and the stars will be their guides (hermitcraft space au)

tension (nineteen)

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~ and if our world comes tumbling down, i never could forgive myself for leaving out: you're the one, you are the only one ~

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TWs: mentions of a battle/fighting, mentions of death

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Etho paced anxiously in the spotting tower, watching an orange-ish dot of a planet grow bigger as the Hermit-Craft drew closer to it. They'd soon be there, and then it would be time to fight. 

"How close are we?" Beef asked from the floor, where he'd been reading something on his communicator and watching Etho pace. 

"We're getting there," was Etho's nervous response. He glanced over at Beef, sitting there with clear concern for Etho in his eyes. Once again, a thought was pushed to the forefront of his mind, and once again, he pushed it back into darkness where the things meant to be forgotten lived. 

"Hey, we're gonna be okay!" Beef soothed. "We'll fight until the battle ends, and then we'll leave, completely unscathed."

"Not everyone's lucky enough to come home from a battlefield unscathed."

"Yeah, but we're lucky, so we'll be fine!" 

Etho almost laughed. "I'm definitely not lucky."

"I mean, I'd say it's pretty lucky of you to have met me~"

This time, Etho did laugh. "Oh, really?"

"I'm a pretty special person and not everyone has had the chance to get to know me, so, yes."

Etho hummed, pretending to think about it. "I guess you are special . . ."

"Uh-huh," Beef responded, much more eagerly than Etho would've expected.

"I suppose that would make me lucky then."

"Exactly!" Beef just about shouted. 

With their short exchange over, Etho looked back out at the planet. Were they moving towards it faster, or was he just going crazy?

Beef placed a hand on Etho's shoulder, when had he gotten that close?, and started talking again, more earnestly this time. "But seriously, we're going to be okay, okay?"

Etho simply nodded. "Okay."

***

Etho is busy worrying about the battle when there's a knock on his bedroom door. "Come in," he calls, not opposed to being distracted from his thoughts. 

Beef nudges open the not-quite-closed door, a small, brightly painted terracotta pot in his hands. "Hey, I got you a new plant from the greenhouse."

Etho perks up, intrigued. This is the first time Beef's personally delivered a plant instead of leaving it in his room with a note. "What's it called?"

"Uh . . ." Beef thinks for a moment. "Selsey's vine, I think? I don't quite remember."

Etho walks over and Beef hands him the pot. Inside is a small blueish-green vine, twisting up from deep red dirt. It's a huge color contrast, but it somehow looks nice. 

"Do you know where it's from?" Etho asks. He's never seen a plant— or dirt— like this before. 

Beef's face scrunches up in thought. "Bdubs told me about it once. I think it's from some sort of hot planet that has lava instead of water. All of the dirt is crimson, the grass — where there is grass — is the same sort of color as the vine, and there's two species of tree, one with red leaves and purple wood, and one all blue."