Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“You will never be the strongest again.”

Those words kept repeating in Flame’s mind for days to follow. 

When he heard the oh-so-familiar voice when he came out of the old mafia headquarters, Flame couldn’t help but laugh internally. How long was the abyssal demon waiting for him on top of that tower? Was he just aura farming this entire time?

The second thing he did was to take in the appearance of Wemmbu as much as he could from where he was standing. His long purple hair flowed gracefully behind him at that height. Flame could see him wearing his typical royalty outfit under his fully enchanted netherite armor set. Flame’s eyes caught the glint of a mace he knew all too well, Gambit. 

Looks like he’s looking for a fight.

Flame indulged him for a bit. He didn’t take him seriously. Flame talked to him like he did every time, taunting — teasing — him. Flame had thought it would be like all of their previous battles.

That was until Wemmbu pulled out a fishing rod — seriously? — and Flame had to experience being the ground zero of a stab shot blast.

It was a blur after that. 

Flame could remember moving a lot more than he did with his previous fights. Not only did he have to avoid Wemmbu’s quick diving with his mace, but he also had to get away from the stab shots and nukes that Wemmbu somehow acquired.

Wemmbu’s laughter rang clear in his mind. Flame barely even remembers questioning who was supplying him totems. He couldn’t believe that Wemmbu actually had the skills to make him retreat from a battle. A battle against Wemmbu, no less.

This was definitely not the same purple-haired guy who he had met back in PrinceZam’s Empire, nor the same guy from the tournament months ago.

What had happened?

Despite the loss — because as much as Flame wants to deny it, he did lose against Wemmbu and he will take back his title — Flame couldn’t help but note the changes in Wemmbu.

Wemmbu seemed to have filled out. He seemed to have gained a bit more muscles in him compared to when he first met him when he was still working with PrinceZam. Back then, Wemmbu looked like a gust of wind could blow him away. It was nice to see. He thinks. That means he’s been eating well, training a lot, and that he was taking care of himself. 

Flame ignores the feeling of satisfaction upon realizing that last part.

Speaking of, even his hair still looks as immaculate as ever. Flame has no idea how Wemmbu’s hair doesn’t even bother him, especially considering his fighting style. He still remembered it being around shoulder-length when they first met, and when they fought back when he was an Invis Mafia member. During the tournament, it was already reaching past the middle of his back. His hair seems to grow fast, and he takes good care of them. 

Flame had felt numb when he found out that his own older brother had betrayed the Empire to side with Wemmbu. Every hit during the duel continues to add weight in his heart, his hands felt heavy but his hits were never lighter. He caught a glimpse of Wemmbu’s worried face directed to ManePear. Flame wonders what Mane saw in Wemmbu that made him betray Flame the empire. 

The thing about betrayal is that it doesn’t come from the enemy. Flame was studying Wemmbu’s face while PrinceZam was verbally putting him down. He almost wanted to retort, but he was still working for PrinceZam. The way Wemmbu’s eyes flashed through a storm of emotions, the way he just looked so defeated that time, Flame had to tighten his hold on the hilt of his sword. Still, Flame couldn’t help but let out a breath of laughter as he saw how Wemmbu steeled himself in real time. That’s when Flame knew that wouldn’t be the last time he would see Wemmbu. He looks forward to their next meeting.

To be fair, Flame thinks Wemmbu’s crash out was valid. PrinceZam’s Empire wasn’t built in a day, but it sure as hell was destroyed in a single day because of some purple-haired flying dude.

The next time they met, Flame had Wemmbu’s best friend — Eggchan — hostage. Simply put, the time spent waiting for Wemmbu was kind of… not really much.

“Why do I keep getting kidnapped?” Eggchan sat in the meager space where Flame had boxed him in.

Flame didn’t reply, not verbally nor with signs

“Hey, what would you even get by kidnapping me, anyway?” Eggchan then remembered something, “Oh right, was it because my identity got revealed? C’mon man, this could be our little secret, bro.”

Eggchan didn’t stop there.

“What’s it like being a Diamond-trim player? Don’t you guys have maces? Where’s yours?”

Looks like it will take some time for Wemmbu to arrive. Maybe Flame can indulge Eggchan for a bit.

He placed down an oak sign.

I don’t use mace.

“Cool. Can I have it instead?”

Flame stared at Eggchan.

“... Worth a shot.” Eggchan seemed to ponder for a bit, “My friend uses a mace. He’s really good at it.”

Flame perked up. He placed another sign.

I know.

“Are you the same guy observing us from the Snow Civ?”

Flame paused. He’s quick to put things together.

His pause was enough for Eggchan.

“Yeah, that was definitely you.”

The faint sound of fireworks drifted in the open area. Neither of them said anything again to each other as Wemmbu arrives to rescue Eggchan.

The first thing he noticed was that Wemmbu seemed to have lean muscles now. He seemed to have been eating well. If his guesses were right, then Wemmbu and Mane might have actually been together after the empire. It left a pang in Flame’s heart at the thought, but it was quickly replaced by content by the knowledge that Wemmbu would definitely be taken care of.

Flame was actually pretty okay with Wemmbu popping his totem. His identity might have gotten revealed, but at least he can talk now. Throughout the entire fight, Eggchan was throwing commentaries from the sidelines. He also saw the way Eggchan was watching him intensely as he fought Wemmbu.

Who wouldn’t feel it when a huge eyeball is just staring at you? Bro, even he feels a bit unnerved by it. How Wemmbu acts so parental over Eggchan is beyond him.

So he uses that knowledge. He threatens to kill Eggchan if Wemmbu doesn’t give him the mace. Flame had utilized slow falling arrows during their battle, and with him having superior skills in sword PVP, it was only a matter of time before Wemmbu had to give in.

There was barely a battle in Wemmbu’s mind after Flame said that. He dropped the mace at his feet. Flame was quick to retrieve it while Wemmbu was freeing Eggchan as soon as he could. Flame took one glance back at the two, at the way Wemmbu was checking Eggchan all over — asking if he was fine — Flame only caught faint words of Eggchan reassuring Wemmbu that he’s the “Immortal Hostage” or something.

Flame almost laughed at that, but he ended up leaving the two alone. He kept his word. But as Flame handed the mace to ClownPierce, he couldn’t help but feel like he was the one who lost something.

His life after the Invis Mafia was peaceful… not. He constructed a base on a good spot, he thinks. The nights do get pretty cold, but he’s a netherborn demon, nothing he can’t handle. Come to think of it, he remembers Wemmbu being some sort of demon as well. Abyssal, was it? Was that, like, the void or something?

He wasn’t sure, but Flame remembers Wemmbu being a bit cool to the touch whenever they were in close proximity in the rare times they weren’t at each others’ throats. But then again, Flame also remembers Wemmbu getting cold when the nights are particularly chilly. It was even more evident back at Snow Civilization. Wemmbu would be suppressing his shivers from the cold while he was observing their fight.

He wonders what it would be like to be the one to give warmth to Wemmbu— 

Flame threw his blankets as he abruptly sat up.

“Bro…” Flame whispered to himself, “What?” 

Flame ran his fingers through his dreads. He hears a small, whining sound from somewhere on the floor. He looks to where his dogs were in a pile together. He flashes them a grin before coming over, petting Ashen on the head and careful not to disturb his other dogs.

Bro, what the hell was he thinking?

Maybe it was just this night being particularly colder than the previous ones. His thoughts have been flying all over  recently. Flame drank the glass of water placed on the nightstand. He should really go back to sleep.

Overall, his base is pretty great. He’s particularly proud of it as well, since he built it himself. The only downside in living at his new base is that he’s constantly harassed by bandits.

Bandits, bro! Bandits! What in the world?

Three players even tried to trap him at his own base, but he’s not like most players. Of course he escaped and killed all of them. So many chungies have been trying to kill him — and why is SpokeIsHere is here? — he ends up finding one of the bandits’ base and even got a netherite sword out of it.

He was just passing by a group of players on his way to Merchant City, and a familiar face somewhere in them, when they instigated a fight. He even hears TheobaldTheBird telling those chungies to leave him alone. Flame was also fine to leave them be, but one of them just had to attack him. 

What’s up with everyone trying to kill him on sight, bro? Like, seriously, bro?

Of course, he was also attacked just as he was leaving Merchant City. A team of players again, they call themselves the “Bounty Assassin Team”. While the name sounds lowkey cool, they lost aura when they had to run away from Flame. 

When Flame got home, he was so annoyed. Like, can’t he get a break? He just wants to get some items, train, relax for a bit, then train again, and then perhaps add some more life to his base.

He swears, at this point, the next person to attack him better be Wemmbu or else he’s going on a killing spree.

A month went by, Flame actually experienced a peaceful time, wow. There were some random chungies who tried to steal from his base, but Flame dealt with them swiftly. He also got more gear and items, so he knew he was prepared for anything anytime. It was a nice change, although he knows better than getting used to it.

Then, he finally showed up.

“I can see you through the window.”

Flame almost let out a noise when he heard a voice he could recognize instantly. He was immediately on his feet, running walking towards the entrance of his base.

“Yo! Why are you at my base, bro?”

He caught a glint of diamond and purple through his windows. He opened his doors just to see Wemmbu looking around his base.

“Wemmbu?!”

“First of all, this is the trashiest base, bro.” Wemmbu scans around, “This is something I would expect from a random chungus on this server, bro. Like, when you tryna look up builds on how to make a fortress...”

Wemmbu’s words were lost to Flame, and Flame was lost in Wemmbu’s voice. How long has it been since he last saw the abyssal demon? It felt like a long time. Wemmbu continued to yap and judge everything about his base. Flame should feel offended, but all he could focus on was the way Wemmbu was cutting himself off just to laugh at his own words.

He’s so easy… As in, he laughs at the most random thing.

Once again, he takes his time in studying Wemmbu’s features. The diamond armor seems to fit him a bit better than the last time. He also carries himself with an air of confidence, if the way he laughs cockily isn’t telling enough. He misses hearing his laugh. Wemmbu’s hair also seemed to have grown longer, now reaching the middle of his back. Flame wants to run his fingers through them, would they be soft to the touch? Probably. 

“You sound so stupid right now, bro.” Flame said to direct Wemmbu’s attention back to him.

Of course the purple guy’s face scrunched up in annoyance, Flame didn’t bother to hide his laugh. Wemmbu quickly schooled his expression into a grin.

“Well, remember how we fought when you were still in the mafia?” Wemmbu’s mace appeared in his hand.

“What, you’re here to get revenge, bro?” Flame guessed, and where did he even get another mace?

“Of course, bro. I’m gonna make it even.”

“What makes you think the results would be different this time, bro?”

They exchanged a few more words before the first hit was thrown. Flame grins as Wemmbu flew up to the skies and dove down at fast speed. Flame threw an ender pearl away. Blows were traded, and totems were popped. Flame barely cared about his crops getting smashed to the ground for when the two of them ended up going around his base. The two of them laughed as Flame managed to escape Wemmbu’s mace attack by teleporting into his base.

“Ohoho, dudeee!” Flame could hear the grin in Wemmbu’s voice, “You are sooo lucky!” He whines.

The fight stretched on, but it ended after Wemmbu had enough of Flame’s slow falling arrows.

“You know what, I’m not even trying to kill you.” Wemmbu landed on the ground slowly, “I’m not gonna spend eight hours draining you of all those slow falling arrows. Like, I’m not even tryna kill you—”

“You’re not even trying to kill me— Bro, you’re not killing me, bro!” Flame walked up a few distances from Wemmbu, “You think you’re able to kill me?” he laughs.

Wemmbu looked indignant at him, “I just popped you twice, and hit you for the third time—”

“What are you gonna do?” taunted Flame as he stepped closer to Wemmbu, “fish rod me in the air?” 

Wemmbu took barely one step back — not one to easily back down from intimidation — and he stuttered out his next words. 

“I— Well— Well, I’ll elytra-mace you like I did three times already!” The purple-haired demon grit his teeth as Flame was shoved back by the chest away from Wemmbu.

“Well, use a sword! Use a sword! Use a sword!” Flame laughs as he munches on a golden apple, “I won this fight, bro.”

Wemmbu’s face reddened in annoyance.

“No, I won this fight! What are you talking about? I won this fight!”

“I won this fight!” Flame shot back, “Bro, bro!”

“I won this fight! I’m letting you live! I'M LETTING YOU LIVE—!”

Flame had no idea what urged him to welcome Wemmbu in his base properly and show off his dogs to him.

“Yeah, so these are like, my wolves.”

He watches  with a satisfied smile to himself as Wemmbu immediately gets tackled by his hyper wolves. Damn, seems like he really needs to let other people interact with them. Wemmbu laughs heartily as his face gets licked, cooing as the puppies climb over his chest.

“They normally don’t like people, but I guess bro is the wolf whisperer or something.” Flame leans back on the walls of barrels in his base.

“Are you trying to do the wolf TP tech?”

“Um, maybe.” He stands back up as Wemmbu follows him deeper into his base, “I’ve just been fighting off these goons Spoke’s been sending to my base, bro. I don’t even know why.”

“Spoke?” Wemmbut repeats the name, “Yeah, he’s just kinda  up to some odd activities— Oh yeah, sorry about your ceiling.” 

“Oh yeah, I mean, I can just fix it. I have some blocks.” Flame did just that while Wemmbu laughed at him.

This dude, really.

“You know what, bro? I’m gonna help you fix your base, c’mon.”

Flame couldn’t remember a time when his base was filled with so much life before the point. The only other times, he was often taking them. It just felt so natural to have Wemmbu’s presence around him despite all the fighting they did against each other. It was so easy to get a reaction out of Wemmbu, and Flame loved making a game out of it. He loves hearing him laugh at the most stupid thing, he loves making him puff up his face in annoyance when he taunts him, he loves seeing him smile from time to time. Wemmbu is just filled with so much life. Flame loves—

Flame loves Wemmbu.

It didn’t come like an explosion of realization to him. It was like finally acknowledging something that he has been ignoring for a long time. When did it even start? He doesn’t have an answer for that. Would it change anything between them? No, Flame wouldn’t let that type of thing easily change the dynamics between them. Just because he has feelings for Wemmbu, doesn’t mean Wemmbu is obligated to reciprocate them. Flame is perfectly fine with the way they are right now. He wants more. 

Months passed and Flame’s feelings did not lessen. In fact, he feels like he’s burning in them. What do they say again? Distance makes the heart go fonder? Well, it’s definitely true. Because the next time Flame saw Wemmbu was when he joined a tournament. 

His hair was longer.

Of course, the first thing Wemmbu did when he saw Flame was annoy him. They exchanged taunts and teased each other as the tournament went on. It was during the break, with Horace getting saddled with the task of cleaning up the arena, when Flame found out there was more to Wemmbu’s hair than he thought.

“Doesn’t your hair get in the way of battle?” It was Theo who asked the question.

Flame’s attention turned to where the two were messing around near the minigames outside the arena. He walked up to them, interested in the conversation.

“Of course not!” Wemmbu smirks as he flips his hair, “bro, it’s like a symbol of strength, y’know? Like, I’m strong enough to protect my hair and not let it get in the way.”

“Ohh, that’s actually so interesting to hear, bro.” Flame casually rested his elbow on Wemmbu’s shoulder, “all this time, I thought you were just vain.”

“Excuse you, bro—” Flame laughs as Wemmbu shoves his arm away, “I’ll let you know I take good care of my hair!”

“Obviously, bro. That’s one of the very few things you’re actually good at.”

“I’ll show you where else I’m good once I beat you in the finals—!”

Flame slowly opened his eyes to the ceiling of his base. His body ached from yesterday’s battle. He needs to restock, regear, and let Wemmbu have his fun with his title for a bit before he takes it back. It will only be a matter of time. 

He does his usual preparation for the day. He got himself ready to look for Wemmbu. In previous times, he had let destiny lead Wemmbu to him, but this time, he will look for the abyssal demon himself. Perhaps it’s time to finally let Wemmbu know his real place. Flame had indulged him far too much already. 

This time, he will make Wemmbu know about how he feels about him.

Flame had made his decision. He starts his journey towards Capital City.

“I’m sorry, but Wemmbu is dead. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Chapter Text

Where is Wemmbu?

Flame arrived at Capital City. His plan was to see if he could get some information on Wemmbu’s whereabouts from anyone there. He did hear words about the lengths Wemmbu went through just to locate him. 

Come to think of it, how was Wemmbu able to locate him?

The guy was probably waiting for hours at the top of the tower for Flame to come out. That was no coincidence. Not just that, but who in the world was supplying him totems back then? The only other person who knew that Flame was going to that old Mafia stash was—

Spoke.

Of course.

The netherborn demon took a deep breath as he stared up at the sky. He should’ve known, to be honest. Why was he even surprised at this point? 

Well, that wasn’t important right now. He needs to find Wemmbu to retrieve his title of being the strongest. And so he can make his feelings known to the oblivious fool. Capital City looms over the distance, and Flame was able to cross that in a few minutes.

Flame walked through the gates with no problem. Upon seeing a random person minding their own business, Flame decided the guy will be the one he’s going to ask first.

“Yo, bro.” Flame calls out, “Do you know anything about Wemmbu? His whereabouts?”

The guy turned to Flame. He seemed to look around first to check if the Immortal Demon was actually talking to him — which he was — and nervously replied.

“I’m sorry, but Wemmbu is dead.” The guy fidgeted on the spot, “I don’t know what else to tell you.”

Flame stares.

And then, he laughs.

It wasn’t a full blown laughter, or one of joy. It was one of disbelief.

“Yeah, bro. Like I’m gonna believe that.” Flame’s hand unconsciously trails to his sword, “Now tell me where exactly he is.”

“D… Dude, I swear! That’s all I know!” The guy took a step back, “That’s what the rumors said! Wemmbu was killed—!!!”

The guy yelped as a flaming netherite sword was inches away from his neck. He raised his arms in surrender before he could even think. His entire body was trembling as he shakily looked up to the Immortal Demon. His eyes may be covered by a blindfold, but even he — a random guy just enjoying his peaceful life at Capital City — could tell that FlameFrags was not in the mood for any jokes right now. The Immortal Demon was giving off an intense aura that makes him want to say everything he knows about Wemmbu’s death.

So talk, he did.

“The… The rumors said that Wemmbu was killed by a guy called… Umm…”

“You better juggle your memory for that name, bro. I’m not really feeling particularly patient right now.” 

“Ah! Luke4472!” Someone please help him,  “That’s his name! I swear that’s all I know!”

Flame could feel his patience getting stretched thin the more time he spends with The_CodMaster421. What in the Nether even is that name? Wemmbu could be anywhere right this moment, and he’s stuck finding clues on the whereabouts of Luke4472. He wasn’t aware that it’s “Go Missing to Annoy FlameFrags” day today.

He did not believe for one bit that Wemmbu was dead. He may be an idiot but there is just no way he would die to some random chungus that Flame had never heard of before. Like, seriously, who even is Luke4472? He got his answers soon when he freed the guy from being captured, The_CodMaster421 was long gone and now Flame is grilling Luke4472 for concrete answers.

If there’s one thing Wemmbu was not, it’s being weak. Wemmbu may not be as strong as Flame — but did Wemmbu not just beat him? — but Flame has long since acknowledged the rapid growth in strength that Wemmbu underwent. Just from fighting him, Flame could recognize the similarities in fighting style to his older brother. Mane had definitely trained Wemmbu. There was no way Wemmbu would just be some weak chungus in this server, no matter what delusion PrinceZam was in back then. 

He refuses to believe he would die easily. Wemmbu is loud. While Flame tends to grow quiet in focus during fights, Wemmbu is a damn chatterbox. He yaps about every little thing, even outside fights. Don’t even get him started about how much the guy whines once there was even a minor inconvenience. That’s one of the reasons Flame loves to annoy and tease the guy. He’s just so vocal. 

Flame reminisces on their most recent battle. He thinks that was the first time he had seen small sections of Wemmbu’s hair in braids. Do they also symbolize something? Well, he didn’t remember Wemmbu having those yet back during the Farlands. Flame had initially joined the Avengers — bro, why couldn’t they come up with a better name? — but he ended up betraying them to return Wemmbu’s mace to him. 

Seriously, Wemmbu needs to learn how to keep his own weapons safe from getting stolen. How many times has something like that happened? He had enjoyed hunting Wemmbu down, but the thrill was quickly lost to him because why were there others running after Wemmbu? Can’t they just find someone else? Every single time, there’s always some new dude hovering around Wemmbu and Flame was starting to have enough of it.

Like how he’s currently facing the so-called “Guardian of the End”, MinuteTech. Man, they really let anyone have titles now. Luke4472 said that he wasn’t even the one to kill Wemmbu, he just heard from MinuteTech that Wemmbu died. 

“What are you doing here?” MinuteTech stood tall in front of Flame.

His stance alone tells Flame that he’s not an opponent that he should underestimate. However, it’s already taken Flame a long time to even get to the source of the rumors of Wemmbu’s death. He may have patience and discipline in him, but he finds them short whenever things involve the purple demon.

“Hey, bro.” Flame stepped forward, “so you were the one who was spreading rumors about Wemmbu’s death?”

“They aren’t rumors. That’s the truth.”

“If you had fought Wemmbu at least once, then you would know that’s bullshit.” Flame snapped, “how did he even die, bro? Huh?! You’re also gonna say that he was killed by some chungy?”

“And I already told you, FlameFrags. Wemmbu is dead.”

Flame threw an enderpearl, sword already in mid-swing as MinuteTech used a windcharge to burst himself upwards. Flame barely put up a shield as he braced for the impact of a mace slamming against wood.

“Of course you have a mace.”

Oh it is on.

Luke4472 seems to be having the time of his life watching the Immortal Demon and the Guardian of the End duking it out because of rumors about Wemmbu, of all people. Flame was quickly cycling through his gear as he wasn’t expecting MinuteTech to actually be stocked. The guy had xp bottles he can use to mend his armor! Flame had led MinuteTech into his own End base to prevent him from using his mace. But even then, the End-hybrid had still popped his totem. Damn Wemmbu for exhausting Flame of most of his gear. 

“Just tell me where Wemmbu is, bro. Come on! I know you know where he is!” 

Was it just Flame or he could feel like he swings a bit harder than usual today?

“Tell me where Wemmbu is and this could be over, bro.”

Flame’s previous title of being the strongest was not for nothing, though. He managed to overpower MinuteTech, although it was no easy battle. Flame feels the fight actually helped him more than he thought.

“Tell me the truth, MinuteTech.”

Flame had MinuteTech pinned against one of the End pillars. Both of them were covered in blood from wounds that were healed by golden apples. The two of them panted as Flame’s sword hovered over MinuteTech’s throat.

“... You want to know the truth?” MinuteTech rasped as he pushed the sword away, standing back up, “Wemmbu is dead.”

Flame groaned, “Everyone keeps telling me that, but no one wants to elaborate! Who killed him then, huh?! Who?!”

MinuteTech paused as he seemed to ponder over Flame’s words. His pale eyes scan over Flame’s tensed posture. The Guardian seemed to have come to a conclusion before he started to walk away.

“Bro, where are you going?”

MinuteTech continues to ignore him, using windcharges and ender pearls to get away from Flame.

“Hey! We’re not done here, bro! Where’s Wemmbu?!” 

And there goes Flame’s only lead to Wemmbu’s whereabouts. MinuteTech had gotten away to escape to the End City.

He can’t follow him. Not when he’s low on supplies. Not when he needs to regear.

“Wow, bro. We did such a good job on scaring away the Guardian of the End!”

And especially not when this Luke4472 guy is still here with him.

Flame gets the urge to push him off to the void. He restraints himself, of course. In the end, Luke4472 still helped him in some way. So, he leads the two of them towards the End portal.

“Good luck surviving the withers at spawn, bro.”

With that, Flame had pushed Luke4472 through the End portal. 

Maybe he wasn’t as merciful as he thought. Well, he never claimed to be a saint. He’s the Immortal Demon.

FlameFrags lingered for a bit at the edge of the portal, just staring at it.

… Something’s odd.

He can feel it. Somewhere at the back of his mind. Something was watching him.

Flame looks around. There wasn't even a single enderman. There were no other entities in the End’s main island. Still, he stays for a bit, going in circles as he takes in the cool air of the End dimension. He could feel the coldness trying to seep into his bones, but he’s a Netherborn. Flame would never experience being cold.

A thought passes through him. Is this what it would feel like to get hugged by Wemmbu?

Flame felt the sudden rise of heat on his cheeks. Bro, he’s not down bad, okay?

He sat down somewhere near the edge of the island. Why was he even thinking like that? Wemmbu could actually be dead— No, he’s not. Flame just knows. He knows Wemmbu — he thinks he knows Wemmbu enough that he won’t die quietly. Because… Because…

Because if Wemmbu was truly dead, then why do the people on the server just go on about their day? How come the sun felt the same like it always did in the overworld? How come the stars in the End continue to mirror the glimmers he had seen in Wemmbu’s eyes whenever he smiles?

If Wemmbu truly was dead, life shouldn’t just go on like that. If he was dead, wouldn’t the greenery not be as vibrant as they are? Shouldn’t the sun stop brightening the overworld the same way Wemmbu brings life in Flame’s world?

… Huh, what is Flame thinking about? The guy is not dead.

Wemmbu is probably running around somewhere, leaving chaos and havoc in his footsteps. He’s out there somewhere, and Flame would find him. Once he finds Wemmbu, he would get his rematch. He will take his title back, and then he will… He will…

What would he do next?

He wants to tell Wemmbu something, but should he really say it? What if Flame ruins whatever it is that they currently have? What if Wemmbu starts to treat him differently if Flame confesses his feelings? Wouldn’t it be pretty selfish of Flame to confess to Wemmbu? To want more? To want all of him? Why can’t Flame just be satisfied with what he already has?

Flame would rather choose to have his affections be forever known only to himself than make Wemmbu drift away from him completely. Flame is used to not interacting with Wemmbu for weeks or months, but this time, it’s different. There are rumors about his disappearance and Flame does not like what he keeps hearing. He needs to find Wemmbu or else he won’t know what he will do if the rumors actually end up to be the truth. He refuses to keep entertaining that absurd idea.

His hands trailed over his blindfold before taking them off. Immediately, his surroundings had considerably become clearer and the stars seemed to shine brighter. Flame pulled out a golden apple to help himself recover faster.

He wonders if Wemmbu had already eaten today? Mane had better drilled the importance of not missing a meal to that idiot. Had Wemmbu braided his hair again? Would he indulge Flame if he asks Wemmbu if he could do it one of these days?

Preferably after their rematch.

Flame sighed as he finished the last bits of his golden apple. His mind drifts back to his feelings again. Confessing to someone you like is an act of  braveness — Flame can confidently say that he’s brave, okay bro? — and being honest about how you feel towards the person you’re in love with. That’s it. He was not expecting Wemmbu to reciprocate the feeling just because he plans to admit that he likes him — loves him. Wemmbu has the right to refuse or accept his feelings no matter how pure Flame’s intentions may be. 

Wemmbu owes him nothing. Flame can’t claim him as if Wemmbu was his. 

But what if he wants to—?

Flame can just admire him from afar. Maybe someday, Wemmbu will return the love Flame is giving to him—

“ARGH!!! Bro!!” Flame let out a groan, “Why?! Why?! Why?! Out of thousands of people on this server, why that idiot?! Like, why?!?!”

Genuinely, he feels like crashing out. 

“Wemmbu! Bro, you better be alive because when I find you, I swear!” Flame yelled in frustration, “I swear, bro! You’re not getting off that easily!”

Flame jumped up to his feet, tightening his blindfold back in its usual place as he walked back to the End portal. He just ignored the feeling of being watched again as he jumped into the portal.

Within seconds, he was back in his base. Only to be greeted by a flower pot on the bedside table. The same flower that Wemmbu picked and put on a flower pot from all those months ago. How the flower even survived for this long, Flame had no idea. It’s Wemmbu. He stopped thinking about it weeks after he got the flower and not seeing any changes to it.

“Bro, are you serious?!” Flame threw his hands in the air, “Everything reminds me of him!”

Flame let his body fall down on his bed. He screams into his pillow, voice muffled. He could vaguely hear his wolves letting out concerned whines at his state. 

Damn, even his own dogs think he’s weird. 

Flame looks to the corner of his bed and sees one of his dogs checking him over. Flame grumbles to himself as he pets his dog. Yeah, he thinks this could help him calm down. Wemmbu has been on his mind more than usual, that damn idiot. 

Why is Wemmbu spending so much time in his mind when could just spend it right on Flame’s side instead?

Continuous loud knocks snapped Flame out of his thoughts. His dogs were immediately by the entrance, barking at whoever was outside.

“Oh my god, what is it this time?!”

Flame roughly pulled his own doors open.

“I have something that you want.”

Flame slams the door on Boosfer’s face.

“HEY—!”

Rough poundings were received by Flame’s sturdy doors. Flame had enough interaction for today. Seriously, it’s one after the other! 

“I know what happened to Wemmbu!”

Chapter Text

Boosfer face planted on the floor of Flame’s base as the doors swung open.

“Ow! What the heck, dude?”

Flame couldn’t care less of Boosfer’s condition. He closed his doors and turned to where the green-haired male was sitting up, cradling his chin.

“Tell me everything you know about Wemmbu, bro.” Flame crosses his arms as he stares down at Boosfer.

“Tell you what? What do I know?” Questioned Boosfer as he got back up on his feet.

A low, warning growl took Boosfer’s attention. He followed the source of the sound, and his eyes landed on where a pack of wolves were definitely not amused by his presence.

“Oh, hey! Cute dogs, FlameFrags!”

Boosfer couldn’t even react when a blur of red slammed his back against wooden planks. It was so easy for Flame to pin Boosfer against his wall, he even dragged him a bit higher so Boosfer couldn’t support his own weight. The green-haired male had let out a pained grunt as Flame’s forearm pressed painfully across his collarbone and chest.

“F—Flame!” Boosfer managed to choke out.

The demon pressed harder.

“Tell me what you know about Wemmbu, Boosfer.” Flame said through gritted teeth, “You better tell me, bro. Nothing is stopping me from killing you right here, right now. You can’t come into my base just claiming to know where Wemmbu is.”

Boosfer clawed at Flame’s forearm, to no avail.

“If you—” Boosfer could feel Flame’s temperature rising, “Information isn’t free. If you work for me, I’ll tell you!”

“What happened to Wemmbu?”

“Information isn’t free,” Boosfer repeats, he still somehow manages to smirk at Flame.

Flame could feel his muscles tensing. The urge to pull out his netherite sword is slowly getting stronger. 

It would be so easy to just kill him right now, his mind whispers. 

Instead, he put more pressure for one last time on Boosfer before releasing him. The sound of coughing echoed in his base as Boosfer slumped to the ground once again.

“Okay, fine! It’s whatever!” Flame sighs, “What do I need to do?”

“Never knew this was all it takes to get the Immortal Demon to cooperate with me,” Boosfer coughs a few more times, “does it have something to do with sweet lil’ Wemmy~?”

Boosfer laughs as he barely dodges a flying flaming netherite sword that lodged itself on his previous spot. Flame watches with a blank expression as the green-haired gremlin dusted himself off.

He already hates what he’s agreeing to.

And that was how Flame found himself traveling thousands of blocks from his base on his beloved horse. He was on his way to trade at Merchant City. He had geared himself up enough — he had mended his tools, his armor, and restocked on cobwebs, but he was lacking his most important utility item — ender pearls. There are ways to gain ender pearls; by killing other people, stealing from them, or by trading. Flame cannot afford to waste items, potions, and energy on every player that he sees right now. So off he goes.

If Boosfer was telling the truth, then Wemmbu is definitely alive. He’s alive and he has proof now, no matter how weak it may be. He feels like a certain weight was lifted off his heart — a weight that he wasn’t even aware of being the carrier of. 

The wind whips at his face, and a memory flashes in Flame’s mind. A memory of a cold touch in a land of snow. Flame wondered why he even thought being in the End was like getting hugged by Wemmbu, because there was a time when the long-haired demon hugged him. Just once, no matter how brief it was.

He remembers it now. How could he even forget about that? He remembered making sure Gambit was safe in his grip before holding it out towards Wemmbu. He finally remembers how bewildered Wemmbu’s gaze was. His golden eyes went from Flame’s covered ones, then down at the mace, and then back to Flame. 

Truth be told, Flame was expecting Wemmbu to sass him and snatch the mace out of his hand.

Instead, he had to take a step back to balance himself as he felt arms tighten around his body. He felt the faint brush of Wemmbu’s soft hair on his arms. He felt the coolness making contact against his own warm body. Flame swears he felt Wemmbu’s grip tighten around him, the way his head was pressed against his chest because as tall as Wemmbu is, Flame is still taller than the purple demon. 

His hands twitched.

Wemmbu was so grateful to have his mace back, that he was willing to hug the Immortal Demon.

Flame’s brain was still processing the fact that Wemmbu was embracing him. It was still occupied in trying to memorize every single detail he can get from being in this close proximity with Wemmbu. He can feel that Wemmbu has been taking care of himself, but Flame thinks he still needs to eat more. Maybe it’s just because he’s strong that it makes him think that Wemmbu is still too light. Wemmbu’s golden tiara was still in place, he himself was careful not to poke Flame with his horns. Flame’s hand twitched again.

Oh my god, bro. Why is this dude just so adorable he wants to squeeze him—

Before his mind was even able to fully catch up, Wemmbu had already pulled away with his mace in his hand.

Wait what? Don’t go!

Flame barely stopped himself from chasing after the coldness that pulled away from him.

“Don’t think too much about it, dude.” Wemmbu’s face was turned away from him, “Just… Thanks for giving it back… I’ll still fight you, though.”

Flame couldn’t see Wemmbu’s face from this angle, not with his long purple hair forming a curtain around his face. Wemmbu’s gaze was anywhere but in his direction.

His pointed ears were bright red, though. 

Flame bit the bottom of his lip to stop himself from grinning in triumph. Damn.

“Yeah, bro. Of course,” he says breathlessly instead, “take better care of your weapons, bro.”

“I am!”

“Doesn’t look like it, to be honest.”

“So many people just want my mace! If they want one, they should just find someone else to steal from!”

“You do know that you’re one of the very few people who has a mace, right?”

“You guys do know I’m still here, right?”

Both Wemmbu and Flame turned to the source of the voice. 

Eggchan.

Flame froze. 

Eggchan was there the entire time. Eggchan witnessed Wemmbu hugging Flame. 

Eggchan saw that Flame was about to return the hug.

He watches quietly as Wemmbu begins fuzzing over Eggchan. The two began chattering with each other, but Flame kept his gaze at Eggchan, whose huge eye never once left his figure. Wemmbu seemed oblivious of that fact.

Well, guess it’s time to leave. Nothing much else to do. 

Eggchan was lowkey starting to unnerve him, too.

With that, Flame throws a simple “I’ll get going now, bro. Good luck to whatever it is you two are doing”. 

He was already hundreds of blocks away from them, yet Flame’s heart stayed in that brief moment they shared.

Flame snapped out of his thoughts as his horse slowed down. 

Oh, he’s close to Merchant City. 

He crossed the remaining distance. He waited for the guards to open the gates to let him in. Flame carefully jumps off his horse, hands on the lead as he walks the way to the shop where he frequently buys ender pearls.

“What do you mean you’re out of pearls?” Flame couldn’t believe his luck these days.

“Sorry, sir. We recently got a lot of orders and shipment will still take a while,” replied the shop owner.

“Fine, bro. I can’t believe you’d actually run out of pearls,” Flame groaned in frustration, “do you at least know where else I can buy some?”

The shop owner seemed to think about his question first.

“Uhh, since you're a regular of mine, I guess I can tell you.” They said, “You can trade with those people who are guarding the Nether portal.”

“Nether portal, got it.” Flame nodded, “thanks, bro!”

Flame had no plans to enter the portal. Not when that crazy clown was monopolizing that entire dimension. He wasn’t looking for a fight right now. Seriously, he can’t even enter the dimension he was born in whenever he wants. Not like he misses it or something. Nothing and no one is waiting for Flame in there. The one he wants to be with is in the overworld. So it’s not really that much of a loss for him. 

Upon reaching the nether portal, he barely pays attention to some invisible guy in a diamond armor set just standing at the side.

“Hey, can I trade for some pearls?” Flame called out as soon as he was within earshot of the guards.

Once again, Flame sighed for the nth time as one of the guards started writing on a wooden sign.

Shipment arrives in 10 minutes.

“Ten minutes?! You want me to wait here for ten minutes, bro?!” 

Yes.

Flame groaned into his palm. Looks like he had no other choice if he wanted to get his hands on those ender pearls. He looks around to find a spot where he can waste the next few minutes on. His eyes landed on the invisible guy. He makes his way towards him.

As soon as he was close, Flame furrowed his eyebrows as his horse immediately closed in on the invisible guy. The two of them stood in silence as Flame’s horse proceeded to nuzzle its face on where the guy’s head would be. That’s weird, his horse was only ever close with him. 

“Hey, man. Are you here to trade for some pearls too? Or something else?”

He was met with silence. The invisible guy remains in place with Flame’s horse still nuzzling into him, his grip remains steady on his sword and trident.

“... Okay, so… Bro doesn’t want to talk.” Flame turns to the guards, “You guys seeing this? Bro is genuinely just aura farming here.”

Flame decided his horse had enough of playing with the invisible guy before he led it away. He can’t believe he’s forced to wait here just to get some pearls.

Well, it was definitely a surprise to see a familiar face that came out of the portal, FerreMC. Him and Flame exchanged a few words. They weren’t that close to warrant Flame to stay in a conversation with him. He was just so glad that he finally got some pearls despite only getting a single stack of them. 

Those broke bros… 

At least now he’s ready for whatever battle Boosfer is making him fight.

He returns to his base having decorations he never remembered putting. Everywhere he looked, there were white and sickly green banners. Flame’s jaw slacked at the sight. 

“Hey, you’re back!” Boosfer looked proud of himself, “you took your sweet time so I figured I could liven up your base by adding some colors!”

“Dude, why…” Flame doesn’t even want to bother with it for now.

“I’m going to enchant my spare set of armor, you better not touch my bedroom, or anywhere else here. Got that?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure do!”

When Flame returns to a satisfying scene of the gremlin getting jumped by a group of people, he was actually considering watching from afar for a bit, just to let him taste a well-deserved suffering. However, Flame saw a familiar figure within the group.

The Invisible Guy.

Flame jumps into the fight. He was swift to kill one of the men who were chasing Boosfer. He hears someone telling the others to run away from Flame, and then he hears the Invisible Guy speak for the first time with the worst voice changer he’s ever heard, bro, holy…

“I’ll take care of FlameFrags. Just run away!” The Invisible Guy yelled. 

His voice sounded so deep but it was also just so hoarse that it made him sound like he was saying his dying wish. 

“Holy voice changer, bro!” Flame parried the Invisible Guy’s sword, “what are you doing here, man? Were you following me?”

“This isn’t about you, Immortal Demon.”

“Really, bro?”

Flame pushed him away before targeting another guy who was running after a screaming Boosfer. He picked up the golden apples that spilled to the ground from where his dead body disappeared. 

“FlameFrags, we are here for Boosfer. Hand him over to us and we’ll let you live.”

He laughs.

“Yeah, bro! I can’t let you do that.”

Flame admits it. This Invisible Guy fights well, but he can’t help but think that he was somehow holding back. Like his fighting style was something else. He was good enough with a sword, and the way he uses his riptide trident annoys Flame to no end since he only had a limited amount of pearls. Still, he was able to drive the Invisible Guy away.

No thanks to Boosfer, though. During the entire fight, Flame had asked Boosfer to just tell him the information, yet the guy still refused and kept on taunting him. Flame is slowly reaching his limit when it comes to dealing with Boosfer. And as they talked by the river where they last spotted the Invisible Guy, with Boosfer once again ordering Flame to do something for him, the Immortal Demon wonders if he should really continue doing this.

He will do anything for Wemmbu. 

He never knew he would need to bear the annoyance of having to follow this guy just to get information on his dear Wemmbu.

His next destination was Capital City, towards a potion shop owned by ParrotX2. Flame wanted to keep the interaction as brief as he could — especially when everything the avian said was not helping on Flame’s restraints — yet his mind lingered on Parrot’s words.

“Are you embarrassed to admit that someone’s bossing you around, bro?”

What does the bird know about his situation? If anything, Flame would gladly let a certain someone boss him around.

“I’m not getting bossed around by Boosfer. I’m not working for him. I’m just doing this for Wemmbu—” Flame catches himself, “I’m looking for Wemmbu, and Boosfer knows where he is.”

Parrot’s eyebrows rose at Flame’s slip up. Flame ignored it.

“You think Boosfer knows anything about Wemmbu? It’s just a rumor going around Capital City and he’s just using it to get back at me. You do realize that, right?”

Flame decided not to let Parrot get to him, but the avian just kept talking.

“I just think you’re missing what’s obviously right in front of you this entire time.”

“You’re doing Boosfer’s stupid henchman job, but honestly bro? The actual fight that you’re after? It’s probably a lot closer than you actually think.”

“You need me a lot more than I need you. I hope you realize that someday.”

Flame decided to rest for the night. His horse also needs some rest before they travel back to his base. It will be a long journey home and he takes good care of his animals, okay?

After eating some food for himself and feeding his horse, Flame decided to rest on his makeshift camp. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes. Back at Capital City, Flame’s head failed to stop looking back every time he caught even a glimpse of purple on a person. 

He was just making sure. 

Flame was supposed to be resting right now, he’s supposed to be at peace. He’s alone, isn’t he? There are no other people here.

So why can he still hear Wemmbu’s voice in his mind? Why can he still hear his laughter as clear as day? Why can he still feel the ghost of contact from their fight? He’s not seeing anything, but he can still feel his touch in the back of his mind.

His wounds from their fight had long healed, so why can he still feel them? He couldn’t understand at this point. All he knows is that he needs Wemmbu. He needs him back.

He wants Wemmbu to get out of his mind but at the same time, he doesn’t ever want to let go. Everywhere he looks, his mind only sees Wemmbu’s face. Everywhere he went, the memories of Wemmbu clung to him. 

He feels like he’s getting buried alive by his own damn feelings.

Flame thinks he’s too far gone now. He will never be free. He will never be free of Wemmbu.

The worst part? He thinks he wants it to stay that way.

Wemmbu is the reason he was feeling like this now. He’s the reason why Flame is experiencing all these new and strange emotions. 

If Flame could never escape from Wemmbu, isn’t it only fair that Wemmbu should take responsibility and stay by Flame’s side?

The night passed and it took half of the day before Flame got back to his base. He saw more banners placed outside his base. Every time he leaves, Boosfer seems to find new ways to mess around his base.

“Why do you have a bedroom here?!” Flame glares at the previously empty room that was now covered in green.

“Because I can!”

Flame seemed to have remembered something as he went to his own bedroom. He couldn’t hide the way his body slackened in relief as he saw the room was still the same as he left it. The pot of purple flower was still on the same spot. It was still alive.

“Oh yeah, I was contemplating on renovating your bedroom too. Like, the only color here is that purple flower. Maybe I should replace it with something green—”

“Go anywhere near that flower, and I won’t even care about whatever information you have, Boosfer.”

Boosfer snapped his mouth shut upon hearing the warning tone in Flame’s voice.

“Of course, of course, dude!” His laugh was weak, “I was just kidding, Flame! Have you ever heard of a joke? Anyway,  help me build an escape tunnel.”

Do it for the information, Flame. He’s your only lead to Wemmbu. 

It took a while, but they finished the escape tunnel.

Boosfer followed him as he went outside his base. The guy just kept yapping about anything while Flame was contemplating whether all of this was actually worth it or not. Wemmbu would always be worth it.

Parrot’s words echoed in his mind.

“Boosfer, I already got you those potions. I got you a new helmet, I helped you build that escape tunnel.” Flame started listing off the things he did, “now tell me what you know about Wemmbu.”

“Oh, do you really wanna know? Like, really? Really?”

“I won’t do anything else until you tell me where Wemmbu is.”

“Oh, come on! Dude! Are you sure? I’ll tell you about Wemmbu once you finish the job I asked of you. I have eyes on him as we speak.”

Flame stares at Boosfer. 

He pulls out his netherite sword, Fragger, and swings at Boosfer. The man screamed as he was set on fire, he threw an ender pearl to put distance between them.

“Yo! Yo! I swear! I know where he is!” Boosfer screams out.

“I already protected you from those players! I’ve been doing the things you asked me to do. What else do you want from me, bro?!” Flame aimed his bow at Boosfer, the arrow had hit its intended target.

Boosfer crouched in surrender as he ate a golden apple to heal himself,  “okay, okay, fine! You wanna know where Wemmbu is?”

“Yes, bro! That’s what I’ve been asking you!”

“Look behind you.”

Flame did, a small part of him actually dared to hope that it would be Wemmbu who would greet him. Just to feel disappointment when he sees the same Invisible Guy standing a few meters away.

“Hey, bro. What are you doing here?” Flame walks up to him.

The guy didn’t respond, just staring at Boosfer’s direction.

“Hello~? Is he mute? I recognize those trims.” Boosfer grinned, as if he never heard the guy speak last time.

“Just because I’m not talking 24/7 doesn’t mean I’m mute.” The Invisible Guy said in that same deep and hoarse voice changer.

The guy threw splash potions of strength and swiftness at his feet before sprinting at Boosfer. Flame watches it happen. He also splashed potions on himself just in case, but instead of protecting Boosfer immediately, he ate a golden apple and spectated.

“Why should I even help you, Boosfer? Tell me one good reason, bro.” Flame follows them towards the river, “because right now, even I’m running out of excuses to justify taking orders from you.”

Flame laughs as he watches Boosfer suffer. The guy even resorted to using his mace that has absolutely no enchantments.

Seriously, Flame thinks, he is getting destroyed. He’s cooked. Why is he using the mace like that?

If it was Wemmbu fighting, that Invisible Guy would be dead in less than five seconds.

“My diamond helmet is only at Protection III, what do you want me to do?!” Boosfer continues to run away from the Invisible Guy.

“I want you to tell me where Wemmbu is, bro. That’s what I want you to do.” Flame laughs, “I’ll continue to watch this until you do so.”

“I’m gonna tell you where Wemmbu is once you kill this guy, I swear! I’m running out of pearls!”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Kill him, and I’ll tell you!”

“And if you lie this time, I’m gonna be the one to kill you—”

The Invisible Guy had popped Boosfer’s totem.

“Yep, you popped.”

Flame gets into action. As soon as he did, he was splashed with weakness potion by the Invisible Guy.

This Invis Mafia-wannabe is so annoying!

And it was even more annoying when he and Boosfer almost fell into the void trap that was prepared for them. Flame barely escaped falling to the void, but again, he’s not like most other players. Salvationism was back again. He remembers the guy to be the one shouting orders the last time they attacked Boosfer.

It was such a close fight simply because there were a lot of them, and Flame barely had enough supplies. Boosfer was actually of help this time since he was able to instruct Flame where he could re-gear and re-supply himself. It was inevitable that the last person to remain in the fight was the Invisible Guy. The three of them had managed to climb out of the void trap and back to the surface.

“Why are you even working for Boosfer, Immortal Demon?”

Flame jumped back as his shield was disabled.

“Because he has information about—” he hesitates, “a friend.”

At some point, Boosfer splashed Flame and the Invisible Guy with potions because he said this would be an amusing fight to watch. The damn green gremlin had been watching the fight like he had VIP seats in a tournament.

“And who’s this friend of yours?”

“It’s… I’m looking for Wemmbu.”

The Invisible Guy stopped his attacks, and Flame did the same. The two of them were catching their breaths as they ate their own golden apples to heal.

“And what makes you think Boosfer was telling the truth?”

“Hey, what are you guys talking about?”

Flame stares at the Invisible Guy.

“Because… He’s the only one who knows what happened to Wemmbu.”

“He’s lying. Wemmbu is dead,”

Flame grits his teeth.

“—And right now, Boosfer is going to start lying to save his own life.”

Flame’s head snapped to Boosfer.

“Bro, why can’t you just tell me what actually happened to Wemmbu, huh?”

Boosfer started stammering as his eyes darted between him and the Invisible Guy. That was the last straw. Flame attacks Boosfer, followed closely by the Invisible Guy. The unlikely duo continued to chase after Boosfer, throwing attacks anytime the opportunity showed itself. Flame cursed as they reached his base. 

Damn that escape tunnel!

“It’s not too late yet, Flame!” Boosfer yells out as he continues to sprint deeper into the tunnel, “You can still kill the Invisible Knight and I’ll tell you what happened to Wemmbu!”

“Yeah, bro! You’re not fooling me again!”

Boosfer had blocked their way with an ender chest. 

He’s run out of blocks.

“Okay, you wanna know who killed Wemmbu?! It was ClownPierce! It’s ClownPierce! ClownPierce killed Wemmbu! That’s the truth! Please just—!”

Boosfer never got to finish his sentence.

“There’s a portal!” The Invisible guy said, immediately jumping in after Boosfer.

Flame stopped in front of the portal after the Invisible Guy also got teleported to the Nether.

He stares at the portal to his home dimension.

“‘ClownPierce killed Wemmbu’, okay.” Flame exhaled a breath as his grip on Fragger tightened. 

He doesn’t believe that new information one bit.

Wemmbu had the strongest weapon in the server. He had literal nukes at his disposal. There was no way ClownPierce could have killed the same guy who had beaten Flame.

But ClownPierce is strong and powerful. 

If anyone could kill Wemmbu, he would have one of the biggest chances to do so.

If ClownPierce did kill Wemmbu…

FlameFrags does not care if he doesn’t have enough items.

He will kill him.

The Immortal Demon steps into the nether portal.

Chapter Text

Flame embraces the all welcoming heat of his home dimension. He couldn’t even relish the feeling when he realized where the portal took him. He looks around what seemed to be a Nether outpost. He crouches down, eyes scanning the room for any sign of life. There was no one in the room he was in, but he could hear faint voices somewhere nearby. He has to be careful.

Upon reaching another room, he perks up at the sight of a chest and a few sets of netherite armor.

“Damn, bro. They’re rich.” Flame begins taking the netherite weapons and armor in the chest, “they don’t even care where they put these. They’re just laying here unguarded.”

More for him!

He was careful as he crossed a bridge, seeing two guards on a strider crossing the sea of lava. Upon reaching a tower, Flame begins checking the chests.

Only for fireworks to set off when he opens the middle one.

“Uhh… Is that supposed to be an alarm?” Flame decides to leave that area.

He reaches what seemed to be a brewing room. Flame took the recipes he needed to brew strength potions. Too bad they didn’t have any gunpowder, but he guessed this will do for now. He was just about to finish brewing the last batch of potions when he heard a voice.

“Hey, you! What are you doing here?!” One of the guards patrolling whom Flame saw earlier was by the entrance.

“Oh, hey bro!” Flame smirks at them, “do you guys know where ClownPierce is? I have something I want to ask him.”

The two guards looked at him weirdly, brows furrowing.

“What makes you think we’ll tell you? Did you steal from this outpost?!”

Flame internally sighed, “just tell me where ClownPierce is, bro and I’ll let you two live.”

“As if!” They splashed potion buffs on themselves, “you’re not going to get out of this alive—!”

The guard’s eyes widened at the next scene. Fragger was a flaming blur when Flame had cut the other guard’s head. His body disappeared before it even made contact with the floor. Flame swiftly dealt with the remaining guard, throwing an ender pearl behind him as his sword stabbed through the netherite chest plate. 

He’s had enough of weak people delaying him.

“Sweet! More items!” Flame begins picking up golden apples and ender pearls, “bro, these guys are really stacked.”

With that useless encounter, Flame left the outpost. He ventures deeply into the Nether. The heat had no effect on Flame, in fact, it made him more energized. It would make sense since he is from this place, but it still did not change that fact that he doesn’t miss anything or anyone here.

And as he steps into a Crimson Forest, Flame turns around.

“I know there’s someone there. Show yourself before I kill you.”

He was met with silence. Well, what else did he expect? Flame holds his axe, swinging it at one of the trees.

Only to reveal ParrotX2. Flame’s eyes zeroed in on the banner on Parrot’s shield — ClownPierce’s banner.

“Parrot?! What are you doing here?!”

The avian took one terrified gaze as Flame before he bolted out of his spot. Parrot hissed as he was set on fire by Flame’s sword. At some point, Flame fell into a trap, but he managed to escape. He taunted Parrot if he actually thought that was going to work on him. Flame followed closely, even when Parrot began digging through the netherrack and blocking his route. He continues to press the avian for answers.

“Theo! Theo! Flame’s here!”

Looks like he’s not alone. 

Not like it matters. If the two of them are working for ClownPierce, Flame would just have to threaten press them for answers. If they refuse, then he could just kill let them be. There was no stopping Flame from getting to Parrot, despite all efforts Theo exerts. So as he had him cornered, Parrot faced him.

“Don’t move!” He shouts, “If you move, I’ll break this block and we’re both going to explode! There’s an observer here for a TNT trap I placed. Stay right where you are if you want to live.”

Flame stops moving, yet his gaze remains on Parrot’s figure. He seems to have steeled himself, yet Flame could still see the way he was suppressing the tremble in his body. His wings look ruffled — tensed. Flame decides to play along with his bluff.

Because this is nothing else but a bluff.

“Why are you working for ClownPierce?” Flame questions, “you have Clown’s banner in your shield.”

“Working for Clown?!” Parrot exclaimed, “you’re the one working for ClownPierce! Why else are you trying to kill us?”

Oh well, it was a misunderstanding.

Turns out they were after ClownPierce’s vault and were using the shields to blend in with the guards. Flame tells them how he was only looking for ClownPierce to ask about Wemmbu.

He didn’t miss the way the two exchanged looks after he mentioned the abyssal demon’s name. 

“Dude, what’s with the obsession with Wemmbu?” It was Theo who was brave enough to say it right on Flame’s face, “I mean, you’re genuinely just chasing after a ghost.”

“Okay, bro. I’m just going to kill you right now—”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Parrot stood in front of Theo, “can we work together?”

“Work together?” Flame laughs, “bro, you’re just going to use me.”

Upon receiving no denial from either Parrot nor Theo, Flame smirks.

The things he does for Wemmbu, seriously.

Flame mines the same block that Parrot said had the observer. There was nothing in there nor around it. 

“I knew there was no trap,” Flame turns around, “what’s your plan?”

They wanted to kidnap FerreMC and they did, not easily though.

Flame genuinely wants to stab Parrot because they ended up trapping themselves in the castle as well with mining fatigue. If that wasn’t bad enough, Ferre was able to sound the alarm so ClownPierce and his guards were able to arrive to his rescue. It almost went bad, but Flame managed to pull through. They broke all of Ferre’s armor and were able to make him drop his elytra. They proceed to take Ferre hostage, telling ClownPierce that if he doesn’t call off his guards and let them go, they will just kill Ferre right then and there. It worked.

“Parrot, are you sure this is a good idea?” Flame asks hesitantly as he continues to look back at ClownPierce, “I can just be fighting Clown, he’s right there!”

“No, Flame! Trust me, it’s better we get Ferre first!” Parrot says as he leads the way out.

“But I wanna know what happened to Wemmbu.” Flame’s words came out softer than he intended them to be. What.

“You’ll know! We can get Clown to tell us anything as long as we have Ferre! Now let’s go!”

“I can fight Clown!”

“Just go!”

They managed to get away. Flame could begin to feel his own body temperature rising. Why won’t anyone just tell him what happened to Wemmbu? Even when they begin to lead Ferre away, Flame continues asking about Wemmbu. He was asking Parrot, who pretends he doesn’t hear anything. He asks Theo, who refuses to meet his gaze. Then he asks Ferre.

“Lemmbu?”

“No! Wemmbu! Wemmbu!” Flame corrects, “do you know what happened to him?”

“You want to know what happened to Wemmbu?” Ferre tilts his head, “If you want to know what happened to Wemmbu, you should just ask Wemmbu.”

Flame stares at him.

Theo had to hold Flame back as the demon pulled his sword out.

“Ferre, what do you know about the vault? Where is it?” Parrot questions.

“I don’t know what happened to Wemmbu,” Ferre ignores Parrot, “but I do know someone who knows about what happened to Wemmbu.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who knows someone who definitely knows.”

Sounds like bullshit.

“Does Clown know anything about Wemmbu?”

“If you give me some armor, I’ll put in a word for you!”

Flame gives them to Ferre with no hesitation.

Ferre escaped from them after some time. It was all part of Parrot’s plan, though. So no biggie! But still, Flame’s patience is running thin. He confronted Parrot, they argued, and Flame decided to rest for a bit in the room they dug out deep within the netherrack.

He pretends to take a nap as he hears their voices outside.

“Parrot, why are you doing this?” he hears Theo ask, “you’re just leading him on. Don’t you feel bad?”

“Theo, this is Flame we’re talking about.” Parrot’s voice sounded, “if it were anyone else, a good player, I would feel guilty.”

“You’re using him for your own benefit to get to the vault, Parrot.”

“Yeah, but Flame is just not a good person.” Parrot said without missing a beat, “he’s insufferable! He robbed me, he killed a lot of people, and he’s done a lot of terrible things!”

Flame remains quiet as he hears Theo replying in a gentle tone at Parrot.

“It’s just… Flame just strikes me as someone who’s lonely.”

“And that’s his own fault. It’s his own fault that no one wants to be his teammate or friend. Don’t even get me started on his obsession with Wemmbu!”

“You can’t blame the guy. It’s Wemmbu.”

And what is that supposed to mean?

“I hate how that actually seems to make sense— You know what, we should talk further away, just in case he hears us.”

Flame snorts quietly. Too late for that, bro.

He leaves without making any noise. He knows in the back of his mind that was just getting used by them, so it shouldn’t really affect him. That hurts.

All he ever wanted was just to find Wemmbu.

Every second he spends not knowing where he was, the more he feels like he is falling apart. So what if he’s obsessed with Wemmbu? He gave him a reason for his being. Wemmbu was his biggest rival and the abyssal demon had given him something to look forward to every single time— he made him feel emotions beyond just the thrill of a fight or the promise of bloodshed. Wemmbu was the closest person to being his equal, of course it was inevitable for Flame to feel like he just lost his other half. Wemmbu is alive.

Which made him think that was the reason. Wemmbu only deserves someone of the same caliber as him. He deserves someone who will keep on pushing him to be better. He deserves someone who will share their life with him.

Flame decides he should be that person. 

He really hates the thought of someone else ending up with Wemmbu because they thought that they were worthy of him in any way.

Well, isn’t he getting ahead of himself?

He may be called the Immortal Demon, but he thinks even forever is not enough for him to love Wemmbu. Why can’t that idiot just come back so they can actually start their life together? For Wemmbu, there’s nothing he can’t do. He yearns for Wemmbu so much, it’s beginning to ache.

He’s hit with the feeling of missing Wemmbu again.

Flame was once again in ClownPierce’s castle. He was able to enter without any problems. The guards didn’t even give him a second glance. Which works in his favor as he now stands before Clown in the throne room.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Clown’s voice drifted through the humid air, “the Immortal Demon, what could he possibly want from me after attacking my castle and stealing Ferre?”

“Do you know where Wemmbu is?”

Clown only smiles at Flame.

“... I’ll help you.” Flame continues, “I’ll tell you where Parrot and Theo are. They’re still in the same area, just waiting. You can kill them as long as you tell me where Wemmbu is. I know that you don’t want me roaming around the Nether and killing people without your permission.”

Clown hums in agreement.

“I’ll leave the Nether once you tell me where Wemmbu is.”

“... Lead the way, Immortal Demon.”

Safe to say, the look of betrayal Parrot gave to Flame made him want to kill the avian himself. The avians were currently surrounded by Clown and his guards.

“Flame! What are you doing?! Did you betray us?!”

He exhales a laugh.

“Bro, after hearing what you were saying about me earlier? Take a guess.” He then turns to ClownPierce, “now, will you tell me what happened to Wemmbu and where he is?”

Parrot sent him a look of disbelief. “Dude! Did you actually believe Clown knew what happened to Wemmbu?!”

Before Flame could respond, Clown’s laughter rang in the area.

“Flame! How would I even know anything about Wemmbu when I’m in the Nether this entire time?”

The rest of his words were muffled in Flame’s ears. He watches with a blank expression as Clown talks Parrot down. Flame feels the rising of his temperature at an alarming rate. 

“Any last words, Parrot?”

Parrot’s eyes lingered on Flame.

“... I’m sorry. For everything I said. I know I shouldn’t have, but I did. And it’s too late for me to take them back, just— I’m really sorry.”

Flame just wants his Wemmbu back.

“If you want to kill Parrot and Theo…” Flame splashed potions of strength and swiftness at his feet, “... You’re gonna have to go through me first.”

He jumps into battle.

“You gotta go to the vault!” Flame yelled at the two avians as he killed one of the guards.

Clown cursed as he left his guards behind to deal with Flame, choosing to chase after the duo instead. Some leader he is. 

Now would be a good time to let out some steam.

The guards had to jump back as the Immortal Demon’s body burst into flame. Time to remind them why Netherborn Demons were taken away from their home dimension at a young age. He hears the guards shouting towards the others to use fire-resistance potion, but they were a second too late as fire engulfed the entire area. An explosion followed soon after. He’s eliminated a few of them just from that alone. Those who survived were able to use the potion.

It doesn’t matter. Flame would kill them all. Anyone who stops him from finding Wemmbu should all just die.

They ended up falling into the lava. Well, aren’t they just cute? They made the fight even easier for Flame. If they insist, why not?

As soon as the fire-resistance effect had run out for the last guy, Flame ended the fight by burning the very last one of them.

He feels like he really needed that. He’s been bottling up a lot of violent tendencies lately.

Can’t even forget the other type of feelings for Wemmbu.

“Damn, bro. I can’t believe I just did all that,” Flame chuckles to himself as he swam out of the lava, “at least I got a lot of good items from these guards.”

He rearranges his ender chest, going from one shulker box to another. He carefully put the newly acquired armors, golden apples, and ender pearls. It was methodical. 

Flame slams the ender chest close. 

He feels himself starting to take quick breaths. 

He feels his eyes start to sting.

His heart starts to ache.

“Damn it!” He slams his fist on the ender chest, “where in the world are you, Wemmbu?! Where did you go?! Why did you have to leave just when you got what you wanted, huh?!”

His voice faintly echoed in the fiery fields of the Nether.

“Bro! There’s no way you died! You don’t die that quietly! You’re always loud!” 

Flame rubs his eyes through his blindfold, refusing to let anything fall.

He’s starting to lose hope.

“Just come back to me…”

He spent an entire month hunting this massive trail — going from person to person, and that trail finally came to an end.

“... Whatever,” Flame builds a Nether portal and steps through it, “I know you’re out there somewhere.”

He returns to his base.

It took him days again to come up with a plan. That’s how he found himself entering Parrot’s potion shop at Capital City. 

“Oh my god, what is it this time? What potion do you want?” 

Parrot was already making his way to his chest of potion stocks. Theo climbed down from the upper floor to see what was going on.

“I need you to do something for me.” Flame steeled his voice, “you’re the only person who will be able to do it.”

“... Okay? What could you possibly offer me?” Parrot said after a brief pause.

“I have something you want. I know a place. It’s where the Tomb of the Mafia is located. There are lots of treasures—” Theo perks up, exchanging looks with Parrot. “—in there. It’s somewhere at the far end of the End Dimension. I used to be a Diamond Mafia so I know something about it.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Well, that was quick.

Flame’s mind flashes with the image of the last time he saw Wemmbu.

“You will never be the strongest again.”

“I need you to figure out what happened to Wemmbu and bring him back to me.” 

Chapter Text

Flame left his base for only a few days, and somehow, LettuceK and his ‘Law’ were able to build a full headquarters near where he lives. How did they build all of this so quickly?

It was a bit of a surprise for Flame when LettuceK had come knocking on his door. The first thing out of his mouth was how he heard Flame had been hunting Wemmbu down for the past few months. 

“You have to stop with this…” LettuceK paused, “Obsession you have on Wemmbu, Flame. You’ve been killing lots of people lately.”

“Well, I have to find Wemmbu. It’s not my fault those goons were getting on my way, bro. It’s not that deep. I don’t really care.”

LettuceK studies Flame’s face for a moment, before a smile blooms on his face. 

“If you don’t stop, I will come back with a massive army.” He says, “because while you were busy on a wild goose chase on Wemmbu, we were actually getting stuff done. Sooner or later, you’ll realize there’s no use chasing after someone who’s dead.”

If Flame was being honest?

Flame doesn’t care oh my god, he doesn't care! He just wants to find Wemmbu! 

Can’t these people stop thinking they can decide what he wants to believe in? He knows for a fact that the idiot is still alive.

At least the Law provided some good entertainment as Flame and Lomedy infiltrated them. It was so laughably easy to blend in. All it took was having a shield with their banner and some invisibility potions. Seriously? They need better security, but more for Flame! 

“Hello, partners~!”

Bro…

“You guys thought you were slick, right?”

Flame had to act quickly. He pretended to be someone new, he believed he almost got LettuceK fooled.

But of course Lomedy just had to whisper…

And that was how Flame and Lomedy found themselves running away in full invisibility from the Law. Knowing about the supply shipment was enough for Flame. If only Lomedy stops trying to convince Flame to turn himself in to the Law. Flame was not going anywhere until he finds Wemmbu. Don’t get him wrong, Lomedy is one of the few people that Flame views as important to him, but…

Yeah, maybe involving Lomedy in Flame’s predicament right now is not a good thing…

They successfully intercepted the delivery of the supplies to the law. The two of them worked quickly into emptying the chests and throwing them into the ocean.

“Flame, you didn’t have to kill them.”

“Bro, I gave them a chance,” Flame refuted, “and what did they do? They still got in my way! It’s on them! It is what it is.”

“No, it is not what it is, bro.”

“Okay, this was not my fault, bro!” Flame started rowing away, “let’s just get back to my base.”

“Well, can you at least explain to me why? Why are you doing all of these?”

“We can head back to my base first, and I’ll explain everything, okay? We’re almost there.” 

They were not almost there. It took them the entire night of rowing boats to reach Flame’s base. Lomedy didn’t waste any more seconds.

“Now that we’re at your base, can you tell me now?” Lomedy chuckles sheepishly at his friend, “why do you care so much about Wemmbu? It’s kind of hard to understand and I can’t keep helping you if you have bad intentions.”

Flame turned around so fast before he could open his door.

“I don’t have bad intentions with Wemmbu, bro!” He sounded so offended.

Because he was.

Lomedy gave him a puzzled look.

“I meant, with the law and other innocent people…”

Flame did the most out of character for him to do.

He started stuttering to come up with an excuse.

Lomedy watches him, analyzing his behavior before a light bulb seems to lit up in his mind.

“Oh… Oh, so that’s how it is~!”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“Flame! I’m your friend!” Lomedy ushers the flustered man into his own base, “you should’ve told me since the beginning! I missed out on so much! Come, come, let’s talk!”

“There’s nothing to talk about, bro!” Flame slumps onto his couch.

Lomedy busies himself in getting a coffee for both of them. Once he was finished, he sat across from Flame. He offered it to Flame, and he took it.

“Tell me what happened before he died.” Lomedy hides his smile by bringing the cup to blow on it before taking a sip.

That immediately set off the Immortal Demon.

“Bro, not you too! He’s not dead! He’s alive! I’m not crazy!” Flame started, “Wemmbu came to me looking for a fight. Just because he beat me with his stupid mace and nukes, he thinks that’s all it takes to become the strongest! Where was the skill, huh?! And then he had the audacity to look pretty while doing all of that! He thinks just because I let him get away after every single fight we had previously, he’s all that, bro!”

Lomedy hums to let Flame know he was listening and to urge him to continue. Flame takes a sip of his steaming hot coffee, just the way he likes them.

“And then— did he think I just spare people after I fight them? No! I don’t! Did he even realize how many times I’ve let him and Eggchan live after every encounter I had with them, bro?! Don’t even get me started with Eggchan! He doesn’t scare me, but he definitely unnerves me, bro! I don’t know how Wemmbu treats him like he was the one to give birth to him— OH MY GOD, BRO, GET THAT IMAGE OUT OF MY HEAD!”

Flame buried his head into the couch’s rest as he screamed at the mental image he gave to himself.

“I don’t hate him, but bro… Bro! I swear he stares at me like he knows something I don’t! I don’t even know what it is!”

“Mhmm! And what makes you believe that Wemmbu is alive?”

Flame sits back up before leaning slightly over the table, as if he was about to say a conspiracy.

“He’s alive and out there somewhere, I just know it!” He hissed, “his cause of death keeps changing for every damn person I ask! Not only that, there are so many inconsistencies about the rumors of his death, bro! Aside from that, he wouldn’t just die like that after taking my title! I won’t let him die!”

“But you’d fight him again if he does turn out to be alive?”

“Of course! I’m taking my title back, one way or another, bro!”

“Even if it means hurting Wemmbu?”

Flame gave Lomedy a look that seemed to ask ‘are you stupid?’

“Bro, Wemmbu isn’t some fragile player. He gives it his all when fighting me, it would be an insult to the both of us if I don’t do the same. He can handle it.”

“Then what would you do next? If, say, you fought him and got your title back?”

Flame finishes the rest of his coffee before leaning back, he seems to be contemplating about it. Lomedy is still letting his cool for a bit more. Lomedy takes another sip.

“Confess to him, probably. I’ll have to find a good time, I don’t want… I don’t want it to be just on some random spot or something, bro.”

Lomedy spat out his coffee.

“I KNEW IT!”

“What?!”

“Bro! FlameFrags!” Lomedy jumped up to his feet, “the Immortal Demon likes Wemmbu! Wemmbu! I should’ve seen that coming! It makes so much sense! Oh my god!”

“Bro! Chill! Don’t just—!” Flame’s face reddened, “don’t scream it out like that!”

“When did you realize?”

“... When Wemmbu helped me fix my old base.”

“That long…?” 

“I think it was way before, but that’s the time I remember when I actually realize it, bro.”

Lomedy sits back down, just staring at Flame.

“Bro… You are so cooked.”

“What?!”

“Literally everyone believes Wemmbu is dead, but you never once stopped looking for him since the rumor started. You even went to fight MinuteTech and ClownPierce! Bro, aren’t those two are, like, the ones guarding the End and Nether dimension?!”

“In my defense, MinuteTech was close to Wemmbu and Boosfer said ClownPierce killed Wemmbu.”

“Okay, then what about those rumors I heard about you killing people who were interrupting your search for Wemmbu?”

“I gave them a chance to leave, but they didn’t take it!”

“Flame, Flame, Flame!” Lomedy repeats, “you’re whipped for Wemmbu, bro. I wouldn’t even be surprised if right now, you have someone working for you to look for Wemmbu.”

Flame remained silent.

“See?” Lomedy sighs, “what do you like about Wemmbu?”

Lomedy lets Flame take his time in gathering his thoughts. Truth be told, he had never seen his friend ever be this serious or flustered when it comes to someone. He knows how Flame is usually, he’s the closest friend of the Immortal Demon. But right now, he’s just Flame. Flame, a friend of Lomedy who’s apparently in love with a certain mace wielder. Lomedy decides to rephrase his question.

“What do you miss about Wemmbu?”

“... I miss his laugh.” Flame answers after a few moments, “he was always so loud, even during battles. You don’t really ever have a quiet moment when he’s in the area. Then, there’s that damn smile of his, bro. I think there’s something about it because I swear, bro like, his face just lights up. His smile looks even prettier because of those moles under his eyes and… His hair. Even now I don’t know how he fights when his hair is that long, bro. Even my dreads bother me sometimes, but he just makes it look so graceful or something! I don’t really say it much, but Wemmbu is strong. That’s one of the main reasons I believe he’s not dead, bro…”

Flame trails off.

“... I just want him back, bro.” He finished in a small voice.

They continued to talk. Lomedy eventually left, and Flame prepared to fight with the Law alone. It took him an entire day to fight them off and LettuceK deluded himself into thinking he was letting Flame go for now. Flame had busied himself into restocking his gears and supplies while he waited for Parrot to give him some news. He brewed as many potions as he thinks he will need and some more. And soon enough, a certain avian arrived.

“Dude. Flame!”

Flame turns to where his door was left wide open by none other than Parrot.

“Oh, yo!”

“Where were you?”

“Oh um, you’re talking about the courthouse thing, right?” He remembers Parrot was setting up a trap for the Invisible Guy.

“Yeah, bro you told us you were going to be there!” Parrot exclaimed, “we literally had him inside of a box with mining fatigue, but he got out!”

Oh, THAT’S definitely Wemmbu.

“It’s literally not my fault, like genuinely serious. Like, there was another team of like a hundred players trying to kill me, like at the same time and I don’t have enough gear. I physically don’t have enough gear to fight both. If I had showed up at your courthouse trap, my home would be gone right now, and then I wouldn’t be able to show up to anything because I have zero gear.”

“Oh my gosh…” Parrot groaned, “we literally had everything set up. Everybody was in place, we had him isolated inside of that room.”

“There wasn’t literally that much I could do. It’s not like I have a choice.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Look,” Parrot sighs, “I’ve been thinking about it lately and I think I have a plan that could reveal his identity once and for all.”

Flame, once again, gets the urge to kill Parrot.

There were barely any lights inside the massive dome that Parrot managed to get the help of many builders to set up this trap. This was designed to make the Invisible Knight reveal his identity. All Parrot told Flame was that it involved windcharges, wolves, TNT, and their communicator. If the Invisible Knight triggers the trap Parrot had set up, then the killing notification would expose his real name.

Soon enough, as Flame waited in the darkness, the Invisible Knight was teleported to the small platform in the center.

Of course he still has that damn trashy voice changer on.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Invisible Knight himself.” Parrot started monologuing, "unfortunately for you, the ender pearl cannon you just took isn’t really the escape path you thought it was. And more unfortunately, this is going to be the end of your fake identity… Wemmbu.”

“Bruh, what makes you so confident that I won’t just kill you now?”

“I mean, you’re technically right…” Parrot says, “if I didn’t bring a friend. Flame, you wanna come out?”

Flame drank the milk he brought to remove the effects of invisibility on himself, putting on his netherite armor set right away.

“Hello there, bro. What’s good?”

Flame throws an ender pearl towards the Invisible Knight just as he turns to face Flame. His pearl made him land so close to him, their faces were barely inches away.

Flame never miscalculates his ender pearl throws.

“So, Wemmbu, how’s it going, man? Faking your death and stuff?” Flame wishes the guy wasn’t invisible right now.

The Invisible Knight took a step back to put distance between them, Flame follows closely. When the guy turned away, Flame was quick to stand in front of him again.

He chuckles to himself as the guy starts to dodge his question.“Wait, how were you standing on that— Wait, I just got completely distracted— Oh, there was glass.” 

Flame wants to smack himself, and Wemmbu as well. How did he not realize it sooner? Wemmbu only changed his voice, not his way of speaking. This damn chungus bro!

“Yeah, who cares! Get on that platform before I just kill you right now. I’ll push you into the void. Let’s have a real fight bro. Come on.” Flame was bluffing about killing him, of course.

“So—”

“Wemmbu,” Flame warned, “get on that platform right now.”

He could hear the way the Invisible Knight’s breath hitched at his tone. Flame didn’t wait for his response before he threw an ender pearl to land beside Parrot.

“Honestly, it’s a pretty good story.” The Invisible Knight chuckled nervously, “except for the fact that I have no idea what you’re talking about—”

The Invisible Knight kept denying his identity. That’s fine. Parrot said that this dome was designed while keeping Wemmbu’s tendency to escape in mind. That little guy is known for spamming wind charges, after all.

Flame hears the faint sound of a wind bursting. He grins as he hears the followed up sound of TNT explosions.

Then his face dropped right as he saw lava pouring down.

His head whips at Parrot’s direction, anger evident in his demeanor.

“Parrot!”

“Huh? What?”

The Invisible Knight dropped down on the same platform they were on. Flame didn’t hesitate to throw a splash potion of fire resistance at his feet. He immediately saw the way the Invisible Knight’s body stopped trembling and the confusion that followed. Even Parrot was confused at his actions.

“You didn’t tell me you were going to use this much lava!”

“How else did you expect me to trap him?!”

“Literally anything but this!” Flame watches as the Invisible Knight tries to riptide away, “and he’s just trying to get away again. Do you have any blocks so I can get rid of this water?”

Wolf was blown up by Wemmbu

Flame stares at the notification on his communicator.

He’s alive! He’s alive he’s alive he’s alive he’s alive he’s alive!

“Oh… Oh!” Flame literally jumped in joy, “Wemmbu! Wemmbu! Wemmbu!”

His previous anger at Parrot was replaced with so much joy at finally finding his Wemmbu.

“You saw the message?”

“Yeah!”

Flame couldn’t see the way Parrot’s entire body slumped in relief upon confirming that Flame’s anger on him was redirected to being so happy that Wemmbu’s alive.

“Where did he go?!” Flame used the water that Wemmbu placed to riptide upwards.

“I don’t know, I don’t know! It’s him!” Parrot’s voice faded away.

Flame caught sight of a figure darting from one place to another with a trident and elytra.

“Wemmbu, bro! You can’t run any more!” Flame didn’t even hide the smile on his voice.

Wemmbu tries to attack him, but Flame dodges. He pulls out his crossbow, loading a slow falling-tipped arrow. He hits his target.

He is NOT letting Wemmbu get away from him anytime soon.

“Do it, bro. Come and try to mace me. Come here! Come to me!”

He followed Wemmbu deep into the lava. Flame easily swam around, calling out Wemmbu’s name. He finds him when he hears the sound of burning.

Looks like the potion ran out.

When he got to him, Wemmbu looked confused as Flame splashed another fire resistant potion at him.

“Bro, come on! Why are you scared? You’re not going to be able to run away! You’re not going anywhere.” He continues to search, “if you want to know what happened, just come back down.”

Flame throws an ender pearl that landed him on Parrot’s side, just in time to get another kill notification of Wemmbu killing the wolves. Wemmbu had enough of them.

While Parrot monologues again, Flame retrieves a book from his ender chest. He just threw it at Parrot’s feet, not even caring whether he picked it up or not.

“Take off your invis, buddy.” Parrot orders.

The Invisible Knight did, and Flame was rewarded with the image of Wemmbu.

“... And you said he was dead!” Flame laughs at Parrot.

“I said he was dead? Bro, I knew he was alive the moment he stepped foot into my potion shop, and—”

Blah blah blah. Flame doesn’t care. He doesn’t care! All he cared about was getting to see Wemmbu up close again!

He hears the small yelp that Wemmbu let out as he was engulfed in Flame’s arms. Flame had to be the one to balance the both of them at how he threw himself on Wemmbu, he was basically almost carrying Wemmbu’s entire weight on himself. The way he gripped Wemmbu like the guy was going to disappear again at any moment’s notice. Hell no, bro! It wasn’t a surprise that Wemmbu’s body wasn’t cool right now, despite the fire-resistance potion, they were still in a massive dome of lava. Flame couldn’t care less.

He’s back in his life, and it feels so right.

All those sleepless nights wondering where Wemmbu could be. Those days of searching the world high and low just to wonder if Wemmbu had been taking care of himself. All the people he fought and killed just because they refused to tell Flame anything about Wemmbu. His hand came up to gently brush the stray strand of hair to see Wemmbu’s face clearly. His thumb ran from the corner of his eye, to the mole under it, and then to the corner of his lips. Flame lingered at them for a bit.

All the things he did to get here, they all didn’t matter to Flame now.

Wemmbu is here. In his arms. He’s alive.

He’s alive, his mind repeats. Flame confirms it even more by pressing himself closer. His hand wrapped around Wemmbu’s waist while he carefully placed his other one on the back of Wemmbu’s head — making sure not to just casually touch his hair directly — to pull him closer. He could feel the way Wemmbu’s heartbeat started quickening.

When Flame started snuggling into his neck, Wemmbu remembers there was someone else in their vicinity.

Parrot’s jaw dropped at the scene. He was gawking at them. 

Flame almost whined as Wemmbu pulled away in favor of throwing a wind charge at Parrot, pushing the avian to fall off the platform.

At least he was faced with an angry Wemmbu, whose face was brighter than any red apple Flame collected to craft golden ones with. He looks really mad and embarrassed right now.

Hah, worth it.

Chapter Text

“Flame, bro! What the hell?!” Wemmbu’s face was so red, “why are you acting like this?!”

He couldn’t help it. Not when Wemmbu is right there. Flame couldn’t stop laughing and grinning.

“What’s wrong, bro? You actin’ like this is the first time we hugged.” Flame splashed himself with potions.

“Okay, we’re still doing this. Seriously?” Wemmbu does the same.

Their blades clashed as they met each other half-way through. Flame grins wildly at Wemmbu as he puts more force in his weapon. Wemmbu jumps back to avoid getting slashed by Flame. The purple demon shot upward before diving down at Flame. He was a second too late at putting up his shield, and Flame was just glad he was already holding a totem.

“Bro!”

Wemmbu laughs cockily. “There we go! That’s the first!”

“Why did you even go invis for the past few months, huh?” Flame asks, throwing a pearl to dodge and so he can eat a golden apple. “Were you really that scared to have a rematch with me?”

“In your dreams, Flamey!” 

Hearing Wemmbu say that damn nickname in his silly voice made something warm blossom in Flame.

Speaking of warmth, he remembers the state of the location they were in.

“Let’s find a better location, bro. Come on!”

Wemmbu sends him a confused look, “Huh? Bro, we’re already here. What’s gotten into you?”

Flame bit the bottom of his lip. He can’t just say seeing Wemmbu in all these lava was making him anxious to the nether and back. He observes the way Wemmbu was tugging at his hair to cool himself off through his neck. He has more braids this time — Flame noted, still wondering if there’s a meaning to that as well. He watches, eyes focused as Wemmbu wipes away the sweat from his forehead to the side. He’s definitely sweating a lot more than usual. More than the usual amount when he fights, because in normal situations, Wemmbu’s body was cold enough for him to only sweat when doing vigorous activities or in high temperature areas.

He wonders what other activities could make Wemmbu sweat—

Flame mentally slaps himself when his thoughts start straying. Basically, Flame doesn’t want to fight Wemmbu when he knows how affected he is by the environment. He wants to fight him at his full strength just so he could proudly take his title back and call himself the strongest once again. 

“Whyyyyy?” Wemmbu whines, “do you think I can’t take you on right now? Is that it, bro?”

This stubborn, spoiled, bratty idiot of his…

“Bro! I’m literally asking to fight you in an open area, you’d be able to elytra-mace better.” Flame knows how to make Wemmbu agree to him, “not like it would matter. I’ll still beat you, bro.”

“Oh yeah? Well then, I–!” Wemmbu’s golden eyes snapped upwards where he caught movement from the corner of his eyes, “bro, did you bring people with you? I thought you wanted your rematch?!”

“What? As if! I don’t need anyone else to beat you!” Flame looks up as well.

Yep, those are definitely people in diamond sets falling from the lava above.

“FlameFrags, you are under arrest in the name of the Law—” 

LettuceK had arrived.

“Wait, Wemmbu?! You’re alive?!”

Flame couldn’t even feel smug at the fact that someone else now also knows that he was right in his assumption all along, because why are these Lawmen interrupting his reunion with Wemmbu? Why couldn’t they find a better time to chase after him? 

It took only a few seconds before the first group landed on the platform they were on. Flame threw an ender pearl, sword already swinging at some Lawman who was about to attack Wemmbu. He felt the burst of wind from behind him, and Flame heard the familiar sound of Gambit smashing some poor Lawman. 

Yep, they were asking for it.

The fight continues. Flame wants to shake Wemmbu because why is that idiot still trying to fight him while the two of them were both fighting off these Lawmen?! He splashed another fire-resistance potion at Wemmbu. 

“Let’s meet up later! Just go!”

Wemmbu opened his mouth to reply but Flame didn’t even wait for him, he pushed Wemmbu into the lava.

Dealing with those chungus was so easy. It really helped that he was so frustrated at their interruption that he didn’t even take his time to really make them feel it. He’s got someone waiting for him, after all.

Flame had maximized the use of his riptide trident. He had a general idea of which direction Wemmbu had escaped to. It took him some time, but he was able to catch something purple in the middle of a forest. Flame lands on top of a tree, startling the demon who currently had his netherite helmet off.

“Oh my god, bro. Can we… uhh…” Wemmbu scratches the top of his head sheepishly, “can we have a rematch later? Lowkey, those Law guys almost drained me and um, I swear I won’t run away this time.”

Flame remained quiet, but in his mind, he’s waiting for Wemmbu to say more just because he wants to fuck with him.

And yep, there it is — Wemmbu stomped his foot once as he let out a whine.

“Like! Just— Dude! We can be fighting right now, and then they’ll just appear again to interrupt us and nobody has a good time! We could just be fighting each other but no, instead we’d be wasting our resources on some chungies!” Wemmbu grumbles as he idly combs his finger through his hair, “then it wouldn’t really be an actual fight. Like, who even are they bro?”

“Sure, bro. Why not?” Flame smirks as he drops down from the tree, now face-to-face with Wemmbu.

He takes a step closer to him. His smirk widens as Wemmbu didn’t even take a step back, just watching him.

“They call themselves ‘The Law’ and LettuceK is their leader,” Flame begins, “Lettuce came to me a few days ago just to proudly show it off.”

“Why would he come to you personally?” Wemmbu stares up at Flame, curiosity written on his face.

“Yeah, bro. He also came to give me a warning ‘cause I’ve been killing lots of people lately, he said.”

“Aren’t you like that—like, all the time?”

“More than usual, apparently.”

“And why is that?”

“Because, bro…” Flame leans down as he flicks Wemmbu on his forehead hard.

“Ow!”

“I was looking for you and people kept either delaying me or just telling me shit.”

Wemmbu whines angrily as he covers his forehead, stepping away from the Immortal Demon.

“Bro! Why?! Ow! How is that my fault?!” 

Golden eyes glared at Flame’s laughing form.

Once again, they were interrupted by the sound of a horn. 

Flame’s laughter died down. Even Wemmbu tensed up at the way Flame’s body went rigid. The Immortal Demon’s body started to heat up.

“Well, at least we’re in an open area now…” 

It took Flame a few seconds to understand why Wemmbu said that. They wore matching smirks as they bumped their fist. Flame places an ender chest as the Law was in sight.

“Let’s just group restock.”

Wemmbu had squeezed himself right beside Flame as he rummaged through his items in the same ender chest. Flame couldn’t even retort because he was so focused on the way that Wemmbu just casually goes into his intimate space. 

“You ready, Flam?” Wemmbu asks, holding his mace.

“I was born ready, bro.”

The Law surged forward, their diamond armors glinting under the sun. The white-and-gold banners proudly shown on their shields. 

Wemmbu was already airborne. His elytra snapped open and he rocketed skyward, Gambit was already humming with stored kinetic energy. FlameFrags laughed as he sprinted straight into the oncoming hundred like a man who’s never known fear.

“Try to keep up, bro!” Flame shouted.

Wemmbu twisted midair. He dives down, mace swinging down. Dust and dirt scattered where he had killed the first Lawman to charge. He was sent upwards by the windburst enchantment on his mace.

Flame instantly pearls into the dust cloud, slicing anyone launched upward. When he sees some of them loading their crossbow with what seemed to be slow falling arrows, Flame was on them in a split second.

Nope!

He kills them, yet someone else was able to shoot Wemmbu. He was proven correct when he heard the purple demon rage in the sky.

“Oh my god, I love slow falling! I love slow falling!” Wemmbu’s voice dripped in sarcasm.

Bro is tweaking out, Flame laughs.

He held his shield in front of him in preparation when he saw a fishing rod flash in Wemmbu’s hand before breaking as he used it.

Flame held Lettuce’s gaze amidst the battle as a huge orbital TNT strike dropped from the sky.

Half of the Lawmen were obliterated within seconds.

He hears Wemmbu's maniacal laughter in the air.

Wemmbu drops down to mace someone, but they were able to block with their shield. Another Lawman was on Wemmbu right away, trying to stop him from launching back into the sky. Flame appears behind them, sword through the guy.

“Watch your back.”

“Huh? Oh—nice! Thanks, bro!”

Flame grins every time Wemmbu lands beside him. He fights harder, faster — like he’s showing off.

Damn, he’s not performative, he swears!

Still, while the fight was fun, their supplies are not infinite. Wemmbu can’t just waste all his nukes on these people as well, and Flame is slowly but surely draining himself of his buff potions and pearls.

“Okay, you’re all just overcompensating at this point. I’m out of rockets.” Wemmbu lands beside Flame, trident in hand. “Wanna run away, Flam?”

Together? Flame had the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl, what the fuck?

“Hell yeah, bro. I’m lowkey about to run out of stuff, too.”

“Let’s meet up later!”

Wait what?!

Before Flame could demand Wemmbu to elaborate, the abyssal demon was already in a river using his trident.

This damn chungus!

Flame didn’t look back at the Law as he jumped into the river as well, he used his trident to propel himself away from the area. He could barely see anything in the ocean as the moon and stars barely illuminated the sea. He thinks he saw Wemmbu go in this direction, so he decided to continue. 

He sees a small island and he decides to take a break just so he could catch his breath.

And so he could also scream his frustration out.

“Bro like, are we serious? Why? Why? Just why?”

Flame deludes himself into thinking he has his own built-in Wemmbu tracker and picks another random direction that wasn’t where they came from. He lost count on how many hours he spent underwater. He’s just glad that he runs warm, because otherwise he’d be freezing by now.

Wemmbu could be freezing right now.

Flame wishes his trident could riptide him faster.

The sun was rising by the time Flame heard another sound of riptide ahead of him. He saw the shade of purple, and Flame didn’t waste any more time catching up to it. Upon seeing an island ahead, Flame timed his riptide just so he could mess with the silly guy.

Wemmbu propelled himself upwards to the island, Flame tackled the both of them on the grass.

“Holy—Flame?!” 

“Hey there, bro!”

“That hurt, dude!” Wemmbu groaned as he pushed Flame aside, “ow! My back! I think you broke it, bro. You’re too heavy.”

“Nah, bro. You’re the one who’s too light.”

Wemmbu panted as he laid on his back. Now the two of them were both just laying on the grass as they tried to catch their breaths.

Then, a laugh bubbles up in Wemmbu. It starts off breathless—quiet, Flame did the same. Soon the two of them were just laughing at the absurdity of the things that just happened; the dome, the Law, getting tackled into grass.

Wemmbu sits up, throwing his broken helmet and leggings away.

“Oh my god, bro. They broke my armor!” He whines, “at least they also broke your boots and now you have like… Dang, bro.”

Flame could relate. He’s only left with a diamond helmet and leggings, and a spare netherite chest plate.

“Mhm,” he hums, content on just listening to Wemmbu talk.

“They just had to interrupt us when I was winning our fight.”

Okay, hold on now…

“Winning our fight? Bro! You weren’t!” Flame sat up indignantly.

“I was winning before Lettuce pulled up!”

“That’s not even true!”

“What do you mean that’s not true? I popped you in the first five seconds!”

Flame lightly shoved Wemmbu on the chest, sending the abyssal demon back on the grass.

“Dude, for one, that’s not even true.” Flame grins, “and you just kept flying and camping the sky. Very skillful bro, very skillful. You suckkk~”

Wemmbu tackles him into the grass in return. The force was strong enough to make the two of them roll around, but Wemmbu still ended up being on top of Flame. The way the purple-haired beauty was scowling at him in annoyance made Flame’s grin wider.

“Here’s what we’re gonna do, buddy.” Wemmbu starts, “rest, re-gear, and take care of Lettuce. And then, we can fight.”

 “Yeah, okay…” Flame replies, “take care of Lettuce, and I’ll beat you. Sounds like a plan.”

“Oh my god…” 

Wemmbu stands up while Flame chuckles at his misery. 

“Here, have some of your wind charges, bro.” 

Just to tease Wemmbu even more, Flame didn’t even hand the wind charges to him, he just  wasted them by throwing them at Wemmbu.

“Thank you, bro. Thank you.” Wemmbu said in a flat voice.

“If we’re gonna take out Lettuce, we can just come to my base. He lives like a hundred blocks away from me.”

“Okay—wait what? How did that even happen?”

“I don’t know, bro! I left for a few days to search for you and there was a whole ass headquarters in there!”

 “Let’s talk on the way, bro. Let’s just start riptide-ing because it’s gonna take a while.”

They talked on their way to Flame’s base. Wemmbu was right, it was taking them a while. It was already night. 

“Wait, so what crimes have you even committed?”

“I…” Flame trailed off, “I don’t  even remember what I’ve done.”

That was a lie. 

Flame clearly remembers all the crimes he committed just to find Wemmbu. Threatening someone for information, blackmailing, kidnapping more than once— Don’t even get him started on the numbers of people he killed.

“Exactly, bro. You’re not a real criminal like me.” Wemmbu says smugly, as if being a criminal is something to be proud of.

“Well, my goal isn’t to be a criminal.”

Wemmbu chuckles, “exactly. Which means you’re worse than me.”

“That doesn’t mean anything!” Flame groans, “that just means you have no honor, you’re a loser.”

Why does this dude have to make a competition out of everything?

“Nah, I’m better than you at being a criminal.”

“Yeah, you’re better than me at being a loser. Good job, baby boy.”

“Mace attack!”

“Bro! Are you serious—Oh!” 

It started raining.

“It's raining, let’s go!”

The two of them whooped as they propelled themselves into the sky, previous bantering forgotten. It was almost noon when they reached land.

“We should be really, really close.”

“Oh, okay.” Wemmbu sighed, “finally.”

The biome where his base was located appeared in sight.

“Wait, is this your mesa?” Wemmbu asks, “the FlameFrags mesa.”

“It’s not mine, not anymore.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of the Law,” Flame replied.

“Well, just kick them out!”

“Easier said than done.”

“My bad, I forgot you can’t do it without me.”

The two of them quietened, crouching in sync when they caught sight of tall stone walls.

“Oh, I didn’t know we’re approaching from this side lowkey.” Flame turns to Wemmbu, “let’s just go around. Be careful, bro.”

They climbed the mesa mountain, careful not to be seen by any patrolling lawman. It would be really bad for them if they get into a fight now when they were nowhere near prepared. Once they deemed it was safe, they sprinted towards the direction of Flame’s base.

Wemmbu somehow landed in Flame’s cow pen after using riptide to cross over the river.

“Uhh, okay. Don’t kill those, please.” Flame already knew that wasn’t going to happen, but hey, he tried.

“How else am I going to get out?!” Wemmbu runs around looking for any exit.

Flame just sighs at him. As soon as Wemmbu got close over the fence across Flame, his hands were under the purple demon’s shoulders. Flame easily lifted Wemmbu to his side.

“See? Was that so hard? No need to kill any of my cows to wind burst off your mace, yeah?”

Flame saw the exact second Wemmbu’s brain short circuits. He laughs internally as the purple-haired demon just stood there frozen. He continues walking to the entrance of his base. 

Wemmbu’s footsteps eventually followed after.

Then Flame sees the green and white banners still spread around his land.

That damn gremlin.

Flame destroyed the banners with a single swing of his axe. He continues destroying some of them. His attention was directed towards the sound of his door opening, and he saw Wemmbu walking in as if he owned the place.

Immediately, Wemmbu got tackled by his overjoyed dogs.

Flame could hear the joyful barking of his wolves as they piled on Wemmbu. The abyssal demon laughed heartily as he started petting each one of them.

“No way, even these ones?”

“They just love me, bro!” Wemmbu stuck his tongue out at Flame, “Wait, so isn’t this literally the first place Lettuce's army would look for you after we escaped?”

Wemmbu began taking off the remaining armor he had once the dogs let him stand, only then did Flame notice how the both of them were dripping water on his floor. 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t really come here often…” Flame did the same, “bro, can you stop dripping water on my floor?”

Flame knelt down so he could tuck his armor into one of his double chests. His entire body tensed when he felt a weight on his back. Damp purple hair draped on his side, he felt Wemmbu pressing his head on top of his own. He could feel the cooler water off Wemmbu’s body. Wemmbu’s arms were over his shoulders, as if he was on a piggyback carry. Flame felt heat rising to his face when he heard Wemmbu release a relaxed sigh.

“There we go.”

What? What does Wemmbu mean by that?

Flame noticed it, then. The way Wemmbu’s clothes and body warms up quickly, his hair was not as damp as before.

“Bro… Are you using me as a dryer?”

“What? You’re a walking furnace, bro.” Wemmbu grunts, “are you complaining? You were the one who hugged me first a few days ago.”

“I— That’s different!”

“How is that any different? Just let me have this, bro! You’re the right heater for me.”

You’re the right heater for me. You’re the right heater for me. You’re right for me. For me.

Flame’s mind kept repeating Wemmbu’s words. Isn’t this what he wanted, though? He used to pray for times like this months ago. What the hell, Flame is not going to complain. 

He pretended to grumble about it, but ultimately, Flame didn’t push Wemmbu off. He kept working on organizing his items in his chest. When Flame stood up, his hands gripped Wemmbu under his thighs to avoid letting him fall. He hoisted him higher on his back while Wemmbu secured his arms around Flame. 

Don’t question it. Just enjoy the moment.

Flame grew quiet as he continued to work. He barely feels Wemmbu’s weight on him, seriously. After a few minutes, he started to hear Wemmbu’s faint breathing.

Flame stopped moving.

Is he serious?

He turns his head a bit—and yep, Wemmbu’s own head just fell limp.

Was he even getting enough sleep? Surely not, if he fell asleep as soon as he was warm enough in his rival’s presence. 

Flame secured Wemmbu’s weight on him again as he started walking. His dogs followed the two of them, their tails wagging. What’s up with his pets being so happy with Wemmbu?  He passes by the bedroom Boosfer made—and nope, he wouldn’t even consider it. He opens the door to his bedroom. It was still the same as he left it. He gently shoo’s his dogs away. They let out small pitiful whines at being ordered to be apart from Wemmbu. What.

He shook his head. Better stop thinking about it. He closes the door behind him with his foot, careful not to make a loud sound. Flame gently lays Wemmbu down on his bed. Both of their clothes were dry now, courtesy of Flame’s heater abilities. 

He’d gladly be Wemmbu’s personal heater, alright.

Flame slaps himself.

Apparently, that noise was enough to stir Wemmbu awake.

Oh no.

Fortunately, Wemmbu’s half-lidded eyes took one look at Flame before he turned to his side away from the Immortal Demon’s view. Wemmbu’s hand felt around for an extra pillow before he hugged it close to his body with both his arms and legs.

What? What the hell?

Wemmbu started to snore softly.

Flame ran his hand down his face. He sighs as he lifts the blanket over Wemmbu’s sleeping figure.

“Okay, fine. Get some rest, bro. Let’s talk later.”

He closed the door on his way out.

Chapter Text

Flame had resigned himself into his own couch. They weren’t even together yet and Wemmbu had already made him sleep on the couch. Ouch.

Everything that happened earlier and in the past few days all went so fast. Flame was a tad bit grateful that he could have some time alone to gather his thoughts. If only he could be beside Wemmbu, he’s literally right there! Everything that led up to this point made it all worth it. He found Wemmbu. Flame felt whole. He had a purpose again. 

He considered it. Many times. If he should just tell Wemmbu, but something stops him every single time. He kept hesitating. 

He was afraid. 

Was he?

Wemmbu is not scary—Mojang, he’s the last person Flame should be afraid of. He would never be scared of Wemmbu. 

He was scared of Wemmbu leaving.

What if Wemmbu doesn’t accept Flame’s feelings? Well, he did already decide that Wemmbu was in no way obligated to return his feelings.

But he wants to be selfish.

Flame wants more.

He doesn’t think he can handle being able to live without Wemmbu being a part of his life. What if Wemmbu truly leaves if Flame confesses? Everything they had—the rivalry, the friendship, the small moments they shared—would all be for nothing. 

If Wemmbu gets angry, Flame would still want him close.

If Wemmbu changes, Flame would still love him even if Wemmbu doesn’t want him to.

FlameFrags has never been a good person, but he still tries. 

It’s an entirely different story when anything involves Wemmbu.

If it’s not Wemmbu who he ends up with, Flame would give love up entirely.

There is no other being that Flame wants to be with more than Wemmbu. Why would he even think of settling with anyone else? He might as well die.

He needs to confess. Soon. And he will.

After the fight with the Law. 

After getting his title back.

Flame won’t even wait any more second once those two conditions are fulfilled.

“Flam…? Huh…?” 

Flame woke up to the sound of a sleepy voice calling out to him.

He opened his eyes slowly, adjusting to the dim light of torches and lanterns in his living room.

There stood Wemmbu by his bedroom door. His hair was a bit of a mess, but it remained generally put together—Genuinely bro, how—half-lidded golden eyes locked onto Flame’s direction. He swears he could see the slight drool running down the corner of Wemmbu’s lips. 

Looks like someone had a good night’s sleep.

“Yeah, bro?” Flame closed his eyes again as he drawled, “what is it?”

He waited for Wemmbu to reply, and Flame ended up taking another look when he didn’t receive any.

Wemmbu was leaning on the doorframe, eyes fully closed.

Did bro actually fell asleep while standing? How tired was he?

With a playful huff, Flame got up and crossed the distance between him and Wemmbu. He gently grabbed Wemmbu by his shoulders before hoisting him up with his other arm on the back of the sleepy purple demon’s knees. He thought this would surely wake him up, but Wemmbu was really out like a light. He closed the door behind him with his foot, careful not to make too much noise. He laid Wemmbu down on his bed once again, tucking him in. 

Flame leaned back, eyes adjusting to the dim light as he studied Wemmbu’s face. Yeah, bro was definitely drooling. He refrains himself from chuckling out loud at the cute sight. He smiled at the way Wemmbu’s nose twitched, followed by the furrowing of his eyebrows. Wemmbu’s hand went up to wipe at the corner of his lip before falling limp by the side of his face.

Flame chuckled at the action, “bro, move. I’m gonna sleep here.”

He received a whine. Looks like Wemmbu doesn’t like being disturbed in his sleep.

“Come on, bro,” Flame insists with a grin, “scoot over a bit."

Wemmbu groaned and grumbled incoherently, but ultimately turned to his side to make some space beside him.

Flame took that opportunity to take the available space under the covers.

He prefers his bed more than his couch, after all.

Especially when Wemmbu is right there.

Flame’s eyes wandered to his left, at the back of Wemmbu’s head.

Sweet dreams, I guess.

“Dude, why are there so many Boosfer banners here?” Wemmbu yawns as he sits down on one of the chairs at the dining table.

The next morning started off slow. Neither of them said any comment about sleeping on the same bed. Flame had woken up earlier than Wemmbu, which gave him the opportunity to start off the day earlier. Wemmbu definitely remembered their sleeping arrangements last night, if the teasing look he had been sending to Flame was not proof enough.

He just hoped he was actually able to not show any sign of being flustered because of this man.

“I haven’t really gotten the opportunity to remove all that trash.” Flame places a plate of steak in front of Wemmbu, “I did a lot of things just to find a certain someone, bro. I was also getting into fights left and right, bro like, they weren’t even good players, but they were definitely annoying. Now, eat.”

“A steak for breakfast?” 

“What did you expect, bro?”

“Isn’t this— Uh… A bit heavy for breakfast?”

Flame stops chewing, looking up to meet Wemmbu’s gaze.

“Bro, how else do you expect to get stronger? Eat.”

Wemmbu whined, saying something along the lines of ‘brothers and food’.

Hah, looks like he was right about Mane taking care of Wemmbu back then.

“Okay, so why are we here at your base again? Wouldn’t this be the first place the Law would search to chase after you?”

“Eh, it’s not really a problem, right now.”

“Okay…” Wemmbu sends him a skeptical look, “Can I build a room in your base? My room?” 

Flame paused, but his mouth moved before he could think.

“Dude, no."

Because they should sleep in the same room where they can sleep together.

“I’m gonna take your room, then!” Wemmbu proudly exclaimed.

As if everything Flame is and owns doesn’t already belong to him.

“Whatever, bro.” Keep it together, FlameFrags. “Here, have another steak. Then we could train and get some restocking done.”

“Flameee!” Wemmbu whined,  “don’t you dare put another steak on my plate!”

Nah, he should eat more. 

To be strong.

Flame had never remembered a time where breakfast at his base was this… alive. Any other time, he would just cook any food he can make with the ingredients he had and eat quietly. However, with Wemmbu’s presence in his base, it seemed as if everything was just more lively. He likes that. Maybe Wemmbu should really just stay with him.

Morning went by quickly and it was now close to afternoon. Flame had been organizing his items through numerous shulker boxes and rearranging stuff from his chests and barrels. Wemmbu had gone outside to mend his armor and to get cobwebs.

Everything still felt unreal to Flame. 

Wemmbu’s here. He’s right here! Why can’t he just say it now? 

No, no, he must learn some self-restraint. 

He doesn’t want to scare the purple demon away. Flame shook his head at the thought.

What if someone else confesses to Wemmbu first? What if someone already did—

Flame blinked at the sound of fire blazing into life. He looks at his hands, only to see the empty books he was grabbing had burst into flame. He took a deep breath to relax himself, willing the fire out.

Why is it the only time he loses control of his abilities was when it involves Wemmbu?

“You can’t blame the guy. It’s Wemmbu!”

Theo’s voice echoed in Flame’s head.

Yeah, what did he mean by that? 

That it was not a surprise that Flame himself was obsessed with Wemmbu?

Or that it was not surprising that someone in general was obsessed with Wemmbu?

“Flam— Oh hey, why does it feel hot in here all of a sudden?”

Flame turns around to face Wemmbu with a casual look on his face.

“It gets a bit hot here during noon, bro. You’ve never lived in a mesa before?”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Wemmbu points a thumb somewhere behind him, “I saw you got some sugarcanes out there, can I take all of them? I need firework rockets.”

“Holy greedy, bro.”

“Well, I need them!”

“Fine, bro. Go ahead.” Flame pauses, “please don’t kill any of my animals, especially the cows.”

“No promises!”

“Wemmbu!”

And he was out. 

Flame sighs as he continues his work. 

What was he thinking about again?

Right.

Flame looks back at what he knew about Wemmbu; more specifically, about the people Wemmbu surrounds himself with.

Eggchan is already obvious. From the empire, he had the literal ruler as his ‘friend’ back then—PrinceZam. What was the reason why Wemmbu went to PrinceZam again? 

Spoke.

It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that Wemmbu and Spoke definitely had history. Then there was Parrot. Flame could barely remember Wemmbu asking Parrot when he ever said he doesn’t like the avian. It looks like Parrot had some misunderstandings about Wemmbu. As long as Parrot knows his place, Flame does not give a damn. 

Wasn’t Parrot with someone else that time? What was the guy’s name? Wifi or something?

Yeah, did he and Parrot not spend some significant time together with Wemmbu and Eggchan as well?

Then there was someone whom both Flame and Wemmbu knew all too well—Jaden_MAN. The self-proclaimed King of the Pirates. Flame does not know the full story between Wemmbu and Jaden, but he and Jaden definitely had history. 

That damn pirate better pray when Flame meets him again.

Like, literally the only people who had spent time around Wemmbu that Flame didn’t have to worry about were Eggchan and ManePear. He wonders what happened between Mane and Wemmbu, though. He also did not know the full story, but from what it seemed, Wemmbu doesn’t seem to have hard feelings towards Mane. Flame would take that as a win, he guessed.

Right, he thinks LettuceK also had history with Wemmbu—Okay, what is up with Wemmbu and so many men hovering around him?

Maybe it’s all just in his head?

No, he definitely remembers—PrinceZam, Spoke, Parrot, Wifies, Jaden, MinuteTech, Boosfer—

“Uhhh… Flame?!”

Flame snapped out of his thoughts at the tone of Wemmbu’s voice. He was immediately alert, hands already checking the items he had on himself.

“Yeah?” Flame calls out.

“Remember when I said something about how this could be the first place the Law would look for?”

A familiar annoying horn sounded from the outside.

These damn chungies are disturbing his time with Wemmbu.

Kill them all.

Flame laughed right at Wemmbu’s annoyed face.

“Bro! I can’t believe you were actually whining the entire time for the enemies to let you craft some rockets—!”

“Like you weren’t any better?!” Wemmbu huffed out.

“Let me craft some rockets, please! Let me get some rockets!” Flame mimics.

Wemmbu jumps up into the air, mace in hand.

“Is this really the fastest way to get to the spot you know?”

Flame did his best to lay down on the cramped minecart.

“Yeah, bro! Trust me, the location is really cool!”

“Bro knows a spot.”

Somehow in some way, Wemmbu was able to talk LettuceK into a formal war. It was simple. LettuceK would gather as many people as he can into his army to fight Wemmbu and Flame. Upon winning, LettuceK would have to leave the two of them alone. Simple, right?

“We already fought like, a hundred or two of them.” Wemmbu threw his head back to be able to face Flame, his legs were dangling slightly at the front of the cart, “LettyK would probably get three or five hundred more, but we’d win anyway so it doesn’t really matter.” Wemmbu sent him a cocky grin, full of confidence. “Surely, the Immortal Demon won’t lose to such small numbers, eh?”

Wemmbu trusts Flame.

Wemmbu is confident because he trusts Flame to have his back.

Flame felt his face start to heat up.

Flame smacked Wemmbu on the face.

“Ouch!” Wemmbu yelped, “What the heck, dude?!”

“Eyes on the road, bro. There could be traps!"

“Who in their right mind would put a trap in a railway?!"

Wemmbu fell into a trap.

Fortunately, it seemed to have already been used before. He was able to easily get out of the dome using his elytra.

A giant statue of a warrior stands in the middle, sword raised toward the sky as if challenging the heavens themselves. The statue had his shield up, as if guarding the grand structure behind him. The building behind him stands in perfect symmetry, tall pillars lining its facade, crowned with green rooftops.

It gave off a feeling like  a sacred hall of legends, a place where heroes are remembered and history was carved into stone. The air around it feels still, like the calm before a war begins.

Flame had climbed up to the top while Wemmbu flew up. They stood on opposite sides of the statue’s head.

“So, like, we’re just going to wait here?” Flame asks after a few minutes of silence.

“Um… Honestly, dude, it seems like it.” Wemmbu hums as he rummages through a shulker box, “the law has some way to find you somehow. So it’s really just a waiting game at this point. They always find you, anyway.” Wemmbu grins at Flame as he puts away his shulker box, “lucky you, you get to spend more alone time with yours truly!”

Wemmbu laughs to himself. 

Flame’s gaze lingers at him.

Up here, the wind was stronger. His eyes caught the purple strands of Wemmbu’s hair. The braids pull it back but the rest keeps moving with the wind like it refuses to stay still. It sways behind him every time he shifts, light catching on the waves, and he keeps noticing it even when he’s trying not to look.

He looks calm. Too calm. Like they were not about to fight off hundreds of people.

And Flame both hates and loves how he notices the small things. The loose strands near Wemmbu’s neck. The way the wind keeps touching him before he ever could. He didn't say anything. He just watched, pretending he’s focused on literally anything else.

But his eyes keep going back to him anyway.

Wemmbu’s laugh trailed off when he realized Flame hadn't thrown any teasing remarks back. 

“Wemmbu.”

Wemmbu made a sound of acknowledgement, tilting his head at Flame.

“I want a rematch after this.”

Wemmbu rolled his eyes, “Oh my—Yes, bro! You’ll get your rematch—!”

“After that, I want to tell you something.” Flame cuts him off, “I need you to listen no matter what.”

“Huh? Is it important or something?” Wemmbu’s interest was piqued, “you could just tell me right now, bro. You sound like you’re going to confess your lifelong devotion to me.”

Flame averted his eyes too quickly, his neck felt like it was going to snap when he turned to face the other way.

“Just—! Bro! Just swear to listen, okay?!” Flame tries to keep his fire abilities at bay, “no matter who wins or loses—you’re definitely losing, by the way—you better stay!”

“Fine, fine!” Wemmbu relents, “only because you might need some comforting when you lose to me again.”

It took hours before Wemmbu had announced that he saw numerous figures in the distance.

There were at least a thousand people here.

“What?! Where in the world did Lettuce get these many people into his army?!”

“So—Uh… Any plans going into this or…?” Flame trails off.

Wemmbu looks back at him, mouth forming into a wide smile.

“Win, bro.”

Flame felt like his breath was taken away.

He heard the sound of items breaking.

“Back up, by the way.”

“Back up? What do you mean— OH!”

The two demons laughed freely as three orbital nukes descended from the sky. 

Just from that attack by Wemmbu alone dwindled the numbers of the enemy down to half.

“I’ll get more kills than you, bro. See ya!”

The sound of a firework rockets going off filled the air.

“Hey! No getting a headstart!”

Yet the grin on Flame’s face had never left; even as he teleported down, sword in hand.

The fight was downright chaotic. 

Their communicators kept notifying them of the deaths they have caused. Despite all the preparations they made before the battle, Flame was quickly going through all of his potions and pearls. The bottles o’ enchanting they acquired by robbing the black market were a great help to Flame for when he needed to mend his armor mid-fight. The once scenic structure had parts of it blown in bits. The field of green now had countless craters caused by both Wemmbu and Flame, as well as some of the Law.

The problem came when they realized there are some people in the Law that somehow got ahold of maces and elytras.

Flame heard Wemmbu’s surprised shout when the totem of undying had done its job of letting its holder cheat death.

Someone almost killed Wemmbu mid-air.

The two worked in tandem. Wemmbu had asked Flame for his help in taking down the mace-wielders of the Law. It was no easy work, but when they took down one of them, Wemmbu had insisted that Flame take the elytra and mace. He tried arguing about it, but Wemmbu snapped at him that now wasn’t really the time for his usual reasoning.

Flame did not argue back and did as he was told.

The switch in fighting style was a bit sudden, but nothing Flame couldn’t handle, especially in this scenario. Especially when Wemmbu expects him to do so.

Flame shot up to the skies.

It felt like time slowed down for him.

Wemmbu’s face was a hair’s breadth away from Flame, a bright smile on his face.

Wemmbu dove down and smashed his mace on some poor Lawman.

_venthatguy was such a pain to deal with.

Both Flame and Wemmbu cheered in sync once Wemmbu had slain the final Lawman.

“Bro like, bro!” Flame leaned his back against the inner walls of the structure as he wiped the sweat off his face, “I can’t believe we just did all’at! That Ven guy was so annoying, what the heck?!”

“That guy popped me seven times, dude!” Wemmbu laughed, “he had to go.”

Flame stares at the two items on his hands. The mace and elytra that Wemmbu took from one of their enemies to give to Flame. He doesn’t really like this fighting style. Not only did it not fit him, he doesn’t prefer fights that are way too easy for him. He likes dragging it long and clashing blades against people to prove who is more skilled in the art of blades. Besides, this is more of Wemmbu’s thing. This fighting style fits him more. He even seemed like he was born for it.

His hands went ablaze. Flame threw the burning items to the side. For such rare items, they do get destroyed so easily.

“Man, they really messed this place up…”

Wemmbu was looking over the battlefield through a hole they made on the wall during the fight. 

Flame splashes the both of them with potions of strength, swiftness, and fire-resistance. 

He felt like his face was going to break with how big his smile was as he started the rematch he was owed. 

The fight lasted for so long that the day and night cycled more than once.

Flame had expected Wemmbu to feel tired—even Flame expected himself to feel tired—instead, he gradually felt like he had never been more alive than now. He was sure of it, because he could see his own emotions being reflected by Wemmbu. They continued to exchange blows, matching each others’ blades, and mace being parried by a sword,

When Wemmbu lost his footing and was about to fall into a pit caused by one of his numerous stab shots, Flame didn’t hesitate. He was quick to throw away his shield in favor of grabbing Wemmbu by his hand.

The two of them were panting, cheeks flushed in exhaustion and covered in blood not just their own, but also from all the lawmen they killed.

Yet they never looked happier than they do now.

“D’alright, bro.” Wemmbu exhales as he lets Flame carry his weight, “you can be the strongest.”

“Really? Just like that?” Flame’s hold tightened on Wemmbu’s hand.

Wemmbu nods.

“Yeah. You can have your title back. I don’t care about it anymore.”

He looks like a huge burden was just lifted off his shoulders.

Flame pulls him back up. He pulled Wemmbu closer as he wrapped his arms around the purple-haired demon. He laughs in an unbridled manner.

“Bro genuinely, why have you been so clingy lately?”

“I love you.”

Flame felt the way Wemmbu’s body stiffened up in his hold. He pulls away to face him properly. Wemmbu’s eyes widened at his words, gold flashing a glint of something in them as his brain processed what he just heard. Flame untied his blindfold, baring his eyes to Wemmbu for the first time.

“From the moment I first saw you back at the Empire, I’ve loved you. From then on, I’ve  had to make the most of our interactions whenever we meet.” Flame’s hand trails up to cup Wemmbu’s cheeks, thumbs ghosting over the moles under his eyes, “I love hearing you laugh over the most random and stupid things.”

Wemmbu took a sharp breath.

“I love it when you smile and look happy. I love your eyes and the way they tell more about your feelings than you let on.”

Flame watches the way Wemmbu’s lips wobble.

“I love your hair and it really shows that you take good care of ‘em.”

Wemmbu’s pointed ears twitched.

“I love every single thing about you, Wemmbu—I love you.”

Wemmbu’s face had fully been enveloped by the color of a bright red.

There! He said it! 

Flame had wanted to beat himself up. He kept thinking to give Wemmbu a second to think but his mouth refused to obey any of his thoughts.

Not when faced by this absolute beauty of a man that he had been yearning for. It felt like years to him, and Flame would be damned if he waited any second longer to let Wemmbu know about his feelings. 

So now, he has to wait for his response.

Wemmbu was left speechless—his golden eyes were showing numerous emotions at once. 

Yep.

Flame had done it.

He broke Wemmbu.

Confessions would never go as planned, it seems. Good thing Flame barely had a plan. He thinks.

Just as Wemmbu parted his lips to form a response, his knees buckled.

Flame catches him easily, one hand on Wemmbu’s shoulders and the other on his waist to balance him.

Yeah, right.

He keeps telling himself that.

“Okay, buddy. Looks like we need to recover first, c’mon.” 

“Flame—”

Flame shushes Wemmbu.

“You don’t need to respond right now, bro.” Flame softly says, “sorry—I mean, I kinda just had to let it out now because I really needed you to know, but— just— take your time. Do you have an e-chest? I think I placed my last one somewhere around. There's some potions in one of my shulker boxes, that should help you for a bit.”

Flame gently sits Wemmbu down on the ground. Before he could start searching for an ender chest, he felt a cold grip on his hand. He looks back down to Wemmbu.

The abyssal demon had one of his knees up, hiding his face by leaning down on an arm placed on top of his knee. Yet the bright red on the tip of his ears was a very obvious tell for Flame. 

“... Don’t take too long. I’ll wait for you.”

Flame smiles.

“I got you, bro. I’ll be right back.”

When Flame returned, Wemmbu was nowhere to be found.

Chapter Text

Red.

Flame stared at the empty patch of dirt where Wemmbu was supposed to be. I’ll wait for you, he’d said. Wemmbu didn’t lie. He didn’t flake. If he wasn’t here, someone had moved him—had taken him.

The realization hit like a physical punch to the gut. Harden than any hit he had taken from the fight against the Law.

A spark kicked off his boot.

The dry grass a few feet away hissed and went up in a sheet of orange.

Flame didn’t move. He just stood there, gripping that stupid healing potion so hard the glass was vibrating. His chest felt too tight, like his heart was trying to kick its way out of his ribs. And the faster it beat, the more air around him started to warp and shimmer.

It wasn’t a controlled burn—like in previous times, especially with Wemmbu in his presence.

It was a leak.

The heat started small—just a low crawl of fire eating through the discarded shields and broken arrows on the ground—but then his head started spinning with images of Wemmbu being dragged away while he was off looking for an ender chest. Possessive? Yeah. maybe. But Wemmbu was his person. His rival. His… whatever they were now.

And now he is gone.

Again.

The fire roared.

A massive, violent circle of flame exploded outward from Flame’s feet, turning the previous battleground into a literal furnace. He wasn’t even trying to do it; his pulse was just racing so fast that the fire reacted like a panicked animal.

It was dry and choking. The kind that makes your eyelashes curl.

The sound of wood snapping and stone cracking under the temperature.

It was a cold, sharp thing buried under a very hot, messy exterior.

Flame squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force his breathing to slow down. In. Out. If he didn’t chill, he’d burn the whole area down before he even found a footprint. He tried to count his heartbeats, trying to bring the fire back in, to make it simmer instead of scream.

He managed to get the flames to die down to a low, flickering carpet of embers, but the ground was still smoking. He looked at the scorched earth, his jaw tight.

“Someone took him,” he muttered, the words tasting like ash.

The fire flared up again, just for a second, responding to the spike of pure, unadulterated venom in his blood. Whoever it was? They were going to regret ever crossing Flame.

Everywhere Flame looks, all he sees is red and all he feels is heat. The already destroyed battlefield had looked even more devastating as fire scorched the entire area. Fire blazed on the grass, the nearby trees being burnt to the ground. The fire was already large enough to reach the nearby forest. 

Yet it wasn’t enough.

No matter where Flame searched, Wemmbu was nowhere to be found. 

As he stood on top of the broken statue, Flame felt his breath coming in—long and deep. His blindfold was back in place, his grip on his sword tight, and his senses ever sharp.

Wemmbu said he was going to wait for Flame.

Someone took Wemmbu. The thought came back to him.

And considering who they were fighting recently, Flame only had one suspect in mind.

LettuceK.

Why can’t people just leave him and Wemmbu alone, seriously? It seems that the universe was just out to get Flame; this was seriously getting old. Flame was sick of this. The one time he confesses, the person he made his feelings known to got taken away immediately.

This sucks.

Taking another look at the ruined battleground, Flame sighed.

“So much for keeping myself in check…” Says Flame, “I’m gonna get him back. Holy shit, bro! Mojang! I swear I’m going to get back at them for taking—” he groaned in frustration.

First, he needs to return to his base. Not only did he need to restock his inventory, the Law Headquarters were near his place. It would be easy for Flame to reach them. However, it would be a problem if the Law get to his base before him.

Flame pauses.

Why should it be a problem?

He should just stop holding back and burn all of them to death.

It wasn’t like Flame hadn’t been merciful to them in the first place. He had asked them to leave him alone; they did not listen. He offered to give them a chance to live; they did not take it. Every single time, they always give everything just to kill Flame.

It would be so easy.

He doesn’t like his battles being easy.

But anything involving Wemmbu will always be an exception.

The Lawmen waiting at Flame’s base couldn’t even react as his burning figure dashed into them. Sword at hand, Flame swung Fragger down at the heads of his enemies. He had used the remaining strength and swiftness potion to eliminate them. It was a gamble to count on the Law not having looted his items yet; fortunately, luck was on Flame’s side this time.

Flame extinguished the fire around his body as soon as the last Lawman’s body disintegrated, dropping the meager loot he had. Seems like LettuceK doesn’t even bother to gear his men up with decent stuff. They were just making it too easy for Flame.

Flame slashed his sword through the air to shake the smeared blood off on it. He made his way to his chests and barrels, grabbing all the items he thinks he would need and some more. 

The plan was simple.

Take Wemmbu back; quick and easy in and out. 

Every second counts, and Flame does not want to linger wherever the Law took Wemmbu as soon as the purple-haired demon was in his reach.

On his way back, he passed by some merchants on a forest path. He heard them talking about how the Law invited the entire server at the Northern Council because he had an announcement.

Flame did not like that one bit; if it would help him get intel on Wemmbu’s whereabouts, then he has to go.

His eyes caught sight of his brewing area.

Perhaps he should make some potion of invisibility for this one.

Flame crouched on the cold stone of the Northern Council’s upper rim, his fingers digging into the masonry. Below him, the courtyard was packed—a sea of players, all looking up at the balcony like mindless NPCs waiting for a script to trigger.

The stone beneath his palms was starting to feel uncomfortably warm. Flame gritted his teeth, forcing his breath into a steady rhythm. Not now. Damn bro, don’t spark now. If he accidentally set the roof on fire while invisible, the “info-gathering” mission was over before it even started.

Then, LettuceK stepped out.

The guy looked way too smug. He started yapping about “order” and “chaos” and how the Unstable SMP needed a King to keep things “fair.” Flame rolled his eyes so hard it actually hurt. Like bro. Like, actually? A King? Get a life, man.

But then the guards moved.

Flame’s heart skipped a beat, then immediately went into overdrive. They led Wemmbu out. Flame barely even paid attention to the other prisoners at the back—what the? Is that PrinceZam—? Wemmbu was in a bright orange jumpsuit—which, honestly, shouldn’t have worked on him, but Wemmbu was somehow still the most beautiful thing in the entire Northern Council. Even looking rough, even after being captured, his hair was still there—long, soft, and perfect, contrasting against the grey stone of the balcony.

He looks okay, Flame thought, his eyes narrowing through the blindfold as he scanned every inch of him from a distance. Wait, no. He looks nervous.  Anyone else would’ve seen the former “Strongest” acting casual, but Flame knew the way Wemmbu’s shoulders tensed when he was faking it. The sight of it made a surge of heat crawl up Flame’s throat. 

“I am running for King,” Lettuce announced, his voice echoing off the walls. “And my first act will be the public execution of Wemmbu.”

The world turned white for a second. Flame’s pulse spiked so hard a small, localized heatwave rippled out from his position, warping the air. Execute him? Like bro. Like bro, did Lettuce think he was just gonna sit there? He looked at PrinceZam and the other prisoners nearby—Baablu and Fantst—their hair was cropped short, a sign of the prison’s “regulations.” But Wemmbu’s purple hair was untouched. It stayed long and gorgeous, a weirdly specific mercy that Flame didn't have the brainpower to process right now. All he cared about was the fact that Lettuce was standing way too close to his man.

“As for FlameFrags,” Lettuce continued, pointing out at nothing, “he is hereby exiled. He’s next.”

Flame let out a silent, jagged scoff. Exiled? Bro, he’s literally thirty feet above his head right now. Lettuce kept boasting about his “high-security prison,” but Flame wasn’t even listening anymore. He was staring at Wemmbu, memorizing the way his hair caught the light.

High security? Please. Lettuce could build all the walls he wanted. He could hire a thousand guards. It didn’t matter. Flame was going to get his baby boy— wife— man back, and he was going to burn down every single block of that prison to do it.

His heart settled into a heavy, dangerous rhythm. The fire was under control now, but only because it had transformed into a focused, simmering promise.

Hang on, Wemmbu.

Flame is coming for him.

Flame was pacing a hole into the dirt. Every time his heel hit the ground, a small puff of smoke kicked up from the grass. His pulse was a mess. Under the blindfold, his eyes were probably darting around like crazy, and his dreads kept shifting as he yanked at his bandana.

“Like bro. Like, actually,” Flame muttered, his voice cracking with sheer, unbridled irritation. “He’s in a jumpsuit, Lomedy. An orange jumpsuit. Bro, I mean— Wemmbu still looks good, but a jumpsuit? It’s a crime. The execution is a crime, but the outfit? Also a crime. Holy shit.”

Lomedy stood there, looking way too calm for a man whose best friend was currently a walking fire hazard. He was leaning against a tree, tossing a carrot up and down. To anyone else, Lomedy was just a gentle farmer who liked dirt and living quietly. Flame knew better. He’d seen Lomedy build cannons that turned entire landscapes into craters just because someone stepped on his farm. That man was a romantic, sure, but he was a romantic with a high explosive yield,

“I get it, Flame. You’re obsessed,” Lomedy said, catching the carrot and pointing it at him. “But if you charge into the Northern Council now, you’re just going to get Wemmbu killed faster. You’re too loud. Your heart starts beating a lil’ too fast than usual, and the whole chunk starts smoking.”

Flame scoffed, a flicker of red flame licking at the edges of his dark horns. “I’m not loud! You know how quiet I can be when I need to focus! And he’s not just… I’m not obsessed—”

“Hrm?!”

“Okay, fine! Everyone keeps saying that, anyway!”

“Sure. Whatever helps you sleep,” Lomedy teased, his eyes glinting. “Look, the Law already wants me because I’m associated with you. I’ll let them ‘capture’ me. I’ll be the inside man. While they’re busy gloating about catching the Immortal Demon’s best friend, I’ll find exactly where they’ve tucked your baby boy away.”

Flame stopped pacing. The heat in the air dipped slightly as he actually processed the plan. “You’re gonna go to prison? Like, on purpose? Bro, that’s highkey dangerous. Lettuce is a weirdo.”

“It’s for the plot, Flame. Sacrifices must be made,” Lomedy said with a mock-heroic sigh, though he was already checking his inventory for items. He looked at Flame, his expression softening but still playful. “Besides, once I’m in there, I’ll make sure he’s doing okay. I might even give him a hug for you. You know, since I can actually touch him without melting the floor.”

Flame’s jaw tightened. The thought of Lomedy—or anyone—touching Wemmbu made his blood simmer. He could picture it: Lomedy being all casual and gentle, linking arms with Wemmbu, while Flame had to wait for a signal all by his lonesome. He knew Lomedy was just messing with him to get him to ‘up his game,’ but the possessiveness was real.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Flame growled, though there was no real heat behind it. “Just… find him. Make sure that he's—”

“Still perfect? Beautiful?” Lomedy finished for him, rolling his eyes. “Bro’s down bad. I know. I’ve heard the monologue six times today since you arrived here, bro. Just stay out of sight and keep your heart rate down, y’know? Like how you usually do when fighting other people? I’ll send word when I have the location.”

Flame watched Lomedy walk off toward the Law’s territory, feeling a weird mix of gratitude and intense jealousy. He adjusted his blindfold and stared at his hands. He needed to calm down.

But as he thought about Wemmbu’s gold eyes and the way he looked back then, Flame’s heart gave a massive, disobedient beat.

A nearby bush instantly shriveled into ash.

Bro. Control yourself.

Outside the perimeter of the Law’s Headquarters, hidden by the mountains of the mesa, Flame was pushing his body to the limit. He didn’t need a torch; he was the torch.

He was mid-set of explosive pushups, his muscles coiling and snapping like steel springs. Under his netherite chest plate, his skin was slick with sweat, and the air around him hummed with a localized heatwave. Every time he thought about Lomedy’s recent message from the mission and about Spoke—that opportunistic vulture—hovering around Wemmbu in a prison cell, his heart gave a violent beat.

Heart rate should be around one-twenty bpm. Not enough.

He switched to punching the air, his movements a blur of dark skin and red-tinted dreads. He thought about the moles under Wemmbu’s eyes. The way Wemmbu’s gold eyes would widen when he was surprised. The way his purple hair felt—Wait no. Focus. He cut the thought off, his face heating up for reasons that weren’t just the fire. He had to be disciplined. He wasn’t going to disrespect Wemmbu by getting distracted by… thoughts… in the middle of a prison break.

But then he thought about what Lomedy said that Spoke was asking of Wemmbu—”undying loyalty.”

One-eighty.

Perfect.

“Bro like, actually,” Flame hissed, “he thinks he can just make a deal. For my… for Wemmbu?”

He reached for the center of his power, the blinding light he’d learned to manifest after that embarrassing accident as a kid. Mane always made a point to remind Flame of it when opportunity arises. He adjusted his blindfold, ensuring it was snug. 

He was a living flashbang, after all.

The Law guards didn’t even have time to shout. They just saw a streak of white-hot light launch from over the mountains, screaming upward like a fallen star in reverse. It hit the apex of the Law’s central tower and detonated.

A sphere of pure, blinding radiance washed over the headquarters, searing the retinas of anyone looking up. Flame dropped through the smoke, hitting the ground with a heavy thud of netherite. He didn’t wait for the spots to clear from the guards’ eyes. He slammed two walls of fire upwards, creating a corridor of nether-like heat that funneled him straight toward the prison block.

He didn’t have time for mining fatigue. He pulled a stack of TNT, lighting it with a snap of his fingers. He blasted through the weak points in the masonry, ignoring the obsidian reinforcements. He has no time for delays.

He tore the final door off its hinges and skidded into the high-security ward.

“Wemmbu!” Flame barked, but then he froze.

The scene was a literal nightmare. There was Spoke, leaning in close to Wemmbu, acting like he was the savior of the hour. Lomedy was leaning against the bars of a neighboring cell, grinning like he was watching a front-row screening of a rom-com as soon as he saw Flame.

Flame didn’t even acknowledge the others—PrinceZam, Baablu, Fantst, or the poor guy with the pumpkin stuck on his head screaming his lungs out. He stepped directly between Spoke and Wemmbu, his massive frame blocking Spoke’s view entirely. The heat coming off Flame’s armor was enough to make the air shimmer.

“Yo! Back off, Spoke,” Flame’s breathless laugh held no amusement, his hand instinctively hovering near his sword but his eyes under the blindfold locked on Wemmbu. “He doesn’t need your deals, bro. He’s got me.”

“Flame?” Wemmbu’s voice was a mix of shock and a tiny, heart-melting bit of relief. “Bro, you’re… you’re actually here?”

“I told you I was coming back,” Flame said, momentarily forgetting they were in a maximum-security prison hah.  He reached out, his hand hovering near Wemmbu’s arm—checking for injuries, but mostly just needing to make sure he was real.

“Wait—! Bro! How are you even here?!” Spoke stammered, looking between the two of them. “Last I checked, you guys were trying to kill each other! I literally gave you totems to survive him!”

“Things change, bro. Get on with it.” Flame snapped, not looking back.

“GUARDS!” PrinceZam shrieked, breaking the tension. “They’re coming! Like, a lot of them!”

“Move!” Flame commanded.

The breakout was a blur of violence. They hit the surface, and the Law was waiting. It was a chaotic mess of player tags and sword clanks. Flame was a whirlwind, keeping himself positioned between Wemmbu and any incoming arrows.

He heard PrinceZam screaming apologies to some Sergeant, but Flame’s doesn’t give a shit about his previous employer. He watched Wemmbu move—even in a jumpsuit, the demon was lethal. Wemmbu spun, his golden eyes flashing as he killed a guard named SargeRaxby without missing a beat.

“WEMMBU!” PrinceZam cried out, but Flame just felt a surge of pride.

As they reached the outer wall, Flame boosted Lomedy up, then turned to Wemmbu. In the middle of the arrows hissing past them, Flame grabbed Wemmbu’s waist to hoist him up. 

For a split second, their faces were inches apart.

“You okay?” Flame asked, breathless.

Wemmbu nodded, a small, tired smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Better now.”

Flame felt his heart do a backflip. He shoved Wemmbu up the wall, then vaulted after him, turning back just long enough to drop a final, massive wall of fire to cut off the pursuit.

Once they were clear in the mesa, the group started to splinter in the dark. Flame didn’t care about the rest. He reached out and snagged Wemmbu’s hand, his fingers locking firmly with the other demon’s.

“This way,” Flame muttered.

Behind them, Lomedy followed at a distance, humming a happy tune and watching the way Flame refused to let go of Wemmbu’s hand.

Best wingman ever, Lomedy thought, clutching his chin. He needs to make sure he writes this in his book. 

And if Wemmbu introduces him to Eggchan based on their previous conversations during their time in prison, he might find another person who would enjoy watching the love blossom between these two stupid chungies.

Chapter Text

They were still sprinting across the mesa, red sand kicking up behind them in a haze. Flame was leading the way, his hand locked onto Wemmbu’s like a lifeline. He was still running on pure adrenaline—his pulse was a frantic rhythm against his ribs, and the residual heat was pouring off him in waves.

Flame didn’t even realize his current state. Under the blindfold, he was just focused on the horizon, making sure no Law capes nor banners appeared. 

Wemmbu winced, his fingers twitching in Flame’s grip. Being an abyssal demon, he usually ran cool—like cave stone—but he was sensitive to shifts. Usually, he craves Flame’s warmth, but right now? Flame was a literal blast furnace. The heat was starting to sting, sharp and localized where their palms met.

“Flame—hey, Flame. Slow down a second,” Wemmbu panted, pulling back slightly.

Flame stopped instantly, spinning around, his hand finally letting go. “What? What is it? Bro, are they behind us or something?”

Wemmbu stayed quiet for a second, shaking out his hand. The skin was flushed a deep, angry red. He wasn’t crying about it—he’d taken hits from other players and fallen from high places—but the unintentional burn was definitely there.

Flame’s eyes dropped to Wemmbu’s hand. He froze. The heat around him vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, sinking feeling in his gut. His heart skipped, and for a second, the air actually felt chilly.

“Uhh… Did I do that?” Flame’s voice was barely a whisper. He reached into his inventory, fumbling with a splash potion of healing. “Wemmbu, I didn’t—I wasn’t thinking, bro. My bad. ‘M sorry…”

He smashed the potion at Wemmbu’s feet. The sparkling glints of health soaked into the red marks, soothing the skin back to its normal light peach.

“Relax, Flame. It’s fine,” Wemmbu said, rolling his wrist. He gave Flame a playful, slightly smug look. “You’re just a bit intense today. I’ve handled worse even from you, remember?”

“That’s different,” Flame muttered, looking away. He hated it. He could kill a thousand players and not blink, but accidentally hurting Wemmbu while trying to save him? That was a different kind of sting.

He wasn’t treating Wemmbu like he was fragile—he knew Wemmbu could probably kick his teeth in even in that prison jumpsuit—but the guilt was still there.

“I’m chill, really,” Wemmbu added, stepping closer. “Just… maybe less ‘nether’ and more like campfire heat for the rest of the walk?”

Flame let out a jagged breath, forcing his heart rate to level out. “Yeah. Okay. Campfire. I got you, bro. I can do that.”

He wants to be good for Wemmbu.

Lomedy, who had been trudging along behind them, let out a loud dramatic sigh.

“Like, are we good?” Lomedy asked, stepping up and looking between them. He didn’t miss the way Flame was looking at Wemmbu like he’d just kicked a puppy. “Because if we’re done with the ‘I accidentally burned my rival’s’ portion of the evening, I’d really like to get to the base before I pass out in the sand.”

Flame’s face heated up for a completely different reason. “Shut up, Lomedy. I wasn’t—it’s not—whatever.”

“Sure, bro,” Lomedy teased, a tiny smirk on his face. He walked right up to Wemmbu and, with a side-eye toward Flame, casually leaned his arm on Wemmbu’s shoulder. “See? Bro, just do what I do. It’s that easy!”

Flame’s jaw tightened. He wanted to tell Lomedy to back off, but he was too busy  trying to keep his own heart rate from spiking again and burning Wemmbu a second time. He just turned around and started speed-walking toward the base entrance.

"Just… stay close, bro!” Flame muttered over his shoulder. “And Wemmbu? If I get too hot again, just tell me, bro. Like, don’t just sit there and take it.”

Flame ignores the way Lomedy gaped at him.

Did he say something wrong?

“Got it, Flam.” Wemmbu chirped, following along.

Flame could hear Lomedy whispering something to Wemmbu about ‘how sensitive nether demons get’ and it made him want to launch a TNT into the sun. He reached his base, kicked the door open, and started aggressively sorting barrels just to have something to do with his hands.

“We need to move fast. This place is too close to the Law’s HQ,” Flame muttered, “just grab anything useful left. I think I already went through most of my stuff so this should be quick.”

Wemmbu rolled his golden eyes, the purple diamond pupils glinting with amusement. He turned to Lomedy, who stood beside him as they entered the base, looking entirely too exhausted after everything they did just to escape from the Law.

“See? This is what I was telling you.” Wemmbu leaned back, casually bumping his shoulder against Lomedy’s arm. “He’s been like this since my identity was revealed. Bro’s The Bossy Demon now.”

Lomedy didn’t miss the way Flame’s jaw visibly tightened at the contact. A slow, mischievous grin spread across the farmer’s face. Instead of pulling away, Lomedy took it a step further, draped a heavy, casual arm over Wemmbu’s shoulders, and leaned half his weight on him.

“He’s just stressed, Wemmbu,” Lomedys said, his voice dripping with faux-innocence. He caught Flame’s stare through his blindfold and winked. “But hey, at least the prison had good company, right? Honestly, I might go back just for the chat.”

Flame’s boots scorched the floor beneath him, a small hiss of steam rising from the ground. “Lomedy...”

“What? We’re bonding, bro,” Lomedy teased, sliding his arm down to link it firmly with Wemmbu’s. He looked up at the purple-haired demon with wide, exaggeratedly soft eyes. “Wemmbu promised to introduce me to Eggchan later. He says I’d be a great influence on Eggchan. Right, Wemmbu?”

Wemmbu chuckled, patting Lomedy’s hand where it rested on his forearm. It was a domestic easy gesture—the kind of casual affection Wemmbu gave without a second thought, completely oblivious to the fact that Flame was currently fighting the urge to set his entire base on fire.

“Definitely,” Wemmbu said, looking at Flame with a tilted head. “Lomedy’s actually a decent listener. You should try it sometime, Flamey.”

“What? I listen plenty, bro!”

“Nahhh. I can’t remember a time, honestly.” Wemmbu had that teasing tone in his voice.

Flame huffed. He knew exactly what Lomedy was doing. He knew his best friend was playing him like a fiddle, testing just how far Flame’s “newly confessed” patience would go.

Lomedy let out a quiet, wheezing laugh before actually pulling away from Wemmbu as an act of mercy to his best friend.

Poor Flame.

Wemmbu stood in the middle of the room, looking down at himself with pure disgust.

“Bro, actually,” Wemmbu said, plucking at the bright orange fabric of the jumpsuit. “I am not wearing this for longer. I look like a giant carrot. It’s embarrassing!”

Flame paused. He didn’t have any spare “civilian” clothes—most of his stuff was netherite or scorched combat gear. But before he could even process the request, Lomedy was already darting towards his bedroom, rummaging through a chest.

“Don’t worry, I got you,” Lomedy said, his voice way too casual. He pulled out a bundle of folded clothes—stuff he’d left there during those late-night grinding sessions when he was too lazy to trek back to the farm. It was a set of Flame’s old outfit: a heavy black hoodie with red accents and some loose, dark cargo pants.

Lomedy tossed them at Wemmbu with a wink that Flame definitely saw. “Here. Flame’s spares. Should fit… mostly.”

Wemmbu disappeared behind a partition to change. When he stepped back out, Flame actually forgot how to breathe for a second. The air around his shoulders starts to shimmer with a sudden spike of heat.

Like, bro. He is not ready for this shit.

The clothes were way too big. Flame was built broad, all heavy muscle and height, while Wemmbu was lean and agile. The black hoodie swallowed him, the sleeves hanging past his knuckles and the hem reaching down to his thighs. The red and orange accents on the fabric looked… right on him. It looked like he belonged there, wrapped in Flame’s colors.

Wemmbu adjusted the oversized hood around his purple horns, looking a bit like a drowned cat, but somehow still the most beautiful thing Flame had ever seen. 

“It's a bit loose,” Wemmbu muttered, rolling up the sleeves to show his pale wrists. “But it’s better than the vomit-inducing orange.”

Flame’s brain was basically a dial-up modem trying to connect to the internet. His heart was beating at a dangerous speed. Seeing Wemmbu dressed in his clothes, smelling like his base… it hit a possessive nerve he didn’t even know he had. Who the hell is he kidding? Never mind, even Flame can’t fool himself into thinking that.

“Yeah. It’s… it’s fine,” Flame managed to choke out, turning back to his chest so fast he almost tripped. “Whatever. Let’s just go.”

Lomedy leaned back against the wall, a satisfied, shit-eating grin on his face. He watched Flame’s ears turn a dark, toasted red. Mission accomplished, he thought.

“You look great, Wemmbu,” Lomedy chirped, his voice dripping with mischief. “Really brings out the gold in your eyes. Doesn’t it, Flame?”

“Lomedy, I will literally throw you out of my base,” Flame growled.

But he didn’t deny it.

He couldn’t.

The three of them hauled the items they could get into their inventories and out of the base, the doors slamming shut behind them for what might be the last time. As they trekked further into the red dust of the mesa, the vibe shifted. Wemmbu’s playful energy just… vanished. His golden eyes went sharp, his jaw setting in that way that meant he was already planning his next journey and the lives he was about to end.

“We can’t just run from them,” Wemmbu said, his voice cold. “They weren’t even all that strong, bro. The Law doesn’t get to just be sunshine and rainbows from this.”

Flame adjusted his blindfold, “Bro, look at us. We’ve got, what? Three sets of armor and some gapples? We’re broke.” He glanced back at Lomedy. “Lomedy, tell me you have a secret stash of netherite or something. Anything?”

Lomedy just stared at him, deadpan, holding up a single golden carrot. “I’m a farmer, Flame. I have seeds and bonemeal. You want me to throw a hoe at them?”

“Eggchan has two diamond hoes.” Wemmbu quipped.

Lomedy snorted at his words.

“See,” Flame sighed, turning back to Wemmbu. “Merchant City is the only play, but we’re all blacklisted. Escaped convicts and an exile? They’ll sell us out to Lettuce before we even get to the counter.”

Wemmbu went quiet, his purple diamond pupils focusing on something far away. “Then we can’t trade. I think even the Black Market won’t accept us right now. Not after what we—ahem, right. If we’re going to take the Law down, I need the heavy hitters.”

Wemmbu said ‘we’, he’s including Flame!

“I need my orbital strike cannons. And I need to get Eggchan back from the Farlands.”

Flame stopped dead in his tracks. The air around him shimmered, a wave of pure, frantic heat rolling off his shoulders.

“The Farlands? Like, actually? Bro, are you serious right now?” Flame’s voice went up an octave, his composure just… disintegrating. “Why do you keep doing this?! Why do you keep leaving?! You just got back. I just got you back! I literally just pulled you out of the prison and now you’re talking about going to the edge of the world?!”

Flame was basically vibrating. In the back of his mind, he’s aware that he might look pathetic right now—his hands reaching out like he wanted to physically grab Wemmbu and never let go. He looked two seconds away from kneeling in the dirt and begging. The memories of Wemmbu faking his death and taking on a new identity—the months he spent losing his head over his whereabouts—was hitting him like a freight train.

“Flame—” Wemmbu started, looking genuinely confused.

“No! Like, bro! You can’t just—”

“Flame, I was going to ask if you and Lomedy were coming with me,” Wemmbu interrupted, tilting his head. “I’m not going alone. I need a team.”

The heat vanished. Flame froze, his hands still awkwardly hovering in mid-air. He blinked under his blindfold, his brain rebooting.

Oh.

“Oh,” Flame said, his voice dropping back to its usual bass. He pulled his hands back and crossed them over his chest, trying to act like he hadn’t just been having a mental breakdown. “I mean. Yeah. Obviously. Like, I was just making sure you knew the risks. Obviously I’m coming. Whatever.”

Lomedy let out a wheezing, muffled laugh from behind them. “Holy hell, Flame. That was pathetic. Truly. I’ve seen chungies with more dignity.”

“Shut up, Lomedy!” Flame barked, his face turning a dark, scorched red. “We’re going to the Farlands. That’s the plan. Let’s move”

He started walking again, his heart finally settling into a steady, relieved rhythm. He caught a glimpse of Wemmbu’s soft hair blowing in the wind and felt a surge of possessive relief. They were going to the end of the world, sure—but they were going together.

His pace slowed down once again, his brain still trying to recover from the moment he’d just had. He cleared his throat, trying to regain some of his dignity as he adjusted his blindfold.

“Wait, back up. Why the Farlands specifically for Eggchan again?” Flame asked, his voice steadying. “Like, bro. That’s a long journey for a chicken.”

“Don’t call Egg a chicken! He’s still growing!”

No way. Does Wemmbu actually treat Eggchan like his child?

Wemmbu looked at him like he was the one being slow. “Because that’s where his spawn is, Flame. Been there for months now, almost a year or so. If I want him back here in the overworld, I have to physically go there and get him through the portal. It’s the only way.”

Flame paused. He tilted his head, staring at Wemmbu with a weirdly soft, patient expression. It was the kind of look you give a toddler who’s trying to put a square block in a round hole.

“... Ender pearls?” Flame said gently.

Wemmbu blinked, his gold eyes narrowing in confusion. “What? What about them?”

Flame took a step closer, his voice dropping into that quiet, ‘teaching’ tone. He was being so soft it was almost suspicious. “You know. Throwing an ender pearl? Through the portal? Like… how you did when you were chasing Boosfer and you chucked your pearl into the Nether portal to catch him?”

Wemmbu’s face went completely blank. His purple diamond pupils seemed to shrink.

He didn’t move. He didn’t blink. He just stood there in Flame’s clothes, the gears in his head grinding to a screeching, smoky halt. He didn’t need to go to the Farlands for Eggchan—he would still need his orbitals, of course—he just needed to stand at the portal and—

Oh my god.

Lomedy, who had been listening from the sidelines, finally lost it. He doubled over, clutching his stomach, his laughter echoing off the area.

“Holy—! Like, actually!” Lomedy wheezed between the two of them. “You guys are literally the strongest players on the server and you’re both sharing one brain cell! Flame’s out here having a heart attack because he thinks his man is leaving him, and Wemmbu forgot how portals work! I can’t—I actually can’t with you two!”

Wemmbu’s face turned a shade of red that matched the accents of the clothes he was wearing. “I… I was stressed! I just got out of prison, Flame! Cut some slack!”

“Bro…” Flame muttered, but he couldn’t even be mad. The relief was so huge that he didn’t even care that they were both acting like idiots. He felt his heart settle into a warm, low hum.

“It’s fine,” Flame added, a tiny, smug smirk pulling at his lips. “We’ll just pearl him back. No Farlands. No leaving, bro.”

“No Farlands yet.” Wemmbu relents.

Lomedy wiped a tear from his eye, still chuckling. “God, this is peak entertainment.”

The mesa was miles behind them now, and they have crossed numerous lands. The air here in the forest was thick with the smell of pine and damp earth, a sharp chill settling in as the stars began to poke through the canopy. Flame had cleared a small patch of dirt and ignited a campfire with a snap of his fingers. The orange light danced against the dark trees, throwing long, flickering shadows.

Lomedy stood up, stretching his arms over his head with a theatrical yawn. “Alright, lovebirds—I mean, warriors. I’m gonna go on night watch. I’ll be patrolling… way over there. Don’t bother me unless the Law literally starts dropping TNT on our heads.” He threw Flame a knowing look and vanished into the tree line, though Flame knew for a fact the “patrol” would end the second Lomedy found a comfortable branch to sleep on.

Flame sat by the fire, his blindfold still on, poking at a log. His heart was steady, keeping the immediate area around him a perfect, cozy temperature.

Wemmbu was sitting right  by his side, practically swallowed by Flame’s oversized black hoodie. He looked like a soft, purple-haired bundle, his chin tucked into the collar as he stared into the coals.

“You know why I did it, right? The fake death thing?” Wemmbu’s voice was barely a whisper.

Flame paused, the stick hovering over the embers. “I figured you were just bored, bro. Like, actually. Just being a menace for the sake of it. There’s no way you would die quietly.”

“I was bored,” Wemmbu admitted, a small, tired smile tugging at his lips. “When you’re ‘The Strongest,’ people stop treating you like a person. They either want to kill you for the title or they’re too scared to even say hi. It was lonely at the top, Flame. I just wanted to see if I could be someone else for a bit. Someone who wasn’t just a target…” Wemmbu trails off, “... Did I ever treat you like that?”

Flame thinks back on it. Sure, Wemmbu had challenged him many times, but not once did he ever feel like Wemmbu never saw him as a person.

“No, you didn’t.” 

And that was the truth.

Flame didn’t say anything for a long moment. He shifted, his shoulder eventually bumping against Wemmbu’s as he moved closer. “Like, I get it. But you almost broke me, man. For real.”

Wemmbu started yapping then—about the lava dome trap, their fight, the adrenaline of the 2v1000, and how Flame had been ever since they reunited. He talked about how Eggchan had warned him years ago that he was “hopelessly oblivious,” but he’d never believed it until now.

“Looking back… it was so obvious,” Wemmbu murmured, his gold eyes wide and reflecting the fire. “The way you looked at me. The way you wouldn’t leave my side. I should’ve known.”

Flame turned fully toward him. The tension was thick, but it wasn’t for the violent, burning kind. It was soft. Heavy. “It’s not like I made it obvious, Wemmbu. We’re both used to clashing blades and exchanging hits. You were looking for a fight, you weren’t looking for… well, for love, bro. Like, actually.”

“But how?” Wemmbu asked, his golden eyes focusing on Flame’s face. “Why me? I’m a disaster, Flame. Every civilization I step foot in ends up getting destroyed. Why would anyone list off all those things you said back then?”

Flame didn’t answer with words. He reached out, his hand hovering before softly threading his fingers through Wemmbu’s hair. It was dusty and tangled from the prison, but Flame treated it like silk. His thumb traced the curve of Wemmbu’s cheek, lingering on the two small moles beneath his eyes. Wemmbu’s eyes fluttered shut, leaning into the touch like a cat seeking warmth.

Flame’s fingers moved down, tracing the corner of Wemmbu’s lips, his heart giving a slow, heavy beat.

Wemmbu’s breath hitched. He reached up, his hand trembling as he caught the edge of Flame’s blindfold. He didn’t pull it, just waited for a silent ‘yes.’

Flame leaned in, the heat between them rising. He didn’t pull away.

Slowly, Wemmbu lifted the fabric. He’d seen them once before, but now, in the flickering firelight, Flame’s eyes were mesmerizing. One a deep, molten orange, the other a sharp, sun-bright yellow. Heterochromatic. Like two different stages of a fire.

Wemmbu reached out, his own hand mirroring Flame’s, tracing the bridge of Flame’s nose and the line of his jaw, memorizing the face he’d known for years but never truly seen like this. The air was electric. They were inches apart, the space between them disappearing—

Then, Wemmbu suddenly made a soft, flustered sound and buried his face directly into Flame’s chest. He hid there, his forehead pressed against the firm muscles, his horns carefully avoiding Flame’s chin.

Flame let out a low, genuine laugh—a sound of pure contentment. He wrapped his arms around Wemmbu, cradling the back of his head and pulling him into a tight, possessive hug. He didn’t need a kiss. Not yet. Just having him here, in his clothes, in his arms, was enough.

“You’re so cute, bro. Like, genuinely,” Flame whispered, a small smile on his face.

He pulled Wemmbu down onto the wool mattress they’d laid out. They settled into the darkness, Wemmbu draped halfway over Flame’s chest, his ear pressed right against Flame’s heart.

It was the most peaceful Flame had felt in years. He closed his eyes, his chin resting on top of Wemmbu’s head, while high above in a tree somewhere, Lomedy was already fast asleep, leaving the two of them alone in the quiet of the woods.

The next morning, the forest was hit with that crisp, blue early light. Flame woke up first, mostly because his internal thermostat was already starting to ramp up. He didn’t move, though. He couldn’t. Wemmbu was a dead weight on his chest still dead to the world, his purple hair splayed out over Flame’s black hoodie like a silk spill.

Flame stared down at him, and for a second, he felt that weird violent urge to just… squeeze. Like, actually. What do they call it? Cuteness aggression was hitting him so hard it was physically painful. He wanted to wake him up just to see those gold eyes, but he also wanted to freeze this moment forever.

“Morning, lover boy.”

Flame’s head snapped up. Lomedy was sitting on a thick branch a few feet away, looking like a very smug early bird.

“Bro, shut up,” Flame hissed, his voice a gravelly whisper.

“I didn’t even say anything!” Lomedy whispered back, his grin wide and evil. He gestured at how Wemmbu’s hand was curled into the fabric of Flame’s shirt. “He looks pretty comfortable, yeah? You guys already look like a couple, aww!”

Flame’s face went a scorched, dark red. He flipped Lomedy off, but he didn’t move his arm from around Wemmbu’s waist. He couldn’t help it. Bro was just too cute.

The trek to the stronghold was a montage of dust, forest shadows, and Lomedy being the ultimate menace. The dynamic between Lomedy and Wemmbu was actually getting… suspiciously close. Lomedy was easy to talk to, all jokes and farming tips, and Wemmbu was soaking it up.

At one point, they found a massive fissure in the earth—a lush cave. The smell of azalea and damp moss hit them instantly.

“Yep. That’s it. I’m taking a bath,” Wemmbu announced, stretching his arms. “I still smell like Law prison and my hair is a disaster. Nuh uh, this is non-negotiable.”

“Like, right now? Bro, we have a schedule.”

“Hell nah! The schedule can wait for hygiene, Flame,” Wemmbu smirked, already heading toward a secluded pool fed by a waterfall.

Flame and Lomedy stayed back in the main cavern, hidden by a thick curtain of glow berries and hanging vines. Flame sat on a mossy rock, staring intensely at a spore blossom on the ceiling, trying really hard not to listen to the sound of splashing water nearby.

Lomedy leaning against a rock wall, watching Flame with the most suggestive, punchable smile in history.

“You okay, Flame? You lookin’ a little… heated,” Lomedy teased.

“It’s a cave. It’s humid,” Flame snapped, his leg bouncing nervously.

“Right. Humid. Not because a certain someone is currently ten meters away in a natural spa.” Lomedy winked. “Want me to go check if he needs help?”

“Lomedy, I will actually bury you under this moss,” Flame holds back a growl but his mind was already betraying him. He was imagining the glow of the cave plants reflecting off Wemmbu’s peach skin, the water dripping off those dark horns, his soft hair, his shoulders—

He could hear it. The soft slosh of water. The way Wemmbu hummed a low, absent-minded tune that echoed off the cave walls. Flame’s imagination was a traitor. He thought about the way Wemmbu’s hair would look when wet—darker, like deep amethyst, clinging to his shoulders.

Flame’s grip on his knees tightened until his knuckles went white. He was suffering. For real. He felt like he was burning from the inside out, and it wasn’t even his fire ability—it was just pure, unadulterated want. He wanted to walk over there. He wanted to see. He wanted to be the one helping him wash all that prison grit out of his hair. 

Get it together, bro. Like for real, actually. He’s your rival. He’s your partner. Don’t be a creep.

“Flame? You okay? You’re starting to smoke,” Lomedy’s voice uttered out. Loud enough for someone else to hear.

This lil chungy did that shit on purpose!

“Huh? You guys good out there?” Wemmbu’s voice drifted out from behind the vines, sounding clear and horribly, beautifully relaxed.

Flame jumped, a small spark actually flying off his shoulder. “I’m fine! Just take your time, bro!”

Lomedy’s brow rose at his words. ‘I thought you wanted him to hurry up?’ He mouthed to him.

Flame just gave him a hard stare.

“Almost done,” Wemmbu chirped.

A few minutes later, Wemmbu pushed through the vines. He was back in Flame’s oversized black hoodie, but he hadn't pulled the hood up yet. He was barefoot, pants rolled up, and his hair—holy hell, his hair. It was a massive, damp cloak of purple that reached all the way down to his lower back, dripping onto the mossy floor. He looked ethereal, like some kind of Abyssal prince that had just stepped out of a myth.

Flame’s breath hitched. He felt his heart skip a beat, then go into a frantic, uneven gallop. The heat spike was so sudden that a nearby patch of azalea flowers withered instantly.

Lomedy sent a panicked look at him, silently telling Flame to control himself. Bro.

Wemmbu sat down on a stone right in front of him, tilting his head back to let his hair hang. He looked up at Flame, his gold eyes shimmering in the cave’s bioluminescence, a few stray droplets of water still clinging to his eyelashes. 

“It’s too heavy when it’s wet,” Wemmbu complained, though he was smiling. “Flame? You still with me?”

Flame realized he’d been staring at Wemmbu’s neck for a solid five seconds. He snapped his eyes up to the side, his face a dark, toasted crimson under his blindfold.

“Yeah. Yeah, bro. Just…” Flame lied, his voice a total wreck.

Lomedy just sat in the corner, eating a baked potato this time and watching the absolute train wreck of Flame’s self-control with pure, unbridled joy.

Flame’s eyes trailed back to Wemmbu’s form, staring at the line of his throat, his mind going to a million unholy places at once. Bro like, how was he supposed to function? He felt like he was burning from the inside out, but he forced himself to stay still.

Wemmbu looked up, a cheeky, sleepy grin tugging at his lips. “Since you’re basically a human heater, can you comb through my hair? Use your hands, it’ll dry faster that way.”

Flame’s heart didn’t just thump; it did a backflip and crashed. “Like… like, with my hands? You good with that?”

“Yeah. Unless you want me to catch a cold and freeze to death here,” Wemmbu teased.

Flame was on his feet right away, sitting behind him. His large, calloused hands trembling just a tiny beat as he reached out. The second his fingers dove into that wet, purple mass, he felt the cold dampness. His internal heat rises—not enough to burn, just enough to turn his palms into soothing, steady heaters.

As he ran his fingers from the crown of Wemmbu’s head down to the tips of the hair, faint steam actually started to rise. It was the most intimate, domestic thing Flame had ever done. He was hyper-aware of everything; the soft peach skin of Wemmbu’s neck, the way Wemmbu leaned back into his chest with a soft hum of approval, and the scent of the cave water and Flame’s own charcoal-smell mixing together.

“Why the braids, though?” Flame managed to ask, his voice sounding like he’d swallowed a handful of gravel. He was trying to distract himself from the fact that he was basically cuddling the abyssal demon again.

Wemmbu purred—literally purred—at the heat. “Each one’s a win, Flame. I only braid it for the big ones. And it’s long because nobody’s been fast enough to cut it yet. If it stays long, I stay strong, heh.”

Flame stared at the purple length. It was a trophy yet at the same time, it was a challenge. And right now, it was his to touch.

He started weaving a new braid, his fingers surprisingly precise. He remembered how many of those small braids Wemmbu had before fighting the Law, and added another two. One for the win, another for the escape. He kept his heat steady, drying each strand as he tucked it into the pattern.

His thoughts? Absolutely filth. Like, bro. Wemmbu’s so soft. Why is  he so soft? Flame could just stay here. He could just keep him in this cave and never leave. He wanted to move his hands from the hair to Wemmbu’s shoulders, to the curve of his waist—

“You’re really gentle, Flame,” Wemmbu whispered, his eyes closed. “And surprisingly good at this.”

“Yeah. Well. Don’t get used to it, bro,” Flame muttered, even though he knew he was lying. He was so down bad he was practically underground—or literally, in this case, since they were already in a cave. 

Lomedy just sat there, watching the steam rise from Wemmbu’s head like he was watching a romantic drama. “Should I go find a wedding priest in the Stronghold? Because the tension is actually making my teeth ache.”

“Lomedy, I will literally bury you,” Flame barked, but he didn’t pull his hands away. He finished the braid, his thumb lingering for a split second on the nape of Wemmbu’s neck before he forced himself to stand up.

Flame’s eyes drifted to the tiara laying flat on top of a stone. His hands were steady as he picked it up, he was careful as he placed it on the usual spot on top of Wemmbu’s head. After making sure it was placed snugly, Flame nodded in approval, taking a step back.

Wemmbu stood up as well, shaking out his now-dry, perfectly braided hair. He looked back at Flame with a soft, genuine smile that made Flame’s knees feel like jelly. “Thanks, Flame.”

The stronghold was a total disaster zone. There were Lawmen everywhere, and the sound of diamond armor clanking on stone was echoing so hard Flame couldn’t even hear his own thoughts. He was just moving—swinging his sword, tossing fire, making sure the path was clear. He made sure to protect Lomedy as well.

“Wemmbu, portal! Now!” Flame yelled, his pulse thrumming in his ears.

“Hold on, hold on! I’m finding it!”

Wemmbu slid into a halt as they passed by a room, making Flame and Lomedy bump into his back with a loud oomph—it was a wonder how Wemmbu was able to stay upright from the combined force and weight of theirs.

“E-chest!” Wemmbu dove for the lone ender chest in the room. Flame stood guard, eyes darting everywhere. He heard Wemmbu let out this long, depressed, “Oh…" and he almost lost it.

“Bro, what?”

Wemmbu pulled out two maces and an elytra that looked like they’d been through a paper shredder. “Their durability, Flame… it’s all red. I forgot to mend them before I got locked up.”

Flame wanted to facepalm but there was no time. “Just take the ender chest! Come on!”

Wemmbu mined the ender chest, storing the item into his inventory. They continued running, Wemmbu leading the way to the portal room. As soon as the End portal was in sight, the three of them jumped right after the other. 

They hit the obsidian, but they weren’t in the End. Well, they were, but they were stuck in Minute’s literal cage. The security measure was basically a box of death right now. The Lawmen who were after them appeared a few seconds later. Flame stood defensively, side-by-side with Wemmbu, the two of them having their swords out. Lomedy watched in worry from behind them.

“Minute! Minute, let us in!” Wemmbu called out as the Lawmen charged at them.

Somewhere beyond the obsidian cage, there were sounds of rapid footsteps.

“What’s all this noise—Wemmbu? Is that you?” The sound of MinuteTech’s voice were slightly muffled through the blocks.

“There’s some guys after us! Help!”

“Hold on. Stay alive, please.”

With MinuteTech slashing his own sword through the gaps of the cage and the combined force of both Wemmbu and Flame, the Lawmen didn’t stand a chance. The cage clicked open, the sounds of piston opening up the entrance echoing throughout the enclosed space. 

Wemmbu practically flew to MinuteTech for a hug, saying his appreciation for helping them deal with the Law. MinuteTech seemed used to the touch, his hand settling on top of Wemmbu’s head and on his back to return the embrace.

Flame stood back, trying to act cool. MinuteTech looked at him like he was a stray dog that followed his kid home. His stare definitely did not unnerve Flame.

“The Immortal Demon. What are you doing here?” MinuteTech asked, totally unimpressed. “Last time you were here, you were trying to kill me to find Wemmbu.”

Before Flame could respond, Wemmbu had broken free from the hug.

“He’s with me!” Wemmbu says, grinning, “it’s a long story, but I swear I’m gonna tell you later! Have you met Lomedy? This is Lomedy, Flame’s best friend—Lomedy, say ‘hi’!”

Lomedy, knowing full well it’s better to go along with Wemmbu, did as he was told. “Hi! I’m Lomedy. I’m Wemmbu’s new friend.”

“Lomedy, this is MinuteTech. He’s the Guardian of the End.” Wemmbu introduces the two of them.

Flame couldn’t help but get the impression from Lomedy that he felt like a kid being helped by his mother to make new friends. Hah.

Then came the talk about what they were doing here. Wemmbu looked so sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck while explaining the ender pearl trick. Flame just watched him, feeling that weird, warm pressure in his chest. He’s actually smart but also so dumb.

“It’s alright, Wemmbu. To be fair, I haven’t thought about that as well.” MinuteTech reassured the purple-haired demon, “Egg’s in the library, doing his usual thing.”

They made their way towards the library, with Wemmbu practically skipping steps as with a wide grin.

Flame decidedly ignored the way he could feel the burn of MinuteTech’s stare from beside him.

“Egg~! Oh, Egg~!”

“Bro, what? Wait, what? How are you guys here?” Eggchan turned around from his seat, his giant eyeball looking at the group. “Oh, Wemmbu!”

The weirdest thing happened right in front of Flame’s eyes. Eggchan—who previously looked like a human in a suit and tie, with the exception of the giant eyeball as his head and the many wings around it—quite literally poofed and transformed into just a flying eyeball. The wings were still there, but now there are two smaller eyeballs on each side of his—head? Main eyeball? What—? 

Wemmbu wasn’t surprised though. He laughed in joy as Eggchan floated into his welcoming arms. Wemmbu hugged Eggchan close to him, grinning wide. 

Flame always forgot how… weird Eggchan was. His eyes took in the expression of MinuteTech, and even he looked like he also couldn’t comprehend what was happening in front of his eyes. Flame then looked at Lomedy and—yep, Lomedy was lost. Poor guy. 

Wemmbu started chattering to Eggchan, explaining everything that happened recently at such a fast pace it was a wonder how Eggchan could even keep up with what he was saying. Despite the main eyeball never straying from Wemmbu’s own eyes, Flame sees the way the extra eyes were looking deep into his own covered ones.

He knew Eggchan was looking at him. He has always been… unnerving. Like he sees everything. He saw how Flame looked at Wemmbu, even back then. Eggchan probably knew about Flame’s feelings before he even knew about them himself.

Eggchan is really weird, even the others think so. Flame’s mind just can’t really comprehend how Wemmbu can be so domestic and parental over him. 

Minute let out a hum. “If you’re going to leave the End, you have to be in full invis. I currently don’t have enough resources, especially not if the Law comes up here soon. I think I might just let them take the End if that happens.”

“Minute, are you sure?” Wemmbu asks, voice filled with confusion. He released Egg from where he was holding him like a damn plushie. The eyeball floated idly to Lomedy’s side. The two greeted each other quietly, exchanging introductions.

“I am. As long as it happens once you guys are safe away from here.”

“I think it’s important to get some rest first,” Flame countered, his voice leaving no room for debate. He was leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed tight. “Minute, look at him. Look at us. We are genuinely cooked if we leave now. We haven’t gotten any proper sleep since I broke them out.”

Minute glanced at Wemmbu, who was practically nodding off standing up, then back to Flame. “Yeah, you’re right. Fine. There should be enough rooms here. But then what? What happens once you guys return to the overworld?”

Wemmbu’s head snapped up, a sharp, tired light in his gold eyes. “The Great Sea. Jaden owes me. Like, big time.” He looked at Eggchan, who was hovering slightly and making conversation with Lomedy by the door. “He wouldn’t have a civilization if I hadn’t carried him during my entire ‘fake identity' thing. I’ll call in the favor. I’ll go there and make a deal with him.”

Flame’s entire body went rigid. The air in the library suddenly spiked by at least twenty degrees. “Wait. I’ll go? Like, you and Eggchan? Alone?”

“It’s faster that way, Flame,” Wemmbu said, trying to be logical. “You are too high-profile and I don’t want to put Lomedy in danger. Jaden’s a wildcard, but he respects me—I think. I’ll go in there, ask for supplies, and—”

“No.” 

The word was like a slam of a vault door. Flame’s chest was heaving. The trauma of the last few months—the silence in his base, the lava dome, the months thinking he was alone in the world—surged up like rising lava. He wasn’t thinking about the Law. He wasn’t thinking about Jaden. He was just thinking about the void that opened up every time Wemmbu wasn’t in his line of sight.

Lomedy, seeing the absolute meltdown about to occur, grabbed MinuteTech’s arm. “You know what? I think I need a tour. Minute, you said there were rooms? Can you show me?” He gave Eggchan a pointed look. The eyeball tilted, seemingly reading the frantic rhythm of Flame’s heart, and followed them out. The wooden doors closed shut, leaving the two demons in a silence so heavy it felt like bedrock.

“Flame, it’s just a quick trip—”

“I don’t care!” Flame’s voice broke, the image of ‘The Strongest’ shattering into a million jagged pieces. He wasn’t angry; he was terrified. “I’m not doing it again! I’m not sitting in some base waiting for a message that might never come! Like, actually Wemmbu, I will lose my mind!”

Before Wemmbu could even reach out, Flame’s knees hit the floor. He didn’t care about his pride. He didn’t care that he was supposed to be some legendary fighter. He slumped forward, wrapping his arms around Wemmbu’s waist and burying his face into the fabric of the oversized hoodie—his hoodie, smelling like azalea.

“Please,” Flame choked out, his fingers clutching the fabric so hard. He was begging—desperation clear in his voice. The Immortal Demon was literally on the floor, trembling. “Don’t leave me. Please, Wemmbu. I’ll do anything. We’ll train here—or I’ll—I’ll learn the mace, I’ll learn the TNT carts, I’ll do it all. Just don’t walk out that portal without me.” Flame does not care about how he sounds right now, “don’t go. Don’t make us split up. We can train together. Just don’t leave me again.”

Wemmbu’s heart skipped. He looked down at the man at his feet and felt a wave of guilt so sharp it hurt. He realized then that while he’d been playing around with his fake identity, Flame had been living in a nightmare. He’d never actually given Flame an answer after the confession. He had just let Flame follow him like a shadow. He’d been so caught up in the chaos and the revenge that he hadn’t processed the weight of Flame’s confession back then. 

He realized that the thought of Flame not being there—not hovering, not being his annoying, devoted man—was actually terrifying. He loved this idiot. He had always loved him.

“Flame…” Wemmbu whispered. He reached down, his cool hands slightly trembling, and cupped Flame’s heated face. He gently slid the blindfold up, letting it fall.

Flame looked up, and the sight nearly broke Wemmbu. Flame’s eyes—the orange and yellow—were swimming in tears, wide and desperate. He looked like a man who was drowning and only Wemmbu was the air.

“I’m not leaving,” Wemmbu said, his voice dropping into a soft, melodic tone. “I’m sorry. I was being an idiot—rushing into things. I’m not going anywhere without you. Ever again.”

He pulled Flame up to his feet. Flame was still shaking, his breath coming in jagged hitches. Wemmbu didn’t hesitate. He leaned in and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on the dark-toned skin of Flame’s cheek, right over a stray tear.

Then, he moved. He captured Flame’s lips in a kiss that was so gentle it felt like a seal for a promise.

Flame’s brain didn’t just stall; it ignited. He let out a low broken sound and surged forward, taking back everything he’d lost. He wrapped his arms around Wemmbu, his hand tangling deep into the long, purple silk of Wemmbu’s hair, pulling him in until there wasn’t a single atom of space left between them.

Wemmbu let out a shaky breath against Flame’s mouth, his own hands locking behind Flame’s neck, pulling him down. They pulled apart for a split second, gasping for air, but Flame couldn’t stop. He was starving. He dove back in, deepening the kiss, his tongue tracing the seam of Wemmbu’s lips with a desperate, burning heat.

Wemmbu opened up for him, a soft moan vibrating in his throat as Flame’s tongue met his. It was messy, it was intimate, and everything Flame had dreamed of while sitting alone in his base. He backed Wemmbu up until his back hit the cold wood of a bookshelf, but Flame’s hand was already there, cradling the back of Wemmbu’s head, protecting him even now.

Flame was everywhere—kissing his lips, the corner of his mouth, the line of his jaw. He was marking him, claiming him, making sure Wemmbu knew exactly who he belonged to now. His hands were restless, one pressing into the small of Wemmbu’s back, the other cupping his face like he was made of glass.

“I love you,” Flame whispered against his lips, the heat between them so intense. “So much it hurts.”

Wemmbu smiled into the next kiss, his fingers playing with the hair at the nape of Flame’s neck. “I know. I love you too. Now shut up and kiss me again.”

And Flame did. Over and over, under the light of the lanterns in the library, under the cold stars of the End, finally realizing that no matter where they went next—The Great Sea, the Farlands, or back to the mesa—as long as he was holding this man, he was already home.

The walls of the library were thick, but they weren’t soundproof.

Outside, in the cold stone walls of the End base, Lomedy was leaning against the wall. He looked exhausted, his eyes underlined with dark circles, but there was a faint, satisfied smirk on his face. Every time a muffled thud or a shaky, breathless gasp echoed from inside the room, his smirk widened just a fraction.

Minute was still trying to connect the dots, then his gaze flickered toward the library doors.

“They’re taking a long time to ‘talk’, and without yelling too. What a miracle,” Minute muttered, his voice flat.

“Let them,” Lomedy said, not looking up. “Flame’s been holding back for a long time. If he didn’t get this out of his system, he was going to spontaneously combust and take the entire base with him.”

Eggchan was floating a few feet away. His giant eyeball-head tilted slowly, followed by his extra ones, his wings fluttering with soft, rhythmic hiss. He didn’t say anything—he didn’t have to. The way his central pupil was dilated as he stared at the door said enough. He’d seen the metaphorical threads of fate pulling those two together since the beginning; he was just waiting for them to finally stop fighting the tension and just fall.

Inside, the silence was different now. It wasn’t the heavy, suffocating silence of a prison cell or an empty base. It was low and warm.

The two were still backed against the bookshelf, Flame’s arms locked around Wemmbu’s waist as if he were trying to merge their heartbeats into one. He wasn’t wearing his blindfold. His heterochromatic eyes were half-closed, his forehead resting against Wemmbu’s. He looked wrecked—completely drained of the Immortal Demon bravado—but his breathing had finally leveled out.

Wemmbu had his hands buried in Flame’s dreads, his fingers idly tracing the nape of Flame’s neck. For the first time since their arrival at the End, the sharp calculating edge in his gold eyes had softened into something resembling peace. He leaned in, pressing one last, slow kiss to the corner of Flame’s mouth, lingering there until Flame let out a shaky, contented sigh.

“We have to move eventually,” Wemmbu whispered, his voice vibrating against Flame’s lips.

“Five more minutes,” Flame muttered, tightening his grip. “Like, for real. Five minutes.”

Wemmbu huffed a small laugh, closing his eyes and sinking back into the heat. “Fine. Five minutes.”

Outside, Minute looked at the doors, then at the sprawling, infinite void of the End stretching out beyond the windows. The Law was still out there. The world was hunting them. They were broke, tired, and technically cornered.

But as he looked at Lomedy’s relaxed posture and the quiet glow of Eggchan’s eyes, Minute realized the power dynamic of the server had just shifted. It wasn’t about two rivals anymore. It was about something much more dangerous.

“They’re going to be a problem, aren’t they?” Minute asked.

Lomedy grinned as looked toward the library. “The biggest problem this server has ever seen, probably.”

“Bigger problem than the Mafia had been?”

“That remains to be seen.”

The war wasn’t over—it was just getting started—but for the first time in a long time, the fire wasn’t burning alone.

Blaze has joined the server!