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So... Is Día de Muertos here, and I had to excuse myself to the bathroom to watch the new session on my phone 😃 but I might as well include them on my altar because damn, those were a lot of deaths 😭

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Angel

Summary:

Jimmy begins to notice certain things about his friend and teammate Joel, maybe is not so bad after all.

Notes:

English is not my first language, so there will be spelling and grammar mistakes, feel free to correct me in the comments.

This is the shortest thing I've written in my life.

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Jimmy knows that Joel is not human, nor was he a fairy as he appears to be, of course, he had the thin but big bright green wings on his back like any other forest fairy, but something that people did not seem to take into account are his antennae, where the forest fairies would have long, curly antennae at the end, Joel's were smaller green feathery antennae, much like Pearl's moth ones.

Joel is also not a god as he claims to be in Empires, no one can deny that there is certainly something about his white and golden wings that just feels right, maybe it's in how he straightens and proudly displays his wings, as if they were a trophy that no one could ever get their hands on, maybe it's how he seems to handle them so well despite apparently being a fairy.

Or maybe it's the tactical respect that there is between Skizz and Joel in Limited Life, now, it's common knowledge that Skizz is an angel, what kind is a topic that nobody seems to want to touch, but an angel at the end of the day, maybe it's how they seem to have a complete conversation between them with a single look, or how Skizz seems to hold back a reverence at seeing Joel approach and tilt his head a bit instead.

Maybe it's how Skizz calls Joel sir with respect rather than mockery.

At this point Jimmy is pretty sure that Joel is an angel, a high-ranking one to top it off, he really needed to talk to someone, that's why he told Martyn his doubts... Martyn, who has noticed Joel's strange aura since 3rd Life, who tells him he can't confirm anything because he can't hear him, to him Joel is as slippery as to any other player.

He is tempted to ask Joel for himself, that clear until one night at The Bad Boys Manor, he and Grian find Joel lying face down and covered with the blanket in the big nest, something not out of the ordinary, what is not normal is that, instead of the thin fairy wings, Joel spreads the big white wings, his teammate only throws them a lazy look from where he is, as if this were the most normal in the world.

Joel slightly raises both wings in a clear invitation to enter, an invitation that both Watchers do not waste and take quickly, that was at least an hour ago, he can see some strands of Grian's hair protruding from the large wing on the other side of the nest, he is peacefully asleep just like Joel, Jimmy on the other hand is very awake despite all the activity he did during the day.

He can't help but remember the first time he was under one of Joel's wings, it was during a storm in Higher Stratos, Joel being taller than him in Empires, covered his head and body with his wing, Jimmy still remembers the pleasant heat that the wing seemed to give off, the same heat that is now practically on top of him.

Maybe, he thinks as he falls asleep, the man next to him is really an angel, maybe not, whatever it is his friend and Jimmy is happy that it is like this.

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Bites

Summary:

Grian is worried about Joel, who has been returning to base injured. he's really not sure if it was a good idea to meddle in his teammate's business after he found out.

Notes:

this was inspired by THIS post, because it's canon.

English is not my frst language, i'm sorry if some parts don't make sense or there are spelling mistakes

Words: 989

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Grian likes to believe that he is good at analyzing the behaviors and habits of his allies, It is easy to predict Jimmy almost at the 100%, they have been friends for years and can call him his younger brother without problems.

Joel on the other hand is almost unpredictable.

He is not proud to admit that he tried to spy on Joel as a Watcher, only to realize that his ally did not appear on his radar, that scared him at first, he threw a few hints here and there for a few days, hints that earned him disapproving looks from Tim, but Joel did not seem to get them, he really did not seem to notice how anxious he began to put Grian.

Or maybe he did and preferred not to say anything about it, Joel is that kind of person, notary something and would not say anything if it does not favor him at all, Grian knows that Joel knows what he will ask questions with answers that he can not give, so neither of them addresses the subject, for now at least.

Grian really wants to talk about it, especially now that Joel has started to return to the roof of the mansion injured after going to who knows where, well, I wouldn't exactly say hurt, but it seems that he fought with two lonely zombies and lost because of the amount of bites he has managed to see, look, you can't blame him for looking, Privacy is basically non-existent at the base, they sleep together in a big nest for God's sake.

It is almost impossible not to look when they get dressed in the morning, more impossible not to look at the various bites on Joel's body, actually, they seem to increase with the passing of the days and it is becoming worrying, they started on the fingers, hands and arms, at first he thought he was hurting himself, but they quickly began to appear along his torso and back, and they don't really look like... Those kinds of bites, they were clearly made to damage and draw blood.

Even when they healed thanks to respawn, Joel always returned to the same state in a matter of a few days, he is becoming worrisome and he is not sure he wants to ask, it is also not that he can use his Watcher powers with him, it is really obvious that someone is doing this to him, the first person he thought of could be was Cleo because... You know, being a zombie.

But neither of them is really close enough for Joel to let her do such a thing, or for Cleo to even think about doing something like that, his second choice had been Impulse, they weren't particularly close, but there was a kind of tactical trust between them, but the man has told him that heshasn't been seeing Joel, Sure, he might be lying, but he didn't really find any sign that he was.

He spent days trying to find the right way to once and for all ask Joel when finally found the culprit.

He couldn't help but feel a little surprised, not by the person but by how the person looks, Etho exhibited in a way that looked proud the bites on his arms while cutting wood, actually, he is also a little surprised that it is Etho, both men seemed to hate each other even after the events happened in Double Life so you can't blame him.

Both were the only ones in the small Dark Forest biome while maintaining eye contact, Grian wasn't sure if Etho was uncomfortable or if he was just waiting for him to speak because of his neutral face, so he opened the mouth to speak "So..." This is definitely awkward "So?" And Etho doesn't really help much "You and Joel?" You can't blame him, okay? He is still a little surprised with this new discovery.

The man in front of him instead of answering stares at him for a few seconds, then puts on the jacket previously tied at his waist and proceeds to leave "You can't just leave!" He simply walked away, leaving Grian behind with more questions than answers, when did this start? The first time he saw Joel he already had a lot of marks on his hands and arms.

Maybe at the beginning of the game? Weeks later? Why even do something like that?

"Because I'm a hybrid wolf Grian" Joel replies "Wolves show affection in different ways, from nibbling to howling" That makes sense, or something, and still- "Those aren't just nibbles Joel! They are bites, which, I am very sure drew blood!" He's not screaming, okay? He just raise his voice a little, you can't blame him for even being a little worried.

"It's because they're bitten by possessiveness Grian, look, I won't lie and say I don't like Bdubs, he's a great man and an amazing builder and I like to think we're at least kind of like friends," he says, grimacing with his face "But seeing him being so sticky with Etho even being on opposite teams has started to affect my instincts."

"...Instincts?" Grian asks, this... This isn't what he believes it is, right? "Etho and I stopped being teammates and became more like... mates, since Double Life, Grian"

Oh

OH

"Oh..." "Yeah, Oh." Both are silent again, staring into each other's eyes, he tells himself that this became a little uncomfortable, so he opens his mouth to say something, anything, but he cannot pronounce anything so he closes it again, maybe he should not have seen asked, maybe he should have pretended he did not see anything when he ran into Etho, Grian is regretting having delved into the whole scare of the bites.

One thing Grian learned that day was that sometimes it's better not to see or know everything.

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Headache

Summary:

Joel goes to work with what he thinks is just a minor headache, which he regrets a few hours later. Etho on the other hand doesn't know how to feel or what to do besides getting lost in his memories.

Notes:

Inspired by When I fall asleep by Eatgreass.

English is not my frst language, i'm sorry if some parts don't make sense or there are spelling mistakes, i have dyslexia and that doesn't make it any batter.

Words:2562

AO3 LINK

Joel has a horrible headache.

Started when he waking up, it was just a few rhythmic pangs behind his eyes at first, nothing that hadn't happened before, so he assumed that it would fade throughout the day, as it has before, so he ended up leaving his house straight to work.

Now, he will be the first to admit that it wasn't the best idea to go the way he went to work, especially if the work is in place with constant noise like a coffee shop, while the "kitchens" as he like to call it, aren't exactly quiet, he ever heard machines and utensils sound as loud as they are now.

His inefficiency in the kitchen was beginning to be noticed, but not enough to attract attention. The throbbing pain behind his eyes intensified and began to spread to his temples and the back of his head, he can't really tell if it's migraine or a sinus headache, although if he remembers correctly both are usually confused, he... He should really concentrate on work.

Now, Joel loves his friends, he really does, everyone involved in this coffee shop has known each other for years, some more than others, but friends anyway, but working in the kitchen with Scar, Jimmy, Bdubs and Pearl with a headache that grows with the minutes, is not exactly the best, the four of them are great cooks, even if they don't really seem to be.

The four cooks were talkative at best, at worst they would be making a lot of noise here and there, and Joel, as the least favorite person of the gods, had to deal with the second thing, Bdubs and Pearl shouting over the noise of the machines, Jimmy and Scar walked back and forth also talking to each other.

And Joel, he was trying not to yell at them to shut up their fucking mouths, Pearl as the little angel that she is, sent him for a new bag of coffee, so he quickly left the kitchens, something that now does not know if it was a good idea, he took with force the edge of one of the shelves of the cupboard room while with the other he held the damn bag of coffee counts his chest, trying not to drop it after the sudden throbbing pain all over his head.

The brand was expensive, and it was even more so because of the big bags they buy, he is not willing to let Martyn or BigB give him the news that it was deducted from his salary, so he slowly drops to his knees, puts the bag aside and once again takes one of the shelves with both hands, He rests his forehead on the cool of it, he is quite sure that at any moment he will start to have a fever.

He really should go home, it will not be good for anyone if he is working this way, if his assumptions are true, at any moment the flu will start and shortly after the sneezing, he could spread whatever he has to his colleagues and worse, to a lot of clients, yep, he should leave.

The problem is that he doesn't think he's in the best condition to drive, he could ask Ren or Tango, maybe even Lizzie, but then he remembers that Ren is head of human resources and surely stuck on paperwork, he is sure that Tango, sales manager, is in a meeting with his CEO, Grian, and when he thinks better, Lizzie is not an option either, the woman is a waitress and the place is a bit crowded today.

Contrary to what Joel has thought before, Pearl is not an angel, he is a little imp who, when she finds him in a pathetic state for someone like him, drags him almost to BigB's office, who helped him sit up and gave him fresh water, did nothing for him but clear his mind a little of the pain, he can hear Pearl talking to BigB about something in the haze of his brain, he's a little more focused on not falling asleep on the couch he's on.

The sofas in Martyn and BigB's offices were always very comfortable, sometimes on less busy days some of them would go to their offices to help with the paperwork they were stuck on, something they seemed to appreciate if the kind and caring smiles of both men had anything to say, he... he is drifting again, he should focus on whatever his partner and boss are talking about.

But the cushions he has sunk into are comfortable, maybe he could sleep, surely BigB will understand, BigB is a kind man who cares about employees, employees who have been his friends for years, he is an employee so it's okay, he will sleep a few minutes on this sofa and feel better, That always works when his head hurts.

Of course it didn't last long, a hand on his shoulder gently shook him to wake him up, of course it was Pearl, the one in the red apron gave him a smile and worried eyes, Joel for his part closed his eyes again and ran more in place in the one who was already half lying down "Joel, come on man you need to get up to go home." He doesn't want to get up, he is comfortable where he is, so he just let out a little moan of disapproval.

"I'm sure i can get him to the car." Etho , he is sure that the voice is Etho's, but Etho works on the security part What does he do in the BigB office? Did something happen? Maybe just talk? No, they're friends, but none of them are particularly talkative "Are you sure? Joel isn't exactly lightweight" Cleo, she's the only one besides Etho who works in security, maybe something really happened? "I'll be fine, I found the keys in his vest, and it shouldn't be that difficult."

Wowowow what are they talking about again? He really should pay more attention, aren't they thinking of kidnapping him, right? No, that wouldn't be very stupid, they are all his friends... they're his friends, right? Yes, yes they are idiot, wait. Pearl said something about going home and Etho something about having his keys, aren't they thinking about taking his car, right?

The last time someone else drove his car ended up in the workshop, Skizz, one of the waiters, and Impulse, his director of operations, inadvertently annoyed a bunch of idiots with superiority complex in the bar who ended up breaking the windows, the rearview mirrors and punching one of the tires, both apologized profusely and paid for the damages between them. so no, he doesn't like someone else driving his car thank

you very much, so he got up from his place with a grunt of annoyance. "I can drive home, thank you very much," he said, taking his keys from Eteo's hand when he was close enough.

But Cleo, who was next to him, took them out of his hands again making him almost silent if it were not because he held on to the lapels of Etho's jacket "That's the most painful lie I heard come out of your mouth Bud" Fuck, he can lie perfectly Cleo thank you very much, but instead of saying something he let all his weight fall on the man in front of him.

Etho hurriedly held him by the waist to prevent him from falling, even so, his head moved very fast for his liking, so he let out a small plaintive moan, he could hear Pearl laughing in a low voice, Cleo snorting amused, and BigB let out a sigh, it was BigB who was next to speak, He was short and full of worry so he decided to try to concentrate "Please just let Etho take you home, I'm sure your bed is much more comfortable than my sofa."

That's actually it sounded great, he missed his bed and he really wanted to sleep, so he shook his head up and down slowly, his face is hidden between the big fluff of Etho's vest and the union of the neck and shoulder of it, that kept away light trying to go through his eyelids, that and that was warm, he went from wanting to get into a tub of thread to wanting to cover himself with a bunch of sheets.

That probably wasn't right "It's okay Bud, let's take you home." True, Etho is driving because he can barely stay awake, even so, he tried to move away to at least try to walk, but, l-look you can not blame him for the scared scream he let out, the first thing he knows is that he is trying to walk and the next his feet have left the ground, he took a long time embarrassed between laughter from his four friends so that his brain processed what was happening.

Etho was carrying him in bridal style, out of sheer spite he unbalanced his weight as much as he could, but the idiot had the nerve to laugh, he was not in the mood, he was tired and wanted to sleep, so he hid his face just like a few moments ago and closed his eyes, he could hear BigB talk about something with Etho, I also hear a couple of footsteps clearly belonging to Cleo and Pearl coming out of the office as they said goodbye.

He don't hear much more of that, he has finally fallen asleep after many interruptions, or at least assumes that he slept, had a small moment of clarity in the passenger seat of his own car, was wearing Etho's vest as a blanket, no complaint, was comfortable and warm and within seconds was out once again.

That was at least 4 hours ago, and Etho, who let BigB know that he would stay at Joel's house to take care of him because he lived alone, was regretting his actions, now, they are not strangers at all, they are friends, in truth, difficult not to be when they had to live together for almost 2 years, it had not been his intention for both to end up that way, but Bdubs was already living with Ren and Impulse so he really could not stay for

long, he does not know how he ended up at Joel's door or how exactly he found his address.

But when they least realized they were living peacefully under the same roof, none had talked much to each other before that, at best they were acquaintances, at worst they were just two strangers in the same group of friends, they got along better than they thought they would, Joel even let him choose between the two unused rooms.

Before long his room looked almost the same as his old apartment, except that he had much more space than before, it was a bit funny actually, the reason why he was kicked out of his old apartment building, some idiot had been stealing from the same floor he lived on, The neighbors for some reason that even today does not understand began to label him as the thief.

He was evicted days later, and even when they caught the real thief and offered him back, he didn't, he wouldn't have done it even if someone was paid the damn rent, he was happy living with Joel thank you very much, or he was until he found a new apartment, Joel even helped him move in.

He's getting very sidetracked, isn't he? He really can't help it, he hasn't been at Joel's house for quite a while "2 or 3 years maybe?" sounds like a short time when he says it out loud, although it feels like a lot more time has passed, it's not like he doesn't see Joel often, they work in the same place and while they're not from the same section, Their lunches are usually at the same time.

Joel denies it, but Etho knows that something changed between them the moment he leave the house, the talks, lunches and group outings are not uncomfortable at all, but they certainly did not talk as much as Etho would like, the first weeks Joel was tense around him, as if he were walking on fine ice, One misstep and it would fall into the deep, dark icy waters, at least that's how he described it after speaking for hours days later.

He's swerving again, he really needs to get out of his head if he wants to properly take care of Joel, Joel, who is in his bedroom sleeping while he's in the living room, a living room that has a neatly carved dark wood coffee table instead of the old glass one that once stood in place, he wonders if Joel would finally let him eat in the living room without fear that he might break the thing by dropping his hands hard while watching TV.

He almost gave the poor man a heart attack the first time it happened, they stopped eating in the living room and instead chatted during meals in the dining room, even on the kitchen island, watching movies that Joel knew would cause strong emotions, he would keep him in place by lying on him or holding his hand.

He miss living with Joel, even today sometimes expects Joel to enter the kitchen in the mornings with his hair disheveled to order a cup of black coffee, he had always found it endearing, for someone who has been working in a coffee shop for years he had horrible tastes.

He really should see how Joel is, so he finally gets off the couch, has given him pills before he went back to sleep, although it did not sit well with him, Joel barely and had been fully aware of what he was taking, it almost felt like he was drugging someone.

He shakes his head in an attempt to get out of his head, goes upstairs with a glass of water in hand, he doesn't know when he takes it, but he doesn't care much, when he opens the door he can see Joel's head sticking out a little under the covers and his vest, oh... Right, Joel had refused to return it even in the delirious state it was in and Etho was unwilling to fight a sick man over a jacket he would get back tomorrow.

Or he hopes to get it back tomorrow, but whatever, he leaves the glass on the bedside table and takes Joel's temperature, the medicine has given it has lowered the temperature, but not quite, Etho watches as his friend gets completely under the covers, it's a bit cute actually, he never saw Joel sick beyond a little flu or a cough, It usually faded completely with 1 or 2 pills or a little syrup.

He's never seen Joel this way, he doesn't know if he should do anything besides wait for him to wake up, maybe make shiro-miso soup? Maybe he should, Joel always radiated joy when he told him they would have shiro-miso for dinner, maybe even some orange juice? No, Joel hates orange juice.

Apple juice will be then.

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I had a very strange dream where Skizz and Jimmy died together, Skizz had 1 minute and Tim just 20 seconds, so when Tim died Skizz say somthing like ''See ya next time bud'' and now cant stop think about that.

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Jealous Boy

Summary:Joel begins to notice certain behaviors from his Ex-Soulmate, he certainly isn't disappointed with what he finds.

Words:1259

Notes: English is not my frst language, i'm sorry if some parts don't make sense or there are spelling mistakes, i have dyslexia and that doesn't make it any batter.

I can't balive the first thing i post here is a Boat Boys One-Shot

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Etho is a jealous man.

It's something Joel learned in the previous death game, his attention always came back one way or another to Bdubs, he's not an idiot, he notice each of Etho's attempts to separate "the perfect couple" that were Impulse and Bdubs, the redstoner's jealous and almost obsessive behavior was obvious to him, Joel didn't really care, not like people, and even Impulse himself, seemed to wait, as long as Etho did his part not to die, for him it's okay.

That doesn't mean he didn't become annoying a few days later, easily familiarizing himself with the feeling of not being wanted, although that seemed to change when he built the ship, Etho put aside Bdubs but not quite, quite understandable actually, both were quite close during the two games leading up to Double Life.

But one thing about Joel didn't expect is that the behavior that was once meant for Bdubs, was now destined for him.

You can't blame him for being shocked to realize what was happening, he started with something he at first thought was just a joke, maybe even a minor claim, "so you're going to make a boat with a new friend 'ey Joel", the death of the cow was just an afterthought, something he did just on the whim of doing it.

While Etho threatened to shoot anything or person valuable or important to Joel, while he stated out loud in front of Jimmy and Tango that they were now enemies, their behavior days later seemed to say otherwise, it took him a while to notice it, but once he did it was impossible to overlook, Etho was basically in his head for months in Double Life, He knows the things that bother him, so it's not hard for him to make him angry.

And if there is something that Joel hates in these games, it is the fishing rods, more specifically he hates when he tries to pull him with the damn thing, Etho himself hates it, he knows it because it is engraved in the minds of both since his red because of the same, so he really do not hesitate to threaten his ex soulmate, he was willing to take his own life if it meant being able to kill Etho.

And Etho seemed to take his threat seriously, a few days passed without further incident, that's when Grian decided it would be a good idea to go AFK, being basically a state of deep sleep, the problems started a short time later, he didn't go into details, his head still hurts just remembering, problems came and went and deaths happened in droves, being he the cause of some.

During that time there really weren't many changes in their interactions, maybe a comment here and there from both of them, things changed when he accidentally call Jimmy Babe in front of Etho, it's supposed to just be a joke okay? You can't blame him,

he usually calls his friends babe, it's a nickname that's stayed around over the years, and he's more than sure that at some point he call Etho the same way.

It was the next day that the changes began, they were small changes like prolonged eye contact, standing closer than necessary when he had the opportunity or even the tone of his voice, which went from being sharp and suspicious to soft and almost affectionate, it was almost as if they were back in DL, he had become so used to those little things that he don't even notice when they happened again.

Attempts to separate him from the Bad Boys occurred a few days later, passive-aggressive comments were directed at the other two men, Etho took it upon himself to point out Grian's affinity for ending the lives of his teammates, he also pointed out how Jimmy was always the first to leave the games, inevitably taking others with him. Pretty low blows if you ask Joel.

He was also in charge of spreading rumors, such as how Grian seemed to put more and more his eyes on Scar, how he heard Scott and Jimmy talk about teaming up again, the idiot is really going for his insecurity of ending up alone, not a lie, he almost accepted when Etho offered a place on the T.I.E.S. team.

But he remembered how a cold night in the nest Grian expressed his refusal to partner with Scar, he remembered how Jimmy said in a very serious way how he did not want to betray or be betrayed, so, although the idea was tempting, he sent Etho and his offer to shit, deciding to keep the songbirds by his side, Etho was clearly not happy with his refusal to be on the same team, he could perfectly see the frustration on his face.

And it seems that Bdubs also noticed, the man tried to make him talk, but Etho did not seem very interested in telling him the cause of his anger, he did not really seem interested in Bdubs at all, his days seemed to be divided between being with his team and trying to get Joel's attention, he on the other hand did not understand.

Not at least until contact began.

Etho doesn't shy away from physical contact, one of the things he caught on in Double Life, is that he actually seems to enjoy it, he never starts it, it's Joel, who after small pushes and tentative hands on his shoulders and arms, which began to be more susceptible to things like resting his weight on each other, Hugs also began to occur and they even walked hand in hand at times.

Double Life was full of physical contact between them, at least when Etho started paying attention to it, Bdubs seemed surprised, although he's sure it was the fact that Etho let Joel be so tactile with him that had him so surprised, the narcissistic little shit.

The thing is, Etho NEVER initiates physical contact, so you'll surely understand his surprise when one day Etho took his hand out of nowhere, he doesn't remember much of what happened before or even after that, only that his brain short-circuited when he again felt the familiar sensation of his ex soulmate's hand. he's pretty sure he had to be dragged out of the mansion by Grian, the only thing etched in his mind is what he was pretty sure was an arrogant smile from Etho as he left.

That and the phantom sensation of fingers intertwined with his own.

It was only moments later that he started going over all his previous interactions, and oh, he felt so, so stupid for not noticing it sooner, Etho was acting so desperately that it was painfully obvious, he wouldn't be surprised even if Scar and Jimmy have noticed it before him, Joel, who was so blinded by the sense of familiarity those actions gave him that he never questioned it.

It was a bit embarrassing that it took Etho to hold his hand on his own to notice everything, it was so embarrassing that I consider not coming back down from the roof, but the vertigo in his chest at the thought of not returning to his soulmate did not let him stay, knowing that the further he moves away from Etho the more is in his mind gave him a twisted feeling of possessiveness.

because if that was what it took for etho to chase after him, then goddammit he’ll run.

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This was stuck in my head after seeing a little comic here and I don't regret it.