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Jaden knew he wasn't a very good person. That was simply fact. The sky was blue, the grass was green, and Jaden had done some unforgivable things.
Like killing Rejoice. That was the biggest one, but he'd also blown up civilizations and tried to hoard resources to himself, and turned away people when they needed him.
So it was hard to believe, that Wemmbu of all people had forgiven him. Someone who notoriously held grudges for so long that he could remember something you'd done to him for years.
But here he was, down in the Cave Kingdom for no reason other than not wanting Wemmbu to here all alone. The Jaden from a year ago wouldn't believe it.
"Our enemy?" He could hear himself saying. "Really? Who even are you? Because you're certainly not me."
Jaden sighed to himself. Wemmbu, who was leading them up to the V.I.P areas even though the pirate wasn't allowed up there, sent him a strange look.
"Nothing, nothing." He said, which only served to make him be more suspicious. "Just thinking."
Wemmbu grunted, already going back to not caring. Jaden followed quietly, keeping his head down.
Wemmbu's mansion was just as dirty and uncomfortable as the rest of the homes down below. The only thing that was better about it was that it was… bigger. And you could lookout across the kingdom and revel about your superiority. Or whatever. Jaden wasn't sure what royals did. He was a pirate for pete's sake! He tended to have water get on him at least once a day, and with that meant everything wanted to stick to him, be it sand, gravel or even kelp.
Wemmbu led him to a corner with a cracked mirror. It looked like he'd tried to clean out the dust as best as possible just to have a spot to sit down.
"Do my hair." Wemmbu demanded like a child who was never told no. "And I'll do yours."
Jaden smiled under his mask. "Alright bro. What are we thinking?"
They both sat down. It was a small space, clearly only met for one person, but they made it work. Jaden's clothes would get a bit dirty, but they already were so it didn't matter.
"Just a braid I guess." Wemmbu grumbled, sounding a bit awkward as he combed through his hair with his fingers. It sounded as though he didn't say the words often, like they were foreign in his mouth, which was weird because as far as Jaden knew, Egg did his hair all the time.
"Sure thing." Jaden didn't argue. "You got a brush?"
Wemmbu produced one from an ender chest. It was light pink with little white wings at the top of the handle, and in between them was a clearly drawn on eye.
"This is cute." Jaden commented. Wemmbu didn't respond, so he began to brush.
The purple demon relaxed the more he went, his tail uncurling from his waist and flicking contentedly from side to side, not unlike a cat.
His hair was very clearly taken care of. Jaden brushed and brushed, and then produced an elastic and began the braid. He settled on a fish braid, and Wemmbu leaned into his hand when he worked at his scalp to get the pieces properly evened out.
The motions of making the actual braid were repetitive.
Wemmbu's tail ended up on the pirate's lap and he began to purr quietly. Jaden's mouth twitched up in a smile.
Jaden ran his hand down the braid when it was done and patted shoulder.
Wemmbu sat up straighter with a hum. He shuffled around, blinking slowly.
"If you just want to go to sleep, you don't have to do my hair now." Jaden offered.
"No." Wemmbu growled, eyes narrowed. He bumped his face against the man's shoulder and then pushed him away. "Turn around."
Jaden obeyed.
Wemmbu also gave him a braid, just not a fish one. He was still purring quietly.
The fact that he felt comfortable enough to both purr and earlier have his back turned to him was overwhelming. If he dwelled on that too long something would break, and he wouldn't know how to fix it.
Jade met Wemmbu's eyes in the mirror. Wemmbu looked exhausted. Jaden had never seen such a vulnerable, heart wrenching expression on his face.
The purple demon's hands lowered from his hair and it looked like he was trying not to cry.
Jaden shuffled to turn around. "Wemmbu…" He began, but wasn't quite sure where to continue.
Wemmbu crumpled forward and buried his head in Jaden's chest. The pirare wrapped his arms around him.
"I should be preening his wings right now." Wemmbu hiccuped. "But he's all alone right now and I can't take care of him. Which means he's gonna keep his wings from coming out for so long, but he can't do that, because then that damages them, and then he can't fly, and then he'll use them less, and then- and then-"
"Shh, Wemm, you're catastrophizing right now." Jaden ran his hand down the hair he'd just done. "And that will only serve to make you feel worse. You can't keep going through every worse case scenario in your head. This will not be forever. Egg will be fine, his wings will be fine, and whenever you see him next you can bully him into taking care of them if he isn't already."
"He's not gonna be." Wemmbu said glumly.
"Even so." Jaden squeezed him. "If you keep overthinking you won't be able to get anything done."
Wemmbu shifted and the pirate took that as cue to let him go. "I can finish your hair now." He said, sounding like he wanted the conversation to be over.
Jaden already felt as though if he did one thing wrong, the bond that they'd been able to foster would come crumbling down, so he turned without another word.
He tried not to meet his own eyes in the mirror, because he feared he'd meet someone very familiar there. Someone he never wanted to be see ever again.
Wemmbu continued to braid, and Jaden clutched to the olive branch, hoping that this wouldn't end in explosions ringing in his ears, long after the bombs had already gone off.