Work Text:
“...bu.”
“...emmbu.”
“...emmbu!”
“Wemmbu!”
”Wemmbu!”
Wemmbu’s breath hitches as he’s jostled awake by a voice in his ear. He looks around and immediately sees Eggchan in front of him. The Enderling gasps, opening his mouth to speak only to realize he can’t.
Not with the heavy metal mask-like muzzle attached to the lower half of his face.
What the FUCK is this?!
Wemmbu abruptly stands, clawing at his face in a desperate attempt to get it off. He trashes around the place and growls like a beastly animal. Failing to hear Eggchan’s voice through the ringing of his ears.
Only when he heard a pained cry from behind him did he freeze. Wemmbu turns to Eggchan, seeing a metal collar on the Seraphim’s neck connected by a chain right onto his.
His blood boils at the sight.
Wemmbu rushes to Eggchan, trembling hands moving to hover over the collar. Wanting to profusely apologize but unable to due to his muzzle. His eyes speak volumes of his guilt and regret however.
“It’s okay…” Eggchan assures.
No it’s not.
“I’m fine.”
No you’re not.
Wemmbu pulls Eggchan into a crushing embrace as he bites back tears that threaten to fall.
He was angry. Enraged even.
Because how dare those humans hurt his brother. Not only did they attack them, capture them, CAGE them, but they also broke Eggchan’s legs AND collared them together?!
It’s outrageous! Beyond unforgivable!
He wanted to kill them badly.
But right now, he can’t.
They broke Eggchan’s legs on purpose while they left him barely injured. It restricts his movements, as moving to attack or even rage around their cage would put strain on the Seraphim’s collar.
So Wemmbu cannot move too far from his brother or else he would hurt him. And he’d rather stab himself through the heart than do such a thing.
The door opens, (the one on the room, not the one on their cage) and in comes a man who looks like an asshole.
“Boss said to feed ya freaks.”
Okay, he is an asshole.
Because what do you mean he's providing them with one loaf of bread which, by the way, Wemmbu cannot eat because he is muzzled!
The Enderling felt the urge to growl in anger but feared that he—and maybe Egg—could be threatened or harmed for his hostility. So he decides to stay silent instead of being the usual loud demon he once was.
Given the fact that Eggchan was immobile, Wemmbu is more than willing to help. He shuffles a good enough distance where he can strain to reach for the bread while ensuring the Seraphim doesn't get hurt or discomforted.
With arms that cry out in pain from the stretch, Wemmbu manages to snag the piece of bread and hand it over to his brother. Gently shuffling back to his side for both comfort and warmth.
Being next to Eggchan means they're both safe. Physically for the Seraphim, Mentally for the Enderling.
Round of applause for Wemmbu who managed to stay silent despite the growing intense ache of his empty stomach. All that matters is that the other isn’t starving.
Eggchan can feel his brother's hunger, but all he could do was offer a comforting hug. Wemmbu is more than grateful for the Seraphim's efforts in consoling him through their highly tough situation.
Without Egg, Wemmbu might’ve just gone insane.
Days passed and they were never moved from their cage. Heck, they couldn’t even move that far from each other because Eggchan’s legs are still broken and Wemmbu’s restrained by the chain connecting their metal collars.
It was restricting, immoral, because they couldn’t even sleep through their empty stomachs. Wemmbu was starting to weaken from dehydration as well along with the lack of exposure which has his body losing immense amounts of energy.
As an Enderling, child of the Ender Dragon, Wemmbu’s scaled body is naturally cold and thrives in environments with low temperatures. Where they are now is hot. Not as suffocating as the nether, but still unhealthy for his body.
Eggchan thankfully, from the aether, is adaptable and can thrive in any environment. Although a colder place would be better given that his stay in a winter biome made his body recognize low temperatures as home. Adapting more to the same environment Wemmbu did.
Four days after their capture, the door finally opens for a reason other than tossing a piece of bread in their faces or on the floor. Three men entered looking buff and strong enough to carry them with one arm. Mainly because they’re malnourished, but also because the men are muscled.
“Take them.”
The shortest one ordered, to which the other two quickly obliged. They unlock the cage and pick both of them up with barely any restraint. Wemmbu could no longer protest because of how much his body is in need of nutrients. It’s honestly a shock that he hasn’t died yet.
Both Eggchan and Wemmbu were carried near each other to ensure that they don’t strain themselves with the chain. Which, at least the men were merciful enough for that. My gosh.
Through brick walls and stone floors, they’re brought to a backstage looking area with a curtain on view. Voices can be heard on the other side and it’s not only a little bit. It’s a lot. An entire town’s worth of people or whatever.
A woman’s voice booms through a speaker, loud enough for both brothers to hear, which in their opinion, is too much for their ears. They’d been so used to silence that small sounds are quite bothersome. And this one is being painfully drilled into their brains.
“Sold! To the lady in blue.”
Eggchan finds himself concerned. Sold? Are they being sold too?
His questions were answered a few minutes later when they’re suddenly walking past the curtains. The bright spotlight blinds them, causing Egg to wince and Wemmbu to hiss. Blinking a couple times at least allows them to eventually tolerate the sudden brightness.
“Over here, we have a Seraphim straight from the Aether. And the child of the Ender Dragon herself.”
Before the auctioneer could start with the bidding price, somebody in the crowd yells out while raising their number card.
“One hundred thousand diamonds.”
Another yells,
“Five hundred thousand diamonds!”
Bids were yelled out one by one, everyone eager to obtain the two hybrids known to be one of the rarest species in the entire world.
Seraphims from the Aether are famous and rare because they are difficult to catch. The main reason is because they rarely leave the Aether and are barely seen randomly in the overworld. Same goes for the Enderling.
Although it is more likely to see an Enderling rather than a Seraphim, they still thrive in their own dimensions hence the lack of appearances in others.
“Two shulkers of netherite blocks and a shulker of elytras. Yes, they’re enchanted.”
That silenced the crowd.
The auctioneer gasps, “Two shulkers of netherite blocks and a shulker of enchanted elytras?! Going once, going twice?!”
Nobody raises the bet.
“Sold!”
Eggchan and Wemmbu share a single glance before they’re being carried to the man who now owns them both. And they couldn’t do anything to defend themselves or their rights.
It’s frustrating.
Wemmbu hates that he’s gotten so weak. He’d taken pride in his power, his ability to defend both him and his brother. But it wasn’t enough to keep them safe for long. Because look at where they are now. Captured, broken, and then sold. To some man who’ll probably hurt them worse than the previous people.
“Here, sir. The dragon’s pretty feisty, but he should be too weak to do shit.”
The man in front of them nods, face stoic as he inspects the brothers. He reaches out and gently takes the Seraphim into his arms, while the Enderling is brought down to his feet.
“Can you walk?” Asked the tall stranger, looking down at Wemmbu with an unreadable gaze. Not like he could see anything when the guy doesn’t even have eyes. Just a pure white sclera that glows faintly in the dark.
Wemmbu was trembling from weakness but nodded. With enough determination, he can probably walk. Probably.
“Hold onto me if you need.”
…huh. Weird. Wemmbu ignored the spark of hope igniting in his heart. It’s probably just a trick to make them lower their guard or something. So long as this man doesn’t hurt Eggchan, it’ll probably be fine.
The Enderling got to 10 steps before he needed to grab onto the man’s arm. Who, thankfully, doesn’t say anything about it and even slows their pace down so that Wemmbu could keep up. Bless him I guess. Maybe, this guy isn’t so bad.
It took quite a while, and some distance, but they finally made it to their destination. Something that has Wemmbu perking up in intrigue and surprise.
They’re at a stronghold.
The guy leads them to the portal room, already open, and guides them to the other dimension. Which made Wemmbu’s head ache even worse than before. He swears he nearly passed out during the travel.
“This is my base. Or, my home.” Says the man, “I’ll show you guys to your rooms.”
Rooms? Not cages?
That’s…shocking.
“But first, let’s get you both treated.”
The guy leads them through one of the hallways until they make it to what seems like a kitchen. Where both brothers are seated in quite a comfortable couch. Though why is there even a couch in this kitchen, what.
“Okay, let’s start with introductions, yeah?:
Says the man as he crouches down to their level. “My name is MinuteTech. It’s nice to meet you both.”
Wemmbu subconsciously shuffles closer to Eggchan, on guard and ready to protect. Meanwhile, the Seraphim deals with the talking, being a little more trusting towards the man. Which by Wemmbu’s opinion isn’t the best idea.
“I’m Eggchan. And he’s Wemmbu.”
MinuteTech, Minute for short, nods in acknowledgement and reaches into his inventory.
“I need you both to stay still for this, okay?”
The saxophones are lowkey getting louder in their heads.
Minute takes out a netherite sword and Wemmbu is already reaching for Eggchan. He starts hissing when the guy also fishes out a flint and steel.
“Calm down, please, I’m not gonna hurt either of you.”
He tries to assure while literally heating up the sword until it’s glowing. Then he moves closer to them! While holding the sword?!
Wemmbu moves in front of Eggchan, still slightly trembling from weakness but desperate to keep his brother safe. The Seraphim’s wings flutter a little before he holds onto the Enderling’s arm.
“I don’t feel malicious intent from him, bro.”
That makes Wemmbu pause, looking back at Egg with slight hesitation. He looks at Minute, then back at the Seraphim, before he sighs and slightly lowers his guard.
Minute moves closer as gently as he could and starts by melting the chain that connects their collars. Now, Wemmbu finally understands and relaxes. But still on guard for any potential threat, of course.
Slowly but surely, the collars and the muzzles were removed by this…voidling? Bat? They’re not even sure. And after days of not talking, Wemmbu is finally able to open his mouth.
But he can’t speak.
“Don’t worry, your voice isn’t permanently gone. It’ll come back the more you practice.” Minute assured.
At least that was a relief.
Minute stands and moves away to the kitchen, rummaging through multiple cabinets and returning with a medical kit along with some food. He hands pieces of cooked chicken to both Eggchan and Wemmbu before shuffling to crouch in front of the Seraphim.
“I’ll help you with your leg so that it can finally heal properly. Can I roll your pants up? Just above the knee.”
Egg nods as he takes a bite of his food. Meanwhile Wemmbu’s ravaging through his.
Minute gently rolls the fabric up until it reaches above the knee and starts observing the injury, trying to figure out what the problem is. Which the Seraphim answers the silent question for him. “I think it’s fractured.”
“Ah…I see.” The Voidling—Bat? Takes out half a stack of Golden Apples from his inventory and places it near Eggchan’s side. “You should start eating those when you finish the chicken.”
Then, he rummages through the medical kit and takes a couple potions of healing and regeneration. Minute pours the potion of healing and watches as the leg glows a faint green to show the effects.
“Can you try standing?”
Eggchan nods and obliges, trembling a little to stand but Minute is quick to be there for assistance. He lets the Seraphim grab onto his hand for support and eventually, he’s able to stand.
“It’s healed…”
Minutes nods, still holding the other, “How’s the pain?”
Eggchan shuffles, testing, before he answers, “It’s like only a buzz now.”
“That’s good. Come sit back down.” Minutes guides him to return to his seat on the couch before moving to pick up the potion of regeneration. “This should help with the lingering pain. It’ll heal more of what the other potion didn’t.”
He instructs calmly while pouring the potions of regeneration onto Eggchan’s legs the same way he poured the other one.
Wemmbu watches all of this unfold, nibbling on the last bits of meat his chicken has. As much as it’s refreshing to finally have something in his stomach, he was still very much starving.
Minute notices.
“Do you want more food?”
Wemmbu hesitates, looking down at his chicken which has some of the bones chunked off and nods once. Minute smiles and stands, returning to the kitchen cabinets to get more food then giving them to the Enderling.
Eggchan however has moved to eating the Golden Apples for even better healing on his leg. Eager to finally be free of pain and start walking normally once more.
“Once you guys are finished eating, Wemmbu, you should go outside and stand near the center. It should help energize your body once more.”
Seeing Wemmbu’s eyes practically scream; what about Egg? Minute is quick to add, “I’ll take Egg to his room to heal. If you both wanna share a room, I can move your bed to his.”
Wemmbu gazes at the Seraphim real quick before he nods. Once.
Minute’s smile softens and he stands once more, “I’ll prepare your guys’ room while you both eat. Call me when you need anything.”
And in the span of a couple seconds, he’s gone. Leaving the two brothers alone.
“He’s…nice. Surprisingly.” Egg chirps in a low voice, munching on a Golden Apple.
Wemmbu nods and shuffles closer, also taking bites of his own food. Being closer to Eggchan gives him a sense of security and relief. They’re together. They’re safe. I can protect him.
“He speaks so softly.” The Seraphim continues after finishing the healing fruit, then takes another, “It’s not loud and painful like the speakers earlier.”
Wemmbu once again nods since he’s yet to recover his voice.
Minute returns a few minutes after they collectively finished their food. Offering them a gentle hand to take.
“You two should take a rest.”
Egg was the first to accept the hand, and Wemmbu takes it a couple seconds after albeit with obvious hesitation. Even so, Minute remains calm and patient with them, never rushing nor judging.
He’s just…there. A soothing presence to withhold. Like a large umbrella that protects you from heavy rain. Or a radiant sunlight piercing through the darkest night.
They walk slowly at their own paces towards the room Minute’s leading them to.
The inside looked cozy. But honestly, anything and everything normal looked better than their previous “bedroom” given that they were genuinely just in a cage. With little to no light, by the way. And their only comfort is the gravelly ground.
But this felt like such a luxury.
Decorated, clean, and comfortable. Floor to ceiling bookshelves cover one wall, filled with Egg’s most desired dreams. Books. He can’t wait to read each and every page of every book on the shelf. He hasn’t seen such beauty since being captured.
Which, okay, perhaps four days isn’t that much, but to Egg? Who reads every second he can? It’s torture. 2 hours without a book and he’ll slowly lose his sanity. Yes he nearly lost his during the time spent captured. Quite like Wemmbu.
But again, because they were together, it didn’t become too severe.
There was only one bed and honestly, neither brothers were complaining since they’re used to sleeping together anyways. Plus, they’ll feel safer that way.
Minute tucks them onto the bed, pulling the large blanket over them. Silence fills the room aside from the sound of the void outside. But that felt more like a comfort than a disturbance.
The moment Wemmbu sinks into the mattress, he’s immediately out cold. He’s full, rested, and highly welcomed to dreamland. Who is he to resist such luxury?
He hasn’t had rest in so long. He’s more than needing this sleep.
Egg, somehow, is still awake. And is struggling to fall asleep because he’s used to hearing Wemmbu yap his ear off until he dozes.
“Are you okay, Eggchan?” Minute asks, noticing that Eggchan keeps shuffling.
The Seraphim raises his head, looking up (Minute assumes) at the voidling-bat hybrid. Or something.
“I…fall asleep better when I hear a voice.”
Minute hums, “Okay. We can talk.”
The void-bat grabs a chair from the desk he’d created and takes a seat beside the bed. Hands folded neatly in his lap.
“You two are very close.”
Egg nods, “We’re brothers.”
“Brothers?” Minute questions with slight surprise, “But aren’t you of different species?”
“Yeah,” The Seraphim confirms, “We’re not related by blood. But we’re bonded to be brothers.”
“Oh? The void-bat crosses his legs, “That’s interesting. I assume you’re his Guardian Angel?”
Egg nods in confirmation.
Minute couldn’t help but smile gently, “How sweet. It’s nice that you two care about each other a lot.”
“Mhm… Can I ask why you bought us?”
“Hm. I’ve been the Guardian of the End for a while now. And I noticed that the Dragon Egg was hatched, but the child was nowhere to be seen.”
Egg nods along to Minute’s voice, a tell-tale sign that he’s actively listening. It is quite difficult to see if he was looking at somebody since his eyes aren’t visible. Currently covered by his lengthy bangs.
“I went to the overworld, searched around, and found the two of you being carried by a group of people. I couldn’t confront them right away, they outgeared me. So I asked around for information.”
Minute leans back in his chair before continuing,
“I heard of the auction. And guessed that you two would be…sold. So I participated.”
Egg hums, “Mhm.”
“And lo and behold, you two were. I felt…pity. So I bought both of you. And at first, it might have been an impulse from my urge to protect the End, including the Dragon’s child. But now that I met the two of you? I find myself caring a lot more than I expected.”
The Seraphim smiles, “That’s kind of you.” He yawns after.
Minute nods, “You should go to sleep now. I’ll be here when you wake up..”
Egg nods, sinking deeper into the cushions and snuggling onto Wemmbu. Who stirs not to awaken, but to welcome his brother into his arms. Call it instinct if you will.
And eventually, the Seraphim manages to fall asleep. For the first time in four days.
Next to Wemmbu; his brother, his home, his safe haven. And a gentle addition of a potential father or Guardian to their little (literally) family.