Work Text:
“Yo, Egg bro, I’m officially a mechanic now,” Wemmbu says as he walks into their apartment. Orbital stands in front of him, staring.
“For real??” Egg asks excitedly (as excited as he gets), stepping out of the kitchen. Wemmbu crouches down, picks Orbit up, then flashes a grin at Egg.
“Dude, for real,” Wemmbu confirms, scratching Orbit’s head. Egg smiles at him, all genuine and soft and ahhhhhokay wemmbu can deal with that fine.
“You might be the goat,” Egg says, and looks at Orbital. “Orbit’s proud of you too.”
“Aww, you’re both proud of me?” Wemmbu coos, tilting his head.
“Bro, you got a W job, of course I’m proud what,” Egg says, raising an eyebrow. Wemmbu stumbles over the words.
“F– dude.” He says flatly, trying not to grin. Egg moves forward to take Orbital from his arms, and Wemmbu just lets him. “Thanks. I guess.”
“Bro has the most awkward response to compliments,” Egg teases and turns toward the kitchen. Wemmbu trails after him, glaring.
“I have a normal response to normal compliments, dude. You’re like– you give weird compliments.” Wemmbu urges. Egg hums. “Wait, that might be the uh. Being normal about each other situation.”
“Am I not allowed to give my guy compliments?” Egg says noncommittally. Wemmbu glares harder. He hates this guy so much it’s crazy.
Egg puts Orbital on the counter, and Wemmbu moves forward to shoo her off.
“I am not– yeah, alright. Orbital isn’t allowed on the counter, bro.” Wemmbu gives up. Egg is– he can’t ever really argue with Egg.
“Dude, she owns the house,” Egg responds, and moves up to the pot of probably-soup.
“What are we eating?” Wemmbu asks, following him, and looking in.
“Uh, lentil soup,” Egg answers, and Wemmbu nods approval. Orbit jumps back onto the counter.
- - -
“Wow ! Win !”
Me:
Guess who got the job 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Wattles:
God I hope not you
Loppy ☃️☃️:
HFKSLEP
WAIT
DID YOU ACRUALLY???
Me:
Wato i hate you
Loppez YES!!!
Loppy ☃️☃️:
YAYAYAAYAY OMG COGNRATS
Wattles:
Nice job
Eggyyyy 💖💖💖💖🥺🥺:
W
Me:
Um so being on your ohone isnt cleaning the dishes
Eggyyyy 💖💖💖💖🥺🥺:
😔
Orbits bio dad🔥:
YOOO new job bro 🔥🔥
Goated
Loppy ☃️☃️:
Poor egg….
Me:
He’ll live
Orbits bio dad🔥:
We’re still pulling up for food tho tmmr right
Loppy ☃️☃️:
WE BETTER !!!
Me:
We are yea
Loppy ☃️☃️:
Me and flame woudl e gone witjout you guys
Me:
Why owuldnt egg be able to go
Orbits bio dad🔥:
Bro you know the answer to that
Me:
JFKALS?!!?!??!??!!
Loppy ☃️☃️:
LMAOOOO
Me:
HELLO ???
- - -
“Oh my god, I was telling Egg about this stupid guy at my job– he and I got hired at the same time and stuff, but oh my god, he’s so annoying.” Wemmbu complains, grabbing the grass to have something to tear apart.
“Oh yeah, I remember him,” Egg nods, hands in his lap. Wemmbu looks over. Loppezz and Flame are watching him too. “He like– bro what was his name? Brucifer?”
“What?” Loppezz laughs, tilting her head. Wemmbu stares at Egg flatly.
“Brother, Boosfer?” He corrects, and Flame jolts. Wemmbu turns, raising an eyebrow as a silent are you good?
“Oh yeah, Boosfer,” Egg agrees.
“Yo, I know that guy,” Flame chuckles. Wemmbu sits straight up.
“You do? No way. Yo, how??” Wemmbu asks, locking into the conversation.
“Wait, bro, tell me what he did first,” Flame prompts. Wemmbu blinks.
“I’m not gonna– dude, just tell me how you know him,” Wemmbu refuses, and Flame huffs.
“Alright bro.” Flame relents. “He’s a friend from college, basically. He was annoying back then too.”
“Bro hasn’t changed since college, nahh,” Egg laughs. Wemmbu fails at not smiling. He’s so chalant. Loppezz gives Wemmbu a look, so he’s obviously been caught. He’s actually a loser.
“Dude Wemmbu, what’d Boosfer do at work?” Flame asks, snapping Wemmbu out of his thoughts.
“Oh yeah. Okay so basically, he’s just annoying.” Wemmbu says, and pauses.
“Okay, and?” Loppezz prompts. Egg nods.
“He– dude. He’s just annoying. I was trying to change a car’s brakes, and he gave me the wrong kind twice. And I know it’s on purpose, because he does this stupid, annoying laugh.” Wemmbu groans and clenches his fists. “It’s crazy how annoying he is.”
Flame nods agreement, and Loppezz puts grass on his pants as– solidarity? She’s confusing.
“Bro, Boosfer is the most annoying guy, like, ever bro. But once you get to know him, he’s alright.” Flame shrugs. Wemmbu gives him a look.
“Maybe you’re just getting used to bro,” Egg suggests, and Wembu turns to watch him. Oh my god. The stupid hoodie. “Like, dude, you’re both new. Maybe you could become friends, bro.”
“I think at best, we’ll be acquaintances." Wemmbu states, firm. Egg watches him. Wemmbu does his absolute best not to squirm.
“You gotta make more friends,” Loppezz agrees, nodding sagely. Wemmbu looks over at her. “You do!”
“I have plenty of friends, dude,” Wemmbu tries. Loppezz gives him a pitying look, so the plan to not sound like a loser failed.
“Outside of the friend group?” Loppezz pushes, and Wemmbu maks an unsure noise. “Exactly.”
“No, I know people, and we’re friendly, but that doesn’t mean we’re friends, y’know?” Wemmbu explains, glancing over at Egg. He’s just watching, still.
“Do we get exclusive friend badges?” Flame teases, but Loppezz and Egg both make sounds of agreement.
“Yeah, sure man,” Wemmbu sighs. Loppezz cheers over Flame’s cackling. Wemmbu turns to Egg. “Egg, you get the like. Weird about me badge.”
“Lets gooo,” Egg says through soft laughter, and Wemmbu grins.
“Yo,” Loppezz interrupts, voice gentle, but she’s grinning. “Get a room,”
“Wh– bro we didn’t do anything!” Wemmbu complains, and grabs Egg’s hand. In retaliation. He– no ulterior motives. And Egg laces their fingers in retaliation too. They’re activists.
“You two are always doing something,” Flame shrugs. Wemmbu glares.
- - -
“Yo, this one looks fun,” Egg says, picking up a book with big letters saying ‘DENDROLOGY’ and then smaller, under it, ‘A Short Guide.’
“Not the way I’d describe that,” Wemmbu comments, glancing behind them. In case a scary ghoul or miscreant tried to sneak up on them. “But you do you.”
“We’re gonna learn all about trees. You like aspen.” Egg says, Wemmbu nods, because 1) he doesn’t really care, 2) that’s actually one of like, two trees he knows. It’s basically birch.
“Sure,” He agrees easily.
Somehow, the trip ends with new books, which is expected and a fuzzy succulent. Egg says it’s a chocolate soldier.
(They put it right next to Egg’s stupidly big swamp milkweed)
- - -
“Sooo,” Loppezz starts, leadingly. Egg glances over, then back to the stall he’s looking at. Farmer’s market food is genuinely the best thing in the world. Fresh bread bro. Amazing. “How’s the whole kinda-dating thing going?”
Egg freezes. Uh. Uhhh.
Minute laughs.
“Yo, why are we– wait. You two were– wait.” Egg laughs, kinda in disbelief.
Loppezz grins at him, then offers a smile to the vendor.
“We kinda wanted to just…. ask how things were,” Minute offers, looking around. Egg leans forward and grabs a loaf of bread.
“Nine dollars?” Egg asks the vendor, ten dollar bill in hand.
“Yeah, nine dollars,” They nod, and Egg hands them the ten. “Your change is–”
“No, yo, I’m not making you count change. Just keep it.” Egg waves off, and puts the bag of bread into his bigger bag.
“Oh, thank you!” The vendor smiles, and Egg walks away.
“Okay, so how are things?” Loppezz asks, the moment the interaction is done. Egg breathes a laugh in response.
“Yo, nosy nancys over here,” He says, and Loppezz laughs brightly.
“We’re curious! We set you guys up, and you’re just acting normal!” She beams, glancing at all the stalls. Egg has to ignore the plants. It’s so hard. The farmer’s market is so goated.
“We’re actually– well, I took him into the woods the other day to help me look for turtles.” Egg offers, unsure if that’s what she wants?? Because he and Wemmbu have been– about the same. They’ve acted weird about each other since like, at least college.
Which– woah. Kind of a crazy long time.
“Aww,” Loppezz coos, and her attention locks onto a stall run by an older guy. Seashells. Good thing Wemmbu isn’t here.
Yo, he actually needs to stop thinking about Wemmbu this is crazy embarrassing.
“There’s more,” Minute states, as they follow Loppezz to the seashell stall. Egg looks over at him, raising an eyebrow. “Man, we know you two. There’s always more.”
Okay, so. Not necessary.
“Yo, why are we catching strays?” Egg says breathily, and looks over the stall. There’s mussels, definitely. Maybe he buys one in honor of Wemmbu.
“You deserve to,” Loppezz hums, and picks up a snail shell.
“Dude– bro, what?” Egg laughs, cycling through the species’ in his mind. The L one? Laero… lani… something like that. The rounder one.
“What else happened though? What more?” Loppezz prompts, entirely ignoring his confusion. Alright bro.
“Uhh,” Egg starts, trying to think. Pondering. “We had lunch? He’s been telling me about work. We watched a movie last night. Like, I don’t know what you want, we’ve just been doing the same things as always.”
“Have you had any conversations after the first one?” Minute asks. Egg pauses.
“Uh,” He stares.
“Egg,” Loppezz chides, putting down the shell.
“Yo, chill. We’ve talked, but not really about boundaries or anything.” He adds. Hm. Lowkey might be worse.
“Yeah I know,” Loppezz gives him a look. He shifts on his feet. “You’re supposed–”
“Communication is key,” Minute interrupts. Egg looks over. “You gotta talk to him.”
“It’s–” Egg cuts himself off. How does he say I’m just scared without sounding like a literal child?
“You have to,” Loppezz agrees, and picks up one of the baggies from the stall. “Five dollars?”
“Yes ma’am,” The vendor nods, and Loppezz reaches for her wallet.
“She’s right,” Minute confirms, and picks up a mussel shell. Either quagga or zebra, he can’t tell.
“Do not get that one, bro,” Egg instructs, and Minute looks over curiously. “One of the invasive ones. I am not letting you display it.”
Minute laughs and puts it down. Day saved.
“You know about mussels?” The vendor asks, and Egg blinks.
“I’m a wetlands ecologist– and a malacologist, kinda. Uh, I work with mussels a lot.” Egg explains and the vendor nods approvingly.
“I was a malacologist, too. More focused on snails, though.” They say. Egg nods.
“So you’re the expert on shells? Which ones should I get?” Loppezz asks, which Egg is lowkey thankful for. Talking to strangers is a coin flip.
“Hmm,” The vendor hums, and strokes his stubble. He leans forward and points to a nautilus’ spiral shell. “Nautilus. They don’t live here anymore. The Bellamya here are my favorites. Found ‘em lots as a kid.”
Once Loppezz has satisfied her shell collection, they start walking around again.
“You do need to talk to him, dude,” Minute reroutes. Egg blinks. Brother why are we still on this.
“Boundaries and stuff!” Loppezz nods, and Egg huffs.
“I can– like, I can try. I don’t know how well it’ll go, bro, but I can try.” He offers. Loppezz cheers.