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Wemmbu, Egg, and Jaden.
Months ago, it would’ve been hard to say that the ender-dragon hybrid and angel were friends with Jaden. But now — ? It was practically old news that they were officially a trio. It had spread from ear-to-ear, and soon enough, Jaden became a fairly popular figure.
It’s not like the three were attached to the hip or something. That was usually Wemmbu and Eggchan’s thing, Jaden had his own life, with people like Codmaster. Or other distant friends like Emma.
“Wemmbu?” A familiar voice called — but he did not respond.
And despite this development — the three were oddly close and in touch. Perhaps it was from the common enemies, or the continuous devotion each one had for one another. Fate, however, made him realize that Jaden’s place in their duo was never meant to be.
Wemmbu couldn’t comprehend the amount of time he wasted alongside Jaden’s side. Because, other than dragging the ex-pirate king into battle, he doesn’t recall a singular time they actually hung out. It was always combat-oriented things, all because the ender-dragon hybrid felt the need to prove himself ever since becoming Manepear’s student. Getting a friend killed to prove something that he made up in his head. Something that Mane probably didn’t even care about.
A poke of the head snapped him out of his racing thoughts. “Wemm, you’re so spacey today. You okay, man?”
Turning his head, he was met with his best friend – Eggchan. Whose brows were creasing in evident concern. Wemmbu pressed his lips into a thin line, before shrugging. The unusual amounts of chalant that was radiating off of Egg made him sick. It was almost identical to pity, or empathy maybe.
His fingers, automatically, began to play with his own long hair. Touching it made him realize the sheer amount of neglect he’d done to it. There were tangles and knots wherever he combed through. In theory, he shouldn’t be that bummed about it. It was just hair.
Wemmbu supposed it was a reflection of how he currently felt. An uneven and tangled mess.
“I’m good.” He murmured in response, his fingers falling from his hair. Instead, they rested in his lap. Free from any fidgeting, which surprised even himself. “Uhm, thank you.” And, instead of acting upon his antsy feelings, his hand reached out to the side. Trying to find Jaden’s trident.
Eggchan’s eyes darted at the action, and hastily took Wemmbu’s hand in his own. It felt nice – the angel’s hand was warm, as always. Familiar too, as Jaden’s body temperature was like Egg’s. “Brother, hey. I’m right here you know.” A squeeze from the snow-white haired man. “Don’t gotta pretend with me.”
The ender-dragon hybrid huffed, rolling his eyes at the sentimental side of his best friend. “Quit being so sappy, man. I’m alright.”
The other stared with an incredulous look beneath his eyes, before resigning to Wemmbu’s stubbornness. “Okay, bro. Can’t stop acting nonchalant for like, two seconds, hm?”
Wemmbu feels as though he had a familiar exchange with Jaden before.
“I…” He drifted off, his hand immediately squeezing Eggchan’s. He heard a wince get drawn from the other, but the angel didn’t comment on it whatsoever. No complaints – as if he was okay with Wemmbu hurting him. Wemmbu of all people. “Yeah, bro, never.” He joked, but it fell flat.
Eggchan forced a laugh for both of their sakes, and the feigned happiness eventually died down into an uncomfortable, tense silence.
They were residing in the remains of their ‘treehouse,’ if you could even call it that, from the ruins of wood scattered across dead soil. So, when Eggchan claimed he would be leaving for a breath of fresh air, Wemmbu’s eyebrows shot up in curiosity.
“But…” Wemmbu’s voice was woven with pure confusion.
Eggchan sighed, shaking his head. It was the usual indicator for ‘an alternative for, please leave me alone.’ And, as his best friend, Wemmbu would respect that.
“Okay, yeah.” The ender-dragon hybrid nodded. “Be safe though, okay? If you’re ever in danger, run back here.”
“Aye aye,” the angel chuckled, his eyes soft before saluting to the other and promptly taking his leave.
Grass crunched underneath those iconic brown boots, and the sound of steps slowly faded off into the air. Dissipating alongside Eggchan’s presence. He was alone, yet again. Just how he had been when Jaden just… died, without a proper goodbye, too.
He curled into himself, his arms wrapped around his own body. Beneath him was broke down scraps of wood — which, truthfully, scraped him more times than not.
Wemmbu still recalled building the treehouse, with Egg and sometimes Jaden. They were carefree — the iconic trio, together and well. Simply doing the mundane works of life like building.
He missed being somebody who wasn’t affected by reality. And ever since stepping into this world as a child, Wemmbu knew it would be too late to come back.
“Someone’s low-key depressed…” A squeaky, yet familiar person’s head popped out behind him. Their lime green antennas grazing Wemmbu’s hair. “What’s on your mind, big bro?”
Immediately, Wemmbu twisted his body to find himself face-to-face with Boosfer. And, believe it or not, his younger brother. Annoying one — specifically.
“Bruhhh,” Boosfer groaned, his hand forming a closed loop before releasing into a gentle flick. Jaden used to— “I can genuinely hear your thoughts, bu… are you gonna answer or what? Don’t make me tell dad that you’re giving me the silent treatment.”
The mention of Minutetech made him pique up for a moment, before the temporary excitement died down. He had forgotten Spoke had… “Sorry.” Wemmbu murmured. “Nothing on my mind, okay?” His voice was unusually soft as he ruffled his younger brother’s hair. So unusual to the point where Boosfer had to pause his ‘annoying little brother’ persona.
“…Wemmbu, dude.” Boosfer sighed, running a hand through his own hair. “What happened to the nonchalant guy I used to know?” He giggled at his own joke, high-fiving himself. However, it felt more unnatural than the others.
A domestic feeling churned in his gut. Something he wasn’t used to — and something that wasn’t welcome. Especially for someone so gosh damn annoying like Boosfer. So, naturally, he suppressed it alongside all the other restrained feelings rotting in his gut. That one is only reserved for Minute.
Oh, right. Minute was gone. And Boosfer was unaware of that.
“I don’t know.” Wemmbu simply shrugged, refusing to meet the other’s eyes. Instead, he stared at the ground. It was underwhelming — the lack of flora took place in what once was he and Egg’s home.
Boosfer watched Wemmbu with his scrutinizing gaze, his fingers drumming against his own knee, clearly the lime green-haired man was uncomfortable on many different levels. But despite this development, he still stayed. And it left Wemmbu with something akin to gratitude.
“I, uh, you’ve changed since the last time I saw you, huh?” Boosfer chuckled halfheartedly. “Bro, did you keep my peace button?”
“…I e-chested it, I guess.”
“Awwwh—“
“Do not think much of it,” Wemmbu hissed, his tail immediately smacking the other with equal intensity as his own voice.
Boosfer winced, but that signature smirk stayed. “Okay, okay! By the End, bro, you’re such a tsundere.”
Wemmbu smacked the back of Boosfer’s head, and in response came another wince.
“You’re so mean!” The lime-green haired man huffed, trying to fix his own messied hair. Strands were curling all over the place. “First my hair, then the tail thing, then this… Not very auraful of you, broo…”
That last comment earned a glare from Wemmbu.
“Oh, poo, you know I was joking! I would never insult my brother…” The alien stuck out his tongue. “Hehe. Anyways, as I was saying, how ya doin’ big bro?”
“Okay.”
“Just okay? What a short response… I remember you being more talkative than that.” Boosfer caught the sight of Wemmbu’s eyes glazing over.
And, almost immediately, the younger one poked continuously at Wemmbu’s head until the ender-dragon hybrid finally came back to Earth. There wasn’t even a solid reaction — just a simple stare. No glare, no shout, not even a roll of the eyes.
And Boosfer’s eyes immediately softened.
“Uh… Oooookay. You’re like, the worst liar I know. Next to our dad, of course. ‘Okay,’ you say… Can you prove it, though?” Wemmbu’s heart clenched at the mention of Minutetech once again. His breaths hitched. “Uh, Wemmy?”
In the corner of Wemmbu’s peripheral vision, he caught his eyes a familiar figure. A voidling in a suit. A voidling in a suit who was smiling at him. But wasn’t he dead? Wasn’t Minute dead? How could— why was the world punishing him like this?
In the other eye, his breath caught on the sight of a blue-clothes man in a pirate hat. Just… Staring at Wemmbu with evident disappointment creased in every wrinkle of his face.
His face looked wrong.
Why couldn’t he remember his face?
Wemmbu blinked away the hallucination. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry. What’d you say?”
Boosfer’s mouth opened to say something — anything, but nothing came out. The alien plopped himself next to Wemmbu, and almost immediately, he leaned against the side of the eldest.
“What’re you?…” Wemmbu drifted off. The feeling of being leaned on was oddly comforting, in a way. He rolled his eyes, and didn’t make a move to stop the other. It was usual Boosfer shenanigans, he supposed. “Bro. Genuinely, what are you doing?”
Boosfer just huffed, making more of his weight settle on his older brother. “You aren’t talking, so might as well just like, be here I guess.” His shoulders lifted into a shrug.
That warm feeling in Wemmbu’s gut grew bigger, and bigger — and no matter how much the ender-dragon hybrid tried to wield it away, it just wouldn’t budge from its spot.
And, unknowingly, his body melted into that touch. Boosfer immediately noticed, his antennas piquing up. But, instead of commenting on it, he just leaned closer. Wemmbu’s tail swung from left to right, an appreciative hum was promptly drawn out from his stomach.
And the alien couldn’t help but snicker.
Boosfer giggled at the eldest’s evident signs of successful comfort. The younger still remembers the times he used to purr whenever happy. He doesn’t remember the last time Wemmbu was happy. “Anyways, uhh, you think you’re okay now? Orr—“ Wemmbu pulled Boosfer even closer, resting his face into the alien’s hair. “Yeah, uh, or you could low-key just do that too, I guess…”
And the embrace lasted.
Until Wemmbu inevitably shoved Boosfer off of the wooden log.
“Ow!” Boosfer whined. “You’re genuinely so mean, bro!! My gossssssssssshhhh…” He held that ‘sh’ for way longer than necessary. So much so, it earned yet another tail smack from Wemmbu.
The ender-dragon hybrid’s lips were trembling.
That fact would’ve probably gone unnoticed by most — but this was Boosfer’s older brother. And Boosfer knew his brother by the soul, even if Wemmbu refused to believe that they had this ‘spiritual’ connection or whatever.
Because, whenever Boosfer simply passed by Wemmbu, the purple-haired man radiated an energy of melancholy. And the alien would be lying if he wasn’t just a tad bit worried.
…
Okay, maybe he was a little more worried than just a ‘tad,’ but regardless, he never got the chance to help until now. And with Wemmbu showing actual vulnerability, something he’s only shared with their dad, it was safe to say that his brother wasn’t okay. Not even a little bit.
And when his eyes caught on Wemmbu’s — which were wet and glossy with tears — his signature, cheeky grin devolved into a frown.
“Wemmbu? Bro…” Boosfer began, his hand hesitant to reach out and hug him again. He propped himself back up onto steady legs, gripping the fabric of his own pants. “Wemmy? Bu-bu???” The alien tried, attempting for even a sliver of normalcy from the other. But he received none.
He heard the older man take a deep breath, before meeting eyes with Boosfer. Wemmbu seemed successful in suppressing those tears, not hiding them.
“You uh,” The alien scratched his head. His weight shifted from one leg to the other as an awkwardness seeped into his tone. “You can talk to me anytime, big bro. Okay? I…” He took out a slip of paper that was stored just in case something like this happened. “I have the coords, too. Here.”
He outstretched his arm, the paper waiting to be taken.
When Wemmbu just stared at it, Boosfer took his brother’s palm, and with an unfamiliar gentleness, set it down. The ender-dragon hybrid’s gaze landed on the younger.
“Thanks,” Wemmbu murmured.
“Yeah…” Boosfer nodded. “You can come for like, I dunno, anything. Combat-related — because I’m the combat grandmaster — or otherwise. Okay?”
The purple-haired man burst into soft fits of laughter, before nodding profusely. “Sure, bud. Keep on dreaming.” Wemmbu rose from his spot to ruffle Boosfer’s hair.
“I thought siblings were supposed to be nice to one another…” The alien huffed. Pouting, attempting to use his younger-sibling-effect on Wemmbu.
It worked… Perhaps a little too well, because the ender-dragon hybrid pulled him into a side-hug of some sorts.
Wemmbu caught his eyes on a familiar figure of an angel that was approaching from behind.
“Yo, Egg—“
“YOU AND BOOSFER ARE SIBLINGS!?” Eggchan gaped. His hands already reaching for his journal and his quill.