SPACE!!! (i’m so negative) - Chapter 4

Instructions

* Chapter 4 * Tw: Shipping (this is a tw for all chapters going forward, the characters are together/think about being together) “Cmon? Surely he doesn’t have to go? He seems genuinely scared,” Ren spoke to someone through the ship’s communications back to home base. “We’re trading resources AND skills, Ren. Etho’s just going to have to suck it up,” Martyn argued back before those on the other end of the line got a chance to talk back. “Martyn is correct, Ren, Etho especially needs to go, we agreed to trade our redstone knowledge, even if he wasn’t told when he first started training or when he boarded properly,” the man on the other end of the line said, before promptly cutting out, or maybe he closed the comms channel? He could never really tell. Ren sighed as Martyn rested a hand against his, “Hey, you tried, I’m sure Etho’ll be glad you tried?” “You haven’t even talked to him since we’ve gone up, Martyn !” He frowned. “Hes.. something’s off about him, I can feel it.” They insisted. “You don’t have to be paranoid anymore, Mar.. You’re safe here.” He said, gently cupping Martyn’s face with his hand, lingering slightly before just resting it on their shoulder. “This isn’t me being paranoid! Something is really up with that guy, I swear!” They argued. Ren just sighed, “Alright… I’ll look into it, just.. it’s late. Let’s just go to sleep, alright?” “Alright..” Martyn eventually relented, too tired to really argue and instead dragging Ren back to his room for the night, where Martyn undeniable slept better. Call it comfort or luck or whatever, but he just really preferred resting with Ren. He just always took the time to make sure he was comfortable, and by some stroke of luck or genius, Ren always knew how to make him truly feel safe. And there was no way Martyn was giving that up. ~ Etho yawned, still curled up with Bdubs, despite them having been awake for the past few hours and just chilling. “How are you still tired?” Bdubs laughed. “I’m not! I don’t even know why I’m yawning!” Etho laughed too. “Uh-huh,” he said skeptically. “I’m just relaxed! I love hanging out with you like this,” he said. Bdubs laughed a little and ran a hand through Etho’s hair gently, and Etho promptly melted into the contact. That same warm feeling returning to his face, not helped when Bdubs just rested his chin on top of Etho’s head. Bdubs had been pulled away to haul boxes somewhere when Etho heard Ren needed to talk to him. When he finally found Ren, he was in the main control room, and it’s Martyn currently supervising the auto-pilot route, alongside Ren. “Ah! Etho! My friend! Take a seat, I’m afraid I don’t have good news for you,” Ren said, gesturing to a seat in the back of the room. Etho went and took a seat, bracing himself for what he knew was coming. “Look.. I tried to get them to let you stay on board but..” “They said no?” Etho guessed. Ren nodded. “It’s.. it’s fine! I’ll just try avoid aliens, that’s probably what makes me feel the most nervous-” “Etho- They want to trade redstone knowledge. You’re… probably going to have to talk to at least some of them.” “Oh.” ~ After Etho had left, Martyn got up from where he’d been sitting, and walked over to Ren. “You tried, Ren.. I’m sure Etho’ll understand that,” he said, putting a hand on Ren’s shoulder. ”I just feel so bad.. he clearly doesn’t want to go!” He mumbled, turning and resting his forehead against his shoulder. “That’s not your fault! He didn’t seem upset at you, either!” Martyn argued with him. “Stupid corporate…” Ren muttered. “Cmon… let’s just go relax somewhere, you seem exhausted,” he said taking his hand in his, and pressing a little kiss to his cheek. “Okay..” he nodded, following him out. ~ A few days passed, with Etho stuck in his own head, worrying about Trelpho. About Cleo. About home. What would happen if he saw one of his friends? If Cleo told the crew about where he came from? And even now, as he was sat alone in his room, the thoughts kept running through his head. He glanced over at the picture of him and Bdubs that he kept in his room. How would he even tell Bdubs? What would Bdubs even think of him? But the thing that truly made Etho feel uncertain was that way that his chest tightened around him, the way his face always went red at the slightest contact. What even is that feeling? The feeling that, given the chance, he’d choose Bdubs over everything. And yknow, the more he thought about that, the more it slowly dawned on him what that feeling was. Of course he’d have to realise he was in love with his best friend and roomate of over a year only a few weeks away from travelling back to Trelpho. Typical Etho.