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Wemmbu can’t sleep.
He’s gone to bed at a reasonable time for once. Deciding that this would be the time he could try to fix his slowly decaying sleep schedule. Hell, he didn’t even use his phone before getting in bed, just drank some water and laid down.
Now it’s been what feels like hours. He stared at the ceiling, tried different positions to sleep, closed his eyes and willed himself to relax. He counted sheep. He stopped right before a hundred when he realised it wasn’t helping.
He groans, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. “Why is it so hard to sleep?” He lays his forearm on his head, “And one of the few times I actually try to sleep early too.”
He turns, grabbing his phone off the bedside table. The bright light immediately blinds him. He quickly covers his eyes with a groan.
He reads it quickly through blurry eyes.
1:15
He had gotten in bed at around eight.
“Bro.” He groans to himself again, phone falling onto his chest.
And then he just… stares at the ceiling again. Frankly it doesn’t even matter if he's going to be sleeping late, or not sleep at all. It’s a Friday night, he could just sleep the next day if he’s really tired. He could doomscroll or play something on his large list of games.
But that’s boring.
It’s become monotonous. He’s spent too many nights like this.
He stands up, sliding his feet into worn slippers, and steps out his room.
The apartment is simple, but it’s been more of a home than anything before.
Part of him thinks it’s because he’s sharing the space with Egg.
There’s evidence of both of their stuff there, one of Wemmbu’s jackets he had left on the couch earlier that day, all the books in Egg’s bookshelves that take up half a wall space, the incense they were not allowed to have, some plushies they had made for each other.
The space had become theirs over the school year, but knowing that summer will come around later, Wemmbu feels dread coil up in his stomach. He’d gotten so used to having Egg close to him, a friend that he knows he can rely on, to always talk with about everything and nothing. Come summer, he’d be separated from that anchor, unable to see him as often.
They’d talked about getting an actual apartment together, a place that they wouldn’t have to tear down every year but instead a place that they could add more.
Whenever that can happen, he looks forward to it.
He pads over to Egg’s room lazily, not bothering to knock on the door. He swings it open to Egg dead asleep. Soft snores emanate in the room, the humidifier making a soft hum.
Wemmbu’s steps are softened by the blue rug Egg had unfurled at the beginning of the year. He ignored the stains on it that had definitely not been his fault and shakes Egg’s shoulder.
“Yo bro.” Wemmbu says quietly. Egg turns away with a grumble. He flops down beside his friend instead, arm landing heavily on Egg’s turned side.
“Wake up.” He drones, poking Egg’s face. His friend swats the offender away, “You’re awake I know you are, come on!”
“Five more minutes…” Egg tiredly grumbles, burrowing further into his sheets.
Wemmbu huffs, “D’alright, but that’s all you’re getting.” He doom scrolls on Tiktok, his cheek pressed against the warm back of his friend. He keeps an eye on the time, and when the five minutes are up he starts yanking on Egg’s blankets.
“Okay bro, get up.” Egg is freed from his blanket, still grumbling and rubbing his eyes. He’s pulled up by Wemmbu, “We’re gonna go on an adventure.” Wemmbu announces determinedly, a grin on his face.
Egg looks at Wemmbu, blinking slowly. He turns to face the window.
It’s dark out.
Egg turns back slowly, Wemmbu’s cheeky smile still there. “Wemmbu, why is it still dark out?”
Wemmbu’s smile grows a bit bigger.
“Wemmbu, bro. What time is it?”
“Hmm, around 1:20 am.” Wemmbu casually shrugs.
“Brother.”
“Whaaat? Hey!-" Egg had started gathering the blankets, tucking himself deeper in bed. “Wait bro, c’mon!” Wemmbu pushes his way through, getting under the blankets with him. He shoves a cold hand into Egg’s face, “Let’s just go, it’ll be fun I promise.”
Egg lets out a little shriek, “Bro it’s too early for this.” Egg pushes himself away from the hand. Wemmbu still pats Egg’s cheek.
“I’ll drive us around, I just… need to get out y’know?” Egg’s eyes peek open, staring at Wemmbu’s tired face.
Earlier that day Wemmbu had confidently proclaimed he was going to go to sleep at a normal time, and had even come into Egg's room to say goodnight when it had reached eight. It seems that hadn’t worked out for him.
And Egg can’t even be upset that Wemmbu woke him up. Lord knows how many times they had woken the other up just to have a chat about something on their mind then wound up sleeping in the same bed. Egg’s pretty sure half his clothes are in Wemmbu’s room and vice versa.
But this might just be the first time Wemmbu’s come to him during the night for just a chance to do something.
Egg lets out an exaggerated sigh, sitting up again. Wemmbu follows his movement. The blanket pools to their thighs.
“Fine bro, let’s go.”
Wemmbu cheers jumping out of the bed, “Let’s go bro!” He leaves the room to presumably put on his shoes. Egg shakes his head, a soft expression on his face.
Egg gets up slower, still feeling a faint sense of tiredness. He puts on his shoes and glasses, and grabs his wallet and apartment keys. Leaving the room, he comes across Wemmbu in the small living room, putting on his hoodie.
“Took you long enough dude.” Wemmbu has the audacity to say after noticing Egg.
“Brother what? It’s been like two minutes.” Egg laughs out, “You just woke me up, can’t I take my time.”
“But brooo,” Wemmbu grabs Egg’s arm, dragging him to the door. Egg puts up no resistance, easily following. “We have a whole world to explore! We’re gonna miss like… so much.”
“What is bro talking about?” Egg opens the apartment door, “It’s dead during the night dude, people are sleeping, like we could be doing right now.” He gives Wemmbu a look.
“Or we could drive around the city, it’s hella nice out right now.” Wemmbu is wrong, and he’s only saying that because he has a hoodie on. Egg didn’t have the foresight to put on a sweater, long sleeve shirt and shorts being the only way to provide him warmth. Egg shivers slightly as the wind blows. “Think about the stars bro, they’re lonely with everyone being asleep.”
“They’ve got each other, no?” Egg closes the door behind them, locking it. He gives the door knob a twist just to make sure.
“Yea I guess,” Wemmbu walks down the stairs, Egg following behind him. “But they’re so old dude, and surrounded by the same ol’ guys. It’s gotta get boring!”
“What about us?” Egg questions.
Wemmbu turns to face him, a questioning look on his face, “What do you mean?”
“We’re with each other all the time,” Egg points out. “We’ve known each other for years. You think it’ll get boring?”
“Nah.”
Wemmbu’s immediate answer makes Egg pause for a moment. He quickly continues walking to not seem suspicious.
“You’re Egg. I could never get bored of you dude.”
Egg feels a sense of warmth fill him. One that makes him feel giddy and excited. He wants to hug Wemmbu, yell to the whole apartment complex that this is his friend, his other half in a way he can’t explain. He’d watch Wemmbu’s mouth turn from one of surprise then into an embarrassed grin, flushing red.
Instead Egg nods, a soft grin on his face as he replies, “Yea bro, I’d never get tired of you too. You’re my day one.”
“Hell yea I am.” Wemmbu replies smugly. They’ve gotten to the parking lot, approaching Wemmbu’s car.
It looks exactly like Wemmbu, completely purple. Opening the door reveals a black interior with purple seat covers. When Egg sits inside, he’s met with the familiar decorations. Pins and stickers are stuck to the ceiling of the car, there’s some small blind box figures taped down to the dashboard and there’s jewelry dangling from the rear view mirror.
“Alright,” Wemmbu turns the car on, immediately backing out of the parking space. “We’re gonna get food.” He hands Egg his phone.
Egg easily unlocks it, playing their usual playlist, before opening the maps app. “Where do you wanna go?”
“I don’t know, anywhere that’s open at 1am?”
“We could go to Waffle House.”
Wemmbu shudders, shaking his head, “Hell no. Remember what happened to Spoke?”
Egg nods solemnly, “Right right…Ihop it is then.” The navigation app activates a robotic voice informing them where to go.
“We can get their crepes!” Wemmbu cheered, merging onto the highway, with little stress. Egg plays music, the car bluetooth connected to his phone already. Their usual playlist plays songs Egg already knows the lyrics to but hasn’t gotten tired of.
The sun roof opens, the cool outside air getting inside, the wind loud above them. Wemmbu turns up the music. They’re quiet throughout the car ride, Egg lays his head on the window watching the lights pass. It’s not awkward, more natural than anything. They’ve become used to not having to fill the silence, their presence perfectly enough for each other.
Soon enough they had pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant. The two step out and look around. Aside from three other cars parked on the other side of the lot, it was empty. The bright lights of the Ihop shine on them, showing only a family of three presently sitting inside eating.
When they walk in, they’re greeted with a tired looking host.
“Just you two?” The host doesn’t smile, Egg doesn’t blame them because he can’t imagine having to work at a restaurant during the night.
Wemmbu nods in response and they’re led to a table, one with booths. The two sit across from each other, and they’re given the menu. Egg orders a milkshake and Wemmbu gets a soda with flavored syrup, before the server leaves them.
Egg looks through the menu, seeing the family of three nearby slowly eating their food. Wemmbu casually flips through the menu, barely giving anything a glance.
“How hungry are you?” Egg asks.
“Starving, if the waiter doesn’t come by soon I’m gonna- Hey man.” Egg suppresses his snickers as Wemmbu gives the waiter a smile, drinks being placed on the table.
The two order their food, crepes and an appetizer sampler. They try each other's drinks, stealing sips as they talk about anything that comes to mind.
“D’ya think I can smuggle my cat in next year?” Wemmbu asks, taking a long sip from Egg’s milkshake.
“Gambit? She’s loud bro, she’d meow whenever they do room checks.”
“No dude, trust she’d be so quiet, she's a sweet girl.”
“She nearly mauled my face off the last time I saw her.”
“That’s a bit of an over exaggeration."
It’s not, the last time he visited Wemmbu’s house during the summer, he sat on Wemmbu’s bed apparently too close to Gambit. She immediately jumped at Egg, claws out aiming for him. Wemmbu had grabbed onto her, cradling her to his chest where she started purring as if nothing had happened.
Egg had avoided her for the rest of his visit, and that was the last experience with her. He secretly hopes that Gambit will get used to him, so that way when Wemmbu and Egg live together, he won’t have to be scared of her.
And he’s trying to keep the fact that he’s scared of a cat from Wemmbu.
“What do you wanna do tomorrow?” Egg asks, fiddling with the straw from his shake.
“We can visit the new book store that opened near the university.”
“Won’t it be boring for you?”
The food is brought out to them, their plates being placed in the middle. The two thank the waiter before being left alone again.
“Nah, it’s always fun when I’m with you dude.”
Egg bites into a chicken tender, trying to fight back a smile.
“But we can go to the cafe after if it’ll make you feel better.” Wemmbu smiles at him, cutting one of the crepes on the plate.
“Yeah, we can do that. You wanted to try their new drink right?”
“It sounds so good bro!”
And that’s how they spent their time, talking about anything that comes to mind. Complaining about classes, sharing new songs they’ve found, the spiders slowly invading their room. They never run out of anything to talk about, even after all this time.
And Egg wouldn’t have it any other way.
——————————-
“Are we almost there?” Egg pants out, nearly tripping on a stray branch. The trees are tall and he can barely see into the little forest, Wemmbu’s phone light being the only thing that can help them see.
“Yes bro, trust.” Wemmbu replies slightly ahead of him, walking on the paved dirt path.
“You said that like thirty minutes ago.”
“Egg bro, we’ve only been walking on this path for like a couple minutes, it's not even that much.” Wemmbu snickers, stopping to let Egg catch up.
“This is torture, I’m not meant for this life style.”
“What, walking around?” Wemmbu teases.
“You know what I mean dude.” Egg feels his friend’s arm wrap around his shoulder.
“Chill chill, we’re almost at the top.” He begins tugging Egg along with him, the warmth of his sweater seeping into Egg’s chilled body. He shivers slightly.
“You drove all this way for what? To see the stars?”
“We can barely see them when we’re so close to the city, plus I know you like them.”
That had been a throw away comment Egg had made months ago, just talking about the constellations while they were half asleep on the couch. Empty mugs of hot chocolate on the table, a large blanket covering the both of them.
Egg hadn’t expected Wemmbu to remember, a mix of both their bad memories and fatigue creeping up on them on that night. Wemmbu had never mentioned it again either, so Egg naturally thought he’d forgotten.
“What’s up with you wanting to do all this stuff for me bro?” Egg questions, smile creeping onto his face.
“Hmm nothing,” They’re almost to the top of the hill, the trees surrounding them slowly thinning out and Egg can see the beginnings of a clearing. “Just wanted to spend time with you.”
Egg huffs out a laugh, “We see each other everyday.”
“Thank God.” Wemmbu states. They’ve reached the top of the hill, a clearing is set in front of them, the path winding around with benches following it. A lone tree stands on the other side of the clearing, “I don’t think I’d be the same without you.”
The stars are prominent above them, Egg can see each twinkling light in the clear dark sky. The moon is full, glowing brightly. The soft wind causes the leaves on the trees to sway, and at that moment it’s just the two of them on this hill.
Just the two of them in this world.
A quiet moment shared between the two, only witnessed by the stars and moon.
Egg feels his breath leave him, staring up. A small tug on his sleeve distracts him.
“Let’s go sit down, there’s a bench over there.” Wemmbu points to the bench beside the tree on the other side of the clearing, Egg feels himself nod.
He continues to marvel at the sky, trusting Wemmbu to guide him. He finds the house shaped constellation, Cepheus following it to Cassiopeia and then Andromeda. He recalls the stories in his mind, watching the other smaller stars shine.
Egg feels the wooden bench bump against his leg, a small “Sorry” from Wemmbu but he immediately sits down. Wemmbu sits beside him with a hum, quiet as to not disturb Egg.
At some point Wemmbu plays some music from his phone, soft piano emitting from it. Egg feels himself sink lower into the wooden bench, turning his direction to the land instead. He sees other similar hills covered in trees and plains expanding throughout the horizon. In the far away distance, he sees the light of the city they had left hours before.
He hears a shuffle beside him, being nudged with a warm material. He opens one of his eyes to Wemmbu holding out his sweater, “You look like you’re gonna freeze to death.” Wemmbu teases.
“What?” Egg stutters out, “Aren’t you gonna get cold?”
Wemmbu shakes his head, “I’ll be good, I think this weather is perfect.” He places it in Egg’s lap.
Egg looks at Wemmbu face for a moment, before taking the purple sweater and shrugging it on. It’s a sweater he’s familiar with, the fabric worn and soft, still warm from Wemmbu wearing it just moments ago. He and Wemmbu typically share clothes, either because they’re in a rush or just don’t care to check who’s clothing it is.
He feels himself relax more, nearly dozing off. Apparently Wemmbu also felt the same, as moments later he felt his head land on his shoulder. They lean into each other, soaking up each other’s presence.
He eventually does fall half asleep. No matter how comfortable he is, being outside sitting on a wooden bench could beat his bed with a mountain of blankets. So he finds himself waking in between moments, Wemmbu’s soft snores or a particularly large gust of wind causing his eyes to open. But most of the night, he finds himself drifting between consciousness and unawareness.
Egg is eventually shaken awake, a finger poking his cheek. Similar to how he was originally woken up mere hours ago.
Opening his eyes, he’s almost immediately blinded, urgently covering them again. Wemmbu snickers beside him. He blinks again, rubbing his slowly before he fully takes in the few.
The sun rises lazily from behind the horizon, the sky being overcome by a gradient of oranges. The stars Egg saw just mere hours ago, were being outshined by the sun. The beautiful star that provides warmth and light. A constant in everyday life yet is never something he could ever get tired of looking at.
He looks at Wemmbu beside him, who’s similarly watching the sun rise.
The sun that makes life possible.
Egg stands in a field beside his friend. Still warm from the sweater Wemmbu lended him.
He stands beside his friend who he’s seen every day for years now, someone he knows he can constantly rely on.
And he goes back to watching the sun rise.