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Minute woke up blearily in his room. He was bone tired and felt an odd, lingering paranoia. Weird. He sat up in bed and stretched his arms and wings. Then he got up and started his day. Or night. Time was weird in the End.
For voids sake, he was the guardian of an entire dimension, he couldn’t slack off because of a little paranoia.
Minute first got dressed in his usual suit and bowtie get-up, but it felt itchier than normal. Heavy and a little uncomfortably warm. Which was, again, weird, but he didn’t think much of it. He ate a quick breakfast and went to the End spawn platform.
He stood there and waited. And waited. And waited for something interesting to happen. Nothing happened for hours. And over those hours, he started to feel drowsy, which he thought might help his consistent paranoid mindset.
It didn’t.
It just made him more nervous that at any moment, something was going to jump out while his guard was down and hurt him and his cla- wait. His clan?
He didn’t have a clan. Not really. Most enderians had one in one form or another, but he didn’t. Did he? No. He was just being extra weird today.
But, void, Minute was tired. He just wanted to curl up in a pile of pillows and blankets and-… nest. He wanted to nest. With his ‘clan’. He wasn’t in heat. This wasn’t what a heat felt like, the rare few times it came.
This was more like… his paternal and protective instincts were dialed to eighteen when the normal is two. Out of ten. The problem being, he didn’t quite know what to do about that.
So he just waited until he normally ate lunch and did eat, but he felt way too exhausted to continue keeping watch. He could just… rest. For a little bit. That wouldn’t be a crime, right?
So instead of going back to the spawn platform, Minute went to his bedroom. He grabbed all the pillows and blankets he could find and got to work arranging them.
By the time he felt satisfied, the nest covered his whole king sized bed. Nice, big, and safe. Big enough for his clan. No. No, he doesn’t have a clan. It’s just him.
He’d accepted that. Minute changed into a sleep shirt and shorts and flopped over on his bed, nuzzling into the blankets.
…but if he were to have a clan, who’d be in it? Wemmbu, probably. And Egg. They were nice. And Spoke.
Wemmbu because he was enderian and Minute felt parental towards the reckless colorati. Egg because he was close to Wemmbu and because Minute had simply grown fond of the seraphim. And Spoke because he was a voidling, an embodiment of the void, which made Minute naturally want to protect him, because the void is precious.
Hm.
He can’t do what his instincts want him to do (drag them all into the nest by their scruffs), but he could message them. Ask them to come to the End, preferably sooner rather than later. Yeah. He could do that.
Minute fumbled to grab his communicator and shot a message to each of them individually. Then he set aside his communicator, curled up in his nest, and closed his eyes because, void, he was tired.
He could sleep in his nest until his clan got there. That would be fine. Just fine.
Minute woke up to a noise. His head snapped up. Voices. He let out a loud warning sound. The voices stopped. Then someone called out clearly.
“Minute? Buddy? You in here?”
The growl that was building in his throat died off. He knew that voice. Wemmbu. Clan. He let out a series of resounding clicks and chirps that said, ‘I’m here, come on, come here, now, now, now!’
He was met with a responding click and a head poking inside his doorway. A purple furred one. Minute churred happily in greeting. Wemmbu clicked again and yelled out the door, “He’s in here, Egg!”
The colorati waited a moment for the seraphim to get there and in that time, Minute began to get antsy.
Wemmbu was here, but he wasn’t coming inside. Why? He thought he’d made the nest big enough, but what if it wasn’t? What if it was too small? He’d have to fix it, then. Make is big enough for all his clan.
Wemmbu and Egg approached Minute and he let out a frustrated huff, rearranging the nest. It had to be bigger. Better. Safer. Safe enough for all his clan members.
“Yo, Minute? You good? What’s…” Wemmbu trailed off as he took in the nest. “Oh. You’re nesting. And making noises instead of words. Cool. Instinct stuff then.” He moved to get in the nest, but Minute head butted him away gently, mindful of his horns.
The nest wasn’t ready yet. Not big enough. He had to fix it. Then Wemmbu could come in. But there weren’t any more pillows or blankets left in this room. Minute let out a frustrated whine.
“What’s he doing?” Egg asked Wemmbu, very visibly confused.
“Uh, enderian instinct stuff. He’s nesting, making instinctual noises, and wants us here. So I think we’re his clan. Most enderian’s have one, a group of a few people that they trust a lot.” Wemmbu answered Egg, then noticed Minute’s frustration. “Do you need more nesting stuff?”
Minute looked at Wemmbu and chirped an affirmation. Yes. More nesting materials. So he can make it bigger. So all of his clan can fit. That’s good. Speaking of which, Spoke wasn’t here still. The clan wasn’t complete. That’s bad.
“Okay. Egg?” Wemmbu turned to the seraphim. “Go get as many pillows and blankets as you can carry, I’ll stay here with Minute, yeah?”
“Alright. I shall return ere long.” Egg strode out of the room with purpose as Wemmbu complained about him using old nerd words.
The two enderians stared at each other for a moment, then Wemmbu spoke up. “So, uh, do you know why you suddenly went all instinct mode?”
Minute huffed and flicked his tail. He shook his head at Wemmbu, then mumbled, “No idea. Not… heat. Just weird.”
Wemmbu blinked. “Huh. Were you choosing not to talk earlier, or…?” Minute shook his head. “Ah. Cool. Um. Did you message anyone els-“
Egg chose that moment to return, carrying a mighty pile of assorted pillows and blankets. Minute’s eyes snapped to the seraphim and he purred a little at the sight. He sat up and reached for the pile as Egg placed it next to the bed.
“I hath returned from my mighty journey with the requested nesting materials.” Egg remarked and he handed a few of the blankets to Minute, who wasted no time in arranging them to his liking.
“Why the hell does he have this many blankets…?” Wemmbu muttered to himself, then shook his head. “Whatever. Doesn’t matter. Minute. Did you message anyone other than us to come here?”
Minute absentmindedly chirped an affirmation. Was the nest big enough, even now? It had to be big enough for four people. Five if Spoke’s friend came too. They were close, so it’d be more than likely for that to happen.
That actually begged the question of, is his bed big enough, or would they have to move the nest elsewhere? He didn’t want to move it. Here was good. Safe. Deep in his stronghold and decently hidden if you didn’t know where to look. An excellent den location. He’d hate to have to move the nest to somewhere else.
“Wha- who? Who else did you message, Minute?” Wemmbu stepped closer to the bed, but froze when a crash rang out through the base, followed by shouting.
Wemmbu bristled and moved in front of Minute and Egg, but after a moment, Minute relaxed. He knew those voices. He called out a loud, happy sound. The voices ceased. Wemmbu glanced back at Minute. “Is that who you-“
“Hello?” A head poked through the doorway. “Min- oh. Hi Wemmbu.”
Wemmbu bristled again and turned to Minute. “Spoke?! You messaged Spoke of all people?! Why the hell-“
“Wemmbu, chillax my friend! I don’t, uh, know what’s happening, but from Minute’s message, I’m guessing it’s something more serious, so I won't be as… much as usual. Deal?” Spoke smiled nervously at the colorati, who begrudgingly nodded.
“Fine. Deal.” Wemmbu muttered, his tail flicking irritably.
Spoke smiled wide. “Cool.” Then he and Mapicc stepped inside the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Spoke shuffled awkwardly. “So, uh, you guys gonna tell us what’s going on, or…?”
Wemmbu sighed and watched Minute as the bat hybrid sorted through the pile that Egg had brought. “Minute is deep in his instincts right now, we don’t know why. That’s why he’s nesting and messaged us. In his mind, we’re his clan and he needs to protect us. Hence the nest.”
“Oh. Huh.” Spoke blinked. “He only messaged me, not Mapicc, so do you know if it’s fine if he stays, or…?”
Minute looked up at spoke and huffed an affirmation. Mapicc was a part of Spoke’s clan, so he could be a part of Minute’s. That was fine. He didn’t mind.
Was the nest going to be big enough? It would have to fit five people… maybe. They’d have to see. After a moment more, Minute was satisfied with the current nest. He just hoped it was big enough.
“Are you done?” Wemmbu asked and Minute nodded. Yes. Done. Clan could enter now. It’s safe inside. Nice and safe and cozy. Perfect for his clan.
“Cool. We can go in, then?” Spoke questioned and Wemmbu nodded. Minute shuffled out of the way so they could enter. This was good. Very good. All his clan in one place, nice and safe.
Wemmbu and Egg settled into a corner of the nest first, then Spoke and Mapicc followed suit. Minute purred happily and moved in between Spoke and Wemmbu. His wings wrapped loosely around himself and he grabbed one of the spare blankets to absentmindedly knead.
This was nice. Good. Very good. Safe and cozy with his clan. He liked that very much. Minute stared at Wemmbu for a second. His hair was long and vaguely tangled looking. He made a small upset sound and Wemmbu noticed.
“What, bro? My hair?” Wemmbu’s ear flicked and he turned his back to Minute. “You can like, comb through it or braid it or something. I don’t care.”
Minute chirped and took out Wemmbu’s golden hair band to let the hair flow down the colorati’s back. It reached about his middle back and Minute used his fingers to gently comb through the strands that were tangled together, then he started sectioning off parts to braid.
“So, uh, do we know why he’s like… this right now?” Mapicc asked after a few more minutes of awkward silence.
“Usually,” Wemmbu began. “This would mean he’s going into heat, which a few enderian sub-species have like, three or four times in their lives. Earlier he said this wasn’t one, so his instincts just decided to suddenly flare or something. To put it simply, we have no idea why he’s like this right now.”
“Oh. So he’s like, nesting right now? I get that sometimes.” Mapicc’s tail flicked. “Any idea how long we’ll be here for?”
“No clue.” Wemmbu hummed as Minute began braiding his hair. “Could be an hour, could be a day. Since I don't know why he’s doing this, I don’t know when it could stop. So we might as well get cozy. Which should be pretty easy, considering in my experience, Minute makes a pretty damn good nest.”
“All right, then.” Mapicc promptly pressed himself into Spoke’s side, who startled, then leaned into the contact like they’d done this a million times.
Minute finished braiding Wemmbu’s hair and sat back, satisfied. Then he curled up and settled himself with his wings loosely around himself. He chirped at his clan to, ‘lay down, it’s safe, relax, sleep, rest rest rest.’
Wemmbu chirped back an affirmation and laid down. Egg followed suit. Good good good. Minute rolled onto his stomach and spread his wings over the others like a makeshift blanket. In return, Wemmbu pulled a blanket over Minute’s back. The bat's tail swished calmly before settling.
This was nice. Excellent. Most definitely amazing. He was safe and warm and cozy with his clan. He could rest now. His little world was safe and cozy. He could sleep.
Minute purred quietly as he drifted off into darkness.
Minute woke up warm. Which was odd, considering it was one, quite cold in the end, and two, he slept without many blankets usually. He furred his brow and shifted, grumbling a little.
He was met with a calming purr, which made him relax. Then tense, because that meant someone was in here with him.
He blinked his eyes open and sat up, looking for the person who was in his safe space, his nest, his den-
“Woah, Minute, you’re good bro. S’ all fine, dude.” Wemmbu’s tail rested over Minute’s lashing one. “We’re good.”
Minute blinked and let himself relax a little. “...Wemmbu. Why- what-”
“Your instincts dialed to the max last night and you messaged me, Egg, and Spoke to come here, then you made a nest and conked out for like fourteen hours.” Wemmbu retold and Minute blinked as he remembered the events of the previous evening.
“Oh, void, where’re Egg, Spoke, and Mapicc? Minute tiled his head and Wemmbu smiled.
“They’re, uh, making you soup.” Wemmbu chuckled as Minute’s posture tensed. “Don’t worry, Egg’s supervising. Out of the four of us, he’s the most trustworthy with that sort of thing, so. Your kitchen should be fine.”
“Should be.” Minute repeated, wings tucking close to himself as he tried to imagine Spoke, Mapicc, and Egg cooking anything more complicated than toast. ”...lovely.”
“Yep.” Wemmbu popped the ‘p’. “We’ve got it all under control.”
Minute still looked and felt skeptical, but he didn’t comment further on it. Instead, he stretched out his wings, running the pads of his fingers along the delicate and leathery membrane. Then he took his tail and combed through the fluffy tip, sorting out any tangles that might have occurred while he slept.
“Your wings are pretty cool, y’know.” Wemmbu commented quietly. “Like, they’re pretty.”
“I guess.” Minute let his wings fall flat on the nest. “They’ve always just been there.”
“Yeah, but that’s the cool thing. I have elytra wings that look fine, but they're just that. Elytra. I can only glide with them. You can actually fly.” Wemmbu had a wistful look on his face. “I wish I could fly.”
“It is pretty nice.” Minute smiled a little. “Flying over the void specifically is just- breathtaking. Reaching down and being able to feel the cold of it on your fingertips.”
“I’ve done that a few times with an elytra, but I’d think it’s different with wings, yeah?” Wemmbu played with his still braided hair absently.
“Yeah.” Minute smiled fully. “And it’s also different for me because I’m enderian. Like, if Parrot were to do that, he’d just instinctively want to get away from the void. But it’s home for me. For us.”
“Yeah.” Wemmbu tugged on some loose strands of hair. “...home.”
There was a sudden knock on the door, followed by Egg’s voice. “We come bearing sustenance.”
“Come in, he’s awake.” Wemmbu called and the door opened. Egg was carrying a tray with a steaming bowl, followed by a grinning Spoke and a concerned looking Mapicc.
Egg gently set the tray down next to Minute and stepped back. Minute squinted at the bowl and looked up at the trio. “What is it?”
“It,” Spoke said proudly. “Is tomato soup.”
“...it’s yellow.” Minute grimaced.
“It’s flavored.” Spoke countered, still grinning wildly.
“Uh huh.” Minute looked over the soup skeptically, then hesitantly scooped up a spoonful and took a small sip. “...definitely too salty. But it’s not- horrible.”
Spoke’s edges flickered a little as he literally vibrated from excitement. Mapicc’s tail intertwined with Spoke’s and he stopped flickering. He did not stop grinning, however. “So it’s good?”
“I didn’t say it was good, I said it wasn’t horrible.” Minute took another sip and shrugged. “It’s tolerable.”
Spoke seemed to accept that and they all sat in silence while Minute finished the soup. After he was done, he set down the bowl and laid down again.
“Are you seriously going back to sleep?” Spoke questioned and Minute shrugged. “Dude, you slept all morning. How are you still tired?!”
Minute just shrugged again and curled up in the nest. He felt warm and full from the soup, which surprisingly had a very pleasant aftertaste. He was still tired and he rested his wings over himself and his tail curled into a spiral.
“Bro, let him rest. He guards a whole freaking dimension, he deserves a break.” Wemmbu glared at Spoke, who held his hands up in surrender.
“Alright, sorry bro.” Spoke apologized and Wemmbu sat next to Minute’s head and the bat hybrid latched onto his torso because good void he was warm.
Minute let his eyes close again and he let out a purr. Wemmbu combed through his hair with his fingers and scratched at the base of Minute's horns, which made him melt and purr louder because oh my gods that felt so good.
He drifted into quiet darkness, warm and safe and surrounded by his clan.