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It takes Bdubs longer than it should to realize Etho is drunk. To be fair, the three beers now swirling in his own system did make him a tad less aware of the world around him and more just happy to be pleasantly buzzed with his friends. He didn't drink much anymore, and hardly ever with this crowd, but when he got word that there was a bit of a digital after party going on… well, he thought it'd be stupid to pass it up. Something about old times sake.
The streamers involved in the days activities were clearly exhausted and it was very late for the Brits so it didn't take long at all for the "after party" to just turn into a drunken late night crew hangout, still special in the novelty of it all.
Not everyone was drinking, some hermits having given it up all together and some having plans tomorrow that they didn't want a hangover for but it was funny to watch how alcohol clearly affected a few of the hermits' behavior, showing Bdubs a side of them he rarely saw. Tango was singing for heaven's sake.
Now, at first Bdubs figures without much thought that Etho must be one of the sober hermits in all of this. Truth be told, he's kind of surprised — though very glad! — that Etho was there at all, typically the type to shy away from anything a bit too PG-13 even off camera and some of the jokes that were currently being made were R-rated at best. And he really isn't acting differently, maybe a bit goofier than normal but sometimes Etho is just is in a goofier-than-normal mood and maybe the drunkenness of the other hermits was just bringing something out in him.
It isn't until Skizz asks them all what they're drinking and Etho responds with some Canadian beer he's never heard of that Bdubs starts to pay attention.
And really… he isn't acting that differently. But now that Bdubs is looking, he can see it.
He's still quiet, maybe even quieter than normal, but he's joining in on conversations that Bdubs never would've expected him to and is a bit too loud in his interjections. Usually for comedic effect, but still out of the ordinary. You don't really expect Etho to do that many impressions in a night. And he was moving differently, or moving his character differently, Bdubs supposes. It's like he can't concentrate, never standing still. He laughs a little longer than normal and his speech is almost higher pitched at times and maybe even a bit slurred, if you really paid attention.
And Bdubs is definitely paying a lot of attention to this. It's not like he'd never heard Etho drunk before, he probably has as this is calling to mind some old Mindcrack charity events that he thought he'd forgotten about. But back then Bdubs wasn't exactly in the habit of monitoring his friends drinking habits.
And he really wasn't in that habit now either. It just feels special with Etho, the way most commonplace things do. With how close Etho keeps his cards to his chest, if you even hear him get up to get a drink of water, you felt like you witnessed a shooting star or got trusted with some great secret. So drunk Etho feels like the most intriguing thing in the world to Bdubs. Especially to a drunk Bdubs.
He doesn't think the others notice and decides to keep it to himself for a while, feeling like it is some secret, a code he was able to crack only by knowing the man for so long. It isn't until only three of them are left and Bdubs and Scar both stopped their conversation to watch Etho go over the same pressure plate for what must've been the hundredth time in a row that he feels like he needs to point it out.
"You're drunk." There's amazement in his voice but it's not a question.
Etho laughs and does a nervous "uh…" that sends Scar off.
"This is incredible! We're getting never before seen Etho lore!"
"Yeah, that when he's drunk, he likes pressure plates. That's really quite something."
"I am tipsy at best, okay?" Etho tries to defend, still a bit too loud.
"Etho, you're still going over the pressure plate."
After that the conversation moves a bit more freely. Maybe Etho was actually trying to keep it under wraps before and now that it was out in the open he feels free to join in a bit more. It's nice. Easy and mellow and fun in a way that has Bdubs relaxing in way he hasn't in a long time.
Eventually Scar leaves for the night, making Bdubs promise to get Etho home safe given his state, and just the two of them are left. It never really crosses Bdubs' mind that maybe he should call it a night too. He had joined this all a bit later than the others and had planned on making a night out of it. Really, it turning out to just be him and Etho is more than he could have hoped for. He really likes this.
At some point they leave Minecraft completely, continuing their lazy conversation while checking emails and wrapping up for the night. And then they're just talking, with no distractions at all but still not quite willing to end the call and pop whatever once-in-a-decade bubble they appear to have found themselves in.
With no visual stimuli except his empty monitor he's currently staring blankly through, Bdubs suddenly becomes very aware of how low Etho's voice has gotten. There is no pixelated Kakashi to look in the eyes of as his friend talks, no personification of him. There was just Etho. The Etho that is currently sitting at his desk talking about something that Bdubs isn't even listening to in a slightly slurred voice. Between Bdubs night-long attempt at categorizing everything that separated drunk Etho from sober Etho and now with nothing to imagine except the actual man talking to him, Bdubs suddenly feels like he can hear the way the other man's lips move as he speaks, slower than normal. He can imagine the way they curl around his teeth when Etho talks through a smile and how he must be leaning back in his chair because he sounds just slightly farther away.
He makes sure to let out occasional hums to let Etho think he's listening but really he just closes his eyes and lets the image wash over him. It's so crystal clear that it makes his head swim and makes him wonder how he didn't see it before. At one point Etho even does a slight stretch, maybe just a tilt of the head, but Bdubs can see it perfectly in his minds eye from the slight sound of movement and the subtlest of groans. It's addicting, imaging him like this, because it isn't even imagining. He feels like he can really see him.
"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?" It's accusatory but it sounds fond at least.
"Not a one," he readily admits, earning an expected laugh from Etho that makes Bdubs laugh in turn, lighting up from feeling as though he's hearing it and seeing it all at once.
"This guy," Etho gripes lightly, "gets me drunk and then leaves me hanging, talking to myself"
"I did not get you drunk, sweetheart, you did that all by yourself," he says through a laugh, incredulous at even the idea that he's responsible for this and it isn't clearly just some miracle that he's getting to witness.
"You used to call me that." It sounds like some sort of revelation. About what, Bdubs doesn't know, already feeling like he's lost track of the conversation again.
"Hm?" he asks, buzzed from all the Etho flooding his system, not to mention the actual alcohol. Maybe he's more drunk than he thought.
"Sweetheart," Etho clarifies, all shy, only half saying it, and Bdubs takes a second to realize that he had called him that, hadn't he? "You sound a lot like you did back then right now," he continues, regaining a bit more steam, "I guess it's the drunkenness, reminds me of 2012 BdoubleO," he finishes with a teasing lilt.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, heaven forbid I have a few drinks with my friends. I don't hear you complaining now."
"I wasn't even complaining then, I like drunk Bdubs, he's nicer to me," Etho says with the most obvious smile in his voice. God, he is cute.
"You're lucky I like drunk Etho too because he's definitely meaner to me. Y'know, you sound a bit like you did back then too. All low and sweet and mischievous. It's cute." He doesn't fully think it through before it's out of his mouth — lowered inhibitions, he supposes — and he waits for Etho to hum and change the subject.
"See, nicer. Sober Bdubs doesn't call me cute." There was that unexpectedness again. It seemed like both of their inhibitions were lowered.
"That's cause sober Etho wouldn't take it. Likes his insults more than his compliments"
"Hmm, I can like both," Etho responds lazily.
"Really? Fine, fine, I'll make sure to put in a good word with the man in charge. Let him know he's all clear to call you cute whenever he wants," Bdubs concedes, earning a shy laugh from Etho
A moment of silence and then: "alright, I- uh, I may need to go," Etho says, sounding slightly reluctant, as though he's trying to convince himself too. There's an air of nervousness in there too. "There's — um, a few things I still need to do before bed"
"Like what?" Bdubs says incredulously, knowing Etho normally would still be playing Minecraft until the sun came up and it isn't that late. And okay, maybe he just doesn't want to this to be over yet. Doesn't want to call in quits and prepare for tomorrow's hangover. He likes what's happening right now. It feels both overwhelmingly old and new, both nostalgic and invigorating. Plus, he likes this side of Etho, even likes this side of himself. He definitely likes whatever air was currently circulating between them, easy and peaceful and tantalizing all at once, and he is just drunk enough to chase it without forcing himself to think better of it.
"You know, lock up, brush my teeth." No real reason to be ending early and he opens his mouth to say so when: "…probably take a cold shower," Etho adds quietly with a slightly breathless laugh, almost guilty.
Bdubs feels his heartbeat pick up a notch and a smile stretch across his face. "You turned on?" His voice is slightly teasing, slightly surprised (at least at him admitting it, even if in his say-it-without-saying-it way), but he makes sure to keep his tone light, giving Etho an out if he wants to just laugh it off and genuinely call it a night.
"A bit, yeah."
Bdubs' breath hitches. This is far from the first time Bdubs has been slightly on edge while talking with Etho late at night. Far from the first time that he's let out a few more suggestive comments to maybe make the conversation a little more interesting, even if just to see how far it can go. It is definitely the first time Etho has been the one to turn up the heat, to say something like this out loud.
Well, Bdubs isn't about to be the one to back down and this conversation is definitely getting interesting. "Well there's other ways of dealing with that, sweetheart," he slurs.
Etho takes a moment to responded and Bdubs hopes he isn't just imagining that he can hear his breathing, that it's faster than normal.
"Maybe for you," Etho eventually responds, lower and quieter and with a bit of embarrassment seeping in. "Some of us have pretty limited options."
Bdubs wonders if Etho's blushing and is suddenly upset that his previously overwhelming mind's eye can only see so much. "You haven't— ?"
"I have," Etho replies, quickly and only a tad defensively. "Just — um… been a while," the shyness is back, "and my imagination gets old."
"Well, I could always lend you my imagination." It comes out quickly and without much thought. Too much alcohol in his bloodstream and too much blood flowing out of his brain and into other areas. He hopes it isn't too much and starts thinking of ways he can spin it into a joke when Etho doesn't immediately respond, despite not delivering it like a joke at all.
"Alright." He says it quietly but not shyly and Bdubs knows this isn't a joke. He can hear the blood rushing in his ears and can't quite remember how they got here but he has one clear thought overpowering all else: do not mess this up.
"Alright," Bdubs repeats, breathless and amazed.
It takes him a long while to figure out what to say next, how to start this… whatever this is about to be. He has to be careful, anything too strong could disrupt whatever fog has settled over them and send one of of them running, maybe even him if he thinks about what was happening and it's implications a little too much. No, he has to keep things light and not completely break pretenses. That's a lot to keep in mind, however, and he is rapidly losing his ability of thinking about anything that isn't how badly he wants to hear what other inflictions Etho's voice can take, what else his mind's eye can garner from it.
Honestly, just the idea that Etho is actually turned on right now is driving him a bit crazy. Not to mention that he could maybe do something about it if he plays his cards right. It already feels like a night of discoveries regarding these different versions of Etho so the thought of discovering so much more… something he's honestly thought about for a long time. He wants it desperately. He wants to know how Etho sounds when he comes undone, how to get him there. What he likes. So he starts there.
"Well, one of my tricks is just imagining it's someone else rather than something else, if you know what I mean. A hand really only feels like a hand but maybe you can imagine it's someone else's hand," mine, "someone who's still figuring out what you like," what do you like?
He receives a hum in return, lightly encouraging him to continue as though this was just normal friendly advice. And it is encouraging, Etho wouldn't give it if he didn't want him to keep going, and honestly even that little vocalization goes straight to his dick. A reminder of who he's talking to. It spurs him on.
"So maybe they start slow, just a light touch against your thigh, thumb caressing the inside." The "your" in that feels too dangerous but he reminds himself that that is allowed, that he's telling Etho what to imagine, and what to do to himself if this is really going the direction Bdubs hoped it was.
"They'd want to explore a bit first, before the main event, make sure you're into it. So they'd probably take their time moving upwards, paying attention to how you react to their hands on you."
There was no reaction except the quiet breathing on the other side but Bdubs figures that that might be the best reaction he can hope for right about now so he powers on, trying to keep his breathing even and not let his overthinking get the better of him.
"If they thought you were responding well, maybe they'd go further, trace your hipbones, spread their fingers and begin to creep under your shirt, your waistband…" A sucked in breath.
Bdubs smiles. He was responding well.
"They'd want to explore your chest, all that skin, let their hands roam and find out where you're most sensitive and then focus there. See how worked up they can get you just from that." His voice is getting breathy and he knows it but it's getting harder and harder to appear unaffected by the words he's saying. He wishes he was feeling Etho's skin, finding where it raises beneath his touch. Would it be hot under his palms or cool, making Etho shy away but warming the more he pressed.
"Bdubs—" Etho breaks his silence, quietly but a bit frantic, like just this is too much, too little. He's getting antsy. It makes Bdubs' dick twitch and his head swim and he's suddenly incredibly aware of how he's straining in his boxers. He doesn't touch himself though, it doesn't feel fair when he hasn't let Etho yet. Maybe he should actually get this show on the road.
"Fine, yes, how about one hand goes up further, presses on your collarbones, your neck, your jaw, wanting to feel more of you. But one hand can go down, back to your upper thigh, not quite giving you want you want but getting there."
Etho makes the tiniest of dissatisfied noises but Bdubs knows he's doing what he asked. It almost makes Bdubs want to see how far he can push him, what he would do, so he chooses to focus on the hand away from the action first.
"Maybe they're a tease, using a finger to trace your jaw first. Thumbing over your cheek as they hold your face." A scratch of stubble and wasn't that interesting? He adds it to the picture he's painting in his head and continues on.
"Pressing their thumb against your lip, against your tongue… while their other hand starts to palm over you, still looking for a reaction." A small stifled moan, like something is in his mouth. It makes Bdubs tilt his head back as he tries to keep himself from returning the sound, hands planted firmly on the arms of his chair.
"They press down harder, trying to draw it out, but think of how desperate they'd be to get their hands on you. With how well you're responding, how good you sound, how good you look?" A needy and beautiful whine that has Bdubs' hand flying to the bulge in his shorts.
"Ah— they wouldn't be able to hold themselves back from giving you what you want, pulling down the fabric to finally have you in their hands." A gasp, a creak of his chair like he's arching into the touch and Bdubs feels like he's losing his mind. He fights with his shorts to get his own cock out and squeeze the base, giving himself some relief and trying to rein himself in all at once.
"They'd go slow, letting you both savor it. Let you feel drag of their hand on you, use their thumb to press on the tip. Discover how you like to be touched and use what leaks out to spread over your cock and help their glide. Would you want it faster? Rougher?"
Etho lets out another muted whine and Bdubs remembers he still has one hand at his mouth.
"They'd take their other hand away from your lips, it'd be hard but they'd want to hear all those pretty sounds you're making. Let it go back to exploring your thighs, more sure this time, pressing and groping your inner things as the other hand tightens their grip. Would you like that?" He's toeing the line and he knows it but Etho gives a pleased hum before he can even begin to doubt himself.
"Good, good. Then they'd keep that up, maybe keep their grip firm but their pace slow, let you fuck into their hand and set the speed how you want it."
"Oh-" Etho chokes out, the sound closer and then farther away and Bdubs knows he's throwing his head back, moving his body to grind into his fist. He can hear the heavy and fast panting coming through, showing what kind of pace Etho is setting, but doesn't increase his own, focusing instead on pushing Etho over the edge.
"They couldn't let you do all the work though, too desperate to touch you, to have you fall apart in their hands. So they'd set their pace hard and fast, giving you what you want." Etho's noises fill his ears, blocking out everything until there's only them and the hand on his dick. The hand that should be Etho's.
It's overwhelming but all the sudden it's not enough. The fact that Bdubs' hands aren't on him, that Etho might legitimately be imagining someone else and just using Bdubs' words as inspiration, it's infuriating. He wants to see him, to feel him, to taste him. Imagined hands aren't enough, he wants his his lips against his and to lick into in his mouth, feel his stubble against his face. He wants to trail his tongue along his body and see his spit on his skin. He wants to know how Etho's cock would feel pressed against his tongue and that wasn't even— he'd never— but he needed it now. Just the thought had his mouth watering and hey— that was an idea.
"Spit," Bdubs bursts out desperately, as if it were self explanatory. "Um- spit is another trick I like," he clarifies. "Pretend it's their's, that they're spitting on your cock and using it to get you off." He hears Etho spit and feels his eyes roll back at how quickly he followed Bdubs' instructions. He squeezes the base of his dick and tries to keep the slow pace, keep it together.
"It's- It's possessive, in a way," a good flick of the wrist has him gasping but he tries to talk through it, "and it's messy. Watch how it combines with your precum, how the two of you mix together the more you stroke yourself. And, y'know, feel's good."
It sounds like it feels good. Etho's outright moaning now and making little whiny noises that were driving Bdubs insane. Bdubs could hear the movement more clearly now, quiet noises getting faster and okay, he couldn't take this any longer. But he still wants to make Etho come first, to hear how he sounds when he falls apart.
Luckily, it seems like Etho is right at that edge as he starts making little "ah" noises and finally breaks with "Bdubs, I- I'm so- please"
It's some of the first words he's said since they started this. His voice is unsteady and frantic and it's the most erotic thing Bdubs has ever heard in his life. He's heard Etho shy and uneasy, low and sweet, how he always was years ago. Heard his voice gain confidence over the years and heard him laugh so hard he loses his breath. He's heard his morning voice and his tired voice, his voice sick and now even him drunk. This though, this was beautiful. It feels like so much more than tonight, like Bdubs has been waiting to hear Etho shaking apart from pleasure for years. Like the last 15 years were building anticipation for right now.
So, maybe Bdubs can be forgiven for losing his mind a bit and forgetting the rules. "Yeah? You gonna come for me, sweetheart?"
-
Sweetheart. Etho has just enough time to gasp and try to choke out Bdubs' name, a desperate "B-!" before lights explode behind his eyes and the world falls away. He's distantly aware that his attempts of keeping quiet earlier were useless because he can hear himself cry out, feel his vocal cords working, but it takes him a long few moments to have enough brain power to care about this.
When he does come to, still stroking himself through the aftershocks, he realizes he has nothing to worry about, that whatever pretenses were left before are definitely gone now. It is incredibly obvious what Bdubs is doing. There's frantic movement, a slight creaking of his chair, and deep moans that would probably have Etho's cock jumping if he weren't currently stroking it straight into overstimulation.
He has a half second of thought on what to do next, the familiar instinct to run rearing it's head, when something ugly and green curls it's way inside him. He doesn't want Bdubs to finish this with his wife, he didn't even really want Bdubs to think of his wife, and he can regret it later but he wants Bdubs to finish because of him, the way he'd finished because of Bdubs.
"You close, BdoubleO?"
A gasp. "So- so close, just, please, I need — keep talking, Etho, please…"
He didn't let himself overthink it. "You should use your spit. I like it too, it's what I would do." He's still not brave enough to completely break the rules to their game, address it, but he puts as much implication as he can in his voice. It's what I would do if it were me. This is how it would feel if it was my hand on you.
And he's rewarded with the sounds of Bdubs coming apart. Loud moans and quiet "Etho"s that have something swelling in his chest. He wishes he could see it and distantly starts to think of ways he could get Bdubs to turn on his camera while not having to return the favor but decides to leave it for another day and bask in the afterglow.
There's a long silence after neither of them know how to break. Etho doesn't feel guilty, maybe it'll hit him tomorrow with the hangover or maybe it won't. He feels like there's already enough things between them that are unexplainable from the outside but make complete sense from within. Maybe this will just be one of them, as long as they're on the same page.
And then Bdubs is laughing and Etho knows that they are. He lets it bubble out of him, letting Bdubs laughter fill him up and spur him on, and laughs until there's nothing left in his lungs. He feels blissed out and he knows that even if they never talk about this again, that won't mean they regret it. And he's drunk enough to admit to himself that this probably will happen again and that just makes him smile even wider.
"I'm gonna have to take a shower anyway," Etho complains, not even trying to keep the smile out of his voice.
Bdubs giggles. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should've let you go earlier. Just wasted your time really."
Etho hums in faux agreement and they sit there for a long moment just listening to each others breathing.
"Goodnight, Bdubs." He makes sure to put as much affection as he can in it, making sure that Bdubs knows how he's feeling.
"Goodnight, Etho," Bdubs returns with just as much warmth, maybe more.