Chapter Text
They had spent the rest of that day letting the boy simply be a child. Lettuce had gotten a guard to find a pair of sweat pants and a loose t-shirt that would fit the boy. They had spent hours showing him toys they found in the storage room, letting him run around and be a kid. Eventually, he had finally fallen asleep on a soft warm bed. But like all good things, it came to an end.
“He’s finally out” Fantst whispered to everyone.
"Finally, thought he would never fall asleep" Loppezz sighed.
"Well, we only have about 7 hours until he turns again, that would probably be when he left the empire." Baablu pointed out.
Everyone turned to look at Zam as he shifted in his seat. They all knew that the next 24 hours would be ruff for everyone, especially Zam.
"Is there anything you think we should know about this... betrayal, that happened?" Lettuce mused.
"Something that still confuses me was that when I had got to his small base, his eyes were already red, like he had been crying. I'm still not sure what that was about..." Zam answered.
"Huh, I wonder what that could have been about..." Fansts added, just thinking aloud.
"We can think about it when we need to, but we only have like 7 hours to take a break, so I'm gonna take a nap and think about all this" Loppezz said with a yawn.
With that, everyone split off. The axolotl brothers went to the cafeteria with Lettuce's permission, as they had skipped lunch. Loppezz had gone to take a nap like she said she was. Zam had mumbled something about being sorry before running off to who knows where. Leaving Lettuce alone with the sleeping child.
Slowly, he walked up to the side of the bed so as to not wake the boy. He pulled up a chair from the nearby desk and took a seat. He sat there for 5 minutes watching who he had always assumed to be a cold heartless killer, sleep peacefully. A boy forced to know the horrors of this world much sooner than he should have.
Sure, if we are being honest, every one on Unstable is a little messed up. Lettuce knew that better than most. But he had never stopped to consider that one of the powerful people, responsible for the death of hundreds, was nothing but an abandoned child that was scared of being left behind again.
At first he didn’t believe any of it, but everything slowly started making sense. Way back, when they both were in sky civilization, the way his eyes had looked when they told him he can’t leave. The pure fear on his face when being chased by Straight, being hidden by false confidence. Lettuce had watched the chase, and he was impressed with Wemmbu’s ability to get away and hide so quickly. He never thought it was because he had unwanted practice.
Even now, looking back on when he was put in solitary for the first time. Lettuce had seen fear. He thought it was fake, or he was seeing things. But that book had changed his perception on Wemmbu’s reactions.
While Zam, Loppezz, and himself were walking back, he had been reading. He was curious about the purple boy’s past. They do say curiosity killed the cat. He had read about the cold nights spent alone. The days on end he spent without food. The way he feared for his life every day. How much the boots hurt to walk in. How he had spent hours on end forcing his voice deeper, even if it made his throat hurt so much he couldn’t swallow. But the most interesting chapters were when he wrote about what he remembered from his home.
Lettuce had seen multiple chapters of Wemmbu complaining about being stuck in a small space as his shelter. How when one day he woke up with a rock covering the entrance, he had panicked so hard he passed out. But Lettuce didn’t understand until he had read That chapter.
He slowly stepped away from the boy to go pick up the book, and reread it for about the hundredth time.
415
I miss home. I dont miss dad but i miss my cats. I want to see crumble and gambit again. I miss when crumble would sneek in and cuddle with me when dad locked me in the room. She would make my cloths covered in cat fur but at least i was not alone. Gambit liked to play with me when dad forgot about me. Gambit bit me but i know he liked me. Right now im living in a small cave. It reminds me of the bad room. I did not like the bad room. I dont like being left alone. I miss everyone. I will never for get them. I hope they do not for get me. I wish dad liked me.
No matter how many times Lettuce reads it, it still hurts. Out of everything Lettuce thought about Wemmbu, he never thought he would name his pride possessions after some cats that would keep him company.
Now being left alone with his thoughts, he just feels worse and worse. He promised to NEVER use someone's past against them. But he already had, even without knowing it.
The claw marks on the solitary door that Wemmbu would claim didn’t exist. The way his eyes went wide and he flinched when Lettuce went to check on him. How he would snatch up all the food they gave him is solitary. How confused he looked when Lettuce said that even is solitary they would still give everyone food.
Lettuce felt terrible for everything that had happened. He never knew, but now he does. Never again. Lettuce will give him extra chores or something, but never put him in solitary again.
But that is a problem for when Wemmbus returns to normal. Now, Lettuce should rest.