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Wemmbu had been pacing around the End base for so long that Egg was starting to wonder if he was trying to wear a hole in the floor. He’d reorganized the same chest three times, sighed dramatically at least seven, and even stared at the wall like it personally offended him.
Egg finally looked up from his definitely interesting book. “Dude. You’re acting like a trapped cat.”
Wemmbu paused mid‑pace. “I’m bored.”
“You’re always bored.”
“No, like— BORED bored.”
Egg blinked. “That’s… worse?”
Wemmbu threw his hands up. “We need to do something. Something fun. Something stupid. Something— I don’t know— distracting.”
Egg opened his mouth to suggest blowing something up, but Wemmbu suddenly spun around with the kind of dramatic flair usually reserved for movie villains.
“Egg. Sleepover.”
Egg didn’t even hesitate.
His eyes lit up like someone had just handed him a stack of TNT and said, “go wild.”
“Yes.”
Wemmbu blinked. “You didn’t even ask what we’re doing.”
“It’s a sleepover. Chaos is implied.”
Wemmbu gave a devilish grin. “Then let’s do it.”
Egg jumped to his feet so fast he nearly tripped over a chest. “Blankets. Snacks. Movies. We’re doing this right.”
"Okay. What should we do first?"
Egg thought about it for a second, then a smile tugged at his lips. "Blanket. Fort."
There was no room for suggestion. It was happening whether they wanted it to or not. "I'm in."
And that's when the true chaos began. They both leapt into a sprint all through the base looking for anything resembling a blanket. Wemmbu only found one, and Egg found two.
They were still sprinting at full speed when they crashed right into each other. Egg fell back and tried to grip onto Wemmbu for balance. The both of them went tumbling down and hit the floor with a loud thud.
"Is there a REASON you had to drag me down with you?" Wemmbu said while standing up, wiping dirt off himself.
"Balance." Egg said simply.
"Great. How many blankets did you find?"
"Two. How about you?"
"One."
They both stared at each other for a second, then at the three sad blankets they dropped to the floor.
"This is... not enough," Wemmbu said flatly.
"We can work with this!" Egg lied confidently.
Wemmbu sighed. "Our fort is going to be so pathetic."
"SHHH!! They can HEAR you!" Egg said with a dramatic gasp.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay lets just get started." Egg stated, then marched off to the living room. Wemmbu sighed dramatically again, then sulked after him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They dumped the blankets onto the floor like they were about to perform some ancient ritual.
Egg clapped his hands together. “Okay. Step one: architecture.”
Wemmbu stared at him. “Egg… we have three blankets.”
“Exactly. Minimalist architecture.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It is now.”
Egg immediately began draping one blanket over two chairs that were absolutely not stable enough for this. Wemmbu watched the legs wobble like they were reconsidering their life choices.
“Egg, that’s not going to—”
“It’ll hold.”
“It’s literally shaking.”
“It’s excited.”
Wemmbu pinched the bridge of his nose. “Egg.”
Egg ignored him and grabbed the second blanket, tossing it over the top like he was unveiling a masterpiece. The chairs groaned under the weight of… well, a blanket.
Wemmbu knelt down with the third one. “Okay, fine. I’ll make the floor cozy.”
Egg nodded approvingly. “Good. Every fort needs a cozy floor.”
Wemmbu spread the blanket out, smoothing it with the seriousness of someone laying down a red carpet. “There. At least one part of this fort won’t collapse.”
The fort collapsed.
Instantly.
The chairs gave up on life, the blankets slid to the floor, and the entire structure crumpled like a dying accordion.
Egg stared at the pile of fabric.
Wemmbu stared at the pile of fabric.
Egg whispered, “It wasn’t excited.”
Wemmbu sighed. “No. It was terrified.”
Egg threw his hands up. “Okay! Round two! We rebuild!”
Wemmbu groaned. “Why do we always have rounds to things?"
"Because why not?"
Egg marched into the living room with the determination of someone about to build a structurally unsound monument. Wemmbu followed behind him, dragging his feet like he was being led to his doom.
They rebuilt the fort.
It collapsed again.
They rebuilt it a third time.
It collapsed faster.
Eventually, they managed to get something standing — if you could call it that. It leaned slightly to the left, one chair was suspiciously squeaky, and the blankets sagged like they were contemplating giving up.
Egg stepped back proudly. “Perfect.”
Wemmbu stared at it. “It looks like it’s dying.”
“It has character.”
“It has a death wish.”
Egg waved him off. “Whatever. We need snacks. Popcorn time.”
Wemmbu perked up. “I can make popcorn.”
Egg froze. “Are you sure?”
Wemmbu put a hand on his chest, offended. “Egg. I am perfectly capable of making popcorn.”
Egg opened his mouth to argue, closed it, then nodded slowly, already contemplating all his life choices. “Okay. I’ll pick out a movie.”
Wemmbu marched into the kitchen with the confidence of a man who had absolutely learned nothing from the grand toaster incident.
Egg stayed in the living room, flipping through movies and muttering to himself.
“No… no… definitely not… why is this even here… oh my god, Wemmbu would cry at this one…”
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Wemmbu stared at the microwave like it was a puzzle sent by the gods.
“Three minutes,” he said confidently, pressing the button.
The microwave hummed.
Then rattled.
Then made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a dying animal.
Wemmbu frowned. “That’s… probably fine.”
It was not fine.
A faint burning smell drifted into the living room.
Egg paused mid‑scroll. “Wemmbu…?”
Wemmbu froze. “Egg…?”
The smell intensified.
Egg slowly turned toward the kitchen. “Wemmbu, tell me you didn’t—”
Just then, the microwave popped loudly, and a puff of smoke leaked out the sides like it was sighing in defeat.
Egg sprinted into the kitchen. “DUDE—”
Wemmbu was frantically waving a dish towel at the smoke. “IT WAS THREE MINUTES, EGG. THREE.”
Egg yanked the microwave open, and a cloud of burnt popcorn smoke hit them both in the face.
They coughed violently.
Wemmbu groaned. “Why does this keep happening to me.”
Egg wheezed. “Because you’re cursed.”
They both stood there for a minute, wondering how they were going to salvage this wretched night. Then Egg had possibly the best movie idea ever.
"Lorax?"
Wemmbu didn't hesitate a second. That was probably the movie that shaped his childhood.
"Lorax."
They abandoned the burnt crisps they used to call popcorn and headed straight for the fort, which was conveniently right in front of the TV. They settled down the best they could and turned on the movie. It didn't take long for Egg to pass out, only to feel a weight on him 0.03 seconds later.
"I told you it wouldn't hold."
"Let's just move to the couch."
They picked up their blankets that gave up on being a fort and walked over to the TV. They resumed the movie, and soon Egg fell asleep again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Egg had fallen asleep almost instantly, curled up on the couch with a blanket draped over him like a hibernating bear. Wemmbu stayed up a little longer, half watching the movie with half lidded eyes, the soft glow of the TV flickering all across the living room.
Eventually, even he drifted off.
For a while, everything was quiet.
Then Egg stirred.
He blinked groggily, confused for a moment about why his neck hurt and why the Lorax was still yelling about trees. He shifted, expecting to bump into Wemmbu’s shoulder.
Nothing.
Egg frowned and sat up a little. The blanket next to him was empty, crumpled, and slightly warm — like Wemmbu had been there not long ago.
“Wemmbu…?” he whispered into the dim room.
No answer.
Egg rubbed his eyes, stood up, and shuffled toward the hallway. The base was silent, the kind of silence that felt too big, too hollow. He checked the kitchen. Empty. The storage room. Empty. The fort ruins. Empty.
Then he noticed the faintest glow coming from outside — the soft, pale shimmer of the End sky.
Egg stepped out onto the obsidian platform.
And there he was.
Wemmbu lay flat on his back, arms folded behind his head, staring up at the endless stars like he was trying to memorize every single one. The void around him was quiet, peaceful in a way the base never was.
Egg approached slowly, the cool air brushing against his skin.
Without looking over, Egg heard Wemmbu say softly, "You should be asleep."
Egg sat down beside him, pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders. “Yeah, well… you weren’t there. Which is weird, because you’re usually glued to my side like a sad little barnacle.”
Wemmbu huffed a quiet laugh. “Wow. Touching.”
Egg nudged him lightly. “Seriously. You okay?”
Wemmbu didn’t answer right away. His eyes stayed fixed on the sky, the endless purple glow reflecting faintly in them.
“I just needed air,” he said finally. “Everything felt… loud.”
Egg let that sit. He didn’t push — he never pushed — but he stayed close enough that Wemmbu could feel the presence, the grounding weight of someone who wasn’t going anywhere. He did want to get to the bottom of whatever Wemmbu was feeling though, just so that he could help him through it.
"How so?" Egg asked gently.
"It's just... everything. I don't know why but it all just caught up to me. The law is chasing me for no reason other than Parrot revealing my identity. They are ruining my time on the server and it's only a matter of time before they come here. Jaden is who knows where probably captured or dead. God I can't even stop thinking about the fact that I could have saved Rejoice-" He froze, then took a long, shaky breath.
He didn't mean to bring Rejoice up. He was already gone so there was no point, but he couldn't help but feel a stab of guilt knowing he could have done SOMETHING-
Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was gentle but felt grounding at the same time.
Wemmbu stiffened, breath caught somewhere between his chest and his throat. He didn’t dare look at Egg — didn’t want to see pity or disappointment or anything that might make the knot in his stomach twist tighter.
But Egg’s hand stayed there, warm and steady.
“Wemmbu,” he said quietly, “stop.”
Wemmbu swallowed hard. “I shouldn’t have said that. I shouldn’t—”
“You’re allowed to miss him,” Egg said, voice soft but firm. “You’re allowed to feel messed up about everything that’s happened. None of that makes you weak.”
Wemmbu’s jaw clenched. “I could’ve saved him.”
Egg shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
“I should’ve tried.”
“You did try,” Egg said. “You always try. That’s who you are.”
Wemmbu finally looked over, eyes glassy in the pale End light. “It doesn’t feel like enough.”
Egg’s expression softened. “It never does. Not when you care.”
Wemmbu let out a shaky breath, the kind that sounded like it had been trapped inside him for weeks. “I just… I feel like everything’s falling apart. The law, Jaden, Rejoice… all of it. And I’m supposed to just keep going like nothing’s wrong.”
Egg shifted closer, shoulder brushing Wemmbu’s. “You don’t have to pretend with me.”
Wemmbu blinked, surprised by how much those words hit.
Egg continued, quieter now. “You don’t have to carry all of this alone. Not tonight. Not ever.”
For a moment, the only sound was the soft hum of the void around them.
Then Wemmbu whispered, “I’m tired, Egg.”
Egg nodded. “I know.”
Wemmbu’s voice cracked just slightly. “I don’t want to fall apart.”
“Then lean,” Egg said simply. “I’ll hold you up.”
Wemmbu let out a breath that trembled on the way out — but it was lighter than before. Like something inside him had finally loosened.
He lay back down beside Egg, closer this time, the stars stretching endlessly above them.
And for the first time that night, the silence didn’t feel loud. It felt safe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After a little while, Wemmbu let out another slow breath. "I didn't want to ruin the night."
“You didn’t,” Egg said, and there was no hesitation in it. “Dude, we built a fort that died instantly, burned popcorn, and watched the Lorax. That’s a perfect night.”
Wemmbu snorted. “The fort really did give up.”
“It collapsed on me like it had a personal vendetta.”
Wemmbu let his head fall back against the end stone, eyes drifting up to the sky again. “It really did have it out for you.”
Egg scoffed. “I’m telling you, that fort was sentient. And hostile.”
A small laugh slipped out of Wemmbu — tired, but real. “Maybe next time we use more than three blankets.”
“Maybe next time you don’t burn the popcorn.”
Wemmbu groaned. “Oh my god, let it go.”
“Never.”
They fell into a comfortable silence, the kind that didn’t demand anything from either of them. The End sky shimmered above them, endless and strange and somehow comforting.
After a moment, Egg shifted, nudging Wemmbu’s arm with his own. “Hey.”
Wemmbu hummed in response.
“You didn’t ruin anything,” Egg said quietly. “Tonight was… good. Even with the fort trying to kill me.”
Wemmbu’s chest tightened — not painfully this time, but in that warm, fragile way that meant something was settling into place. “Yeah,” he murmured. “It was.”
Egg yawned, long and dramatic. Classic Egg. “We should probably go back inside before I pass out on the floor.”
Wemmbu smirked. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
Egg shot him a look. “Okay, rude.”
But he was smiling.
Wemmbu pushed himself up, brushing dust off his clothes. “C’mon. Before you face‑plant.”
Egg stood too, bumping their shoulders together as they headed back toward the base. “If I do, it’s your fault.”
“Everything is my fault.”
“Exactly.”
Wemmbu rolled his eyes, but there was no weight behind it — just warmth.
As they stepped inside, Egg glanced over at him one more time. “Hey. If it ever gets loud again… you know where to find me.”
Wemmbu’s voice softened. “Yeah. I do.”
Tomorrow would be chaos again, but tonight? Tonight, they had blankets, bad popcorn, and each other — and that was enough.