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"Dude."
A snore left Wemmbu's mouth, loud enough to startle himself awake. Immediately, he squinted at the sun rays that assaulted his poor, rested eyes, his lips smacking like a groggy toddler woken from a tantrum-induced nap. That image was the only reason why Flame gave him more patience than he deserved, as he waited for him to realize just whose bed he thought he was sleeping on.
Wemmbu only let out a little grumble and went right back to sleep, his snores resuming.
Flame kicked him off with the force of a raging bull. "You're too fucking comfortable!"
There was a crack in the wall from how hard Wemmbu flew into it. If he possessed even a single bit of normalcy, he'd be dead already. Life sure was full of disappointments.
"…Flame?" Wemmbu mumbled, still drowsy. Even blinking was a chore for him. "Is breakfast ready?"
His blood pressure shot through the roof. "Breakfast? What breakfast? Get out of my house!"
Now, Flame wasn't the type of person to be so easily swayed. Only Lomedy was ever really successful in manipulating him with what he now knew as puppy-dog eyes. That in itself was hardly effective, but once he combined it with an elaborately fake pity-party act, Flame had been caught hook, line, and sinker. And Flame knew it was fake, because the guy sure had no problem perking right up once he got Flame to agree to whatever he was asking for!
So, when Wemmbu looked up at him with big, teary eyes, his pupils blown wide, Flame couldn't help but…falter. Especially when his tail began to curl in between his legs, and he looked all pathetic, even harmless. Like a kid.
"You…" Flame narrowed his eyes. "You're ugly as hell, bro."
Faster than a blink, Wemmbu stood and shrugged at him with a careless sniff. "Eh, it was worth a shot."
"Get out."
-
There was gold all over his carpet. Gold, the color. Not the kind Flame hoarded with an obsessesive frenzy.
There was gold all over his carpet, and Wemmbu stood at the center of it all, unbothered by his own cracked-open head.
Already, Flame regretted every choice that led him to meeting Wemmbu. "Clean that up."
Then he left the room without offering any help.
And like every single time this has happened—and it was really pathetic that Flame is even allowing such a routine to continue—Wemmbu chased after him with a childish whine, his wings dragging low enough to scratch his newly-repaired, pristine, wooden floor.
"Flaame…" he called annoyingly, then repeating it louder when Flame refused to respond. "Flaaameeuh…!"
"Go bother Egg," Flame said before mulling it over. "Actually, go to Jaden. Harass him like he harasses me with his ugly mug."
"Is everyone ugly to you? Projecting isn't healthy, bro."
A cracked skull wasn't the only injury Wemmbu left with once Egg came to fetch him an hour later.
-
"Teach you," Flame repeated blankly. "You want me. Me. To teach you."
Wemmbu clammed up, face heating from embarassment and ruined pride. A netherite sword was clutched up to his chest like a shield. "O—Obviously, I was joking."
He wasn't joking. By the way his tail curled between his legs, genuinely this time, he wasn't joking at all.
To think the future would lead to this. Wemmbu, asking for his guidance. Asking him to be his mentor. Somehow, the smugness Flame expected to feel never came. Wemmbu was always below him, without a doubt he was. But his ego could never be brought down. Flame always took it upon himself to put him in his place, and now was exactly the perfect time to hold this rare vulnerability over his big head.
But…
Slowly, Flame walked closer. Wemmbu backed up, tensing as Flame brought a hand over his head, shutting his eyes tight—
"Meet me behind the garden."
Flame gave him one last pat before he left to gather his things.
Wemmbu watched him strangely.
-
"Are you even trying?"
Two weeks of consistent training and they've gotten nowhere. Wemmbu refused to listen—
No, that wasn't fair.
Flame gathered his bearings. He had to remember: Wemmbu wasn't to blame. It was Flame's job to whip him into shape. He came to him because he sucked ass, that was the whole point. He knew it was going to take time for Wemmbu to unlearn the wrong fighting habits, especially since he was a Mace wielder. He was used to an entirely different fighting style. Flame had to give him some grace.
"Let's stop here for now," Flame said with a sigh. He lifted his shirt to wipe at his face, but grimaced when he realized the fabric was also damp with sweat. With nothing in his mind but the thought of a long shower, Flame began to walk away.
But of course Wemmbu chose that moment to grab him by the back of his shirt. Since when was he not a nuisance?
"Where are you going?" Wemmbu asked. There was something underneath his words, a tone that didn't quite fit his image, but Flame couldn't be bothered to dig when he smelled like hot crap. Really, he was impressed Wemmbu could bear to be near him right now.
"Ever heard of a shower, bro?"
"Oh." Wemmbu tightened his grip before he let go entirely. "Right, yeah. Obviously. But just—" he stuttered, shoulders coming up to his ears. "Just the shower, right? Nowhere else? You won't go AWOL on me or anything, right? 'Cause that'd be a real dick move on your part I'm just saying—"
Wemmbu was exhausting to deal with. He was annoying. A chatterbox. A selfish kid with an ego too big for his head. He's exactly what a little brother would be—
Woah.
Flawlessly ignoring that world-altering revelation, Flame cut Wemmbu off. "Where's this coming from?"
Wemmbu didn't have an answer for him. Nothing except three words that branded a scar on Flame's unbelievably smooth brain. Cool water flowed down his skin as he reminisced. He scrubbed himself thoroughly, replaying the moment over and over. Frustration eventually made him drag a hand down his face.
"Don't leave me," Wemmbu said.
Without thinking twice, Flame replied under the assumption that Wemmbu was up for some harmless banter. "That depends entirely on your performance. Right now it's not looking too good."
Wemmbu tensed up. Before Flame could even decipher his wrong-doing, Wemmbu had already flown away.
"God, you're stupid," he spat at the face in the mirror. He placed his toothbrush down and left before he shattered the glass to pieces.
-
"You could try messaging him, you know?" Lomedy advised.
Flame stared at the sky in a mournful daze. It's been a week since Wemmbu took off to who knows where. He regretted not asking for his base coordinates. He regretted not chasing after him, for even saying those stupid words.
"You think I haven't tried?"
Lomedy opened his mouth. He shut it again. "Okay, fair. What about Egg—hell, even Jaden! They're close now, aren't they?"
"The Nether would freeze, melt, then freeze again before I ask Jaden for help."
"Dude, you're dramatic."
Flame groaned and once again buried his face in his hands. "Why do I even care about that dumb guy anyway? Don't come back for all I care, bro! At least I don't have to clean up after you anymore, you stupid kid!"
Lomedy laid next to him. They stare at the sky together.
Somehow, every cloud looked like Wemmbu.
-
ManePear whispers to you: im coming over
-
"Flame, bro!" Mane smothered him in a hug the moment he opened the door.
Flame pretended to be annoyed for exactly two seconds before reciprocating. "Why are you here?"
"Can't a guy visit his lil' bro once in a while?"
"A while is an understatement," Flame muttered. For Mane's ears, he said, "What do you want?"
Mane coughed into his fist. "…Got any netherite?"
"Asshole. At least be subtle about it."
"Oh, c'mon." Mane put an arm around him. "I did miss you. A lot! I'm just busy these days."
Flame shrugged him off, the familiar annoyance guiding him back to his sword. He sheathed it in its holster. The hilt doesn't leave his grip. "Sure, bro."
Unperturbed, Mane continued to follow him. "Tell you what." He leaned in conspiratorially. "I'll stay a few days. Let's mess around like old times, just us two. What d'you say?"
Flame rolled his eyes so hard it almost got stuck in his skull. "Take your crap and go. I'm busy too."
Busy trying to find Wemmbu, that is.
"Aw, don't be like that," Mane said.
Flame led them to the storage room where he rummaged through the chests while Mane blabbered on in the background; talking about his adventures, his battles, giving out excuses for his rare visits. Excuses that Flame got used to hearing over the years. Really, he would never wish for an older brother that wasn't Mane, but he always made it hard to be around him. Flame hated liars. He'd prefer it if Mane just outright said he didn't enjoy his company.
What other reason could he have for leaving the moment Flame was grown enough keep himself alive?
If he were in Mane's shoes, a guy with a kid brother who looked up at him like he crafted end portal frames, he'd stick around. He'd stick around until they were both old and grey, until their skin becomes irreversibly scarred from a fulfilling, well-lived life—long enough so they'd never have to question their place by each other's side.
Strangely, but not really, Wemmbu was all he could think about.
Wemmbu, his enemy. His greatest rival.
An ally turned brother-in-arms to simply just a brother.
"Here." The netherite gleamed under the lights. Small, almost delicate looking, held by Mane.
Flame was always at his peak when he had a goal to pursue. Now was no different. At the same time, it was. No other revelation could have been more important than this.
Without explanation, and with Mane's shocked yelp, he ran up the stairs then right towards the door. His hand was at the knob before he knew it, already turning, pulling it open as Mane caught up—
Wemmbu's fist landed softly on his shoulder.
"Uh." Like a creaking seen, Wemmbu froze under his disbelieving stare. He took his hand back awkwardly, his tail flicking. "…I was just about to knock."
Flame grabbed him by the shoulders. He was real. He hadn't just up and left him on some random, unassuming, sunny day; not like Mane. Why did he even worry? Wemmbu would at least cuss him out before leaving his life for good.
"Where have you been?" There was no proper explanation for his franticness. At least, not one that wouldn't expose his care. "I looked for you everywhere, bro!"
"Well, technically not everywhere," Wemmbu replied smartly. "You didn't find me, so…"
Flame refused to make his joy obvious. "You're talking back? You've got some nerve after just dipping on me."
"Look," Wemmbu patted his shoulder, "someone's gotta hold it down at the Great Sea. You're looking at first mate now, bro!"
"Useless nepo hire."
Wemmbu lunged at him.
Whatever. Any excuse to be, eugh, affectionate with Wemmbu without either of them having to ask was a win he'd take.
Flame let himself fall, already bracing for the impact and shielding Wemmbu from it, before another set of hands caught him before he could hit the ground.
He looked up at the same time as Wemmbu, and Flame knew the both of them had a bit of history with Mane, but surely it was nothing bad enough to warrant Wemmbu suddenly jumping out of his arms and pressing his back against the wall, his wings flared wide and tail upright, baring his fangs with slit pupils and a dangerous hiss.
"Wemmbu?" Without even thinking about it, Flame pushed Mane away to approach him. "What's wrong?" he asked carefully, making sure not to crowd too close.
Wemmbu and Mane didn't break eye contact. Actually, it was a bit generous to refer to whatever they were doing as eye contact. Mane had this weird look on his face, like he swallowed a lemon that had thorns in it, and he was left bleeding because he still chose to eat the goddamn lemon even though he knew it wouldn't do him any good.
Wemmbu just looked angry.
And unfortunately for Mane, Flame already decided that Wemmbu was his problem to deal with. Whatever happens after that wasn't something he cared much about.
"Don't you need to go?" Flame asked Mane.
Mane finally took his eyes off of Wemmbu. "What's he doing here?"
"What am I doing here?" Wemmbu laughed in disbelief. "Better fucking question, what are you doing here?" Despite asking, Wemmbu doesn't let him answer. Instead, he turned to look at Flame. "Flame, kick him out! I don't want him here, kick him out!"
"Bro, you seriously think Flame's going to—"
Flame urged Mane out the door. "Yeah, yeah, save it for later. We'll talk once we're done here."
Mane tried to resist, and any other time he would have succeeded, but Flame had reason to be forceful now. "You can't be serious!" was his last words before Flame shut the door on his face.
"Don't let him in again." Wemmbu fumed. "I don't want him in here! Ever!"
"Sure, bro," he said with a shrug. It was an easy decision. Wemmbu might not realize it now, or will he ever, but the house was his just as much as it was Flame's. The pantry was stocked with chorus fruit. A stray orbital was even kept with the rest of the weapons. His knick-knacks were just lying around, untouched, when the Flame from before would have trashed it all without hesitation. Hell, he even had his own room!
Wemmbu finally settled down on the couch, his scaly wings shedding from his obvious distress. "Why was he here?"
"He just wanted some netherite." Flame joined him, flawlessly ignoring Mane pounding at the door like he ignored the slow development of his own brotherly feelings. "What happened, bro?"
Predictably, Wemmbu said, "Nothing. He just pisses me off."
"You piss me off too but look where we are."
Wemmbu bore his fangs. Whatever reaction he was hoping to get, it surely didn't include Flame suddenly grabbing his nose and pulling on it until he was kicked away.
"Dude, what the hell!"
"Talk or it's happening again."
The couch bounced back into its former shape when Wemmbu stood up. It wasn't hard to guess his next move by the way he eyed the open window.
"You're really gonna risk it when Mane's still out there?"
Wemmbu turned his chin up at him with a pompous harrumph. "He doesn't have wings, does he? And I don't wanna keep hearing your nagging!"
"Bro, you think that's nagging? Just wait until I get my hands on your ungrateful—"
Mane was right outside the window, staring at them.
Flame won't ever admit to flinching. He could only stare as Mane climbed into the room, so silent that Flame had to question if he was even real.
"Agh, get out!" Wemmbu yelled. He stormed up to Mane, rage-filled, wings raised high in an instinctive attempt at intimidation. Of course, it does nothing but the opposite. At least in Flame's eyes.
He didn't know about Mane—oh, there it was. A slightly lowered guard, his shoulders relaxed.
Lomedy had once come to him about Mane, saying how scary he was, that the look in his eyes always made his skin raise. Flame never understood it until he saw how he acted without him around. Gone was his troublesome older brother, and in his place had been a cold man he could hardly recognize.
But none of that coldness appeared as Mane stared Wemmbu down.
"You don't get to appear again after everything," Wemmbu spat out, crowding into Mane's space. "Snake."
Wemmbu doesn't seem to notice anything unusual. Had they been mere acquaintances, he would have questioned Mane's severe lack of hostility. Had they been mere acquaintances, he would have already been beaten to the ground.
Just what was their relationship?
"Alright, bro. Calm down." Flame pulled Wemmbu back, feeling a little smug when he doesn't even attempt to fight him off. They've really come a long way.
Then suddenly Wemmbu was dangling in front of him, entire body upside-down.
"Huh?" was the last thing Wemmbu said before Mane carried him away on his shoulder.
There was nothing Flame could do but gawk.
-
It was hours later when he found them again.
The sun was setting, and Wemmbu and Mane were sitting together at the base of a burnt down tree, bleeding and bruised, their weapons strewn over the grass. They haven't noticed him yet.
"…lame…"
Flame jumped at the sound of his name. Their voices were faint, the sound unable to travel far enought to reach him clearly.
He moved closer.
"—lets me crash at his place whenever. I don't really get it, but I'm not complaining."
Mane seemed unimpressed. "You're stupid as fuck, bro."
Wemmbu jerked up at the insult. They probably would have fought again had Mane not pulled him down by the neck and given him a noogie.
"You pulled this crap on me too." Mane sighed, expertly batting Wemmbu away when he tried to bite him. "We treat you so differently from the rest, how do you not notice?"
Wemmbu remained confused.
"Do you seriously think we let randos live in our house just because?"
"But he lets Egg stay over."
Mane pushed him off then proceeded to ignore his consequent snarling. "You and that wimp are basically the same person, what difference does it make."
"He's not a wimp!" Wemmbu glared. "You better apologize to him after this. I won't forgive you until you do. And if he doesn't want to talk, I'm not talking to you either!"
"Like you could do anything."
"Okay, so who just got his ass beat by me? You! You did, asshole!"
Mane pounced, taking Wemmbu down by his face and shaking him as he tried to kick him off with a scream. "What were you saying, kid? You've a long way to go before you can say crap like that!"
"Agh, you're fucking dead!" Wemmbu yelled, grabbing hold of Mane's blindfold.
"What the hell are you guys doing."
They froze.
Slowly, they looked up to meet his eyes.
Of all the people he wanted in his life, it had to be these two? It said more about him than anything else.
With a reluctant sigh, he dropped his sword beside Gambit and ManeSpear, then he forced himself between Mane and Wemmbu.
Wemmbu immediately clung to him, using him as a shield against Mane so he could stick his tongue out at him without consequence. Mane reached over Flame's head and shoved dirt in his mouth.
"Ew!" Wemmbu screeched. Before he could retaliate, Flame held him tight.
There was no diguising his intentions now. Even as Wemmbu froze, uncertain, Flame doesn't let go. There was only so much time in the world. Who knew when he'd get to have his brothers like this again?
"I'm saying it now, Wemmbu," he said quietly but firmly. "You're one of us. Somebody just try messing with you, let them see what happens."
The promise must have been too heavy, because Wemmbu curled under the weight. His grip on Flame tightened until he shook, then he let go, wiping at his face.
"I can deal with them myself," he said stubbornly.
Mane butted in. "You'll never have to again."
The orange sky turned red as it met the night. Wemmbu doesn't say anything else, so Flame could only trust that their words finally got through to him.
He pretended not to notice as he shuffled closer. He only does the same. Now, they leaned against each other in a way so familiar it was hard to believe they didn't come from the same womb. How insanely lucky it was that they met. Who knew how many others have a bond like theirs and not find it? To think such a tragedy could exist in a world where Flame had Mane and Wemmbu.
"You should stick around for a bit," Flame said off-handedly. He doesn't really expect anything to come from it. Mane was a busy guy. Who was Flame to his destiny?
A hand guided Flame to rest on a shoulder. He could feel Wemmbu glaring, not at him but at Mane, though he remained silent. Flame had no doubt he'd cause another scene the moment Mane stepped out of line.
Flame looked up at his big brother.
There was no coldness in Mane's eyes. Never had, not for Flame. His smile was almost even gentle.
Mane put an arm around him.
Nostalgia struck him without warning. He was small again, unable to protect himself. Always huddled into Mane and unwilling to let go.
There was a prick in his eyes. Hell, he'd never hear the end of it if he cried in front of Wemmbu.
Not that the guy was any better. The moment Mane reached down, resting his hand on Wemmbu's back, he let out a sniffle loud enough to rattle all three of them.
Mane laughed, and in a good enough mood, he pulled them both in his arms.
Then his joy faded and he was quiet for a while. Like he was contemplating something.
Flame was drowsy enough that he had to wonder if Mane really did press his mouth against his head. If he really did stroke Wemmbu's cheek.
"I think…" said a distant voice. "I'll stay longer than just a bit."