Hermitcraft Randomness - S7 Oneshots

Never Forgotten

He decided to fly to his half house from the beginning of the season, despite the fact that there was an entire wall missing. It was better than being out here, anyway. He didn't want to be stuck in a shop with the snow blocking the exit, taking into account the snow pouring down faster than ever. He couldn't even access the Nether portal in the Shopping District; it was already halfway under the snow.

Already, the snow was flying into his face and messing with his vision. He could barely see 2 feet in front of him, but he had a vague idea of where his base was. Hopefully he didn't end up stuck in the wilderness, clueless on where to go.

As he flew closer to the general area of his base, he noticed some kind of multicolored glow coming from the space. That was a little strange...but he wasn't complaining, as it helped him find his base.

The snow eased his landing as his elytra closed, and he looked up to see...his entire base decorated with festive, multicolored Christmas lights.

They were everywhere. They were hanging on the walls, dangling from the ceiling, even little light poles poking out of the ground, illuminating the path to the front door. It wasn't just lights, either. There was an entire Christmas tree--though it wasn't decorated yet--he could see inside.

And waiting for him inside, beside box after box of decorations, were the other three members of the nHo.

"Who...?" Doc couldn't process the amount of decorations that were on his house. It looked incredibly tacky, but Beef, Etho, and Bdubs had come together to do all this, which kind of cancelled the feeling out. It was incredible. "Holy crap. I don't even know what to say."

"How about a 'thank you'?" Etho asked, a small smile on his face. "We just spent hours hanging up all of these. You should thank us for our hard work."

Bdubs nudged him scoldingly. "Hey, how would you feel if you came home and saw your entire house covered in tacky Christmas lights?"

"I wasn't the one who decided to go out and make all of those," Etho retorted playfully.

"They look good, alright??"

Beef laughed at the two's easy bantering, then turned to Doc, gesturing to the front door. "Hey. There's a Christmas tree inside that's looking a bit bare right now. Want to help us change that?"

Doc still hadn't gotten over the fact that they had done all of his for him, but he found himself nodding and saying, "Yeah, yeah. Okay."

As he joined the other three by the door, Bdubs noted Doc's chattering teeth. "Geez, you're shivering. Go inside and bundle up before you catch a cold."

"Okay, mother," Doc muttered. He was a bit surprised at the quick retort--he'd forgotten how easy it was to banter with these three.

Beef was already hanging a teal bauble on the tree when Doc walked inside. He handed Bdubs a red one, and Etho a dark blue. He tossed some beads to Doc. "C'mon, guys. We have work to do."

Decorating the tree took an extra hour. They had to restart once, because Doc and Etho placed Bdubs on the top of the tree, proclaiming "He's our star!" The tree had promptly bent over holding up Bdubs's weight, and all the ornaments came crashing down, shattering on impact. They had to start from scratch, but they had all had a good laugh over that. Well, Doc and Etho did.

Once they were done, the group went over to Bdubs's section of the half house, laughing at the view of the lights hanging from Doc's side. Bdubs lit the fireplace, and the four of them gathered around it, warming up from the cold outside and making small talk.

Doc tugged at his bright pink blanket that Beef had gotten for him in his bedroom. He scanned Bdubs's mantel as Beef and Etho argued over podzol and mycelium. There were a few newer photos--Scar, Grian, and Bdubs building the town hall, the Boomers, the Barge Treasure Hunt--but one caught his eye.

The photo had an older frame, whose wood was rotting and a bit splintered at the edges. The glass was a bit foggy. He got up and grabbed the photo, recognizing it from a few years ago.

The details in the photo weren't discernable anymore, but Doc could remember the day clearly. The campfire had been crackling cheerily, and the night sky was unobstructed. Fireflies flew around, illuminating the darkness with their light. In front of the fire, the nHo were gathered around, their arms around each other and big smiles on their faces.

When they had gotten home, they'd all signed the photo with their signatures. Bdubs had written a message in the bottom right:

Don't forget.

That had been the day they promised to never forget their friendship.

"...You kept it all this time?" Doc asked out loud, turning to Bdubs.

Bdubs was confused for a moment, then noticed the photo frame in his hand. "Oh. Yeah, I did. As...well, a reminder, I guess. Even if that night seems a bit bittersweet to me now. I wanted to make sure I never forgot you guys."

Doc sighed, placing the frame gently back on the mantel. "I missed you guys, you know. It just wasn't the same without you."

"I know how you feel," Beef spoke up. "But you realize...we never forgot, right? We just..." He waved his hands around. "...made new friends. Expanded on the friendships we have. But at the core, it's still us. The nHo. We may have new friends, or not talk as much, but I'd never forget you guys. Like I said that night, you guys are my closest friends. I'd hate to lose touch with you all."

"I'm not as good with words as Beef, but yeah," Etho spoke up. "We'd never forget you, you dolt. You're too annoying to be forgotten."

Doc felt a tidal wave of emotions hearing his friends' words. Happiness that they still considered him friends, a bit bittersweet knowing that they would probably never be as close as they used to be, even a tinge of sadness. But, most of all, he felt relieved. They hadn't forgotten. None of them had. That was the thing he'd been the most worried about.

They'd made a promise to never forget. Now, it was a new promise. They'd make sure that friendship was never forgotten.

Doc couldn't hold back a sigh of relief as he sat back down in between Etho and Bdubs. He held his hands in front of the fireplace, enjoying its familiar warmth. Bdubs draped an arm around him easily, pulling him closer for a side hug. After a moment of silence, Doc turned back to the other three with a small smile on his face.

They had a lot to catch up on. A lot to make up for. So they'd better get started.

"Now, tell me. What have you all been up to?"