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Wemmbu was so, so, so fucking stressed.
He'd been stuck underground with Jaden, Yungy, Egg, and Codmaster for what felt like forever now, and even though there were moments where it was actually fun, they could never just relax. They were constantly getting hunted down, constantly having to move, hide, fight, and figure out where the hell they were supposed to go next. It was unfair. Unfair, unfair, unfair. At this point, Wemmbu was damn near ready to scream.
As Egg and Cod fished around for items, Wemmbu stood behind Egg, fingers twitching at his sides while he tried his absolute best to calm himself down. His eyes were burning, tears prickling at the corners no matter how hard he blinked them away.
Jaden noticed almost immediately. He looked over, eyes widening before he quietly made his way across the cave. “Dude, you alright?” he whispered. Wemmbu glanced up at him, biting down on his lip, his whole face scrunched up with frustration. He shook his head hard, refusing to say anything. Jaden slowly nodded like he understood and gently guided him toward some higher blocks, getting him away from the others so he could sit down properly. “What’s bothering you, man?” Wemmbu sniffled, staring at him for a second before suddenly shuffling closer and dropping his face against Jaden’s chest. Jaden genuinely just stood there for a few seconds, eyes wide, like his brain had completely stopped working. Then he sighed and accepted it, one gloved hand coming up to gently rub Wemmbu’s head. This wasn't the first time Wemmbu had slipped into that younger, more vulnerable state around him. The first time had been after Rejoice died because of Jaden, and back then, Jaden had mocked him endlessly for it. He still remembered how badly that had fucked Wemmbu up. There was no way in hell he was doing that again.
Instead, his hand moved from Wemmbu’s hair to his face, gently caressing his cheek. Wemmbu immediately leaned into the touch, eyes falling shut as he let out a tiny, content sound. “Good boy,” Jaden murmured. “You’re such a sweetheart, Wemmbu.” He could immediately feel the little demon practically purring against him.
Jaden tried his best to keep what was happening hidden, keeping Wemmbu tucked against him and making sure nobody else got too close. That worked for maybe a few minutes before Yungy and Egg eventually wandered over. Yungy looked annoyed at first, probably thinking they were slacking off while everybody else was working, but the irritation disappeared from his face the second he saw Wemmbu with tears still sitting in his eyes. Egg, meanwhile, understood almost instantly. He sat down beside Wemmbu and started rubbing his back. “Uhm—dude, what's happening exactly?” Yungy asked.
Jaden immediately shushed him. “Go help Cod fish.” Yungy frowned. “But—” “Go.” Yungy scowled at him, clearly not liking being bossed around, but honestly, he'd rather go fishing than deal with a crying Wemmbu, so he turned around and walked back toward Cod. Egg stayed where he was, quietly patting Wemmbu’s back.
“Wemmbu?” he murmured. “Did anything happen, bro?” Wemmbu nodded aggressively against Jaden’s chest, bonking his forehead against the rough muscle hard enough that Jaden let out a quiet snort.
Wemmbu immediately looked up at him, confused, and Jaden just hugged him a little tighter without saying anything. For a few minutes, nobody pushed him to explain.
Eventually, Wemmbu finally spoke, though barely. “Everything sucks,” he mumbled.
Jaden nodded, rubbing his back. “It really does.” Wemmbu sniffled again, then shifted slightly in his arms. “We’ll get out, bro,” Egg said. “And then I can finally check out Cod’s skin, and it'll be a happily ever after.”
Wemmbu gave a tiny giggle, finally sounding a little more like himself. Then Egg paused, suddenly looking concerned.
“Unless the skin’s really ugly. Is it ugly? Tell me beforehand so I can prepare myself.”
Wemmbu stared at him for a moment before deciding to be honest. “It’s really ugly.”
Egg's smile dropped. “Ah, shit.”