Chapter Text
Wemmbu was so tired of Manepear right now.
He couldn't understand why Mane was so controlling of his life all the time. He had to constantly tell him where he was going, who he was hanging out with, and where he was. The hybrid was attached to him practically twenty-four seven, stressing over the smallest things. It was as if Wemmbu was still a kid in his eyes, despite being fully capable of taking care of himself.
Seriously. It wasn’t that big of a deal.
Wemmbu groaned, peering up at the large tree house in front of him. It was only a bit past curfew, so Mane wouldn’t be that mad, right? Wemmbu opened the door slowly, wincing as it creaked loudly, the sound echoing through the hollow tree house. He trudged forward to the staircase at the center of the room, taking a deep breath. He carefully lifted his boots, taking small steps up the stairs to avoid stepping on a loose wooden plank.
He squinted his eyes as he looked down, watching out for that specific plank. He chuckled to himself as the memory flooded into his head: a teen Flamefrags had been sneaking to the kitchen with a young Wemmbu to get snacks before dinner, and had stepped on this particular plank. The sound that echoed throughout the tree house had been so loud that Manepear was able to enderpearl to their exact location. They had been banned from snacks for a week after that. Manepear had still let Wemmbu have a few snacks, though, despite the ban. But Flame didn't need to know that.
After managing to avoid that step, he continued his ascent until he reached the top floor. He felt his body twitch, groaning in discomfort as he felt the distinct warmth of glowstone surround him. He had never truly gotten used to the heat of the overworld, having been born in the haunting yet oddly comforting cold of the void.
The hallways upstairs were a bit warmer at night due to Flame and Mane needing to be in a heated area most of the time, but as long as Wemmbu got to his room quickly, the warmth wouldn't have too adverse an effect on him. Peeking his head from out of the staircase, he tried to peer into Mane's room. The lights were off, with the door only slightly ajar.
Perfect.
Slowly, Wemmbu crept past Mane's door. His boots trembled each time he placed his foot down, sweat pooling on his forehead as his body grew warmer. Just a bit more, he thought. And then he'd be safe. Finally, he let out a small breath of relief as he made it past. He lifted his head, looking ahead.
There. In the distance, he could see the small glimmer of purple light emanating from his room. He just had to take a few more steps-
"Where were you, Wemmbu?" A biting voice echoed.
Fuck.
Wemmbu sighed as he spun around, his head tilted to the side to avoid eye contact. "Hello to you too, I guess…" He murmured bitterly.
"Answer the question, Wemmbu. I told you to get back home by twelve. Do you know what time it is?" Wemmbu remained stubbornly silent. "It's three AM." Manepear walked closer, shoving a finger into Wemmbu's chest. "You know that the heat turns on starting midnight. That means your ass has to be in your room by then so that you don't get heat stroke! And once again, turn on your communicator! You haven't responded to a single one of my messages today!"
Wemmbu exhaled, lightly shoving Manepear away from him. "Alright, alright, fine. Geez, you're so annoying," He mumbled under his breath, moving to turn away.
Manepear's hand suddenly reached out, clamping around Wemmbu's arm hard. Wemmbu instinctively tried to pull back, his cold, clammy body rejecting the warmth from the blaze's skin. "You are not just leaving right now. We're talking about this whether you want to or not." Manepear growled out, his tail whipping angrily. "Explain."
"Oh my god, it's not that big of a deal, Mane!" Wemmbu yelled as he tried prying his arm out of Mane's ironclad grip. He knew Mane didn't mean to, but the touch was beginning to burn. "I was just with Egg as always, you should know that!"
"That doesn't explain why you were there for so long!"
"We just lost track of time, okay? You don't need to know anything else!"
Mane scowled, his face furrowing and ears twitching as he heard Wemmbu's words. "Well, I'm sorry for worrying about where my baby brother was! I've told you this before, haven't I? I was the one who took care of you when we found you by the End portal! You were on the-"
"-verge of death, yeah, you've said this so many times!" Wemmbu exclaimed, finally ripping Mane's hand off his arm. Wemmbu felt his breath growing rougher, his body trembling. "Why do you care about this so much anyway? About when I get home, which friends I'm talking to, about…"
Me was left unsaid. The tension swelled as the silence grew longer, before Wemmbu finally sneered, opening his mouth before his thoughts could catch up.
"Stop acting like you're my Dad!"
Mane's breath hitched for a second before he shook his head, his expression quickly turning back into a scowl. "You know that's not what I'm trying to do, Wemmbu. Stop being stubborn and just talk to me! I'm your brother, for god's sake!" Wemmbu felt the heat emitting from Mane's body, his blaze form beginning to creep out with a warm, orange glow.
Wemmbu let out a strained, exasperated chuckle. "See? But that's where you're wrong, Mane. Look. Just look at how different we are." Wemmbu lifted his arm, pointing to his vibrant purple skin. He could feel the cold leaking from his body in waves, snuffing out the comforting warmth that Mane's presence always provided. "I'm not a blaze like you or Flame. I can't bring this…this warmth that you guys do. I'm an entity from the Void. A place that you two can barely survive in, thanks to your weakness to the cold." Wemmbu laughed breathlessly. He could just feel the anger radiating off of Mane in the form of pure heat. He had truly fucked up now.
"Admit it, Mane. We're not actually family. You just keep me around because you pity me."
The words felt heavy on his tongue as they slipped out. The silence in the room was deafening, their heavy breathing the only sounds audible. Wemmbu finally decided to make direct eye contact with Mane, flinching as all he could see was Mane's blindfold.
The blindfolds. Wemmbu never understood their existence. It was like a secret club that Mane and Flame were both a part of that Wemmbu could never join. What expression was Mane making right now? Were his eyes furrowed? Teary? What color were they? Wemmbu would probably never get to know. It was just another reason why they were so different.
"Is that really what you think, Wemmbu?" Mane finally spoke, his voice quiet. "You really think that we're not brothers?"
"Yeah." He knew he was lying. He just hoped Mane knew it too.
"Fine, then."
"Go live out on your own, be an adult if you want to be independent so badly!" Mane yelled, pointing to the balcony at the other end of the hallway. "Fly off like you always do!"
Wemmbu took a step back, his legs trembling. Mane's harsh tone was something he had heard almost every day for the past year, yet this time, it felt different. Final. "Wait, Mane-"
"Seriously. You're a lost cause, Wemmbu. I'm done with your bullshit. Leave and find a new family that can actually keep up with you."