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“That thunder is actually crazy.”
“It came out of nowhere too.” Mane hums while all 3 of them stand under the shop awning. Listening and watching the rain pour down. Some drops of water splashing into the puddle and hitting his ankles.
Mane keeps a firm grasp on both of Wemmbu's hands while the one year old leans forward and back. His tail smacking against mane's ankles as he giggles. Fascinated by the downpour around them.
Wemmbu still can't walk yet, but by the gods above he hates being carried when he can stand. The second mane isn't actively walking, wemmbu goes nuts to be put down. Smacking him in the face with his wings and wiggling all around.
So now here they are. Manes grip on Wemmbu's hands while the toddler stands on his own two feet and kicks at the pooling water.
“How long do you think we should wait?” Flame huffs while adjusting the shopping bags in his hold. Mane's ears flatten against his head at the thought of getting wet.
“Until I say so.”
“May!” Mane looks down as wemmbu gives him the brightest smile, squealing in delight when the water splashes around them. Mane suppresses a smile at the sight.
“Ma-NE wemmbu. Mane. Not May.” Flame corrects, squatting down to be eye level with the toddler. “Mane. Say it again.”
“Ma-nennnnn” wemmbu copies, drawing out the N syllabus then laughing at the vibration of his own tongue.
“Bro just let him be. He'll get it eventually.”
“I refuse to live in a house with someone who can't talk.” Flame says fully serious. Mane rolls his eyes and kicks his still squatting brother. Flame shrieks as he topples over into the puddle next to them.
“What was that for!?”
“For being smart. Get up, you look stupid.” Mane hisses. Wemmbu giggles and stomps his foot in the puddle, splashing more water on flame.
“May! May!” Wemmbu pulls on Mane's hands, before reaching out and whining. Wanting to be picked up.
“You're spoiled. I hope you know that.” Flame mutters under his breath as he watches mane pick up wemmbu. Standing up himself he flicks the water off his hands and pats his pants in a fruitless attempt at drying them off.
A huge crash of lightning and thunder fills the sky up ahead. Both flame and mane's ears pin flat against their heads to lessen the noise while wemmbu shreeks. Getting startled by the huge crash and tucking his head into mane's neck. Mane pats his back while shushing the toddler softly.
“Dude I think we might just have to make a run for it. This doesn't look like it's going to clear up anytime soon.” Flame says while leaning as close to the wall behind him as possible. While the awning above them is doing good to keep them dry, the second the wind switches they are done for.
“...ugh why can it never be easyyyy-” mane groans, rooting through his inventory with the hand not supporting wemmbu. Looking for something he can put over the toddler to keep him warm. He can see flame from the sides of his vision putting their shopping bags in his own inventory so they can make a run for it.
Scanning his inventory, he pulls out Wemmbu's rain jacket which he forgot to put back last week when it poured while they were outside in the grass. A small plasticy yellow coat that covers his head. Mane also grabs out one of his pacifiers And hands it to the toddler. Wemmbu takes it quickly and puts it in his own mouth before tucking his face against mane’s. It isn't often that mane lets wemmbu have a passifier. Leaving them for nap time and quiet time only.
Once wemmbu is snug in his coat, mane gets ready to run but flame stops him.
“Let me carry him, I can heat him to keep him from getting too cold.” flame says while holding his hands out. Mane's gaze sharpens behind his blindfold. And he knows flame can sense it.
“You're being weird bro.” Mane sounds skeptical but still hands over wemmbu to flame who tucks wemmbu under his chin. The dragon flapped his wings under the coat and nuzzled against flame.
One dash through the rain later, mane pushes open the store door. The bell above chiming. Mane shakes his head, water flying out of his dreads. Taking the dripping dragon from flame and wiping the water off his face.
“Welcome! Looking for anything in particular?” The man behind the counter asks, giving the three of them a once over. His gaze landing on wemmbu a bit longer than mane would like. He tucks the toddlers face into his neck and narrows his gaze behind the blindfold.
“Ah, nothing really. Just a birthday gift and to get out of the rain. We will be out of your fair once it calms down.” Flame steps forward and smiles at the guy.
“Oh, understandable. Let me know if you need any help.” The guy nods, not before letting his gaze wander to the infant before heading back into the back room.
“...I don't like his vibe.” Mane grumbles. Flame snorts and leads them down one of the aisles packed with kids toys. “I can tell.”
Setting wemmbu down, the toddler tries to take a step but stumbles and falls. Choosing to crawl to the edge of the shelf and grab the first toy he can off the bottom rack.
It's a tiny stuffed eye.
…with wings..?
“What you got there bu?” Mane leans forward, taking the stuffy from the toddler.
“Gh!” Wemmbu claps his hands, leaning against the shelf and trying to reach the eye.
“Ew, bro come feel this. It's like real.” Mane holds the oddly wet ball out to flame who takes it with a grimace. Gagging and dropping it on the ground when it turns out to be squishy.
The eye bounces off the tile floor and smacks wemmbu right in the face. Knocking the toddler right off his feet and into the shelf.
Mane and flame hold their breath. Watching Wemmbu's face closely.
Please don't cry. Please don't cry. Please don't cry….
“...-mayyyyyY-” Wemmbu holds out both of his hands as he dissolves into sobs. Causing mane to sigh, picking up the dropped eye …squishy? And wemmbu. Holding the toddler to his chest so he can tuck his tiny head under mane's chin.
“Oh you're ok. It was just a small tap.” Mane pats his back, rocking back and forth. He pulls wemmbu away from him and shows wemmbu the eye plushie again.
“Look, the eye is sorry. See he's saying sorry Bu.” shaking the eye, the golden wings attached to the back rattling.
“Yo my fault.”
“Mane. The eye just talked.”
“Yes flame. I heard it.”
mane is still holding the eye when the wings start to flap. The eye takes flight about them before hovering in front of Wemmbu's face. The toddler pauses his ridiculously loud crying to watch the flying object with curiosity.
“Guh.” Wemmbu grumbles, reaching for the flying object. The eye shrieking and dodging the toddlers advance.
“Yo chill! I didn't do nothing!”
“Uh-guh!” Wemmbu shouts, grabbing the eye successfully this time. But mane steps in when the eye starts to tremble. Opening the toddler's death grip, the eye flying free before dropping down to the ground. It glows for a sec before the shape of a kid emerges.
In the place the eye once stood, now a kid stands. His white bangs covered most of his face. Dressed in a long white T-shirt.
“The eye is a kid.” Flame ever so helpfully adds. Mane rolls his eyes.
“I can see flame.”
“Just checking…”
The kid seems oddly entranced by wemmbu, approaching mane, ignoring when the lion tries to put distance between them. Standing up on his tip toes so he can get a better glimpse at the toddler.
“...a dragon.”
“Ok pause.” Flame steps forward with his hand out. Pushing the weird kid back a step.
“First things first. Who are you?” Flame crossed his arms, leveling the weird kid with a stern look.
“I'm Eggchan. I'm his guardian angel.” The kid points towards wemmbu who is laying against manes shoulder, sucking his thumb. His gaze hasn't left egg since the kid first appeared.
“His what now?” Mane cuts in.
“Im his guardian angel. lead him to his destiny.” The kid rolls his eyes as if it's obvious. Mane furrows his brows, confused. He goes to ask another question when they are interrupted by the store owner walking around the corner.
“What's all the commotion? YOU!” he points at egg, storming past both mane and flame towards the kid with an angry look.
“You stinkin freeloader! Get out of my store!” The man points. Egg vanishing into a puff of smoke with a squeak. His flying eye form whipping past their heads to the door and out into the streets.
“Sorry about that folks. That street rat had been sneaking in here for a while now. Don't let his cute looks fool you.” mane and flame share a look before mane forces out a laugh.
“Oh haha yeah.” He clears his throat.
“...oh looks like the rain stopped! The kid didn't want anything so we will be out of your hair.” Mane says while him and flame are actively backing out of the store.
“Have a good evening tho!”
They make it back home in record time, not without a detour.
They run into that kid when they were leaving town. He was sitting on the edge of the fountain kicking his feet when he saw them approaching. He ran up to them without a word.
“I don't know what mr stevensen told you, but he's wrong. I promise I'm telling the truth.”
“Look kid.” Mane crouches down to be eye level with the kid. Flame patting Wemmbu's back softly as the toddler naps against his shoulder.
“Be honest with me. Are you telling the truth, or are you looking for somewhere to sleep tonight. I'm not going to shame you for either.” Mane ruffles the kids hair. The kid shrinks in on himself, his mouth opening to say something but he gets cut off.
“I am tel-”
“Yoo is this the emo convention?” All three of them glance over.
“Get it? Because they all have their eyes covered?” The kid says, elbowing the other kid with red horns next to him who just facepalms.
“It's you!” Flame point at the voidling who in response swears. Grabbing his friend's sleeve and taking off down the road.
“...you know the guy?” Mane asks with a raised brow.
“Yeah, he was the one I was telling you about with lomedy.” Mane nods his head. Turning his attention back to where the kid was.
Only to find no one there.
That leads us to now, mane, flame and wemmbu all three of them lounging on the couch. Wemmbu fast asleep with his blanket in his grasp and his pacifier firmly in place. Flame is scrolling on his communicator while mane leans his head back with his eyes closed. A near step away from falling asleep himself. When he hears the faint sound of a bell ringing. Opening his eyes he comes face to face with a mop of white hair and two tiny head wings.
Looks like they have a new addition to the tree house.
“You vegan?”
“What?”
“I heard from a friend Angels don't eat meat.”
“Oh. No I do.”
“...Cool.”