Work Text:
The sun was up, proudly lighting up the server as its players moved on with their lives.
Farmers planted crops, harvesting what had finally had become consumable, friend groups gathered together, laughter following their steps as they explored the world, only slowed down by the aching rays of their very star. Thief’s stole, guards fought. A never ending circle.
Most players would think it was too hot out these days. The majority of cities put up posters, reminding its population to hydrate, keep inside, stay cool. Farmers went home early, friend groups headed to waters.
But not Flame.
To him, everything felt cold.
The sun, the nether, campfires, torches, were all just another numbing shiver compared to himself. At the end of the day, Flame was an inferno, only cooling down once he burnt out.
But burning out meant hurt. It meant feeling the coldness of the server, the other players words, touch, existence.
Flame kept burning.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The blaze hopped up from where he organised his chest, staring at the player that just broke through his roof.
The familiar figure stood casually, ignoring Flames grip around his sword as their tail dragged lazily back and forth.
Wemmbu.
“Oh, what’s up man.” The demons skin had a shine to it. Considering his armour was scary light for a consistent fighter, the heat must have affected him greatly.
After all, Wemmbu wasn’t built for the warmth. Growing up he avoided the nether, preferring living in the north, staying for months at a time in the freezing end. The demon was built for the cold.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing.” Flame repeated, brows furrowed underneath his blindfold, his stance remaining tense.
Wemmbu stepped closer, poorly attempting to hide his heavier breath. “Just passing by,” the demon kept a sly smirk plastered on his face like usual, though less energy was visible in his eyes. “Egg gave me cords to this beach-lake place he wanted me to meet me at.”
As the blazes initial shock washed away, it was replaced with the usual annoyance he felt seing Wemmbu’s face. “And you broke into my base, why?”
“Cause you’re coming with?” Wemmbu had the audacity to pretend it was obvious.
“Hell no!” Flame took a huge step back, his grip tightening around his sword.
Before he even had time to process it, Wemmbu was grabbing his arm and quite literally dragging him out his base.
Flame accepted defeat.
He would just sneak away once the demon got inevitably distracted.
Wemmbu paused in his tracks, giving Flame a cruel smirk. “ASHEN!!!” The dog raised from wherever he had been sleeping, happily padding over to the two players, tail wagging unnecessarily fast. “Now we can leave.”
————-
After getting dragged across the world for what felt like an hour, Flame finally spotted the stretch of sand, sitting peacefully in front of the harsher waters.
The breeze felt stronger as they approached the beach and a familiar crunching sound was heard once he finally stepped on the sand. It reminded him of bones getting crushed.
Ashen ran ahead, locked onto the angel sitting cross legged on a stone, book in hand.
Egg squealed, surprised as the heavy weight of the dog pushed into his side without warning.
Wemmbu waved lazily at the angel, who finally had noticed them. “Yo, I brought company!” The demon had a growing smile on his face.
“FlameFrags?” Egg noted, hesitance hidden in his tone. His hand stroke through the canines fur, as Ashen finally settled down next to him.
“Uh, yeah.” Flame kept a few feet behind Wemmbu, trusting Egg’s, ‘Ashen experience’. “Hey, Egg.”
The angel looked at the blaze, his eyes resting on him cautiously. After a moment he tilted his eye slightly, somehow portraying a smile. “Hello.”
The singular second of silence was broken by a complaining groan from the demon. “Dude, it’s too hot out!”
“Maybe if you didn’t walk the long way through Flame’s base you’d be here sooner.” Egg suggested, turning his eye toward his book again, the feathers covering his wings ruffled gently in the breeze.
Wemmbu crossed his arms. “Oh shut up.” His tail lashed to the side, the motion playfull. “If i didn’t, you would be without your little ‘emotional support wolf’ over there.”
Flame sighed heavy. “Yeah, so that’s my dog.”
He was kindly ignored.
The blaze took a couple steps closer, not bothered by the scorching hot, well cooked sand as he sat down.
The view was nice. The waves dragged back and forth, an oddly calming movement even when Flame wasn’t used to it.
He watched Wemmbu crouch down, untying his boots with an uncommon amount of struggle for his big age. The demon pulled his pants legs up to his knees, leaving his socks stuffed in the boots.
The purple figure looked at water before giving him glance, a silent invitation.
Flame shook his head. “I hate water.”
Wemmbu rolled his eyes, grabbing Flame’s wrist again, dragging him up from the sand.
For once, the blaze willingly followed the other, the few steps towards the shore.
Wemmbu dropped his wrist as his feet touched the water. The water didn’t even cover the soles of Flame’s boots yet, he suspected it was intentional.
A smirk grew on the demons face again as he stepped further into the water, leaving Flame to watch. He stared at the sand floor, not caring as his sleeves got soaked when he dipped his whole arm in, grabbing multiple flat rocks.
“You know how to skip rocks, right?” Wemmbu asked as he made his way back to land.
Flame raised an eyebrow, trying not to cringe at the other’s dripping sleve. (Seriously, how was that not a sensory nightmare?) “skipping what?”
“Skipping rocks.” Wemmbu didn’t leave the water completely, but came close enough to hand the blaze a couple of the rocks. “Here, let me show you.”
It didn’t take long for Flame to get the whole gist of it, and within a couple of tries the rock bounced on the lake’s surface a couple of times before sinking down under again.
The blaze watched Wemmbu somehow managing to bounce the rock 6 times in a row. Wow, he really needed to up his game. “I thought you preferred the cold, how do you have this much beach experience.”
Wemmbu offered Flame the last rock he was holding. “Funny story actually.” The demons tail brushed back and forth, barely touching the water’s surface. “Some years back Egg convinced me to take him like, really far north.”
“Oh?” Flame miserably failed his rock throw, and watched it sink to the bottom of the lake.
“So, pretty much i got heatstroke and Egg brought me to a nearby lake since apparently it’s colder by waters.” The demon shrugged. “It kinda just became a thing after that.”
Flame sighed. “I don’t know what i expected.”
——————-
Of course Egg was hesitant seeing Flame at first.
He didn’t have a lot of personal history with the guy, but he kinda had an unfriendly history with best friend.
The sound of Flame suddenly challenging Wemmbu to a rock skipping competition despite his 8 minutes of prior experience sounded almost faint as Egg’s eye took in the words on the page.
He had read this book before. Multiple times actually. But he didn’t mind, the writing was well done and the characters well written.
His hand brushed through Ashen’s fur repetitively, the motion soothing for both.
He didn’t get a single moment of preparation before getting water splashed directly at his eye.
He glared at the now laughing players, instinctively covering his book with his wings when Wemmbu came in for another attack.
“Keep your stupid water to yourself, gremlin!” The angel hissed. Ashen barely lifted his head before deciding not to care.
And as much as he was pissed about the situation, he couldn’t bring himself to be mad.
He didn’t hate water, and he definitely didn’t hate the sound of the two players laughing together.
He closed his book, setting it to the side as he hopped up from the rock, making a run for the water.
Wemmbu didn’t get a second of preparation before getting absolutely dunked.
Egg watched proudly as his friend sat up angrily, looking like a wet, angry cat as he got back on his feet, shooting Flame a disgusting look as the blaze folded over with laughter.
“You disgust me, Egg, how could you do this?!” Wemmbu growled, his voice clear of any real anger.
Egg smiled, flexing his wings. “It was a necessary precaution.”
———————-
The time passed quicker then Flame realised.
The sun was slowly dragging down, leaving cold shades behind the rocks.
He pulled the last petal out of the flower he was dissecting, leaving his lap covered in small, white leaflets.
He ignored Wemmbu’s tail hitting the side of his leg as the demon stared boringly at water from the tiny cliff they had climbed, declaring the end of the stretch of sand.
The now colder wind brushed against his face, sending a light shiver down his back. It was a comfortable kind of cool that didn’t reach to his bones, rather hugged the surface of his skin.
He perked up at Wemmbu’s voice. “Thanks for coming by the way.” The demon leaned back, resting his weight on his hands. “I was debating not forcing you here.”
Flame took a second to answer. “Nah, i should thank you.” The blaze could hear the tone in his own voice, unsurprised at the lack of harshness.
A heavy sigh escaped his chest. As much as he dreaded the walk home he allowed it to get muffled by the moment.
The sun was almost gone now, only leaving a harsh cold breeze behind it.
Most players would be inside by now, hiding away from the cold shades the sun had left.
But not Flame.
For he sat on a cliff by a beach.
He would be bothered by the coldness he felt vulnerable to.
But the figure next to him shaded most of it.
————————
“Get the hell off my book.”
Ashen gave the angel a lazy growl, not moving an inch.
“I literally was gone for like 10 minutes, this is so unnecessary.”
He received an unimpressed stare.