Smallethubs fluff 😈
The first request I got, this one's for you anon! Not quite fluff, not angst either; secret third thing (shortgrass rivalry)
Written in part due to shortgrass week. It's a mix of day 6 (neigh-sayer) as well because why not. For context Joel and Bdubs argue about horses and then about Etho, references to S11 HC are there too because they are just like that. The writing is a bit clunky and they should really just kiss about it but what can you do
Day 7 - Etho's Exes (1.8k words)
“Come on Idi, your chest is right—no, not there—no where are you—oh great! Yeah that’s what I wanted you to do, I wanted you to walk a hundred miles further to that chest. Oh you found nothing? What a surprise!”
Bdubs barely restrains himself from giving the copper gollum a stern kick to the behind, mainly because he’s better than that—and also because it hurt like hell the last time—as he lets out a loud groan of frustration. He’ll be the first to say it since everyone else seems to be simply enamored by these hunks of trash but copper gollums were a complete bust! Xisuma had come over a few days ago with a few tips and tricks and Etho was talking about things he had learned from his own personal disappointments but from what Bdubs was seeing was that they were slow, stupid and basically useless! He wanted nothing more than to drop the robotics class but it was the only class he shared with Etho.
And maybe he wanted to be the one teaching Etho something for once in his life. Sue him!
“Better off teaching lucious 2 to sort items.” He grumbles as he plops down on the nearest chair, crossing his arms over his chest. Mor turns towards him, block of clay in hand, making a little whirling noise that had Bdubs turning his nose up. “No! You can’t just act cute and expect me to like you because of that, it won’t work with Joel and it won’t work with you either.”
“What about me?”
Bdubs jumps up, whipping his head around to see Joel at the front door; smirking at Bdubs from his stupid, eyesore of a hat.
“What are you doing here scum?!” Bdubs spits, almost jumping to shove his newly carved wooden horses into the nearest desk drawer and instinctively stepping in front of his copper gollums just in case Joel decides to switch targets. “If you think I’m letting you near my horses, I’ll slice ya!”
Joel was afraid of horses. It wasn’t something he announced to people but Bdubs had found out one day and…and maybe he thought it’d be funny to surprise Joel with a couple of carved ones in his bag and locker. It wasn’t malicious—it’s not like it was a real horse—it was more like…exposure therapy. Horses were wonderful creatures that only the best like he and Etho could fully appreciate and Bdubs thought that Joel would at least like the woodwork, that is until Joel had cut off all the bodies of the horses and dropped only the heads in every free space in Bdubs’s locker.
“Bdubs! Relax!” Joel exclaims, eyes sparkling with amusement. “I told you I don’t kill horses anymore—”
“Yeah right!”
“—I’m a changed man this year.” He continues when Bdubs scoffs, hand still out in front of the desk. “Remember all the chances I got with Scar’s first ‘attempt’ at a horse carving—Pudding, I think—you remember who killed that horse right?”
Bdubs feels his cheeks heat up. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay! That's different! That’s a long standing vendetta between me and Scar.” He rambles, Joel only raising an eyebrow at him in response. “Normally horses—even fake ones—are beautiful creatures who don’t deserve any harm.”
Joel smirks. “Don’t have to explain to me Bdubs, I thought it was cool.”
“Of course you would, you—” Bdubs cuts himself off with a deep breath right before he could curse out Joel’s entire family lineage and then some. He didn’t have the energy for that after his horrible day with the copper golems. “What do you want Joel? If you’re not here for my horses, what do you want?”
“Wanna see a movie with me?”
Bdubs scoffs, almost recoiling in surprise. “And why would I do that?”
Joel’s face shifts into something softer which only makes Bdubs more on edge, he takes a small step forward; not quite meeting Bdubs’ eyes.
“I heard things ended between you and Etho.”
“We didn’t break up! We’re taking a break!” Bdubs shouts defensively, puffing out his cheeks. Maybe he said that too fast, too loud but he was tired of people saying that things were done when they weren’t! “We are taking a very temporary and short break to sort things out, we’ll be back together before you know it.”
“Even after all the fighting?”
“That’s just me and Etho’s relationship.” Bdubs explains, making a small noise at the back of his throat. “We fight and argue and push each other's buttons because that’s how we bond, I mean if Etho was super nice to me for no reason I would get scared.” Bdubs almost shudders at the very thought, hand on his chest. “That’s our thing, our dynamic. A special connection that nobody can replicate, you can say, we've just known each other for that long.”
Bdubs clears his throat as his heart squeezes tightly in his chest, turning back to face Joel. “I don't expect someone like you to understand.”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean you two dated for what? A few months? Psh, amateur numbers.” Bdubs snickers, lips curling into a smug grin. “All you two have left is the same three jokes that you rehash because you guys don’t have anything else to talk about.”
Joel doesn't seem offended, shoving his hands into his pockets. “If you know how to talk to him, why did you guys break up again?”
Bdubs almost reaches over to strangle him.
“Well! I—its complicated!” He gasps, hands squeezing around the edge of the desk. “As I said, someone like you couldn’t begin to comprehend the inner workings of Etho’s mind—”
“When you got unfairly eliminated from the art expo last year did he stand up for you?”
"That's different!” He scowls. “He would’ve gotten kicked out if—”
“So he’ll try to win for you but he won’t defend you when you’re in trouble. Too worried about himself to save you.”
“He cares!” Bdubs hisses, jaw clenched together tightly; blood boiling beneath his skin. “I don’t know why nobody else sees that! He cares about me, he—”
“He’s possessive.” Joel muses, still looking unfazed even as Bdubs stands inches away from him. He's not scared of Bdubs, which was a fact that was going to change if he kept pushing his luck. “Whether it has a use to him or not, he'll never throw it away or let anyone touch it. Not his crappy laptop, his old bag or–” Joel looks at Bdubs, a wide grin and a dismissive look in his eye, “–or an ex-boyfriend.”
Bdubs takes a wild swing at him. Joel catches his fist, twisting his arm with one swift movement that makes his shoulder ache.
“Let go of me you–!”
“What if we pretended to date?” Joel continues, squeezing Bdubs' hand hard in his. “Make him think that you’ve moved on.”
“That won’t work.” Bdubs insists, tugging on his arm still locked in Joel's grip. "He knows me, he knows I’m just—”
“Making him jealous? Well yeah, I know he will, he's not that dumb.” Joel scoffs like it’s obvious, releasing Bdubs’ hand so fast it makes him stumble backwards. “It’s not about him believing we’re madly in love or whatever, it’s about making him think you have no time for him. Make him work for your attention for once.”
“And what do you get out of this huh?” Bdubs counters, one hand on his hips with the other one in Joel’s chest. “You think you’re pulling the wool over my eyes but you’re secretly trying to win him back for yourself aren’t you?”
“Etho? I’m over him.” A lie. Both of them know it. “Take this as a…an olive branch, I just want you to like me Bdubs.”
Joel gives him a sad pout which gets Bdubs to groan. He doesn’t know why Joel has been sucking up to him lately, he's still convinced he's somehow trying to get to his horses.
“Never! Gross! Not in a million years!”
“But I can be such a good boy for you Bdubs.” Bdubs only makes it a half step back when Joel grabs him again–this time by the wrist–voice dripping with enough sweetness to make him sick. “We have so much in common too. Maybe I can convince Etho to share you”
“I’d rather die!”
Joel was pretty, maybe he'd even treat him well…but that wasn't the point! No one who treated horses like that was good in his book!
“Oh but your heart rate is going so fast Bdubs, are you blushing?”
“Just because you’re actin’ crazy.” He spits, throwing Joel's hand off of his arm before pointing towards the door. “Get out of here! Let me work!”
“But what about my proposal?”
“I’ll think about it, now go!”
There's a knock, both of their heads snap to the man near the open door.
“Hello! Anyone home?”
Bdubs is pretty sure both of them could recognize that voice in their sleep at this point. “Act cool.” He hisses.
“I’m always cool.” Joel replies.
“Etho!” Bdubs greets warmly. “I thought you were coming by later.”
“I was but I thought I’d come over now since I had the time.” His eyes are slightly squinted, a sign that he was smiling under the mask. Bdubs is about to speak when Etho’s eyes drift to Bdubs’ left where Joel is fidgeting awkwardly. Bdubs rolls his eyes as Etho looks equally lost on what to say for a second; their awkwardness borderline painful at times. “Joel? Did I interrupt something?”
“Nope! Was just about to leave actually.” Joel grins, snapping into a more relaxed posture before turning back to Bdubs. “I’ll see you tonight, Bdubs!”
“For what?” Etho asks, narrowing his eyes at the two of them.
“Movie.” Joel states, holding back the rest of the explanation with a smile before he's walking out the door. It only takes a second after he's gone for Etho's curiosity to get the better of him.
“When did you and Joel get so close?”
“I wanted to see a movie and he had an extra ticket.” Bdubs explains, biting his tongue before he over explains himself. “Jealous?”
“I thought we were hanging out later?” Etho asks instead of giving a response, the same wetness to his tone whenever he wants something. “You ditching me?”
Normally Bdubs would agree. He’d drop everything to hang out with Etho alone, crawl back to him if he asked; anything to be at the center of his attention. But for a split second he thinks of Joel, his mortal enemy, killer of horses with his stupid hat, his stupid smile and his even stupider plan.
“Can’t shake you off can I?” He chuckles, pushing him playfully away. “We hang out all the time Etho, I can have other friends.”
It wasn't going to work. It wasn't. Etho was going to see right through him right away, he was going to—
“Hey Etho?”
“Yes?”
“You know Joel pretty well right? Can you help me pick out a nice outfit?”