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Wemmbu dragged himself up the stairs leading into the Zam Empire's main castle. He'd been dripping blood across the stone paths for about an hour, trying to navigate the empire. It felt like an entire labyrinth when he was struggling through hazy eyesight.
With whatever strength he was able to scrounge up, he reached up and knocked, surprisingly firmly considering his state. With a few brief pauses between each knock, but hopefully enough for someone to hear him.
A bit of blood was able to spill out from between his lips. He blocked it with his hand and felt it pool between the gaps in his armour.
To his luck - and honest surprise - his abrupt middle-of-the-night knocks were met.
Behind it was a guard. His brain immediately went to someone like FlameFrags or ManePear. Someone who'd just put him out of his misery and end his shamefully brief time on this server, or heartlessly shut him out.
But, he was met with a much kinder voice laden with curiosity. It was Pangi, who was probably the best person to answer.
"Hey, Wemmbu..." Pangi trailed off when he saw the demon's state right in front of him. Cracked armour, partially knelt in pain, blood dribbling down between his fingers. All he did was stare for a handful of brief seconds before pulling him inside by the arm.
"Mmm-" Wemmbu was able to swallow the metallic taste in his mouth to talk, "What are you doing-" More blood pooled beneath his tongue and he stopped. The guard had already started helping him through the castle. Judging by the gradually less familiar halls they were traversing, Zam's room.
The confirmation was pretty immediate.
"I'm just bringing you to Zam." Pangi responded a little more cheerfully than felt appropriate. Not like Wemmbu really gave a damn in the moment. He was aching and exhausted, even if he was able to walk. Granted, it was currently because there was someone helping him.
He didn't offer up a reply, because the blood pooling was getting more severe. The lack of any reply was met with the pangolin guard quietly going, "Is... is that not why you're here?"
...Is that actually why he didn't hesitate for more than just a couple of seconds before allowing him inside?! Not even just granting permission- literally pulling him inside and helping him to the chambers of the prince himself! Either he was quick to make assumptions, rather dense, or Zam had let something slip.
All three sounded equally viable.
"MMno," Wemmbu managed through swallowing more blood - which was pretty gross now that he was thinking about it - "I'm here because it was closest to me."
That was... a lie, they both knew damn well it wasn't the closest location. They were both part of the group who organized the fight that got Wemmbu into this state, down to planning the location, of which the empire was a good several thousand blocks away from. But because his civilization was even further, and every other place would turn him away because having a tenuous reputation sucked sometimes... yeah.
"Mmmhm. I dunno if Zam is actually awake right now, so if he isn't, I'll just send you to one of the guest rooms." Pangi informed him, but he didn't really register it. Just giving him a short 'uh-huh' through trying to keep the blood behind his teeth.
It felt like just a few steps passed before they were already knocking at Zam's door. Just their luck - really, he was on a lucky streak today, wasn't he? - he was awake. But he didn't really seem to pay attention to Wemmbu. Just annoyed at Pangi.
"What could you possibly want at this hour." He hissed, clearly in a tone indicating he was trying and failing at acquiring sleep. So a little - well, a lot, actually - more aggressive than usual. The aggression went completely ignored by Wemmbu and didn't faze Pangi.
"I'm just here to tell you that Wemmbu came to see you." He kinda shoved the demon towards the prince, receiving an annoyed glare from the former. He ignored it.
...At least the blood in his mouth was clearing up. Minor self-healing abilities for the win.
In lieu of his still present irritation and forcibly subsiding aggression, Zam's face completely changed. Pretty obviously shocked that not only was one of his guards bringing someone to him at this hour, but at who it was, and his state.
He managed to break past the annoyance at the disruption.
"Well, then, thank you. I- I guess."
He quietly dismissed Pangi and ushered Wemmbu inside. It was a lot more cozy in Zam's room than the demon had expected him. But he couldn't really take anything in, because the previous irritation came back and was now directed at him.
"Why the fuck would you do that? You could've gotten yourself killed, and that'd just leave your friend to defend your civilization - guarding my vault - and it would be your fault." He chastised the demon like he was an aggravated employer berating incompetent staff, removing the cracked armour.
Well, all of the armour, even if some of it had miraculously remained untouched.
"What part of it would be MY fault?" He questioned in feigned incredulity, knowing what Zam was referencing.
Admittedly, he was really hoping that he wouldn't bring up -
"Your pathetic attempt at elytra-macing."
...Yeah, of course he was gonna bring that up...
But Wemmbu just laughed. Loud, but consciously trying to keep it quieter than it normally was. "So if I died while trying to mace them, it'd be my fault." He noted in a tone laced with sarcasm and incredulity.
Zam looking at him about as sternly as one could made his laughter fizzle out completely. He really meant those words. Like, completely.
He pulled the rest of his armour off, taking the time to pat off particularly dusty patches of clothing. A bit of dried crimson had bled through the fabrics. He frowned, actually concerned, and his tune changed in seconds.
"..Maybe it wouldn't entirely be your fault." He quietly corrected himself, still holding onto the belief that it would, in fact, be at least partially Wemmbu's fault. That earned him a scoff and sharp eye roll.
"Yeah, whatever."
Zam continued to sort of pat him down quietly, face contorting between concern and disbelief that he'd gotten this beaten up during the fight. Covered in bruises and little cuts that would heal on their own. From his uninvolved perspective, it was an easy win on Wemmbu's end.
He had a mace, an elytra, rockets — how hard could it be to mace someone to death?
Getting a thick spike through the skull would definitely be lethal.
Yet here the demon was, beaten and leaving Eggchan to guard his precious obsidian box alone.
He clicked his tongue. "I don't know why Pangi didn't just bring you to the infirmary immediately." He muttered, baffled, raising himself to the demon's level.
"I was able to deal with the worst of the injuries. It'll leave a scar but I'll be fine." Wemmbu answered rather nonchalantly, to a rather concerning level. Like he was just gonna walk off a likely severe injury.
Absolutely fucking not.
"Bullshit you'll be fine. You come into my castle hunched over in pain and now you're acting like you'll be fine." Zam snipped back, taking a chance to press down on where he presumed the worst injury would logically be. Also known as directly on the front of his abdomen.
Wemmbu braced and damn near doubled over, sucking in a breath through his teeth to steady himself. Good lord, he almost saw pure white from the injury being directly pressed on like that.
Of course, seeing the demon in very obvious pain, Zam pulled away, floored and apologetic.
"Oh, fuck, I'm sorry, I didn't know—"
"Just save it," He breathed again, "I already took care of it. I'll be fine." He reassured, managing to bring his body up from where it was doubled over just moments ago.
Still, guilt was obvious on the prince's face. Even with the minor abilities to regenerate naturally, including treated wounds, he felt horrible. Hell, atrocious.
He hesitantly lifted the hem of the demon's shirt, and sure enough, there was a patched wound half-soaked in dry blood. He breathed out in relief and dropped the fabric, but couldn't shake that horrible feeling in his gut.
"Are you able to walk, at least?"
"...Hopefully without stumbling."
Zam stood and offered a shaky hand to help the demon to his feet as well. It was taken, and he was able to be pulled to his full height after what felt like days of not being able to.
He stretched, tail flipping like he was happy to be able to not be almost doubled over at last, and took a chance to move and collapse right onto Zam's bed. Much to the overt annoyance of said prince.
"So you're just gonna take my bed from me?"
"Well uh..." Wemmbu managed to turn his head over onto its side, still partially muffled, "Maybe. You still have the other half though."
"I'm not sharing a bed with you," The prince huffed, "Why would I do that?"
"I don't think you have much of a choice." He joked, earning another annoyed huff.
"Whatever."
Wemmbu woke up to the sound of distantly running water. The haze in his eyes was gone and the pain coursing through his body had dulled into an ache. He stirred, genuinely considering just laying back down. That bed was so comfortable...
His sense of hearing properly caught up with him enough to register that the distant running water wasn't that distant. Not very close, but not really distant in the usual sense either. Just in the next room over.
His movement caused creaking, which caused Zam to emerge from the bathroom connected. "Are you awake?" He stepped closer, looming over the still half-asleep demon.
"Mmm....mmhm... just gimme a minute.." Wemmbu mumbled near incoherently, curling in on himself a little. Like he was about to fall asleep all over again.
The bed really was that comfy.
The prince just clicked his tongue and ran a hand right down the side of his face. A very wet hand. A very wet hand that immediately startled the demon awake.
"ALRIGHT, alright — I'm awake." He rubbed the dampened side of his face dry with his sleeve, pulling himself up. Though he was definitely still pretty tired... and hungry...
And felt like shit. His clothes felt binded to his skin, and his hair felt all matted and clumped together. Blood had been left to dry overnight and would flake off if he brushed his hand against it wrong. His abdomen really ached.
Zam smiled at him. Toothy but not as smug as he expected. He wiped away what the demon hadn't dried with his thumb.
"Come in here real quick, I want to do your hair." He began pulling Wemmbu away from the comfort of the bed - those fluffy pillows, those warm blankets, that soft mattress... - not even letting him get a further word in. Excitement overruled any questioning.
"Um- why do you want to do my hair?" The demon questioned his idea anyway, his brain wires connecting to reality just as he was shoved into the bathroom.
A large sink had already been filled with water, a bunch of products standing there by it, giving him an immediate idea of why Zam had pushed him into this. Probably just wanting to be nice after what he'd done last night. Actually that just had to be why.
Wemmbu undid his hair, remembering he hadn't undone it from the night before. He kind of carded his fingers through his hair, giving it up completely shortly after.
"I wanted to make up for our argument in some way." Zam rolled his sleeves up and pulled him towards the sink by the collar of his shirt. It partially choked the demon, only stopping short because he moved him to lay his neck back against the edge of the sink.
Him wanting to make up for the argument was pretty much the only reason as to why he was suddenly being nice. It wouldn't really make up for the guilt but... small steps, or something.
He pulled Wemmbu's head back, gently, letting his hair fall into the water. God, it was the perfect temperature and felt so nice against the clumped, dyed mess that had become his hair over the course of almost a full day. His shoulders eased and his head tilted back a bit more.
"Theeere we go.. I knew you'd like that." Zam purred in a tone identical to a soft tease, carding his fingers through the demon's hair as crimson began to seep into the water. What he couldn't get with his fingers, he brushed out, careful not to tug too hard.
Wemmbu's tail flipped haphazardly as he let the prince oh-so-carefully brush and card his hair out until it wasn't all tangled and clumped. Should he be letting his guard down so easily, absolutely not, but this was too nice to pass up on.
Plus he was content with letting him get the blood and whatever else had gotten snarled in there out.
Zam's nails scratched against his scalp every time his fingers ran through the gradually untangling waves. Nice and firm.
He squeezed a healthy amount of shampoo into his palm once he was sure he'd gotten all of the tangles undone. At least the worst ones weren't a problem anymore. Next time, they were on the demon to handle though.
Again, he repeated what he'd just done; this time lathering his locks in smooth soap. A faint sound that was something between a purr and a content, drowsy sigh escaped the demon's chest.
"Okay, don't fall asleep on me." Zam scratched a bit lighter, combing his hands through his hair. He received a slightly more annoyed murmur in response.
"Mmm... but I'm comfy.." Wemmbu whined slightly, tail continuing to flip haphazardly. Fuck, either he was receiving some top-tier care, or he was just really desperate. Probably both.
"Don't." The prince affirmed much more firmly, lightly tugging on his hair. It kept the demon from slowly drifting off.
He received an annoyed look as a reaction that just made him laugh.
He returned to combing the soap out of his hair and into the water. Slowly getting every little tangle and knot out. Scratching and kneading all across his scalp, getting right behind his horns.
A soft purr-like sound was emitted from Wemmbu's chest. Just loud enough to be faintly heard over the sloshing water.
"Oh," Zam didn't look fazed at all, "You really liked that."
The comment made the purring stop completely. Again, didn't faze him, he just raked conditioner through the nice violet locks. Maybe the comment made him weirdly self-conscious, or some equivalent.
"Yeah, you don't have to tell me."
"I wasn't talking to you specifically."
He held the back of his head up for support to drain the water, clasping it back like a ponytail. "Hold this back."
Wemmbu did as instructed, leaning up while keeping his hair back and - more importantly - away from his shirt and face. Zam undid a towel and draped it over his shoulders, allowing him to let his hair fall back over it.
"Now try to sit still, okay?" He grabbed a hair dryer and brush, from assumedly nowhere, and turned on the former while the latter was run through the demon's hair. Felt the same as the finger-combing but less intense and thorough.
Still careful though.
Zam took several silent minutes to brush and dry every last strand of hair, finally returning it to that original fluffy and surprisingly soft texture. He smiled, setting the now turned off hair dryer down again. He kept running the brush through it, pulling it back, separated into three segments.
"You've never been this nice to me before." Wemmbu noted quietly, patiently waiting for him to finish doing his hair so he could return to his own civilization. Honestly, Eggchan was probably worried about him, or stressed to high hell about running the civ alone.
"..I felt really bad about hurting you last night." He pulled the segmented locks back and tied them over each other a few times. The demon hummed in thought.
Yeah, that much was more than obvious. "You don't need to tell me again." He sighed, clearly a little annoyed by what was essentially repeated words.
"It's true though! I just want to make up for that."
"Alllright, bro."
Zam tugged again, lightly, tying the braid so it was fully put together.
"You're doing alright though?" He questioned, "I haven't seen you in pain like you were yesterday."
..Oh, actually... he was right. He wasn't really hurting anymore. More like a vague dull ache. But that meant he'd left a bad injury patched up with soaked gauze overnight. Either it had been able to mostly heal, or he needed to clean up that wound right after this was done.
Hopefully, the former.
"Well, I'm not really hurting, so.."
"So you're good? You can clean yourself up?"
Zam finished tying the braid together, letting it fall against the demon's back. He gave a proud grin at his work.
"Yeah, I should be able to." Wemmbu answered, catching a bit of the grin in his peripheral. He just gave a slight smile in reaction.
"Good, 'cause I'm gonna go make some food," He gestured to the clutter by the sink, "And then clean all of this up."
The demon laughed. "You feel that bad about an accident?"
"You'd feel the same way if it were me!" The prince retorted, already leaving.
Of course, Wemmbu rolled his eyes and brushed off what was said. Was he right? Nah, he couldn't be, surely. He didn't know him the way he knew himself.
...It was nice to have a pretty new hairstyle and, soon enough, food, though.