AU: None

Word Count: ~1.8k

(If for some reason you haven't read part one, it's fine you won't need it to read this one [:)

Bdubs was crushing hard on Doc back in Season 5, but those feelings had disappeared until the beginning of Season 7. Their back and forth had him falling all over again.

It wasn't until after he and Scar broke up that he realized those feelings never truly left.

And they were beginning to eat him alive.

So he decided he would wait for Doc to return so he could pour his heart out and enter Season 8 with all of his weight lifted from his chest.

But, he wasn't showing.

No one knew when he'd return. It was hard to tell when someone was pulled from existence. Some were tossed into a void where they remember nothing. Others are put through a living hell worse than the nether. Or they'd end up on a beach and get a nice vacation.

Regardless of where he was, Bdubs realized that he probably wasn't going to show face in Season 7 again. Besides, he had waited long enough, and he was more than ready to leave.

However, he still wanted to get these emotions off his chest, so he did the only thing he could think of, and wrote it all down in a long letter. Once he was done, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and folded it up, leaving it behind on the pillow of Doc's bed in the mansion before leaving the season.

Three days later, Doc appeared.

-

Everyone was preparing to leave, but he had only just returned. Thankfully, he was sent to a lovely beach, unlike the previous few times when he went through a hellish experience.

He tried to not make it obvious that he was looking for Bdubs. Despite knowing he was in a relationship with Scar, he wanted to let him know so badly how he felt.

The first time Doc realized he loved Bdubs was when he showed up for Season 6. Then he fell for him all over again at the beginning of Season 7, and then again after they stopped fighting, and once more during the Turf War. But by that point, he had lost his chance to Scar.

And now that he was back, he just couldn't leave for the new season without saying something. Even if it wasn't him confessing his feelings, all he wanted was one small conversation with Bdubs.

But Bdubs, as he found out, was gone.

He couldn't believe it.

A part of Doc wanted to bolt out of the season, but he couldn't bring himself to leave for some reason. Maybe, if he closed his eyes and went to bed, he'd wake up and find Bdubs in his half of the mansion across the yard, waking him up with some stupid prank.

But alas, Doc was no time traveler. So he trudged up to his bedroom in defeat.

And there was something on his bed.

Narrowing his eyes, he sat on the edge as he carefully picked up the piece of paper.

The moment he opened it he immediately recognized the handwriting.

Bdubs.

Gripping the paper he read the letter.

Then he read it again.

He choked on a sob as he leaned over, holding the paper to his chest as tears poured from his organic eye. Doc slid off the bed and leaned his head back as his arms draped over his knees.

Bdubs missed him.

Bdubs loved him.

But what's more is that he requested that if Doc read the letter, to not give him a response. He had written that he wanted to cherish their friendship, and hoped they could continue to let it grow throughout the upcoming season.

Bdubs asked him to let him try to move on, to let go of his feelings.

"That's just not fair," Doc whispered as his tears clouded his vision. He glanced down at the letter once more, and reread a line;

I think even when I was with Scar a part of me still liked you. But it wasn't until we ended our relationship that they grew once again.

Was this why he wanted to let his feelings for him die? Because he just broke up with Scar and didn't want to start a new relationship?

Why can't we talk about this? He bitterly thought.

Doc ended up being the last to leave and didn't even mention to Ren the folded letter he had carefully tucked into his lab coat.

-

The hybrid couldn't help but wonder if Bdubs was purposely avoiding him during the first meeting of the new season. Then again, he didn't look like he was.

He wanted to pull him aside and talk to him so badly, but then again, he and Ren had work to do. So talking to Bdubs would have to wait.

It wasn't until around a week had passed did the opportunity present itself.

He and Ren were exploring more of the continent to try and find stray goats when they stumbled upon the area occupied by Keralis, Tango, and, of course, Bdubs.

"Looks like there's nothing here, let's just head back for now," Ren suggested, placing down a boat in the water.

Doc's chest tightened as he saw Bdubs tending to the bushes around his base. It had been so long since he had seen that small yet content smile on his face.

"Doc?" Snapping out of his daze, he looked back at his friend.

"Um, you go ahead, I'll catch up in a bit," he awkwardly said, scratching the back of his neck.

Ren raised an eyebrow but didn't push for a reason. Once he had begun to row away, he turned back and cautiously made his way towards Bdubs.

He wasn't sure what to say, but he had to say something instead of creepily watching him work from behind him.

"Your base looks amazing," he finally said, feeling bad as the shorter jumped.

Bdubs stood up and dusted off his pants before turning around. "I thought I saw you and Ren! You startled me!" He laughed.

Butterflies filled his stomach but he tried to ignore the feeling to focus on what he wanted to say. "Sorry, I uh, just wanted to talk to you for a bit. It's been a while."

"Yeah, try to not disappear so much this time, okay?" Bdubs teased, playfully punching his arm.

"I'll try," he laughed.

He thought about the strange book he and Ren found early on. Don't think about that right now, he scolded himself. Clearing his throat, he admitted, "I actually returned to Season 7 one last time, before coming here."

Surprisingly, Bdubs didn't show any sign of concern about his letter. Instead, his smile just softened. "Well, I'm glad you got to see it all again."

How was he supposed to bring up that he happened to read the letter he had left behind? Would that just make him upset? But that's the whole reason why he was here, to talk about it.

"I read your letter," he blurted out.

Bdubs' eyes widened. "Y-You did?" He awkwardly laughed.

"Multiple times, actually," he admitted, carefully pulling out the folded piece of paper. The lighter brunette took a step back and pulled at the sleeves of his moss hoodie.

"I thought I said I didn't want to talk about it," he whispered.

"Actually, you just said you didn't want a response," he quietly corrected him as his eyes burned holes into the white paper.

"So then why are you here?" Bdubs' voice suddenly sounded so strained.

"Because it's not fair!" Looking up, he met his eyes, realizing how close to crying Bdubs looked. Well, there's no going back now. "You poured your emotions out to me! And now you won't let me do the same? I care about you so much! You said you loved me, and I just want the chance to say it back! Bdubs I l-"

Hands flew to his mouth, cutting him off and startling him. "Don't say it, please," Bdubs whispered.

Dropping the paper, he gently took hold of his wrists and pulled them down. "Why not?" He whispered.

Slowly moving closer to him, Bdubs sighed, his eyes dropping to Doc's hands. "I'm sorry, I just don't think I can handle this right now. You know I was with Scar for a while, and it- things didn't end... Great. I need time t- I just... Need time."

He hesitantly moved his hands to lace their fingers together. His grip was loose enough to allow Bdubs to pull away, but instead, he just gripped the hybrid's hands. "Okay," he whispered. "I understand you need time by yourself, but why can't you let me wait for you? I can, y'know."

"I don't want to do that to you," he murmured, slipping his hands from Doc's.

He couldn't stop himself as he quickly clasped both his hands between his own. "Bdubs I'd wait an eternity if it meant I had the chance to finally be happy with you," he confessed with a warm smile. "Take all the time you need, I'll be here when you're ready."

Bdubs sniffled as tears began streaking down his cheeks. Wh- hold on, did I say something wrong? Oh god, what do I do? Once again, Bdubs pulled free from his grasp, this time to wipe his eyes. "Okay," he mumbled with a nod. Before he could respond, he was pulled into a tight hug.

Oh.

He blinked as tears built up in his eye and he buried his face into Bdubs' shoulder as they began to fall and he gripped to his hoodie. "You'll really wait?" Bdubs' voice was muffled, but he heard him clear enough.

Pulling back, he cupped his face, wiping away his tears with his thumbs. "As long as you need," he promised, softly kissing his forehead.

There were a couple of things he expected to happen next. What he didn't expect was Bdubs moving his hands to his chest, only to grip his lab coat and pull him into a kiss.

He melted into the newfound affection, eyes half-lidded as Bdubs broke their connection. "Thank you," the freckled hermit whispered.

Exhaling as a warm smile spread across his face, he stepped back from Bdubs. "I should get going, but I'll see you around?" Crouching, he picked up the dropped letter and returned it to his pocket.

No longer did it feel like a poisonous reminder that all that he could've had was being kept from him. Now, it felt like a promise, that one day, he will finally have all that he ever wanted.

"Definitely," Bdubs nodded, grinning.

-

Bdubs waited until Doc had rowed away on the small boat before letting out a heavy breath and dropping to his knees.

Gripping the moss beneath him, a goofy smile formed on his face as a few more tears dripped down his face. Admittedly, kissing him was an impulsive decision. But to him, it felt like his way of promising Doc that one day, they could share that without a care in the world.

He was definitely not ready to jump into a new relationship. After all that happened with Scar, he was going to need time to heal. But the promise of Doc waiting for him on the other side was all he needed at the moment. 

We got one more to go !!!