Dear DoubleO

Not Quite Homework

Etho slammed the door of his apartment behind him before rushing to his room. He set his half melted ice cream down on his nightstand, threw his backpack into a corner, and flopped backwards onto the comfort of his mattress. The gray bed sheets had all been shoved to the bottom of the bed when he had gotten up earlier that day. He hated past Etho for not making the bed like he usually did in the mornings, just another thing to worry about right now. Speaking of worries, the events of the past few hours had set in.His friends probably thought he was a fool, and they were probably right. He embarrassed himself in front of Bdubs, his bed wasn't made like normal, and he still had that stupid English assignment to start.

Etho rolled onto his stomach and covered his head with a pillow. Although the pillow couldn't stop the headache forming in his skull, it at least made him feel a tiny bit better. Usually he wasn't this dramatic, but he was an undeniable overthinker and Etho had screwed up. In front of Bdubs nonetheless! As if he didn't have a shot with him before, he definitely didn't have one now! He could tell Bdubs a thousand things he liked about him but he just knew that Bdubs would laugh at him, just like in Stress's shop. Stupid headache, stupid ice cream, stupid love, stupid foolish clumsy zoning out brain.

After wallowing in his shame for about twenty minutes, Etho finally decided it was time to do something productive. He needed to distract his mind because all the overthinking was getting him nowhere. The first thing he did was get up and put the melted ice cream in the freezer. He was doubtful that it'd save the soupy treat but he decided to try refreezing it anyway.

While in the kitchen, he was surprised to find that (for once) his roommates had actually somewhat tried to clean up. The small brown cabinets were usually littered with stains and the white tile floor was never swept. But today, everything was almost perfectly clean (with the exception of a few dishes in the sink and the photos hung to the fridge by magnets being crooked). He wasn't a clean freak, but Etho hated it when the apartment was a mess and spent copious hours making it look neat. He needed order, and if the house wasn't in order he'd clean it (much to the delight of his roommates). Etho didn't know what gods were pitying him today, but there had to be at least one sending some good luck and an orderly house after his slip up at the parlor.

Knowing that the kitchen was clean, Etho went to check the other rooms in the house. They were also all clean. 'Is this even my house? Are my roommates clones or something? Why is everything so clean?' He was just about to thank his lucky stars when a small note on the coffee table caught his eye.

Hey Etho! Doc and I went to Mumbo's place to win a bet. Don't question it :) Anyway, we cleaned the house. You've been spending too much time cleaning and not enough time improving your grades. Now you have no choice but to STUDY!!! Left some tea in the kettle for ya on the stove. Also if you need study snacks there's some totally normal homemade cookies in the pantry. We'll be back late so don't bother locking up. Luv u roomie! -IskallMan

Of course his roommates didn't just clean the apartment to thank him for always doing the chores. Of course they had to force him to study. And of course Doc had brewed him his favorite tea despite being more of a coffee guy himself. Etho was both endeared and annoyed that they were looking out for him. His grades were fine enough ( C's and B's still graduate), and he had plenty other things to do than work on school work... right? He thought through all the things he usually did when he got home and realized that with the apartment clean, there was really only one thing that still needed to be done: his English essay. School work. Darn it.

Etho poured himself some tea and opened the pantry to reveal a batch of half burnt chocolate chip cookies. He assumed that Iskall had tried to copy one of Cleo's recipes again and inevitably failed... again. Etho grabbed a singular cookie out of courtesy and jogged back to his room. He made his way over to the desk in the corner and set down his snacks before going to retrieve his backpack and the dreaded paper.

It was almost like deja vu, with the blank essay paper just sitting there staring up at him the same way it had in English class. The only difference was that there was no longer a Bdubs to get distracted by now. He found himself missing the small boy, wishing that he could listen to Bdubs ramble about his garden again, or even just to see Bdubs's smile. He had a beautiful smile, and gosh did Etho love his smile. It wasn't just his smile either. Etho loved how Bdubs was the perfect height for teasing. He loved that Bdubs styled his hair with a bandana because it helped keep his hair out of his face. He loved the way Bdubs's eyes sparkled when he talked about new projects he was working on. In reality, Etho just loved Bdubs.

But, sadly, Bdubs wasn't there with him. It was just Etho, trying to ignore his headache, staring at an empty page that was supposed to contain a note to someone who would never get to see it. It all sounded so depressing.

Wait... writing a note to someone... but they never see it? Suddenly, Etho had an idea. His mind buzzed as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a few pieces of notebook paper, temporarily discarding his essay to the side. He excitedly grabbed the first pencil in sight and started writing. His pencil connected with the top of the page and the Graphite made a soft scratching sound as it slid across the parchment writing the first simple sentence.

Dear DoubleO,

If nothing else, I want you to know I'm helplessly in love with you.

It was a cheesy start, but once he started the words just kept coming. All the thoughts he'd had for the last year, all the words he wished he could say to Bdubs's face, everything came cascading down into a waterfall of paragraphs.

Etho wrote until his hand was sore and the pencil had dulled. In front of him sat his masterpiece, his confession! A confession that said everything he ever wanted to say so clearly! A confession that he loved him! A confession that... will never be spoken, a confession that would never be reciprocated. Etho felt his smile drop. This was the stupidest thing he'd ever written, wasn't it. He looked at the paper and wrote one last sentence before signing the bottom.

The sad truth of this writing is that I could never actually say any of this, and Bdubs will never see this letter, and I am a sad excuse of a lover for anyone.

Love, Etho

He could feel the tears pricking at the corners of his eyes but he refused to let them show. If people couldn't see the letter, they most certainly couldn't see the emotions behind it. So with that, Etho crumpled up the note and shoved it in the bottom of his desk drawer to never be seen again. He got up from his desk and moved over to collapse onto his bed. Once he hit the pillows, Etho fell asleep almost instantly. He left nothing but a cold, untouched cup of tea, a blank essay paper, and a love letter filled with the dead butterflies from his stomach that had all been squashed by his fear or rejection.

__________________________________________________________

Hey team! This is it: The set up for literally the whole book. ALSO! I promise Y'all will get to see what is written in the letter soon but for now you must be patient. Ill leave you in suspense for now because I am evil >:) (And also I have a plan which involves waiting for the letter reveal). For anyone who reads this here's the question of the day- Do you think Iskall's homade chocolate chip cookies tasted any good? Anyways enjoy your day!