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When TommyInnit joined the Hermits on HermitCraft he knew his builds wouldn’t be lavish and exciting.
Hands shaking as he made his first mark on the server he grit his teeth and hardened his resolve. It was fine. So what if he left the only home he knew in the DreamSMP? So what if starting back at square one terrified him? He was going to make the most of this. He was going to bring his old loud self back and he was going to thrive.
Making another version of the Prime Path he passionately explained how the simple wooden track was a money making scheme. Walking down it he exclaimed the right music and energy was all they needed to stop people in their tracks and hand their money over with enthusiasm.
It soon became Tommy’s only semblance of peace.
He turned the music up and hyped an audience that could no longer hear him. Comm restricted, he knew he was never going to actually make money. Yelling into the air he knew the Hermits he toured around his build would never really buy into his childish games.
Their smiles were just pleasantries, he told himself. Their banter just facades to hide the conversations they spoke behind him.
Or so he thought.
Heading over to the Prime Path he was shocked to see people using it. And well, people on the DreamSMP used it too but that was only because it was a major road. Tommy had practically forced their participation and never once, as their feet hit the planks did they consider making “Primes” like Tommy did.
No, the path was out of the way. Tommy had made sure to place it a few metres back from an existing path and all things considered the bland colourings of his most prized build was forgettable. Ignorable. Maybe even an eyesore, but Tommy would never accept it being called that.
Hermits were using it though.
Tommy paused as he watched Grian and Mumbo march along only to stop in a fit of laughter. From this distance he could hear the faint sound of music… It couldn’t be.
Tommy rushed forward. His “Prime Music” playing loud and clear as he got closer.
“Oh hey Tommy!” Grian greeted past his wheezing. “I was just showing Mumbo the Prime path. It’s a blast!”
Tommy huffed and exclaimed of course it was awesome as he crossed his arms. Looking between their faces though his mind couldn’t comprehend the joy spilling from them.
“This has got to be the best invention I’ve ever seen!” Mumbo declared, stumbling past his shortness of breath.
Tommy froze. That couldn’t be true…
“Yeah! And wait till Tommy gives you the run down Mumbo! He was doing it even better!”
Grian shuffled over to Tommy’s side as he tried to calm the tears in his eyes from laughter. Tommy blinked as Grian’s arm came to rest on his shoulder.
Uh…
“Come on Thomas!” Grian handed his comm over with the Prime music slowly coming to an end. “Mumbo needs to see this!”
Taking the offered comm uncertainly Tommy switched the music off.
Prime, was he really going to do this?
Mumbo was looking at him with unconcealed hope. It so painfully reminded him of Tubbo…
Alright. Volume going all the way up on Grian’s comm Tommy started the music. He could do this.
“Bois!” Mumbo looked absolutely delighted. “Can I get some Primes?” He shouted beginning to march along. Grabbing Mumbo as he passed he waved his hands and started his rant. “Sub and Prime people! Sub and Prime! Hit the sub button and you’ll see it! I want my Chat absolutely full of Primes!”
Spinning, making motions in the air and talking at the top of his lungs Mumbo followed with enthusiasm.
“Take it away Mumbo!” He yelled.
Mumbo laughed. “I don’t know what I’m doing!”
“Everyone Sub to Mumbo!” Tommy took charge. “He’s the greatest red stone player you’ll ever see! Has the best moustache in town! If you’ve got any Primes left give them to this man! The greatest man in a suit!”
Mumbo laughed, awkwardness setting in at the compliments. Tommy ignored his bashfulness as per his very brand and hyped the air as he got Grian involved.
Grian laughed yelling about Primes and Subs with Tommy as he stumbled along beside him. Reaching the middle of the path Tommy restarted the music and kept going. Grian had an arm looped around Mumbo’s now as their faces went red from all the yelling and laughter. Tommy laughed too feeling elated that someone was joining him on the path.
This is what the path stood for.
When it was first made it was about joking, laughing and having a good time. Yes he had made money back when his comm still had its recording feature, but Dream had disabled it not too long after the wars started.
Tommy only did it now for the memories. The importance for what it stood for.
Getting to the end, Tommy restarted the music in gusto and enthusiastically dragged them to the bell at the end of the path.
“Prime bell!” He yelled.
Hitting it passionately he got the others to join in. Yelling louder about Primes and subs and how cool they were, Grian and Mumbo shouted with just as much gusto. It became a competition of complementing each other and Tommy wheezed when Mumbo lost to Grian.
Pulling away as his stomach hurt, the three of them collapsed onto the grass. Grian couldn’t stop his giggling as Mumbo complained about being light headed.
“Wooh!” Tommy gave one last punch to the air before his hand fell to the ground. “That was amazing!”
The others agreed vehemently. Panting, they chatted about who felt the most pain.
The music died on Grian’s comm and as Tommy moved to turn it off he frowned at the floating comm recording them from a distance.
“Who’s is that?” He asked.
Grian’s conversation paused as he glanced over. “Oh I stole Mumbo’s and got it recording.”
“Hey!” Mumbo patted his suit down indignantly. “Why would you do that?!”
Grian snickered. “Thomas had mine remember? Plus I wanted a video! This was awesome! I wanted to have a recorded memory!”
Tommy didn’t know how to feel about that. At first he thought Grian was going to say he wanted to post it… but, apparently he wanted it for the memory?
Glancing over to the comm, he watched as Grian signalled it over and the small machine landed in his hands. He turned the recording off and immediately went back through it.
Skipping to the good parts Grian zoomed in on Mumbo’s shocked facial expressions. Listening to Grian tease Mumbo over his face, Tommy couldn’t help a huffed laugh.
Grian showed Tommy’s most striking hand movements and then an embarrassing moment were Grian tripped and nearly fell as he laughed so hard.
Tommy’s heart warmed at the video. As it got to the end where they hit the bell he smiled over the distracted elation of his facial expressions.
It had been so long since he’d done something like that…
“I’ll send it to you two.” Grian assured already typing their names in the message box.
Huffing and deleting Mumbo’s name, Grian’s hand shot out for Tommy to give his comm back.
Oh! Right. Tommy checked the screen and smiled as he made no move to turn the volume down. Handing it over he wondered how long it would take for Grian to notice.
Tubbo had always lost his mind when Tommy had done it to him. He would scramble to turn it down then give the boy a hard glare before eventually relenting a smile. It never ceased to make Tommy laugh but soon Tubbo had gotten paranoid about the volume button and Tommy never could quite get his friend with that joke anymore.
Grian typed distractedly then double checked Tommy and his own comm pinged.
“There!”
Tommy opened his screen up and smiled at the freeze frame for the video.
“Thanks big man.” Tommy said pocketing it.
Grian gave him a smile and handed Mumbo’s comm back. Mumbo was quick to check all his settings.
“We should do this again!” Grian declared. “I want the others to join in, they’ve never experienced something like this!” He nudged Mumbo beside him. “Mumbo couldn’t even comprehend what I was saying when I explained it to him.”
“You weren’t making any sense!” Mumbo refuted.
“But you enjoyed it didn’t you?”
Mumbo huffed. “I sure did but Tommy actually knew what he was doing unlike you.”
Grian gasped in mock offence. “Was my demonstration not good enough for you?”
Mumbo locked eyes with Tommy. “He played the music, walked three steps, forgot the words then tried some sort of interpretive dance. I could not tell you what was happening.”
Tommy snorted. That was actually kind of funny.
“I did not!” Grian tried to defend himself.
They chatted right into the evening and as Tommy headed home he thought back on how his path was appreciated this time. Though he would never admit it to another living soul he had been self conscious building something so inferior in comparison to the path not too far away. In the DreamSMP it had fit right into the environment but here Tommy had forced it into a spot it wasn’t needed.
Entering his quaint hillside house, he collapsed on his bed and opened up his comm to watch the video. Analysing Grian and Mumbo’s faces he was relieved there was no hidden glances or silent mockery.
Relationships had gotten rough on the DreamSMP as he left. Wilbur’s paranoia and Dream’s forceful hand had split everyone apart.
Still getting used to the peace of HermitCraft he wondered if they would accept his cobblestone towers next. He wasn’t exactly the best builder but he hoped he could find another use for himself.
Saving the video into his most treasured file of memories he caught sight of Tubbo’s face on one of the freeze frames. Thumb hovering over it uncertainly he pushed his misgivings away and pressed it.
Watching his beloved friend in the darkness of his room, he cried softly under the blue light. Things were looking up.
He had hope.