Chapter Text
Many times did Tommy think that maybe if only, they’d had decided to surrender after Eret’s betrayal, or really at any point, that maybe..maybe none of this would’ve happened.
None of the betrayals, wars, exiles.. None of that.
He’d thought that a lot, especially in exile.
In fact, Eret, in general, was somebody he thought of a lot.
They were so kind. So understanding. So forgiving and accepting.
It was weird to think she was the person who led them all to their first deaths on the server. And despite apologizing so sincerely so many times, Eret continues to feel bad about it.
He forgives others so easily but refuses to do the same for himself.
And that made Tommy upset, so he decided to do something about it in the only way he knew how.
As Eret walked over to the hole that used to be L’manberg, she wasn’t surprised when she saw a few of the original L’manbergians (which, admittedly, was just Tubbo and Tommy) admiring what used to be.
He watched from a distance. It’d be rude to go over there considering what he did to them, he thought. That plan was quickly discarded though, as Tommy had spotted him not long after Eret arrived.
“ERET!!” He signed for them to come over. They walked over, standing beside Tommy. Tubbo, who was sitting on the other side of Tommy, murmured a small ‘ hi ’ to them, which they responded to with their own greeting. “Weird, innit?” Tommy said after a bit of silence.
“Hm?” She prompted. Tommy simply gestured to L’manberg. “Oh..yeah, I guess it is..”
“Oh, god damnit, stop thinking so hard, Eret!” Tubbo shouted, reading Eret’s expressions a little too easily. “You were a part of L’manberg too just as much as us. You get to miss it the same.”
“If you say so, Tubbo..” Eret mumbled.
Coincidentally, Philza Minecraft, the person who helped end it all, had shown up at that moment. Maybe it was his way of saying sorry or maybe he just needed a new project to focus on, but whatever it was, Philza, for the last couple of weeks, had started cleaning up around L’manberg. Getting rid of the glass covering, rebuilding some of the buildings that stayed mostly intact, fixing up the obsidian grid, and helping nature reclaim this area of the SMP again.
Upon realizing it was Philza who arrived, the duo groaned. “Maybe we should get out of here..” Tommy suggested, getting up and offering his hand to Tubbo, which he accepted. “C’mon, Eret, let’s go.” They started walking off, towards Tommy’s house.
Once they arrived, Eret asked what he'd been meaning to ask, “Hey, Tommy, can I borrow you for a second?”
“Oh, uh, sure!” He turned to Tubbo, “You’ll be okay for a few minutes, right?” Tubbo hummed in agreement before waving. “Alright, bossman, where we off to?”
“Just my castle, not too far.” She stated, starting to walk in the direction of said location.
Tommy had followed Eret into their throne room, which was more empty than Tommy thought it'd be if he were being honest. Eret told him to wait there as he headed off into the back door, to grab what they needed.
Once she came back, she held a purple, blueish-ish flower in her hands. And, now, Tommy wasn’t stupid. He knew what was about to happen, but still what Eret did next, surprised him.
“Tommy. I.. I wanted to give these flowers to you. I know how much you adore them. Heck, I was one of the first people to give you supplies for them, but that’s besides the point,” Eret handed him a potted plant. It was white, probably made of glass, and had Eret's signature on it. “Purple Hyacinths.”
Oh.
“ I’m sorry, please forgive me. ” Tommy mumbled. “That’s what they mean..”
“Yes. I truly am sorry, Tommy. For everything.”
“But..you’ve already apologized, Eret... I don’t understand!” Tommy set the plant down near a table. “You keep doing this. I’ve forgiven you!”
"I know.." Eret ducked his head, looking at the floor, ashamed. “I know..I just.. I feel so bad..” They spoke softly and truthfully.
“Eret.” He looked back up. “The only person that you have left to forgive is yourself.” Tommy smiled and Eret smiled back, solemnly, yes, but still. “And..I also have a gift..if you don’t mind."
“Oh no, no! Go ahead. The Enderchest is over there if you need it.” Eret pointed to it. Tommy walked over to it, grabbing the bouquet of, also, purple flowers.
“Hydrangeas,” Tommy said, handing them to Eret. “They mean a lot of different things, especially depending on the color, but mostly I just thought they looked pretty.”
They laughed. “Of course, of course! Thank you, they’re lovely.”
“Listen, Eret, what I said, on the day when I set off for The Final Disc War, I meant it. You are the true king of the SMP.” Tommy paused, looking around. He caught the sights of Eret’s crown, discarded next to the throne. He quickly ran over, grabbed it, and ran back to where she was stood. “The best king.” Tommy beamed, placing the crown on Eret's head; and Eret smiled back.
They both respectfully grabbed their gifts, Eret put on their red cloak for the first time in months, and they both headed out. Heading back to Tommy’s house to celebrate something that once was.
“Happy Independence Day, Eret.”
“Happy Independence Day, Tommy.”