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It happened not long after everything had finally settled
After the prison, after the long stretch of chaos that had been the King Arc where ParrotX2 ended up wearing a crown that didn’t quite fit but refused to fall down anyway
After alliances had fractured and reformed and fractured again until even the most stubborn fighters had run out of reasons to keep swinging
The world hadn’t truly healed, not really, but it had gone quiet in that strange, fragile way that always followed conflict, like the pause between storms where no one trusted the calm but no one had the energy to break it either
Structures stood completely damaged, thank to a certain someone, politics still lingered in tense silences, and names still carried weight when spoken but for once, there were no active wars, no immediate threats, just a kind of uneasy stillness that stretched across the servers like something temporary and uncertain
Wemmbu hadn’t expected anything out of the trip
Flame had been the one to suggest it, casual in the way he said it as if it wasn’t something he had thought about more than once, something about “getting out of the mess for a bit”
About not staying in the same place long enough for the past few weeks to catch up with them again and somehow that suggestion had turned into the four of them traveling together
Moving farther and farther away from the familiar networks of servers and alliances until even the atmosphere itself felt different, thinner somehow, quieter in a way that didn’t belong to crowded worlds
Lomedy had come along mostly out of habit, the owl hybrid never quite able to decide whether he was there out of loyalty, curiosity, or the simple inability to stay out of things he knew would eventually become important
His wings flicking restlessly at every unfamiliar sound as though he expected danger to follow them even this far out
Eggchan, on the other hand, had followed with that same calm he always carried, silent and observant, his presence neither heavy nor light but constant, like something that had already seen the outcome and was simply waiting for it to unfold
The place Flame chose wasn’t far from where everything had happened, from the echoes of prison walls and broken alliances and the long aftermath of a crown placed where it never should have been
But it was distant enough that none of that noise could reach them anymore. It was a stretch of land that most people would have passed by without noticing
A quiet area just outside the main paths where the terrain softened into something almost untouched, the ground smooth beneath their feet and the horizon stretching open without obstruction, the sky wide in a way that made everything feel smaller by comparison
The air there carried a faint warmth that seemed to linger around Flame more than the environment itself, a subtle heat that blended strangely but comfortably with the cool breeze of the Overworld
Creating a balance that felt almost intentional even if it wasn’t
There were no grand landmarks, no dramatic structures, nothing that would draw attention at a glance but the longer one stood there, the more it became clear that this was not a place chosen by accident
It was quiet in a way that held space rather than emptied it, like it was meant for something that didn’t need witnesses
Lomedy noticed that first
He didn’t say it outright, but it showed in the way his movements slowed, the way his gaze flicked between Flame and Wemmbu with a growing, barely contained suspicion that something was happening just out of reach of his understanding
His wings shifted awkwardly against his back as if he couldn’t decide whether to settle or stay alert, and every few seconds he glanced toward Flame like he was waiting for some kind of reveal that never came
Eggchan, standing beside him, noticed too but where Lomedy grew restless, Eggchan only seemed to grow quieter, his gaze lingering on Flame for a fraction longer than necessary before turning away again, as though he had already made a decision about something no one else had yet realized
It didn’t take long
Eggchan stepped closer to Lomedy, reaching out with a light, almost absent minded tap against his shoulder, the gesture small but enough to pull the owl hybrid out of his spiraling thoughts
When Lomedy turned toward him with a questioning look, Eggchan simply tilted his head slightly in the direction they had come from, silent but clear
“We should give them space” he said softly
Lomedy blinked “…We should what?”
Eggchan didn’t elaborate
He didn’t need to
There was something in his tone, something quiet but firm, that made arguing feel unnecessary even if Lomedy very clearly wanted to
The owl hybrid opened his mouth like he was about to protest, then hesitated, then closed it again with a small, frustrated exhale as he glanced once more toward Wemmbu and Flame
Clearly aware that something important was about to happen and equally aware that he was being removed from it
“This is ridiculous” Lomedy muttered under his breath, though there was no real bite to it, just reluctant acceptance as he turned away “If I miss something-”
“You won’t” Eggchan replied calmly
That did not reassure him
Not even a little
Still, Lomedy followed, though not without looking back more than once, his wings shifting in agitation as he moved farther away, like he expected the entire moment to happen the second he stopped watching
Eggchan walked beside him at an unhurried pace, not rushing, not looking back, simply allowing the distance to grow until the space they left behind no longer felt occupied
And the moment they were gone
———————~*~———————
The atmosphere changed, the kind of subtle shift that only became noticeable once it had already happened
Like the world itself had taken a step back and decided to be quieter, to leave room for something that didn’t belong in noise or chaos
The wind softened, the air stilled just slightly, and the open space that had once felt empty now felt… intentional
For a while, neither of them spoke
Wemmbu leaned casually against a nearby structure, more habit than necessity, his arms loosely crossed as his wings rested behind him in a relaxed position, though there was nothing careless about the way he watched Flame
There was a knowing look in his eyes, subtle but present, the kind that suggested he had already picked up on more than Flame probably intended to show, but he didn’t push it, didn’t call it out, simply waited with that quiet patience he rarely showed anyone else
“You dragged me all the way out here” he said after a moment, his tone light but edged with curiosity “So this better not be another one of your ‘I have a great idea plans’”
Flame huffed softly, the sound more reflex than reaction as he rubbed the back of his neck, a small, almost unconscious gesture that gave away more than he likely intended “Hey” he muttered “those work sometimes”
“Debatable”
That earned a faint laugh, briefly, familiar, easy and for a second, just a second, it almost slipped into something normal, something they both recognized
The comfortable rhythm of banter and shared history that had carried them through more situations than either of them cared to count
But Flame didn’t let it settle there, didn’t let the moment dissolve back into something safe and predictable, because that wasn’t why they were here
His expression shifted
Not drastically
Just enough
He looked out toward the horizon for a moment, as if grounding himself in something steady, then turned back toward Wemmbu, his voice quieter now, more deliberate “…You remember the prison?”
Wemmbu raised an eyebrow slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching in something that wasn’t quite amusement “Kind of hard to forget”
Flame nodded once, though the movement carried more weight than the question itself, his gaze dropping briefly before lifting again, more focused this time
“You were…” he started, then stopped, exhaling slowly as if choosing his words mattered more than usual,“You were ready to handle it alone”
That was enough
Wemmbu didn’t answer right away, but something in his posture shifted, subtle but noticeable, his gaze sharpening just slightly as he caught onto what this was really about, what Flame was actually saying beneath the surface of the words
“I wasn’t letting that happen” Flame continued, his voice firmer now, steadier in a way that left no room for argument “Not then, not ever”
The words didn’t rise
They didn’t need to
They settled between them, quiet but solid, carrying a weight that didn’t rely on volume to be understood
Wemmbu didn’t deflect.
He didn’t brush it off, didn’t turn it into a joke, didn’t shift the conversation into safer territory the way he usually would
Instead, he straightened slightly, uncrossing his arms as he stood properly, his attention fully on Flame now, not guarded, not distant just present
Listening
Flame took a step closer
Enough to close the distance in a way that felt natural, his voice softening again as he spoke, though the certainty behind it didn’t waver
“You keep doing that” he said quietly. “Acting like you’ve got everything handled, like you don’t need anyone backing you up”
A brief pause
“…You don’t have to do that with me”
And that, that landed differently
Not like an argument
Not like a challenge
Just a truth
Offered without pressure, without expectation, without anything attached except the simple act of saying it out loud
Wemmbu exhaled quietly, something in his stance easing in a way that wasn’t obvious unless you were looking for it, his gaze lingering on Flame as if he was seeing something he hadn’t quite allowed himself to acknowledge before
For a moment there was uncertainty there, faint but real, like he wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to something that wasn’t asking anything of him and yet meant more than anything else could have
Flame didn’t let him retreat from it
“I’m not asking you to stay in one place” he added, a small hint of his usual tone returning, just enough to soften the edges “I know that’s impossible and you would get bored in like a week”
“Three days” Wemmbu muttered automatically
“Exactly” Flame said, the faintest smile flickering across his expression before it settled again into something steadier, something more certain “And… I’m asking you to stay with me”
The air around them heavy with everything they hadn’t said yet, everything they had already lived through without ever putting it into words
Everything that had built quietly between them across battles and arguments and moments that had never been given a name
Flame reached into his inventory then, the motion small but deliberate, his fingers closing around something he had clearly thought about more than once
When he pulled his hand back out, there was something simple resting in his palm, catching the fading light in a way that made it stand out despite its lack of decoration
“I don’t do this kind of thing” he admitted, his voice quieter now, stripped of anything unnecessary “But I’m not losing you to another war, another fight, whatever comes next without at least saying it”
Wemmbu gaze dropped to his hand for a brief second, then lifted again, something in his expression shifting, softening in a way that wasn’t dramatic, wasn’t obvious, but was there if you knew him well enough to see it “Flame, you know how hopelessly inlove I’m to you…”
“…So?” Flame said, not pushing, not rushing, just steady
And for once
Wemmbu didn’t answer immediately
The silence stretched not in an awkward way, not uncertain, but deliberate like he was actually allowing himself to sit with the weight of the moment instead of brushing past it the way he always did
The open sky above them had begun to dim slightly, the light shifting toward evening as the horizon softened into warmer tones
The faint breeze that moved through the area carried just enough chill to contrast the quiet heat that lingered around Flame, the balance of it grounding in a way that made everything feel more real
Wemmbu stepped forward instead
Slowly
Neither hesitant nor rushed
Closing the distance until there was barely any space left between them, until the answer didn’t need to be spoken yet because it was already there in the way he chose to stay instead of stepping back
In the way his gaze didn’t shift away this time, didn’t deflect or dodge or hide behind something easier
For a moment, he just looked at him
Really looked
Like he was measuring something in the person standing in front of him, the one who had followed him, looked for him no matter what the situation were, stood beside him in fights that should have ended differently, refused to leave even when it would have been easier to
“…You’re really bad at this” Wemmbu said finally, his voice quieter than usual, but carrying that familiar teasing edge that made it sound almost normal
Flame rolled his eyes immediately, tension breaking just enough to let out a small breath “Yeah, yeah, I got that part”
A pause
But this time it didn’t pull them apart
It settled between them instead
“…But I’m not going anywhere” Wemmbu added
And there it was
Simple
Uncomplicated
Certain
Flame didn’t respond right away, but something in his expression shifted, relief, subtle but real, easing into the edges of his posture as he let out a breath he probably hadn’t realized he’d been holding
He didn’t make a big deal out of it, didn’t turn it into something dramatic, just reached forward and closed the remaining space between them naturally, like it was something they had already been doing long before this moment
The item in his hand never really mattered
The words had
The choice had
And now, standing there with the quiet settling fully around them, it felt less like something new and more like something that had finally been said out loud
For a while, they stayed like that
Not speaking
Not moving away
Just… there
Side by side, close enough that the silence didn’t feel empty, the fading light stretching across the ground beneath them while the world remained still in that rare, fragile way that only happened when nothing demanded their attention, when there was no fight waiting, no urgency pulling them in different directions
Nothing could ever break them apart
⸻⸻—~*~⸻⸻—
A short distance away, Eggchan stood still, the mirror already in his hand
The surface shimmered faintly, reacting before he even fully activated it, the connection forming in soft ripples across the glass until the reflection shifted into something deeper, something that reached far beyond the quiet stretch of land they stood on
On the other side, the image settled familiar figures appearing almost instantly, as if they had been waiting without knowing what for
Dream gaze sharpened first
Technoblade followed a second later
Neither of them spoke immediately but the way their attention focused, the way the air on their side of the connection seemed to still slightly, made it clear they already understood that this wasn’t a casual call
Eggchan didn’t waste time “He did it”
Technoblade blinked once, then leaned back slightly, a short breath leaving him like something had just clicked into place “…Finally”
Dream didn’t react the same way, not outwardly, but something in his expression softened almost immediately, something quiet and deeply relieved flickering beneath the surface as his gaze shifted slightly, like he was picturing the scene without needing to see it
“…And?” he asked, softer
Eggchan glanced back over his shoulder briefly, just enough to confirm what he already knew, the faintest hint of a smile touching his expression before he looked back at the mirror “It went well”
That was enough
Dream let out a quiet breath, something warm and almost disbelieving threading through it as he shook his head slightly, a small smile forming without him quite realizing it “Of course it did”
Technoblade huffed softly, the corner of his mouth lifting just slightly “Took him long enough”
“At least not as long as us” Dream replied, not arguing, just stating it as it was
“Yeah” Techno said, glancing toward the mirror again, tone quieter now “But he got there”
Eggchan watched them for a moment longer before lowering the mirror slightly, the connection dimming but not fully disappearing yet, as if even it recognized that nothing more needed to be said
Meanwhile, a little farther away
Lomedy almost fainted yet again
He was pacing, not casually, not idly, but in tight restless circles that kept looping back on themselves as if standing still for even a second would make everything he had just learned not long ago, just right after prison break, settle into something real and he clearly wasn’t ready for that
His wings shifted constantly at his back, feathers ruffling and folding and readjusting in uneven motions that betrayed every bit of tension he was trying and failing to contain, his gaze snapping back toward Eggchan and the mirror again and again like it might change if he looked at it long enough
“I’m sorry- no, I’m not over this” he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair before stopping abruptly, turning back toward Eggchan with a look that sat somewhere between disbelief and mild panic “You’re telling me- again, that his parents are them?”
Eggchan didn’t answer
He didn’t need to
And that silence in calm, confirming, completely unmoved, somehow made it worse
Lomedy let out a short, incredulous breath, one wing flaring slightly before he forced it back down “No, nope, that’s not-t ” he stopped, gesturing vaguely, struggling to even form the words “-that is not normal. That’s not something you just casually say and expect me to process”
His eyes flicked to the mirror again, lingering this time, his expression tightening as if he could somehow see through it, past the surface, into the figures on the other side that he had only ever heard about in stories
Stories that Flame would talk ways to many time during the hangovers at his farm, stories that people argued over, exaggerated, doubted, turned into myths because the alternative was accepting that they had actually existed
That they still did
“They’re literally legends” Lomedy said, quieter now, like saying it too loudly might make it more real than he could handle “Not like- not like popular players or strong fighters, I mean actual legends. The kind people build entire histories around. The kind you don’t question because they’re too big to be real anymore”
A pause
His voice dropped even further “I thought i was hallucinating after an exhausted prison break, an-and he, he… calls them… dads?”
Eggchan hummed softly
That was all
Lomedy let out a shaky laugh that held no humor at all, one hand coming up to press briefly against his face as if he could physically push the realization away “No, that’s- no, because that means this entire time-” he stopped again, breath catching slightly as the thought fully landed, “…This entire time I’ve been talking to him like he’s just- just-”
He didn’t finish
Didn’t know how to
Because there wasn’t a way to say it without it sounding wrong
His gaze dropped for a second, then snapped back up, sharper now, more unsettled than before “Do you have any idea how insane that is?” he asked, voice low but urgent “Do you have any idea what would happen if anyone else found out?”
Eggchan expression didn’t change “That’s why no one else knows”
That alone finally made Lomedy stop moving
Completely
The pacing halted, his wings stilling mid adjustment as the weight of that answer settled in, heavier than everything else that had come before it
Because it wasn’t just about disbelief anymore it was about understanding why it had been hidden in the first place
Why it had to be
Lomedy swallowed slightly, his voice quieter when he spoke again. “…And he trusts me with that?”
It wasn’t a question
Eggchan inclined his head just slightly
Lomedy looked back at the mirror one more time, but this time there was something different in his expression not just shock, not just disbelief, but something closer to overwhelm, to the slow, unsteady realization that he had stepped into something far bigger than he had ever intended to be part of
“…I talked to them” he said under his breath, almost to himself “I didn’t even- I didn’t know-“
Eggchan didn’t interrupt
Didn’t reassure him
Just let the moment settle the way it needed to
Lomedy exhaled slowly, long and unsteady, before dragging both hands down his face and letting them fall to his sides, his wings finally settling properly against his back, though the tension hadn’t left him entirely
“I am never getting used to this” he admitted quietly
Eggchan faint smile returned “You don’t have to”
Lomedy let out a weak, almost disbelieving laugh, shaking his head slightly as he glanced once more toward the mirror, toward the quiet, distant presence of legends that had somehow become something far more personal than they were ever meant to be
“…Yeah” he murmured “…I really don’t”
Dream and Techno watched the whole thing in silence and chuckled at the poor owl hybrid reaction
⸻————~*~———————
And not too far from them, unaware of the quiet chaos unfolding just out of sight
Wemmbu and Flame remained where they stood, the world around them dimming into evening as the last light stretched across the open horizon, their shadows long against the ground as the calm settled fully into place
There would be more after this
More fights
More wars
More moments where everything would fall apart again before being put back together
Nothing about this meant things would become easy
But for once they weren’t standing alone in it.
And that alone was already enough