Work Text:
When Manepear woke, there was no sound
There was only darkness, vast and absolute, stretching around him in every direction like an endless sky without stars
Yet it was not the kind of darkness that frightened him
It did not press against his chest or tighten around his throat, it was soft, almost impossibly gentle, like being wrapped in the hush that lingers between one breath and the next
For a long moment he simply lay there, trying to understand what was different
The first thing he noticed was how light he felt
The heaviness that had once settled deep into his bones was gone, as if some invisible weight had been lifted from him
His body no longer carried the weariness that had followed him for so long, and even his thoughts seemed strangely clear, drifting through him without the usual sharpness of fear or grief
It felt as if the storm inside him had finally gone still
“So this is it…” he murmured softly into the darkness
The words vanished into the silence, swallowed whole by the endless space around him
Yet even with his mind feeling so unburdened, there was one thought that rose above everything else, one instinct so deeply woven into him that not even death or whatever this was could silence it
Where is Wemmbu?
The question came with such immediate certainty that Manepear did not even pause to wonder why it was the first thing on his mind
Of course it was
It had always been Wemmbu
No matter what happened, no matter who had been left behind first, his heart had always turned toward him as naturally as breathing
He pushed himself upright, though even the act of moving felt strange here
There was no floor beneath him that he could truly feel, no solid ground to anchor his steps, yet somehow he still moved forward
The darkness around him was not empty after all
As his eyes adjusted, faint traces of violet and silver began to shimmer through it, like distant starlight suspended in mist
It reminded him of the End in the gentlest possible way, stripped of all its loneliness and sharp edges, leaving only a quiet sense of stillness
He walked for what might have been minutes or years, time no longer seemed to obey any familiar rules
The silence remained unbroken until, far ahead, he saw a shape emerging from the dim glow
At first it was only a silhouette, a darker shadow within the darkness, but even before he could make out the details, recognition struck him with an ache so sharp it nearly stole the breath from his lungs
The curve of a horn
The outline of folded wings
The unmistakable elegance in the shape of the figure, even in stillness
Wemmbu
Manepear did not think
He moved, run
Driven by something far older and stronger than reason
The figure became clearer with every step until at last there was no mistaking him, the sweep of purple hair, the graceful curve of his horns, the dark wings resting motionless around him, and those impossibly elegant clothes that somehow looked just as immaculate here as they had in life
Wemmbu was lying there as though asleep
Peaceful
Still
Beautiful in the way that always made Manepear chest tighten immediately
For a moment he simply stood over him, unable to do anything except look
The sight hurt in the strangest way not with grief, but with the overwhelming force of love too long restrained
He had spent so much time fearing absence that the reality of presence felt almost impossible to bear
“Oh, love…” he whispered, his voice trembling with tenderness
Slowly, carefully, he lowered himself beside him and wrapped his arms around him, curling against Wemmbu side the way he had done countless times before
The familiar chill of Wemmbu’s body met him at once, cool and comforting, the same cold that had once made long winter nights feel safe rather than lonely
Manepear pressed closer, letting himself sink into that familiar sensation, into the shape of him, into the simple fact that he was here
For a while, nothing happened
The silence stretched around them, but it did not feel empty
It felt sacred, as if the darkness itself were giving them space for this moment
Then, beneath his arms, he felt Wemmbu stir
The movement was small at first, just a faint twitch but it was enough to make Manepear hold his breath
Slowly, golden iris opened, still hazy with sleep, and fixed on him
For one suspended heartbeat, Wemmbu simply stared, as if he could not quite trust what he was seeing
“Mane…?”
The sound of his name in Wemmbu voice nearly undid him
Manepear ears twitched instinctively, and a smile softened his expression “Yes” he answered, his voice quiet and warm
Wemmbu looked at him with an expression so open, so vulnerable, that Manepear felt his chest ache
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, Wemmbu asked “Promise?”
Manepear understood immediately
It was not a question about where they were, nor how this had happened
It was the promise that had lingered between them for so long, the one whispered through fear and tears on nights when tomorrow had felt unbearable
When you wake up, the first thing you’ll see is me
Manepear leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, letting the warmth of it answer what words alone could not
“Promise” he whispered against his mouth
At that, something in Wemmbu expression broke into relief, and his arms came around Manepear with sudden urgency, pulling him close as though he feared even now that this reunion might vanish
Manepear held him just as tightly, one hand sliding into his hair, fingers brushing through the familiar strands with reverence
They stayed that way for a long time, wrapped around one another in the darkness, saying nothing because there was nothing that needed to be said yet
Presence was enough
Eventually they shifted, sitting side by side with their hands still clasped together, fingers intertwined with the ease of long habit
The darkness around them had softened somehow, as though the place itself recognized the tenderness of the moment
Wemmbu was the first to break the silence, his voice quieter now but touched with that familiar dry humor “It’s surprisingly calm…”
Manepear turned to look at him, a faint smile tugging at his lips “So you expected chaos instead of a reunion?”
Wemmbu let out a soft breath that might have been a laugh “I expected both, or perhaps just stillness”
A pause
“But I’m not complaining when my handsome husband is here with me”
The words were so unmistakably Wemmbu that Manepear could not help smiling wider
“Oh, love” he murmured, the affection in his voice impossible to hide
Of course
After everything
After time and death and whatever waited beyond both
It was still Wemmbu
Still dramatic
Still unbearably charming
Still home
Manepear leaned in and kissed him again, slower this time, deeper, allowing all the years of missing, waiting, and longing to pour into the touch
Wemmbu responded immediately, one hand lifting to cup his face, thumb brushing over his cheek with a familiarity that made the darkness around them seem less vast
When they finally pulled apart, they remained close enough that their foreheads touched
For a while they simply talked
Not about endings
Not about grief
Only about the small things they had missed
The treehouse swaying in the wind
The lantern light catching on old potion bottles
The bookshelves Wemmbu insisted on alphabetizing
The meals that had once nearly burned the kitchen down because Wemmbu, for all his many talents, was catastrophically bad at cooking
Manepear laughed softly at the memory “You nearly set the kitchen on fire”
“It was one time”
“It was six”
“That is slander”
“You tried to make soup”
“It was an experimental broth”
“It was boiling water with three mushrooms”
Wemmbu gave him a look of deeply offense “It had herbs”
For the first time since so long, Manepear laughed without restraint
The sound carried softly into the darkness, warm enough to make the endless space around them feel almost like home
Eventually, they stood
Ahead of them, the darkness had begun to part, revealing a faint path of silver light stretching forward into the unknown
Neither of them knew where it led, and strangely, neither of them cared
Their hands remained clasped tightly together
Manepear looked at Wemmbu, and Wemmbu looked back, a small, certain smile passing between them
Whatever waited at the end of that path, peace, another beginning, or something neither of them could yet imagine, they would face it the way they had faced everything else
Together
So they walked forward, side by side, fingers entwined, shoulders brushing, love steady between them like a lantern that no darkness could ever touch
They did not fear what waited at the end
Not anymore
As long as they had each other, the unknown had no teeth
Wemmbu will always be his home
Just like how Mane is Wemmbu life
And somewhere beyond the stillness, beyond time and endings and every promise ever spoken, something warm seemed to open before them
Death, perhaps
Or simply peace
Either way, they stepped toward it together
Hand in hand
Like always