Work Text:
He's been here for months.
Wemmbu passes by laughing children and gossiping civilians as he makes his way down The Caves’ “bottom feeders” parts. Jaden said he was visiting Codmaster at his house; something about getting lunch together? He can't fathom eating a meal with the fish hybrid considering all he eats are… well, cods.
( “Isn't that cannibalism?” Said Wemmbu as his fishing rod's bobbler jerked in the water, his frame shaking with laughter. )
( Jaden, too, laughed at his words; causing the fish that tried to bite his line to swim away. )
( Codmaster just shook his head while he stood to the side. Unamused. )
There's whispers around him as he drops down to the only lit place in this god-forsaken kingdom—“Isn't that Wemmbu?” “He became second in command a month ago, didn't he?” “I can't believe Arachnid managed to make him join!” “He looks like a woman.”—the demon huffs and quickens his steps.
He hates this place.
More than he does Lettuce.
More than he does Sharpness when that prick stole Gambit.
More than he does Mane.
…He just wants Egg.
Wemmbu manages to find the cobblestone box that Codmaster lives in and makes his way over. He sticks a leg into the albeit shallow water and immediately regrets it.
His pants are expensive and now they're wet!
Wemmbu decides to just fly over.
Jaden is laughing over something with Codmaster when the acadia doors burst open with a shove. “Oh, hey Wemmbu!” The pirate greets with a wave, while the fish hybrid across him stands up abruptly on instincts.
“I TOLD YOU TO GO AWAY!”
“Bro, I just wanted to visit—”
“YOU,” Codmaster walks over and jabs a finger at Wemmbu's chest, staring at the veil, “HAVE CAUSED ME SO MUCH PROBLEM.”
Jaden's eyes narrow in concern. “Hey—” He tries to intervene and calm down his friend, but to no avail.
“I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE ROYALTY,” Wemmbu takes a step back, “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.”
He blinks.
Then scoffs and rolls his eyes.
“D'alright dude.” He pushes past the fuming Codmaster and slides into the seat beside a very worried Jaden. “Nice meal, bro.” Wemmbu comments about the plate of a half-burnt cod in front of Jaden.
The pirate glances and chuckles. “Yeah, dude.” The demon stares at him like he's expecting an explanation, but when he doesn't get one he leans back into the seat.
Jaden looks at Wemmbu. “Hey.”
“Hm?”
“Dude get out—” Codmaster tries to cut in.
“What's that on your neck?”
The purple guy pauses when he grabs the fish and tries to eat it like how the ancient Romans ate grapes. “Huh?” Even with the black veil covering his face, Jaden knows Wemmbu's processing his words. “Oh this thing.”
He drops the fish onto the plate with a clatter! and uses his other hand to tap at the metal collar. “I d'unno. Arachnid put it on me after the war with Parrot and said it was ‘location tracking’ after Yungy said he shouldn't trust me.”
Jaden blinks. “Dude.”
“What?”
“That's a dog collar.”
Wemmbu stares at him. Codmaster is also quiet in the back.
He slams the table when he shoots up. “WHAT??!”
———
Jaden hears rockets and the flutters of elytra wings outside.
( A mace. A too loud, too familiar laugh. A flash of violet. Someone screams. Something heavy hits his head— )
( A sunflower wilts in his palm. )
“Oh, I think Wemmbu's back.” Codmaster whips his head to the pirate when he was placing down a sleeping bag with a cod print on the front.
“I didn't invite him to the sleepover.”
“He's my friend.”
“He's not mine and this is my house.”
Jaden throws his arm around Codmaster and drags the fish hybrid to his side. “Come on man! I promise he won't do anything—”
Wemmbu crashes through the acadia doors at that exact moment via flying and lies on the floor, Jaden panics and almost scrambles to his friend's side when the demon suddenly sits up.
“Ey,” he slurs his words in the way that people do after a heavy impact, “what'chu guys doing?” The veil is not on his face tonight, revealing that cocky smile.
Wemmbu sweeps his bangs out of his eyes. “Dude.” Jaden huffs out a laugh. “You scared me!”
Codmaster instead yells.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!”
He lets out a laugh, trying to be nonchalant. “Am I not invited?”
“Of course—” “—HELL NO!” Both Jaden and Codmaster's voices overlap each other and so do their words.
The two sea-themed men stare at one another.
Wemmbu decides to fix his appearance; his hair, elytra wings, outfit and so on. “Do any of you have a spare sleeping bag? I forgot to bring mine.” He asks as he pats down his ruffled sleeves.
Jaden shakes his head. “No, sorry man. I think Codmaster has one but—”
“I'm not giving him anything.”
The pirate sighs. “Exactly that, dude.”
The demon crosses his arm, his mace glistens where it's dangling from his belt. “I mean, I could see if there's any wool in that storage area Yungy showed us.”
“Oh yeah, good idea.”
“I'm locking the doors when you get out.” Codmaster grumbles in the background to which Wemmbu laughs loudly at.
“You think a lock can keep me out if I want to come in?” He mocks.
Codmaster huffs but otherwise stays quiet; Wemmbu takes that as a silent, begrudging agreeance to his words.
He waves goodbye over his shoulder as he prepares to fly out. “D'alright, see you guys!”
———
“So.” Wemmbu chimes in, breaking the comfortable silence.
The house is lit dimly, a candle being the only source of light. Jaden had suggested this “horror-like vibe” when Wemmbu was out and Codmaster agreed only when Jaden used his puppy eyes on the grumpy fish hybrid.
The pirate glances at the purple blob who's placed his chin on both his and Codmaster's shoulders. “Hey Wemmbu. Got that bed yet?”
He shakes his head.
“Nah, there wasn't a single wool in those monster chests.”
“Did you break my windows.” Codmaster deadpans without looking at Wemmbu, busy with making another fishing rod. He can't tie the string properly yet.
The accused man lets out an extended ‘uuuuuhhhh’ to which the fish hybrid just groans really loud at, throwing his face into his palms.
Jaden laughs to the side. “I'll fix it for you, man.”
“ANYWAYS!!” Wemmbu throws his arms over Jaden and Codmaster's shoulders and pulls them close.
The fish hybrid shrieks.
The pirate laughs.
“Sleepover time!” The demon grins ear to ear, tail slapping the floor in the way dogs wag theirs.
“NO!” Codmaster protests, elbowing Wemmbu in an attempt to free himself yet to no avail. “NO WAY I'M SLEEPING WITH YOU IN THE SAME ROOM! WHO KNOWS WHAT YOU'LL DO??”
He mock-deflates. “Awhh… Don't you trust me Coddy?” The nickname falls from his tongue easily. The fish hybrid drops his face into his hands when Jaden blinks at him, trying to convince him to also let Wemmbu stay.
Codmaster sighs.
“YAY—” Wemmbu screams and the fish immediately pushes his face away before the sound can make him turn deaf.
Jaden just laughs, almost falling back when the demon pulls his shoulder when he did instead.
After a while, the trio finally settles down and lay in their sleeping bags (Wemmbu decided to steal Codmaster's and the latter had to get his spare one).
“One of us should tell a horror story.” The blob suggests as he cocoons himself.
“Yeah, dude.” Jaden agrees.
Both pairs of eyes fall onto Codmaster whose sleeping bag is in between the pirate and the demon's.
He frowns.
“I'm not telling a horror story.”
“Why not??”
“Because BOTH OF YOU ARE CHILDISH.”
“Nuh uh.”
“I—what do you mean—THAT'S EXACTLY WHY I SAID THAT!”
Wemmbu blows a raspberry at Codmaster before he buries himself further into the comfy bag. At this point he might even come out with wings in the morning.
Jaden stays quiet and he puts his tricorne away for his sleep. Though his mask stays on.
Codmaster grumbles but he eventually closes his eyes.
———
His eyes peel open when he hears giggles from two different voices; too familiar for his liking.
“—Yo I think he's waking up,”
“Oh sh—”
Codmaster sees Wemmbu and Jaden hovering over him, with the demon holding a marker pen.
…
“DID YOU GUYS DRAW ON MY FACE?!”
“RUUUNN—!”
Yungy was just walking by when he looks down to the “bottom feeders” parts of The Caves and sees a fish hybrid chasing Wemmbu and Jaden with an enchanted fishing rod.
He blinks. Someone beside him chuckles at the ridiculous sight.
Wemmbu screams and Jaden trips into the water face first, hat floating slowly across the rippling surface.
These idiots; he thought to himself with a scoff before turning away.