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Minute barges into Egg’s room, unannounced. That’s normal.
What’s not normal is that Wemmbu is with him, and clinging to his side, looking like hell. Egg shoots up from his bed.
“He came through like this,” Minute says, and Egg hurries over. Hm. Not good.
“He uh,” Egg starts, taking Wemmbu from Minute and checking for any injuries. Wemmbu’s netherite gets in his way. “Bro, what are you doing?”
Wemmbu groans in response and slumps to the ground. Ah. So really not good. Egg lifts the helmet off of Wemmbu’s head and slips a hand under his shirt, touching his back. Skin to skin contact is the best for healing.
“I couldn’t see any– any visible injuries. His armor isn’t damaged, at least, not from a fight.” Minute adds. Egg’s extra energy has been building up for a while, nothing to use it on in the End. Except, apparently, an out of commission Wemmbu.
“Dude, did you take something?” Egg questions, heaving Wemmbu up. He just gets another groan instead of words.
“He might’ve gotten poisoned. The effects look a little like weakness.” Minute answers, and helps Egg guide Wemmbu to the bed. “Either arrows or normal bottles.”
Egg hums an affirmative, and lays Wemmbu on his side. Wemmbu whines. Like, honest to the lord, whines like a baby.
“That’s not good,” Egg says, trying to stamp down the panic in his chest. It’s okay. Wemmbu’s survived worse. He’ll be fine. “Uh, Minute, is there a special thing to do to negate potion effects? Like, do we have milk bro?”
Minute nods and steps back. “Yeah. I’ve got some in my enderchest. We’ve got cows here too.”
“Bro why did I not know about this,” Egg breathes, grabbing Wemmbu’s chestplate. Wemmbu jerks away, and Egg puts one hand on top of Wemmbu’s head. “You’re fine man. Chill out. It’s just me.”
“Hh, Egg–” Wemmbu mumbles, hands grasping at Egg’s shirt. Minute places down an enderchest behind them.
“Hi. Yeah. What’s up man?” Egg greets, keeping his voice low. Wemmbu makes another noise. Guess they aren’t getting his armor off. “What happened, brother? What situation did bro end up in?”
“Mmmm,” Wemmbu hums, curling up but keeping a grip on Egg’s shirt, which makes him lean down.
“Dude.” Egg states plainly, putting his hands over Wemmbu’s to untangle them from his shirt. “Brother, just let me take off your armor.”
“I’ve got milk whenever you’re ready,” Minute updates, and Egg nods.
“At least one of you is helpful,” He jokes, and yanks off Wemmbu’s chestplate in one abrupt motion. Wemmbu’s arm swings up, and Minutetech darts forward at the same time Egg jerks back.
There's quiet for a second. Minutetech’s sword is holding Wemmbu’s own,
Egg blinks. Hm. Yeah. Maybe taking off Wemmbu’s armor while he didn’t fully know who Egg was, wasn’t the best idea. He’s kind of known for never backing down. And he’s known by Egg to act like a feral animal.
Wemmbu struggles to get into a sitting position, and Minutetech grabs his sword. When Wemmbu proceeds to gasp like he’s in pain, Egg can’t help but move forward, hands finding Wemmbu’s shoulders.
“You’re fine, you’re fine, you’re fine. You’re fine dude.” Egg urges, helping Wemmbu sit up. Maybe he’ll feel safer like that. “It’s just me and Minutetech, bro. Y’know, Egg? Eggchan? Me?”
Wemmbu pants, then tilts his head.
“Egg?” He asks, voice high. Yes. Egg’s wings flutter in worry. What happened?
“Yeah. Yes, man.” Egg nods, pulling back, but hands not leaving Wemmbu. His extra energy has already been transferred, but it’s the thought. “You’re fine. We’re in the End– at Minute’s base? You remember coming through the end?”
Wemmbu pauses, then nods slowly, eyes gradually tracing the room.
“Cool. Good. Alright.” Egg relaxes, and Wemmbu mimics him. “You’ve got some effect, so Minute got milk to clear it.”
Egg half turns, stepping aside for Minute to hand over the bottle of milk. Wemmbu hesitates, glances at Egg, then takes it, hands shaking. Egg’s wings flutter again. Embarrassing.
Wemmbu drinks the milk, then leans to the side. Egg sits down next to him and slowly lifts his legs to get his boots off. Minute leans on the desk, glancing at the door.
“You remember what happened?” Egg asks after a moment, looking at Wemmbu as he slips off the boots. Wemmbu tilts his head again, curious. “Before you went through the portal.”
“Oh,” Wemmbu says, and his head goes back up. He slumps. “There were– s’me people. Made me have dinner with em.”
Egg and Minute both tense. Poison? Something slipped into his drink? Was it to kill him or to make him weak?
“Who was it?” Minute asks, and Egg recognizes it as his ‘trying to stay lighthearted’ voice. Serious time.
Wemmbu hums.
“I dunno. They w’re guardin’ the stronghold– I didn’t wanna fight em, s’ I went along.” He offers. Egg leans further to unfasten Wemmbu’s leg armor.
“Did your food taste weird at all?” Minute presses. Wemmbu shakes his leg to help Egg get the armor off.
“Mmm… maybe?” He says it in the most earnestly unsure tone Egg has heard from him in a long time. “I– they gave me really wet carrots, then told me that after I a– after we had dinner I could go through. ‘n then I felt really gross, and said I was gonna go through the portal.”
Egg sets the leggings next to the rest of Wemmbu’s armor, and MinuteTech is watching him when he sits up.
“The carrots might’ve been soaked with a potion,” Minute says cautiously, glancing at Wemmbu. “They absorb liquids very well.”
“Good thing we drank that milk bro,” Egg half-forces a smile, and adjusts Wemmbu so he’s sitting up straighter.
“Mhm,” Minute agrees, then looks at the door. He looks back at Egg, and hands him three more bottles of milk from his inventory. “Take some milk, and don’t be surprised if he says anything strange. Some potions make you loopy.”
“Yes sir,” Egg affirms, and pockets the bottles. Minute looks at Wemmbu, and his posture softens, like trying to soothe a wild animal.
“Wemmbu. Do you remember where the stronghold was?” He asks, voice steady. Serious. Is bro about to chase down some randos.
“I– hm, it was by that one base–” Wemmbu looks at Egg, body falling into him too. Egg leans back slightly. “You know the base with the, uh, the poppy heart?”
Minute raises an eyebrow, but Egg nods. They built a base next to a mountain where someone had formed poppies in the shape of a heart.
“Oh yeah. Was it by there or something?” He cues, using a hand to move Wemmbu slightly up. Wemmbu nods, and just falls right back into place. Alright.
“Sorry, what is the poppy heart?” Minute interrupts, blinking. Wemmbu laughs brightly, making Egg smile.
“There’s a mountain, and someone placed poppies in a heart shape,” Egg explains, taking out his comm to message Minute the cords. “It’s at… negative thir-teen five hundred… positive fourteen hundred.”
Minute’s comm clicks, and he takes it out to check it, then nods.
“Alright. Egg,,” He seems very hesitant, worried. “Actually, I can wait. I’m gonna go watch the door, alright? You keep him safe.”
“Yes sir MinuteTech sir,” Egg salutes, comm still in hand. Minute just huffs out a laugh, and turns to leave.
Once the door closes, Egg lifts Wemmbu’s face by the chin, squinting.
He checks in the usual spots Wemmbu likes to hide wounds (cuts on his neck, under his hair, under his shirt), but there’s none.
Except for a few still healing scrapes he got somehow. Egg doesn’t like how he doesn’t know every single place Wemmbu has gotten hurt anymore.
“You gotta come to the End after all your fights, brother,” He says, letting Wemmbu’s shirt down. Wemmbu hums. “Or at least message me about when you get hurt.”
“Wh– you took an arrow for me,” Wemmbu says randomly. Egg’s muscles tighten, and he blinks. He did do that. Yeah.
“Had to aura farm,” He nods wisely. Wemmbu whines again, and Egg’s eyes snap open, leaning forward. His hand finds Wemmbu’s skin. “You good?”
“You scared me,” Wemmbu complains, looking downright pathetic. Not something he usually lets himself be seen as.
“You’re so out of it right now bro,” Egg smiles, and his hand slips off. Wemmbu squirms closer.
“Y’know I– that was the most scared ‘ve ever been. You could’a died. And it would be my fault.” He admits quietly. Wow. Okay. They never really… talked about that whole thing other than right after Wemmbu crashed into the End. It wasn’t a long conversation.
Egg wraps his arms around Wemmbu, and uses a wing to hide them both. He breathes in.
“I made that choice, bro. You’re too– you’ve protected me for a long time. You’ve taken on a lot of fights just to save me, man.” His hands grip tighter, crinkling the soft cloth of Wemmbu’s shirt. “You could’ve died a lot of times. It’s just– I think we’re just built wrong, but fit each other right.”
That was the corniest thing EVER, wait…
Wemmbu gives a breathy, half suppressed laugh, and hides his face against Egg’s shoulder.
“That’s cute,” He says, pushing Egg down with his weight. Egg acquiesces, and lays on his back, half squishing his wings. “It’s cold here.”
“Well it is the End,” He teases, but leans up to bring the blanket up over them both. In the process, he drags himself up so he’s half laying on his side and half sitting straight. He rests a wing partially over Wemmbu. “You should sleep.”
“Mm,” Wemmbu says, and adjusts so his face is pressed into Egg’s side. He isn’t usually so… uh, clingy. “I’d take an arrow for you too. Just so you know.”
Wh– he. He has. He’s done that before.
“Dude. You’ve taken a lot of arrows for me. And a lot of swords. A lot of hits in general, to be honest.” Egg defends, and Wemmbu shakes his head. “What could you possibly mean by ‘nuh uh’?”
“Not enough. You had to–” Insane guy.
“Du– bro. Brother. You’ve taken more than enough hits for me. You’re– do I seriously need to tell you that you aren’t just what you can do for other people? Because that’s genuinely super embarrassing.” Egg interrupts, and adjusts to be fully sitting up, Wemmbu over his legs. He isn’t tired enough to lay down.
“Lay downnnn,” Wemmbu complains, crawling up to rest his head on Egg’s chest like a weird spider.
“I’m literally just not tired,” Egg informs, and re-covers Wemmbu’s shoulders with the blanket.
“They put a– a thing in my drink.” Wemmbu says. Egg startles.
“The people at the portal?” He clarifies, looking down. Wemmbu nods. “How do you know?”
“I saw ‘em.” Wemmbu hums. Egg’s wings fluff up.
“Brother, you saw them spike your drink, and you still drank it?” Egg asks hurriedly, because what kind of absolute dumbass of a guy other than Wemmbu.
“I– Mmm, thought it’s be a fun challenge. It kinda was.” Wemmbu explains.
“That’s– that’s not better, dawg. And– dude, don’t go and like, do shit just because it seems fun. You’ve got twisted definitions of fun.” Egg sighs, and his feathers settle.
“Sorry,” Wemmbu whines pathetically. Egg’s eyes widen. Oh crap.
“No you’re– it’s okay. Well not– no, it’s fine. You’re fine.” He tries to soothe. He’s evidently really bad at that, because Wemmbu whines again. “You’re fine. It’s– uh, you’re okay dude. No hard feelings. It’s fine man. It’s okay. You’re chill.”
“Minute hates banning players, ‘n I banned a bunch when– when we fought– when the main island was–” Wemmbu struggles, and Egg’s chest makes a funny twist formation.
“Dude. It’s fine. I don’t think he minds.” He pushes, trying to force calm down youre fine into Wemmbu’s brain. He can’t, but it’s the thought that counts.
“Mmmmm but–” Wemmbu stops himself. He looks up at Egg with the saddest eyes in probably the whole world. “… I’m useful?”
Egg mentally recoils. What. What in the world is this dude’s thought process.
“Are you– huh? I already told you, bro. Your worth isn’t tied to what you do for people. You’re just. Wemmbu. Y’know?” He smiles disarmingly. Cornball. Wemmbu squints at him, then sighs and his arms give out, making him collapse back onto Egg. “Oh crap–”
But he’s breathing. Okay. Cool. He just. His body caught up.
Egg makes sure the blanket covers him, and tucks it under Wemmbu’s body. Wemmbu makes a sleepy sound. It sorta feels like Wemmbu’s a child who thinks Egg’s his mom. Like Egg is underprepared.
…
Hmm. That was telling. Drunk words are sober thoughts, Egg guesses. Wemmbu has a… a lot of thoughts he keeps to himself. Which is fine! That’s okay. Egg can be very normal about knowing things about his friends. He sort of wishes that maybe Wemmbu would come to him and talk and he didn’t have to figure this out because Wemmbu thought being poisoned was fun–
But that’s fine. Egg’s chill. He’s fine with that.
And he… well. Let’s just say he’s just glad Minute didn’t hear any of that.