Chapter Text
Wemmbu wonders if at some point in life, everyone just wants to leave their life behind and start anew.
Like think about. Really think about it. Think of the possibilities. Freedom. Brand new name. Brand new life. No more sleepless nights running from some hero with a stupid name like Fraggers or some shit. Not to mention Budgie, Quarrion, Null, Nexo, and or any of the other annoyances that make his life harder.
He’d be able to get some rest different from momentary shuteye. He’d be able to shed away his paranoia, his scars, his trauma.
Just drop it off alongside his current very violent and volatile lifestyle.
Wemmbu thought about it very hard. Approximately ten minutes, then got distracted, and then another thirty. He reflected, pondered, meditated, weighed, analized, and deconstructed the idea until it sounded like literal paradise. He told Egg, his life long friend and unwilling accomplice, who agreed immediately. Of course he did, as it meant he would be able to finally start a stable and successful career without being kidnapped every day or so.
So yeah. That is how he ended up here, standing in front of a hair salon which doubles as a florist shop, ready to take on a job.
Yeah. He never thought he’d be saying that. He has a resume, obviously forged, and everything now. It’s kinda unsettling if he’s being honest.
But whatever, you can be whatever you wanna be or something like that.
It’s still fairly early in the morning, so he can get away by standing right in front of the shop waiting for it to open without being trampled on by pedestrians. Few cars come and go, which is expected of this time of day.
He shifts on his feet as his phone pings. When he checks it’s a message from Egg that just says.
Good luck bro. Don’t die 🥀
God he loves Egg. Best chungie friend ever.
Making use of the fact his phone is still on, he checks the clock. 6:00 AM. Fucking 6:00 AM.
…maybe he exaggerated.
Though can anyone blame him?? He was not able to sleep at all, his bones still jittery and his mind racing with his plans and anticipation. Maybe anxious.
Not about the job though, or his now fake death, or his new and unfamiliar freedom.
Nah, hell nah.
He’s just early because he is turning a new leaf and wants to be a good, diligent civilian.
So, he waits by the door of the store that Minute had recommended for his impromptu retirement. He plays on his phone a game called Goat simulator, blowing things up as a goat to pass the time.
As time goes by, more and more passersby begin to appear. Neither pay much attention to the black haired, tattooed guy sitting by the entrance of some random ahh store. Most have more interesting lives than worrying about some rando, which does two things:
First it proves his disguise is perfect. He had switched from his bright purple hair for a deep black color which stopped short of his roots to not damage the hair. His extravagant and elegant attire, his corset, long coat, poets shirt, waist coat and even formal trousers, were replaced with an oversized sleeveless shirt and an equally oversized pair of cargo pants. His new style left his hidden and secret tattoos out in the open, which worked out perfectly for him considering only Egg knew of them.
The tattoos themselves were long and big, covering mostly his left arm, from his knuckles to his shoulder. Very aura full as Egg says each time he sees them.
Second, it gives him peace. Sure, deep down as he blows up cars and people in a goat game his muscles still tense up as people pass remotely close to him. His nerves are still fried with years of running and months of being hunted.
He won’t acknowledge that. Hell nah. That, and with that he refers to all this horrible psychological and emotional damage that died with him, died with Wemmbj the criminal.
His trauma or whatever can just up and leave now, thank you.
Anyways.
It was around eight when the approaching steps his mind immediately noticed came to a stop in front of the store and by extension him, that he finally looked up.
The person had a fairly simple get up. He wore an overall that fit more a farm than a city store, alongside two worn boots. Under the overall he wore a hoddie, how the hell was he not burning up right now? He had a pair of goggles around his neck. So the other is going maybe for a city farmer fit or something?
Okey, so maybe he was not a fan of the fit. He's not judging, alright, there is a reason why it is called fashion sense, and not common sense,
Few people can rival his drip. That is just a fact of life.
Before the city farmer can even finish opening his mouth, Wemmbu is already standing, turning off the game and saying, “yo!! I heard you were hiring?”
City farmer, to his credit, goes from confusion to surprise and then pleasant happiness in less than three seconds. “E- yeah! We are. You are interested?”
Wemmbu nods, his long earring moving with the motion. “Yup.”
“Oh great!” The city farmer claps his hands and extends a hand to Wemmbu. “Name’s Lomedy, I’m one of the owners of this store. The florist section.” He points to the very obvious and evident windows, which are currently lined with pots and pots of plants.
Wemmbu takes his hand. “I’m Lilac.”
Lomedy, the name strangely fit actually, nodded and shook his hand firmly. They were calloused but Wemmbu can tell they are not from combat or training. These callouses have not healed over and over again without care, scar over scar while pushed to their limit. His hands are rough, the kind of rough that comes from handling soil, and roots, and those weird gardening and farming utensils Wemmbu knows next to no names off.
“Let’s go in. I’ll interview you.” He was so friendly, smiled openly and honestly. It makes him want to shudder.
He puts a smile and follows after Lomedy, who opens the door.
No more emotional distancing and such. New life. New habits. Civilian habits. It echoes like a chant in his mind, which does not help his cause as he can imagine circus music playing in the background.
Prime, what am I doing with my life fr. He groans internally.
The store itself is filled with plants of all kinds. Big, small, floral, leafy. More plants that he can begin to describe. They line the walls, window and even the door to what he assumes is a bathroom. He can see the chairs typically used in hair salons. Those chairs are all facing a long mirror, which covers the entire wall. To the opposite side, there is a waiting room, which is also divided by a small wall, it barely reaches Lomedy’s hip and the guy is not taller than Wemmbu. On the other side is a desk, with bags of what he assumes is dirt. There are empty pots and gardening utensils alongside a frankly impressive display of flowers of any and all varieties.
There is a second floor, but Lomedy does not take him there, content to interview Wemmbu in the waiting room. As he sits down he notes the window is close to him, easy to open, and the door is left unlocked and readily available.
“So, Lilac.”
He turns to Lomedy, a small smile tugging his lips. He really really hopes that the expression looks natural. “Yep.”
“How did you hear of this place? I mean, can’t help but be curious, we are still a relatively small shop.”
Ah, background time!
“You see, a friend of a friend of a cousin told me about it. I’ve been kinda unemployed for a while since I left my old office job to get more freedom in life y’know.” He crosses his legs, heeled boot now settled over his knee.
Yeah, sounds believable enough.
Egg would be laughing his ass off, considering Wemmbu would be the last person in existence to ever work office hours. He’d rather become a supervillain hunted by the entire city.
Lomedy’s eyes widened. “Oh! Well, did you find the freedom you were searching for?” In his face there is a considerate and understanding attitude which Wemmbu can barely stomach.
Oh Prime, he really needs to stop cringing at displays of emotion. He thinks after suppressing a shudder.
Still, the question is a good one. So, honor it with as much honesty as he can afford. “I think I have.”
Lomedy nods and examines Wemmbu once more.
“So, Lilac. I’m guessing you know what job you came for.”
If he’s being honest…. No. He just figured he had to knock on the door and ask for a job.
“Well, I know my way around hair styling, dyeing, and cutting. I’ve never worked with plants, but I can learn and- well, yeah, that’s pretty much it.” He drives a hand through his hair, which is styled into several braids, and then tied at the back. It makes for a nice, simple look.
Well, simple for him, Minute always complained Wemmbu’s style was overly intricate.
Lomedy nods, his eyes fixed on his hair. He seems to be evaluating and calculating. There is an appreciative air to his expression though so Wemmbu is not complaining.
This silence doesn’t last, as Lomedy’s cellphone rings once, driving his attention back to the conversation. “Lilac, if ‘am honest, your interview should be with my co administrator, as they handle everything regarding the hair salon. I don’t know much about hair and all that stuff, to be honest. But-“ he extends his hand towards Wemmbu, who shakes his hand by reflex. “You are hired dude. I like your vibe.”
Fuck yeah.
Wemmbu grins, genuine excitement escaping him. “For real?”
“For real. Dude have you seen your hair? I mean, of course you have but it’s very impressive.” He points at his own hair, which is composed of tight curls which are messily tangled. “I barely know what to do with mine, let alone all that.”
Okay no, he’s not blushing guys. What are y’all talking about? He’s very nonchalant about the praising, guys.
“Bro, I swear it is not that hard.” He feels his ears warm up, and his spine seems to decompress. Prime bless retirement, it’s already doing wonders for him.
“Nah, you are lying to me.” Lomedy laughs and stands, extending one hand to Wemmbu to help his rise too. “You have to show me one. Later though, we got a lot of stuff to do. Opening the store and showing you the ropes.”
He takes it, and then an arm is wrapped around his shoulder like Egg does when they have time to just hang out.
“Let me show you around, and then I’ll introduce you to your coworkers.” Something must have changed in his posture, or maybe Komedy is just nice like that, as the other adds. “You’ll fit right in.”
Alright. So, Lomedy showed him around. The store has two rooms in the back, one for gardening utensils that don’t fit the main room and the other is a place to hang out. The latter had a large couch, which was well worn and clearly loved. It has a small coffee table, decorated with handmade carvings. How cool is that? He will press Minute to add that to their shared house.
There is also a TV, a coffee machine, fridge, some snacks here and there, a microwave, and a freaking massage chair. Holy peak. He’s keeping this job, definitely.
Other than that, Lomedy showed him how the store worked, the cashier, which also had some unique gimmicks, and the schedule. It is fairly flexible, the only condition being that he has to inform them of any changes. They will pay him every month, and tips are divided equally with the coworker he had that shift with, instead of divided among all coworkers.
Above all, the job is all pretty fair, fun and rewarding.
As for his first shift, it was alright. He worked alongside and got along decently well with WyLL. The guy’s an ass though, wearing his stupid suit to work as a hairdresser. Like come oonn. It makes everyone, even the clients, look underdressed in comparison.
He also met his other boss, Lopezz, who is fairly nice. He hopes it remains that way, he really likes his job so far. After all, he’s met Lopezz before, and not as Lilac, obviously.
Back then, he didn’t pay much attention to her, still kind of high in the feeling of explosions blooming under his skin to care much for her. What he does remember, is that he blew up his city by accident. How that happened, he is not sure, but he does not remember much of that time, so he tries not to think much about it.
Regardless, Lopezz did not recognize him, and he is happy to leave it at that. Even if guilt does eat away at his stomach. Not that he will ever admit it. After all, that is the point of retirement, isn’t it?
Through the week he tended to customer after customer. His shifts mostly coincided with WyLL, though he did see the other two coworkers once. Jaden and Cod, or something like that.
Back at his house with Minute and Egg, things have also settled. They had renovated the place, covering any and all signs of the previous villain lifestyle he led and forced Egg and Minute (more like a comeback for the latter, but semantics) into. Egg got a job as a librarian, and Minute returned to his chorus farm. All in all, things are looking up.
His nightmares have also been greatly reduced, and when he sleeps, he no longer feels like he will wake up running from rejoice’s his corpse.
Life is good, fr fr.
Today, two weeks in with the news of his sudden and violent death rapidly dying down, he is working alongside Jaden. The other uses a mask to cover the bottom part of his face, a black turtle neck and pants that look straight out of a pirate movie. He’s a quiet guy, mostly minding his own business and Wemmbu is happy to leave it at that. Occasionally he feels the other stare at him, but he ignores it.
He had been fixing a rather horrifying haircut from a guy called Palpers, when Lomedy bursts in, Lopezz in tow.
The two go straight for Jaden, though Lomedy detours to get a glass of water.
Never one to dismiss gossip, he tilts his head in their direction.
“Jaden, guess what?”
He hears Jaden perk up, looking up from his phone. “What is it?”
“Remember Puffy’s tattoo shop downtown?”
Wemmbu, who had been cutting hair at the time, pauses. He knows that store. How wouldn’t he? He got most of his tattoos done there.
He turns the chair towards Jaden, just because things got a thousand times more interesting. It’s not like Palpers will miss his reflection, as last time Wemmbu checked the guy had fallen asleep.
Jaden narrows his eyes but nods in response.
Lopezz goes on. “Well, she’s closing. Turns out she wants to move to a coastal city and try to finally live out as a sailor. Good for her but also great for us.”
Aw shame, he really liked her art. Half the reason why his tattoos are so cool is thanks to Puffy.
Jaden seems to share the sentiment, though Wemmbu will be damned if there isn’t some anticipation in the other’s eyes. “Why you say that?”
Lomedy reenters the room with a huge glass of water. “Dude, she is willing to sell us her equipment. All of it.”
Wemmbu’s eyes widened alongside Jaden. He decides to interject. “Wait, for real?”
Lomedy grins in direction, sighing in satisfaction at a huge gulp of water he just took. “Yep. For real, real.”
Jaden, for his part, looks ready to jump out of his skin. “No way. No way. How much is she asking?”
“It’s costly, to be honest.”
Jaden’s expression sours slightly but it doesn’t dampen his mood, just nodding.
Lomedy continues. “As for how we’ll pay, we can cover the costs though then we’ll have to discount it from your salary, Jaden. We need to pay rent and-“
His mind flies to the zeros in his bank account, all the money he’s robbed and scammed and laundered. A man with hair dyed yellow and red comes to his mind.
He’s already leaving that life behind isn’t he? And Jaden is nice enough, so…
Yeah, why not.
“I can cover it.”
He doesn’t regret it, even once the words are spoken.
New life, new me, I guess.
All three turn to him, who had just finished with Palpers’ hair, which is now a very stylish, if you ask him, mullet. “Lilac-“ Jaden starts but he shakes his head.
“I’m not hearing it, Jaden. Look I really respect tattooing as an art medium, if it wasn’t obvious. And it’d be a shame to leave that perfectly good equipment in the trash.”
“I can pay for it though.”
Wemmbu gives him a light glare. “Dude, I have money and want to spend it. Let me pay.” Jaden still looks uncomfortable, so he adds. “I’m paying, you’ll have to get me the best tattoo ever, alright?”
Jaden takes a deep breath before nodding. “Dude-“
“Shush now. Instead cash in his hair cut.” He points to Palpers with a wave. “One haircut and styling, got it?”
With a sigh, Jaden stands and nods, though Wemmbu can see the tips of his ears are red.
Just as he turns to clean his station, Lomedy comes up to him and thanks him.
Warmth clogs his chest, as Lomedy hugs him, even when Wemmbu stiffens a bit.
Yeah, life is good.
Jaden:
Yo. Lilac.
It’s Jaden from Eden.
Hyd?
He rubs his eyes clean for where he had dozed off on the couch. It’d been three days since he sent Puffy the payment for her shop’s equipment, and two since he had helped Jaden make a space for all of it in Lomedy’s shop. Eden had turned into a hair saloon-florist-tattoo parlor mix. It was a bit cramped but they managed. Above all, they saw an increment in the store’s sales so all is good.
His eyes are a bit dry, slightly sore and itching. His room looked like a explosion of clothing and leftovers. A year exactly. One whole year, and his corpse still haunts the edges of his vision.
It’d been so debilitating, his bones refused to move and his heart wanted to stop, so he chose to stay home, buried under his blankets, drinking hot cocoa Minute made for him and music playing loud enough to drown any and all thoughts.
You:
Hallo
Nothing much
Y?
Jaden:
I’m at the shop, n I know you don’t have a shift today
U up for that tattoo session I owe you?
He considers saying no. He’d rather retreat into his blanket fort and decompose there but-
“Wemmbu- Thank you for everything… I had a-cough- lot of fun. Cough-cough Enjoy life for me will you?”
You:
Omw
;)
“So Myst.”
“Myst?”
He’s laying down, back to Jaden as the other supplies his skin with anesthesia and numbing cream. He’s got his shirt off, ready for a new tattoo. The wind makes his skin crawl, too exposed, too out there, but he also knows tattoos and that helps him turn his mind off.
“Yeah. You are pretty mysterious so I’ll call you that.”
Wemmbu snorts, giving him the biggest side eye he can from over his shoulder. “I got a name dude.”
Jaden hums, gloved hands reading everything. “Yeah but you are so mysterious. Like, I did not know what to do for your tattoo.” He points got the giant tattoo that climbs up his arm. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“That’s simple: You can’t. Do your best to capture my aura though.” He flaunts, wriggling his fingers.
Jaden flips him off and begins to work.
The tattoo itself takes a while but Wemmbu is used to it. The pain, as always, is bearable. He’s felt worse as a villain after all. The scars all over his body are testimony of that. He’s got burns and cuts and scars from where he had fucked up simple stitches. Even as the ink prices his skin over the scarred tissue, it doesn’t hurt as much as it should. He wonders if his nerves are so damaged they have grown numb.
Thankfully Jaden doesn’t mention it.
As he works, Jaden and Wemmbu talk. Nothing important, and about everything and nothing. Sometimes, he laughs and Jaden has to pull back and silence him so he can get back to work. Jaden also insists they take breaks, to which Wemmbu complies, only so he can steal a bit of the beer Jaden had given him before they started.
Egg texts him once, something about when he’s getting home. He texts him back a quick idk before locking the phone, and putting it face down. Jaden saw it all but, once again doesn’t mention it, simply continuing to tattoo onto his back with surprising carefulness.
Time passes and it grows dark outside. The lights are on, and they continue to pass time illuminated by one blinding white light and different neon colors from signs that Puffy had gifted them alongside the equipment.
While they wait for the protective wrapping around the tattooed area to settle, Jaden orders them some hamburgers and fries. Needless to say, it was absolutely and delightfully greasy and cheap. Perfection. They eat in comfortable silence, and Wemmbu realizes why Jaden wears the mask.
He’s got one huge burn scar across his mouth, his lips practically gone. The tissue has already scarred, but Wemmbu has enough experience with burns to know that it’s fairly recent. It is at least a year old, and done in an explosion in mid range.
He doesn’t mention it, nor does he pause or wince, as his own scars are still visible for anyone to see. They sit side by side and share incomplete stories. Jaden winces when he smiles too wide and Wemmbu sometimes feels phantom aches from punctures and slashes across his body.
As Jaden cleans up, Wemmbu notices that in his hand there is a set of scars made with frostbite and burns. An interesting mix and Wemmbu knows that were this a year ago, he would’ve stabbed Jaden right there and then. But it isn’t. A year has passed, someone is gone and he’s heard about forgiving and forgetting.
Besides, he’s got a feeling Jaden is trying to do the same, having done nothing to him even after having Wemmbu in such a vulnerable position for hours.
Whatever.
He puts his arm around Jaden’s shoulders and says. “What do you say about a drink?”
Jaden laughs and jabs him lightly around his ribs. “Bet.”
“Brother, why are you wasted?”
Wemmbu leans on Jaden, which is a bad idea as the other is just slightly less drunk than he is. He mumbles something to Egg and thankfully, Jaden is able to translate his words.
“Yo- hi? Egg right?- eh- There was a discount.”
Egg, who stands in the doorway just looks a tad disappointed, blinking slowly at the poor excuse. “Dude, you got work tomorrow.” He mumbles some excuse as he stumbles his way into the house, dragging Jaden with him. “Wem--“ Egg shut his mouth before the
Egg doesn’t stop them, but does help Jaden and Wemmbu up their feet, slowly guiding them to a couch. “Wemmbu, don’t vomit, or Minute will kill us all. Please dude.”
He nods just slumping down on the couch, once again bringing Jaden down with him. Eventually, he feels the drunker haze shrink down to drowsiness, so he lets his eyes close, dozing off on the couch.
This brings Jaden out of his drunken stupor as he tries to stand up. “So eh-“ He tries to pry off Wemmbu’s hands, which are glued to his arm. “I’ll get going I guess.”
Egg waves him off. “Nah you’re fine. Stay for the night. Wanna have a glass of water?”
He pauses, sitting back down before nodding. His mask is on, covering from his chin and all the way up to his nose, so Egg can’t really distinguish much emotion, but he can tell the other is grateful.
Bringing a glass of water is easy enough but by the time he is back, Jaden is knocked out on the couch. Wemmbu has made himself comfortable right beside him, hand grabbing in a tight hold his forearm. On his part, Jaden’s hair is all loose from his braid, and spread all over the couch.
D’alright. He muses, leaving the glass on the table in front of the couch, quite sure that whoever wakes up first will need it. He takes one more look at both of them and feels himself smile.
Since Rejoice’s… death, Wemmbu had closed himself off, only to have the most deadly grieving process Egg had ever seen. Many people suffered the brunt of it, and Wemmbu, the very chill, and only mildly chaotic mercenary and thief, changed into a violent and dangerous villain. Egg and Minute tried everything to get him off the streets, including force. But, what Wemmbu wants, he does, and it has disastrous consequences.
Primarily, his relationship with the public and other heroes was mostly destroyed. Of course it was. It’s hard to be liked when you start blowing up cities for fun. The only relationship that went relatively unchanged, besides his and Minute’s, was with a hero named Fraggers. Egg has to admit, that guy matches Wemmbu perfectly, precisely because out of all heroes, he’s got the loosest moral system of all. From what he has seen, and what Wemmbu has told him, the guy simply wanted a good fight, as simple as that. Saving people was a good after effect but besides that, he just doesn’t care. So, when Wemmbu tarted blowing shit up, Fraggers just saw the prelude to a good fight.
Honestly, Egg doesn’t even know how that guy is a hero, with how he literally matches Wemmbu’s freak, but whatever. It’s like when people wonder how he ended up as Wemmbu’s accomplice. Ah, the things he does for Wemmbu.
Truly, Fraggers must be the only hero who misses Wemmbu. Part of him wonders how the guy took the news of his death.
Other than him though, Wemmbu royally fucked his relationships. Among those, was Budgie and Quarrion, who began to hunt him down. With Budgie being the, allegedly, most clever hero, and Quarrion an ex-mercenary, they gave Wemmbu a run for his money. In fact, their incessant pursuit was partly what led Wemmbu to fake his death in the first place.
As he thinks about all of this, he brings them some blankets, some more cups of water, and a set of black grasses for when they wake up. By the time he is done, Wemmbu has huddled up to Jaden, who had adjusted to the new body besides his. You’d be surprised but as long as he trusts you, Wemmbu is surprisingly touchy and clingy. He’s also deadly loyal. It’s a shame people don’t see it. Though don’t tell him that, he’ll never admit it.
It’s a good thing that Wemmbu is forming bonds with others.
That last year felt like watching a car crash. One very slow and painful crash.
Egg smiles, before going to his own room and get some sleep in.
He could do with life staying like this.
A month passes and Wemmbu still doesn’t feel restless.
Surprisingly.
By now Wemmbu had expected to feel the itch to go back to… well, to go back. But no, surprisingly no. Sure, sometimes his power itches under his skin, it itches to explode things, to cause some ruckus, to fight till his knuckles get bloody and torn and tear his body appart-
It goes away with a good sparring match with Minute, though. And when he can’t do that, just woking in Lomedy’s shop, cutting, dyeing and styling hair is usually enough to take his mind off the urge.
So yeah, he doesn’t get that restless.
By now, his new tattoo has healed, and so, to show it off because damn it’s cool as fuck, he has started to incorporate some backless shirts or loose tops to his style. It works wonders, as people tend to ask about them, and for once Wemmbu is able to show off his tattoos. He didn’t get the chance before since, well, it didn’t mix well with his alter persona, which Egg claims to this day wasn’t even a persona as he didn’t have an alias. Wemmbu begs to differ. His name was just too cool to be hidden, which he kind of regrets now, and he did use a mask as very formal clothing.
Wemmbu, the persona, was an elegant and chaotic mercenary who then, and it pains him to admit how that derailed, turned into a bloodthirsty villain.
Well, no use crying over spilled milk.
His tattoos also serve as great advertising. People take one look at them, ask him where he got them done, he gives a half-lie, tells them that in this very store and some of them do schedule their own appointment.
It is pretty nice. Life is good this way.
Since that time they went drinking, he’s gone out with Jaden more, and they even started aligning their own schedules together, sharing most shifts now.
Mostly, Wemmbu is happy to have gotten rid of WyLL, the ass.
“Oh prime.”
He turns to Jaden, raising one eyebrow.
What? He mouths, hair dryer loud as he styles some woman’s hair.
Look. Jaden mouths back and turns the chair towards Wemmbu.
Oh damn.
The man had a horrible rash in his scalp and neck. It was red and almost raw with what Wemmbu thinks, is fucking puss. Lord that’s disgusting. It also made Jaden’s job, to cut it short, ten times worse.
Ew. He makes an exaggerated expression before continuing. Tuff luck dude.
Switch? Jaden raises his eyebrows, hopefully even placing his hands in a praying notion.
Hell nah. He snorts right back, turning to the very beautiful, rash free head he has in front of him.
Kindly, Jaden flips him off, and takes some latex gloves out of one drawer to continue.
They continue working, Wemmbu humming alongside the store’s music accompanied by the occasional gag from Jaden. Poor guy, he laughs.
He finishes up the lady first, and as he begins to lead her to the register to charge her, he hears Jaden strike up a conversation with his own client. He manages to catch something along the lines of I used to go to a dermatologist. I still have their number-
Yeah, real smooth.
The lady in front of him coughs, and he snaps back to reality.
“It’s thirty dollars ma’am.”
“Excuse me?” She raises one thin eyebrow. “Just for this?” She also points to her own hair.
“Well, we did wash it and style it.” He says, giving a not so subtle look to the price list in the register table. The same prices are also painted on the walls, so it is not a mystery how much they charge for everything.
“Well, you are charging me way too much. I have a friend who would do all this for 15 if I asked her.”
Then go ask them to touch your stupid straw hair, you bitch. He complains, internally of course. Externally he just smiles, though he can feel his face tense all over.
She scrounges up her nose. “Are you not going to say anything?”
“Inflation is a bit high lately.” He hums, and the urge to just slam her face into the register is reaching dangerous levels.
She scoffs, grabbing her bag closer to her body. “I would like to speak to your manager. Right now.”
Unfortunately for her, Lomedy and Loppezz trust them enough to not be at the store all time, and right now is one of those occasions. Maybe Lomedy might come in later, but nothing is guaranteed.
“I am afraid they are not here at the moment.” He feels Jaden send one look in his direction, surprised it is taking so long. Well, it wouldn’t if this lady wasn’t such a pain in the ass.
“You must be lying to me. Managers are always available.” She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Punk guys like you can’t be trusted with nothing. Nothing but lost causes for your parents, aren’t you?”
Oh. She should not have said that.
Faintly he hears Jaden take a call, but he pays it no mind
He had been having such a good day. Such a good month. It just takes two words, and it feels as if his guts are missing and he has to punch someone’s head off.
I am not a lost cause.
The words feel empty.
So he switches it up.
Don’t blow her up. Don’t blow her up. Don’t blow her up.
His smile freezes, now looking more plastic than anything else in the room. He feels the spark of gunpowder crawl of his back, powers surfacing with the urge to just blow her u-
“Ma’am, is there anything I can help you with?”
Lopezz.
He shoves down his powers as Lopezz walks closer. Turning to her, he realizes Jaden is now closer to him.
“Yeah, I get a feeling this lost cause man here is overcharging me-“
He doesn’t listen to the rest as Jaden drags him away, excusing them both. His client is waiting at the line to pay, and Lopezz just waves them away, clearly ready to deal with the lady and charge the man.
Oh he was so close to exploding that woman.
He doesn’t even feel regret. He’s exploded town for less, and he is just learning to feel some form of remorse for them. He would’ve enjoyed exploding this woman. What he does feel though is anticipation and premonition.
You see, his power, the ability to create explosions has some tells. One of those is that a few seconds before the explosion occurs, his body lets go of a gunpowdery smell, as Egg had previously described. It is not that strong but someone close to him would be able to smell it.
He is unsure if Lopezz picked it up. If Jaden picked it up.
At least with Jaden, he thinks they have a tacit agreement and understanding of where they stand.
But with Lopezz…
He’d definitely get fired, if not snitched to the cops.
Jaden guided him, without him really noticing, to the room with the couch. Noting that he is still out of it, Jaden decides to use a more direct approach of shoving him into the massage machine, making him sit down.
It works, as Wemmbu frowns before turning to Jaden. He opens his mouth but Jaden beats him to it. “First breathe. You still reak.”
He frowns, deeper, and brings his wrist to his nose. He does on fact, stink.
After a minute or so, of breathing and tearing his subconscious away from a memory of a text message left in the middle of the night, he finally talks.
“You know.” His voice is a bit rough, like the impromptu panic had driven any energy out of it.
Jaden only shrugs and rolls his eyes. “Not that hard to figure out. You knew I knew though. The tattoo isn’t exactly subtle about it.”
Yeah, he’s right. When the back tattoo healed, he checked Ed it out, and noticed two things: one, it is cool af. Two, it has some small nods to his Wemmbu persona, like small explosions, a small mace, and even a small crown. It is not too obvious but it is there if you know what you are looking for
The cat is now openly out of the bag though.
“Now what?” He feels his muscles clamp up, ready for-
“Nothing really. I just needed you to not blow up that lady.” Jaden dismisses his worries with a shrug and a sigh. It is heavy and complicated, and very much tense, but he doesn’t pursue any of those issues.
“Why?” It feels too raw so he adds some gasoline to a, maybe nonexistent, fire. “I mean I did blow up your face, Pirate King.”
“Dude, lower your voice.” He shushes Wemmbu. “I locked the door but these heroes have microphones everywhere.” Jaden pushes his hair away from his face, taking a deep breath and pulling down his mask, once again showing the scarred tissue. “Believe it or not, this was not made by you.”
What?
Jaden somehow notices and snarks playfully. “Yeah, the world doesn’t revolve around you, shocker.” He rests his legs on the massage chair, right besides Wemmbu and only now does he notice, Jaden brought a chair to sit right in front of him. When did he do all that? “Look, I just… don’t wanna fight anymore, alright. I have my own goals and stuff, and well, I don’t want to provoke you into blowing that same stuff up.”
Despite his behavior, Wemmbu can still feel some underlying pressure on Jaden. The other is also out of his depth, and this is clearly as much of a peace offering Wemmbu is going to get.
Something else, like an apology or a confession would feel too much for both of them.
Which is fine. Isn’t this what he wants? To leave his criminal life behind?
“D’alright.” He mumbles, looking at the door and way from Jaden. “Aren’t you afraid Lopezz might come right in?”
Jaden shakes his head. “Nah I locked it on our way in. On that topic. Be grateful I pulled you out because now you just have to explain why you panicked and not why you suddenly smelled of gunpowder.”
“Yeah yeah, my savior.” He fakes swoons and Jaden just flips him off.
“No but fr, I won’t pry but you’ll have to explain why you froze out there.”
Lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause
“There you go again. Lock in.”
He glares at Jaden who just raises his arms and surrenders. “Alright. Just think about an excuse. Or just say the truth, it’s good to know what your triggers are. Not the full truth, clearly, just say what set you off.” Jaden points at himself and adds. “They helped me with similar stuff when I was first hired.”
He hums, wanting to curl up in his bed and stay there but he doesn’t make a move to leave.
For a moment he considers not saying anything. That the lady just annoyed him, and let the lie both of them know exists sit there, between them.
But then, his mouth speaks by himself.
“She called me- something. It’s not barely an insult in the sense it is rarely used. I just- he took me by surprise.” He pushes his hair back, strands sticking to his fingers, and woah he’s sweating like crazy. “It‘s kind of pathetic.”
Jaden side eyes him, his lips thinly pressed together. Silence settles for a second, and then he takes over the conversation. “One of my triggers is the sound of eggshells. Don’t ask why, but it seriously messes me up. Almost burned a client's neck with a hairdryer when Lomedy was composting some plants using eggshells.” There is lingering shame in Jaden’s face and this is far too vulnerable than what probably both of them expected.
Still, Wemmbu’s life as a villain consisted of running, of pushing, of blowing up. If he wants to leave it behind… Maybe this is also part of the process.
Opening up to one of your old enemies.
Never tell Egg he said that, the other will tease him to death, no cap.
“She called me a lost cause.” He admits, and saying it out loud feels like a confession he’s never told anyone. He called me a lost cause and left. Lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lost cause lo-
Jaden doesn’t comment on it, instead letting the silence answer for him. He doesn’t leave, stays in his chair, legs comfortably leaning on the massage chair, and head looking up at the ceiling. Despite the calm expression on his face, his hands go through the repetitive motion of flexing and unflexing.
Eventually, Lopezz knocks on the door, and Jaden stands to open it for her. He stays, while Lopezz tells them the lady is gone. He stays to keep her from fuzzing too much over a Wemmbu.
They return to working but when their shift ends they go out for drinks, and doesn’t leave when Wemmbu gets drunk and they have to get a cab.
Instead he takes Wemmbu to his home, makes sure he doesn’t choke on vomit, gives him water, and hands him a blanket and a spot in his bed before passing out himself right next to his friend because he was also just slightly less drunk.
Jaden doesn’t leave.
“Yo, Lilac.”
Wemmmbu turns to Egg, a smile adoring his face. Once his job was as good as secured, Egg started visiting Wemmbu during his shifts.
At first it was a bit awkward, as the other sometimes stumbled over his words and nearly called him Wemmbu multiple times, but eventually he got the hang of it and claimed a spot for himself at the store. Apparently, this establishment was perfect for reading.
The reason for him coming though, went beyond friendship and hanging out. The truth was that Egg sucked at taking care of his hair. It was downright offensive. He still remembers the day he met Egg, around the time Egg should’ve been in middle school. The other had a bird’s nest for a hair, and it was sacrilegious. He mastered protective hairstyles, how to wash and style tight curls, and even how to perfectly dye hair so it did not harm sensitive hair types for Egg. Egg only knew one thing about his hair: He likes it when a Wemmbu does it.
Therefore, Wemmbu was the one who fixed and did his hair, and he promised he would make some time for Egg after his shifts when the other needed it.
As such, in honor of the promise, Egg came to visit once in a while.
“Egg. Dude. Look at this.” He points to the plant in his hands. It’s a beginner plant, according to Lomedy, and so far, it hasn’t died in his two hours of care.
Egg nods safely, braided hair moving with the motion. With a glance Wemmbu can tell, it needs retwisting, braids having long grown a bit too much. “It hasn’t died. A scientific miracle.”
Wemmbu promptly throws dirt at Egg, who attempts and fails to dodge it. “Bro- this suit is new- oh my god-“ He groaned, rapidly cleaning the suit, but the damage was done.
He nearly feels bad, but he can hear the smile in Egg’s voice even if his face remains as nonchalant as ever.
This time he is sharing his shift with Cod, who so far is pretty chill. Few clients have come for any hairdressing affairs, so Lomedy gave Wemmbu one plant to take care of.
“How’s the library going?” He asks Egg, as he goes around the stem of the plant cutting yellow and dried out leaves.
From there on Egg goes on a tangent about books, storing requirements, history of leatherbacked covers, and Lord of The Rings. By then, Cod joined the conversation, and Wemmbu was just happy to hear them talk and soak bits and pieces of information.
It was good to see Egg so relaxed, as the sight had gone extinct when Wemmbu was still a villain. He is flourishing and Wemmbu is happy to hear about every step of the process.
Egg hangs out with them the rest of the day. When clients stopped arriving, they closed early, and Wemmbu did Egg’s hair as promised.
It took them a while to finish, and Wemmbu had braided Egg’s hair into some neat and stylish braids which got a clap from Cod and a nod from Egg. “You know ball.” He said while giving him the greatest thumbs up he could manage. “You know ball.”
He rolls his eyes, smile playing on his lips. “Yea yea, oh great sage of knowledge. You up for some bar hopping?”
“Oh dude, I was born ready.”
People never expect this, but Egg is a massive drinker. And a massive lightweight.
By the end of the night, they are coming out of Chris’ Bar, one of the worst bars in the city, with Egg drunk as fuck alongside Cod, and Wemmbu as the sober one.
You see, he trained to be a weapon. Drinking was included in the training. He taught his body how to adapt to alcohol. The reason why he still gets drunk when he goes out with Jaden: he just drinks inhuman amounts of alcohol, something he is trying to fix but it’s a work in progress. It’s just that Jaden also drinks a lot, and also is a heavy drinker so they get carried away.
Anyway, back to business.
“I’m sufferin’ from hundre’ ailment’ bro-“ Egg leans on Wemmbu’s side, Cod master just a few steps by his side puking his body weight in alcohol. “But it’s goo’ to be bac’-“ He gags and Wemmbu has to wince, partly in empathy and in guilt.
He sometimes forgets Egg is simply a civilian he dragged into this. He dragged Egg into this life. Egg doesn't need to know how to handle metric tons of liquor, but he forgets and lets the other follow Wemmbu’s drinking rhythm. He doesn’t need to know what the most efficient way of killing is and yet Wemmbu still asked him to learn medicinal facts to speed up the process. He doesn’t need to satisfy the urge of exploding people and places and create chaos-
“Dude- Wem- Lila. I can hea’ ur thought’ from ‘ere.” His words though slurred, are pointed and very attentive. “‘M glad we ‘re friends. Wouldn’t chang’ a thin’.”
Wemmbu’s eyes water.
It’s been three months.
He’s free. He has friends, he has a job, he has a new life outside of Wemmbu, of violence of trauma , and pain.
He’s free.
“U still owe me blood. I crave’ it’ taste brotha’-“ Egg hiccups and Cod slumps against the wall. Cod, who Wemmbu actually isn’t sure if he truly is only called Cod or if he actually has a name, starts cheering, in his very deep voice, blood blood blood blood.
Wemmbu snorts and takes out his phone, ready to call either Minute or Jaden. “D’alright. Let's go home.”