Chapter Text
Escaping getting permabanned off the server shouldn’t be a constant to anybody, it’s poor play. But it is for Branzy. Only this time, he was on two hearts and had his base blown and burnt to a crisp by three invisible people in full enchanted netherite armour, who were chasing him for a good couple of hours. By some dumb luck, he escaped certain death. And thank the Aether above for it.
But, it didn’t come with no consequence. He didn’t really have a chance to grab anything while he got jumped, and he died multiple times prior to his escape. So he had next to nothing to his name, and no place to go. Nobody to protect him while he’s at his lowest.
…Nobody to protect him- huh.
An idea struck him.
Rek .
He was the last person Branzy could turn to, he could be his true saviour! …Only issue is, he doesn’t know if Rek has since moved bases from the last time they’ve met there, before his betrayal, before they stopped being allies.
…Branzy doesn’t like thinking about it.
Well, what better way time to apologize than near-death? Worse comes to it, if Rek decides he doesn’t want to help him anymore, it will end very fast–
…He really needs to stop joking about that stuff. He just escaped death, he isn’t going to throw it all away if he talks to Rek. Rek is sweet, he wouldn’t pull something like that off no matter how angry he was. Part of Branzy feels bad that he knows his old friend so well, someone who he ultimately threw away in the heat of the moment.
There’s nothing Branzy regrets more.
The walk to Rek’s base is quiet, void of any conversation the two used to have, void of any happiness left from these memories.
Ah, well. No use dwelling on the past now, he had to keep it moving if he wanted to reach his base before nighttime. Gods, it’d be a horrible surprise if he got there to apologize, only for him to accidentally let a creeper blow up in Rek’s place.
The nerves were really getting to him. Not now, not now . He tried to push his fears away without success. The closer Branzy got, the more scared he was. Not if Rek would do something, Aether no. He was scared of the look on Rek’s face when he saw him. He was scared of Rek yelling at him to get out. He was scared of losing Rek completely, of what he’s done being something irreparable.
Branzy was scared he’d lose Rek again.
He saw the familiar look of the hills and mountains around, with a small, discreet house hidden between ruins and rubble.
Oh, he got there. And better yet, there were torches around, along with some thrown away junk items on the ground.
Someone’s been here recently. Rek has been here recently .
Trying not to spiral, he thought of the best way to approach. Maybe knock? No- no that is too nerve wracking. Message him on the communicator? No, he’d just ghost Branzy or ignore his question completely. What would be the best way to get inside?
Apparently, according to his brain at that given moment, it was through Rek’s bedroom window.
CRACK!
Oh, oh gods. Maybe he was being too loud? Wait that isn’t the issue with this why in the hell did he think that–
“...Branzy?”
The sound of his voice made Branzy’s heart drop. He didn’t realize that between the time that the window was broken and the time it took him to come to his senses, Rek had climbed up the stairs, sword lowered to his side.
“Rek- oh my gods I am so sorry about this, I really need to talk to you–”
“Then go through the front door.” Rek answered, his voice cold and tired. Branzy nodded, awkwardly shuffling outside of the window and jumping down, bucket-clutching so there wouldn’t be an incident. He heard Rek go back down the stairs, and knocked.
And Rek answered.
“You so owe me an explanation for all this.” He paused, “...Come in.” Rek opened the door wider, moving out of the way to let Branzy inside, and locked the door carefully after he was fully out of the way.
Branzy stood there awkwardly, his throat felt like it was burning but he couldn’t let a sound out. It felt wrong to. Rek picked up on that and led him to the living room, going to the kitchen for a couple of minutes after. He came out of it with two cups of tea in hand and handed the purple heart-handled mug to Branzy.
…Raspberry tea. His favourite, made exactly the way he loves it. A sweet gesture, maybe Rek does still care, maybe he has a chance here.
He doesn’t hope on it for too long, he doesn’t want to get happy for nothing.
Branzy takes a sip of his tea, just one sip before–
“Rek- no words can even begin to describe how sorry I am for- for everything I’ve done to you…! I should’ve never betrayed you- I never wanted to! I have never felt as lonely as I did when you left. I spent months trying to build up the courage to try and make things up to you but nothing, nothing…! I don’t want to imagine how bad it must’ve felt for you. I don’t expect you to forgive me or even believe me but if I had to take back anything I’ve ever done on this server, it’d be this. I am so, so sorry Rek.”
…Before the word-vomit comes out.
Well, at least it was over now.
Branzy’s hands were shaking, yet still carefully and tightly holding onto the mug so as to not spill anything or worse, drop it.
He couldn’t look Rek in the eye. He tried, and he did a couple of times throughout his frantic apology, but no more than a half-second glance.
The silence, the silence he now has to sit in ate him from the inside. That was the worst part of it all. It’d be less bad hearing Rek yell at him to leave, tell him that he could never forgive him, tell him something, anything . Waiting felt like eternity.
Then, sound.
Rek placed his mug on the table with a small clink! before he grabbed Branzy’s out of his hands, carefully placing it on the table next to his. Rek wasted no time wrapping his arms around Branzy tightly, holding him close to his chest. Hugging his old– no, hugging his friend in the most comforting way he could.
And Branzy hugged back after his initial shock. His vision was getting cloudy with tears streaming down his face. He was sobbing before he ever realized the first tear had left his eyes.
“...I forgive you, dork.”
The two sat in now comforting silence, holding each other closely, a sign of unspoken ‘never again, never again will I ever leave you.’