bdubs won't make a fuss over it. Discord's ringtone suddenly quiets. Oh, he should probably answer that.

Etho finally does a face reveal for Bdubs, and-

Huh. He's a lot bluer than Bdubs would've thought.

OR

Etho's Hytale character looks a little more like Etho than Bdubs expected.

Content Warning(s): RPF

Word Count: 2234

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

We’re in the home stretch of our lint-rolling prompt. Take some out-of-context snippets for your patience

[moobloom-mention]

Where Will We Be In the Morning? (Back Where We Always Are)

"Oh Bdubs," Etho mumbles through his fingers. Bdubs thinks he's never heard words sound so soft yet weighted, trapped in an oxymoron that still sounds like heaven if only because it was Etho who'd said them. "What are we doing?" There's a strange sense of tranquility that blankets over Bdubs as he too pushes forward to lean into the railing, crossing his arms and resting them on the spruce fence gates. The night persists beyond them, cool with a breeze that would mark it perfect for hot drinks and the stoking of a fire. Just say the word, Bdubs thinks to himself. I'll spend all night collecting logs and sticks, just tell me what to do. But Etho never speaks, and Bdubs suppresses a shiver against the next gust of wind."What we always do."

Summary: Everyone expects the arguments—the sharp words and need for space. The inevitable return that begins with soft footsteps and uncertain glances. But no one ever seems to mention that forgiveness doesn't always begin with an apology.

Sometimes it looks like dinner on the stove and a table set for two.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 1785

Bdubs doesn't upload for a month and suddenly my writer's block lifts. Come back, king, the writing motivation isn't worth it.

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

I feel sick, there hasn't even been any lint-rolling action yet. This is pure 2,134 words of Etho pining over his roommate. God have mercy on our souls.

[moobloom-mention]

Hey Ya'll!

I realized that I've got an insane amount of Ethubs oneshots just laying around half-finished in my Onedrive. So, I'm taking a page out of Bdubs' book and putting a poll up to try and get a sense of direction of who to finish up.

Some people do spring-cleaning. Psh, here we do autumn-cleaning <3

Which project should I complete next?

Divorce Proceedings Over Coffee

Your Eyes Are My Favorite Color Tonight

Let Me Be Your Go-to Guy (For All Your Lint-Rolling Needs)

Oh to Hope for a Tomorrow in Which We Will Live

Mistakes Will Disappear With Practice

The Sound of Rain in My Heart

Voting ended onNov 8, 2025

Click "Keep Reading" for their respective summaries!

----------

Divorce Proceedings Over Coffee

Bdubs thinks he's prepared for the moment Etho and his lawyer walk into the attorney's office to discuss their divorce proceedings. He is not.

Your Eyes Are My Favorite Color Tonight

Bdubs swears he could lose hours staring into Etho's eyes. What better day to put that theory to the test than on a quiet, Sunday evening?

Let Me Be Your Go-to Guy (For All Your Lint-Rolling Needs)

Bdubs asks for help lint-rolling his suit. Etho is totally normal about it.

Oh to Hope for a Tomorrow in Which We Will Live

The best time for Etho to confess his feelings was twenty years ago. The next best time is now. Only, how can the next best time be "now" when your best friend's wedding is just a month away?

Mistakes Will Disappear With Practice

Etho reflects on why he hasn't won any of the Life Series games and finds that there may be one "mistake" that's become a habit he just can't shake. And said habit may have wide eyes and the brightest smile Etho has ever seen.

The Sound of Rain in My Heart

A storm erupts during a night in Last Life. Unfortunately, not everyone can be accounted for when the thunder begins to rumble.

[diino8081]

what's it with bdubs and working for people of power like royalty or mayors

[liveblogging bdubs hermitcraft s9 ep9]

[moobloom-mention]

Character wise? It’s totally because Bdubs is arrogant and likes to be seen as someone of importance. There’s no easier way to look important than when you’re directly beneath someone of authority (and it’s definitely not compensation for his height).

The realistic reason? I feel like Minecraft being a sandbox game can really make a person look for some sense of direction, and having Scar or Ren as his “boss” gives him mini side-quests he probably wouldn’t have completed otherwise.

Ren wants a castle? Done, Bdubs needed that push to make a big ol’ castle anyway.

Scar wants the interior of Town Hall done? Easy peasy, baby. Let me help with all of HEP’s needs too!

Bdubs is also a huge fan of giving his buildings a story, and there really is no better way than tying HC lore/storylines directly into a project

[moobloom-mention]

[Minecraft - Sky Factory #7: Cobble Pains]

As requested, here's the clip that The Dimension Dilemma was inspired by!

[moobloom-mention]

hi hi hiiii trick or treat!

The Dimension Dilemma

"You ever think you're from another dimension?" Distantly the familiar sound of Bdubs fussing with his kitchen barrels stops, and in the corner of Etho's eye Bdubs turns to look at him with a lopsided smile. "What kinda question s'that?" He sounds fond. So terrifyingly fond that Etho isn't sure what to do with it. A piece of him wants to wrap Bdubs' tone around his mind like a torniquet, twist it tighter and tighter until it numbs that weird part of his brain that feels heavy with doubt. Instead Etho stares into his mug. Squints just to see his faint reflection do the same. "A serious one."

Summary: If there's one conspiracy Etho will subscribe to, it's that Bdubs is from another dimension. He's never met anyone that could rival Bdubs' personality nor his compassion- it's practically otherworldly.

…and maybe, just maybe, a part of him thinks that if Bdubs really is some crazy person from another dimension, that warmth Etho feels when he's with Bdubs might actually be love.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 1118

Hello! I was rewatching some Team Canada SkyFactory and realized one of their conversations had a lot of potential in the "This-Probably-Would-Become-A-Nagging-Thought" department. Here's a little fic based on that, enjoy <3

Read it here!

[moobloom-mention]

trick or treat!! happy approximately halfway to Halloween! are you dressing up this year?

That Kind of Love You Only Get When You're Young [Sneak-Peek]

Summary: Bdubs plans to meet up with Etho five years after their divorce proceedings were finalized. It was a surprisingly amicable divorce, but it seems time hasn't healed all of Bdubs' wounds.

After all, it's easy to miss that kind of love you only find when you're young.

Content Warning(s): Lovesick fools and past mistakes

Word Count: 979

Happy approximately halfway to Halloween that I'm definitely not late for! No dressing up for me this year, but I might throw a moobloom outfit + decorated antlers and ears for a Halloween-themed poetry slam that week. We'll see what my energy levels look like after mid-terms lol

Take a sneak-peek for a trick! This has got a good bit of both Bdubs/Etho and Bdubs/Impulse in it, so do with that what you will <3

----------

Etho agrees to meet up at the pastry shop on 5th Street at three in the afternoon.

Which is stupid. It's so, unbelievably stupid, that the night before, after Etho's texts had chimed, it'd taken five deep breaths and three separate readings of the message to dampen Bdubs' anger to a simmer.

< Etho > 9's too early < Etho > but 3 could work < Etho > see you then?

Bdubs is certain that the only reason he'd remained so outwardly calm was the fact that he'd been wrapped in his favorite silk sheets, the ones that smelled of lavender and dryer sheets and redstone because Impulse too was settled in bed with a book in hand.

In a comfortable setting like that, practically any bad news could've been dropped at Bdubs feet and he'd have braved it with a scoff and roll of his eyes.

…but a pastry shop at three in the afternoon? Who on God's green Earth would wanna eat sweets two hours before dinner?

Etho, apparently. Actually, screw it, Bdubs would bet the deed to their house that Etho was more invested in the shop's espresso machine than their pastries. He wouldn't have thought about how the pastries would be stale by two, nor how the shop would be quiet by three-thirty and closed by four.

Some things never change, Bdubs supposes. He just wishes it still didn't make his chest feel so tight.

He really should've suggested they go out for dinner instead. It's not like Etho would've turned down an offer of food and drinks, especially not while under the impression that this was only an opportunity to catch up after five years of enjoying a Bdubs-less life.

Er, a mostly Bdubs-less life. Etho still occasionally texted a random photo with no text to follow, like it was some Egyptian hieroglyphic that Bdubs held the Rosetta Stone for.

A picture of a rock indented to give it a far too wide smile. One of a meatball that looked freakishly similar to a spider eye. Another of a shirt identical to the color of Bdubs' favorite college hoodie with its tag reading "pink".

It used to be hard for Bdubs not to linger on each one—for his heart not to childishly flutter at the sound of Etho's unique text-tone. He's thinking of you, that tone would sing. You.

…it's easier now. It was bound to be, with the way their divorce gave Bdubs years to form an opinion on how Etho would never follow-up that text with a message. At least, not one that contained more than a simply "xD" or ":)".

It was nothing like the rapid response Bdubs always gets when he texts Impulse. It doesn't matter if it's a picture of a flower, or simple wish for a good day, Impulse always seems to pull paragraphs out of thin air just to shower Bdubs in attention he can soak in like a sponge.

Y'know what, this whole pastry shop fiasco has to be the first actual words Etho has given him in half a decade, and Bdubs can't help but hate the way he feels like an addict on the verge of relapse. Maybe it was better that Bdubs hadn't invited Etho to dinner—he could wrap their conversation up in fifteen minutes or so if Etho lets him.

Quick and easy. Nothing more than a greeting, a cup of coffee with a side of heart break and legal talk, and then a goodbye.

God he wishes he could say that's why he'd chosen the pastry shop in the first place. It makes him feel stupid to recall how he'd originally sent the suggestion text a little past nine in the evening, after the dishes had been washed and a glass of wine had loosened his tongue enough to salivate at the idea of a morning croissant.

Oh yeah, it was definitely the wine that'd made Bdubs forget that he could count on one hand how many times Etho had woken up before twelve in their twenty years of marriage. The wine, and not the body of warmth that had been fast asleep pressed against his back.

It wasn't that same body that always thwarts Bdubs' plans to slip from their bed come morning, Impulse already on his feet with half-lidded eyes and a step behind Bdubs just to keep Bdubs company whilst he made breakfast. Those same eyes would trace every movement Bdubs made around their kitchen as though it were a waltz he'd be expected to replicate, a dance where every time Bdubs licked a spoon of batter it meant that Impulse just had to swoop in and plant a gentle kiss on Bdubs' lips.

Bdubs has still yet to figure out if that little tidbit is another one of Impulse's affectionate tendencies or just an attempt to steal a taste of breakfast before it's done.

Not that it matters. Bdubs couldn't care less about some ulterior motive so long as he's allowed to bask beneath the attention he'd been deprived of for too long.

"He can't do two or four?" Impulse had asked after Bdubs had grabbed a little too meanly at their covers and thus had to voice his woes. Bdubs had shaken his head and said something useless about Etho not being a fan of meeting at even hours—hell, even numbers in general—because it's some dumb joke they made as kids.

"And he can't meet up any earlier?"

No, Bdubs had said. Short and simple and so unlike himself that for a moment he'd thought Impulse would call him out on it. That Impulse would ask and Bdubs would have to admit that Etho had always been a creature of habit who hated a change in his lifestyle more than he loved Bdubs' smile.

But Impulse had only hummed, quiet and patient, and turned the page in his book.

[moobloom-mention]

Trick or treat!

I got so excited when I saw you were doing trick or treating >:) I love your writing very much :D

Come the Bright, Brilliant Morning [Warm-Up]

Summary: Bdubs can say with confidence that he enjoys his life as the Hermit Kingdom's royal architect. He gets to spend his free time in a monolith he constructed, sketching out blueprints surrounded by the beauty he created around himself.

This is a slice of that.

Content Warning(s): N/A

Word Count: 803

Aww, thank you so much! It always makes my day when I realize my self-indulgent writing is enjoyed by others <3. I've been wanting to experiment with some different styles, so please take this attempt at a stylized royalty-adjacent AU!

----------

The evening sun has nearly set by the time his quill clinks into its inkpot for the final time. 

Cloaked in his finest of green fabrics, Bdubs straightens and cares little for the sequence of pops his movement inspires to crackle along the curvaton of his spine; penance, he calls it, for the long hours he had spent leant over his desk. He cares even less for the smudges of ink he knows have collected at his fingertips when he scrubs at his eyes. He is certain that his cheeks are already tinged with the oil-like substance. What harm could come from more of it? 

Even without the presence of a mirror he knows well that how he appears now is not much different to how he does after a day of gardening, where hours of work beneath dappled sunlight meant accepting that he would never be able to rid the soil from his pores entirely. His freckles would always color themselves a shade darker than the day before—though he might as well condemn the sun for such a slight than the soil he’d been knelt within. 

He could almost think it funny how both activities—in spite of their vast differences—proved to yield similar results once Bdubs announced himself satisfied with his work: the preparing of a bath to scrub away the traces of the day’s activities, a dull ache that would dissipate come morning as though the world would not stand to punish him for completing his chores. 

Even still, he finds his opinion firm that he will never prefer a day of gardening to one spent sketching within the grand walls of the monolith. No, there existed no amount of time he could dedicate in favor of pulling weeds and vegetables that would inspire the same twists his stomach would take whenever he etched another line into parchment. He could never compare any factor in his life to the exhilaration that came with the final acknowledgement that his creation would soon be brought before the King himself. 

It was a feeling that Bdubs had never grown exhausted from in spite of his five years working beneath His Majesty’s eye. Even should his work be met with the similar echo of praise that proclaimed he had done a masterful job, Bdubs would be content to revel for eternity in the affirmation such words served to him on a silver platter. 

This was his true purpose. To design. To create. 

And there existed no finer cup of wine he’d rather drown himself within. 

He hums a soft tune he has long reserved only for the monolith’s walls to echo—a song he swears the wind to bend toward as though it too could learn to mimic his melody. He agrees the thought to hold merit as he casts his gaze beyond the drawing room’s window and toward the forest below. 

The final rays of the sun have only just slipped beneath the rolling hills that surround his land, slivers of golden light peering through the lower branches of firs in a feeble attempt to glimpse the final product of what had inspired his song. 

Just one peek, the sun seems to plead. 

“Come morning,” is his steady reply. 

The last gleam of light fades then, beyond the horizon of his land and with it calms the subtle rustle that’d once plagued the leaves below. Not even the wind finds the ground to object to his words. 

The world has no reason to think him a liar. It has always been this way. 

Come morning, the world recites, Bdubs will slip from his monolith draped in shades of green and greet the early dewdrops that rest upon each blade of grass. He will not prolong the world its plea when he presents his parchment to the rays of dappled sunlight that seep through the firs, quiet whilst the sun fawns over his creation until it has grown warm with its pride. 

Come morning, the world will watch him slip the parchment into the saddlebags of a horse, face smooth without the concern for whether its edges would crease in the journey ahead. This comfort, it knows, is the one that comes only with the peace of familiarity. It is in the same motion of ease that he will guide her from her stall and admire the glimmer of her speckled black coat amidst his movements to tighten her saddle and arrange her bit. 

Come morning, the world will bask beneath the knowledge that Bdubs hosts no reason to raise his temper so early. The sky will be unclouded, the wind only a gentle break from the sun’s warm rays. Everything will be in perfect arrangement. 

Come the bright, brilliant morning, Bdubs promises. Come the bright, brilliant morning, things will be alright.