Your e/c eyes held a joyful twinkle, watching Tommy splutter in disbelief as his brother gestured him up to the podium.
"Hello everyone." The teenager took a deep breath, others greeting him back, before continuing. "Hello. Well, it looks like we've won. And- and I never thought I'd say this, but even after the hardships, the tyranny that we've been through, after everything, it was meant to be."
Through his sunglasses, Eret's eyes widened and he let out a laugh. "That's my line!"
"It was always meant to be." You smiled, squeezing Wilbur's hand briefly.
"Er, and, Wilbur," Tommy chuckled slightly, "thank you. For making me the president. And- and I know you said I never would be, I couldn't be. And after a bit of thinking, I decided... yeah. I can't be."
A murmur of confusion. A gasp. Your eyebrows raised just slightly.
Tommy continued. "And as much as this is everything to me, as much as this would have been everything - I've still got unfinished business. Because Dream, you've still got those discs."
Dream grinned cheekily, making a motion as if to doff a hat.
"Until I've got those discs back, it's not fair for me to take my place in L'manberg. L'-" the blonde stressed the 'L'- "-L'manberg. So, Wilbur, I know you had your points where we thought you were gonna, y'know, fuckin' blow the whole place up - I know that's just talk now!"
Wilbur laughed and playfully saluted Tommy. The blonde teenager returned the gesture, and chuckled before continuing.
"So, we did this, and there wasn't a single explosion." Tommy had a satisfied look on his face as he surveyed the crowd. "Wilbur? Take your place on the podium. And Dream? This isn't over."
You reassured Wilbur with a simple nod, him then speaking into the microphone. "Alright, I'll keep this brief as possible. Tommy, that was... good of you. And, so, the first thing I'll do is to scrap that flag. It's not our nation anymore."
You cheered, accepting Niki's tight hug amidst Wilbur's words. "Yellow, black, red, white, and blue. That's how it should be. However, I also cannot be your president."
Eyebrow raise count: two.
A soft murmur rose from the crowd, though it died down within a second. Wilbur was always able to control crowds well.
"Techno, you've taught me a lot," Wilbur noted. "You taught me that government isn't the way to go. So, let me hand off the presidency. To say goodbye to my nation... our nation, our L'manberg, and there's only one other person who I want to come up to the stage."
Wilbur smiled, this one seeming to symbolize a final rest. "Let me welcome your next president of L'manberg."
"Y/n L/n."
Your eyes widened, your cheeks flushed red, and your body froze in place as the crowd erupted into chaos around you.
"YEAHHHH! GO Y/N!" Tubbo yelled, waving his hands up erratically.
Your head turned to Tommy next, who gave you a lopsided smile and spoke. "Good job, Y/n. I guess. Women, uh, Primes, I am massive."
A light laugh escaped your lips. Classic Tommy.
Eret grabbed your shoulders, shaking you with his own excitement. "I'm so proud of you!"
"Go on, get up there," Fundy insisted, coming over to nudge you playfully.
"C'mon, Y/n," Wilbur said, leaning into the microphone one last time. "It's your podium now."
-----
It was unusually warm for a December afternoon.
You remained comfortable in your shirt, jacket, and loose [pants/skirt]. Though that could have been because you were in the comfort of your home.
A small set of flower pots sat outside your kitchen window, pale daffodils currently occupying them. The winter breeze filled the room and made it just the right temperature.
The White House had technically been rebuilt, but you never really used it. It was mostly used to shelter people left unhoused in the war's aftermath. The building brought back bad memories, anyways, and you were perfectly content giving it a new use for others.
The country that had formed after Schlatt was certainly much smaller, with people moving both in and out of L'manberg. You preferred it that way. Less to be responsible for, and you could genuinely connect with most of the citizens.
Dream and his crew had withdrawn back to the Dream SMP, though a number of them kept close contact with L'manberg. They called it a purely diplomatic relationship, but you could sense a closer bond between the two countries.
Bad, Skeppy, Sam, and a few others had formed a new country - the Badlands. As much as you were fond of them, you were a bit bitter that Dream allowed their independence so easily. At least the Badlands were
Techno had also backed off slightly, still a bit wary of your plans with becoming president. You shared the sentiment to a certain extent - you definitely didn't want a repeat of Manberg. He was always welcome in your house, though, and he took that welcome to heart.
A loud beeping from the oven broke through your thoughts, and you fumbled to open it. Out came a batch of cookies - your favorite flavor, of course. You took one off the tray, bit into it, and immediately regretted it as the treat burned your mouth.
You hadn't fully sat into your position as president, tending to hide in your home and only come out for important events. It was much easier, and probably more fair, to lead with the help of everyone else - both friends and not.
Speaking of which, your eyes turned to the clock. You were expecting friends at... five minutes ago. It was right then you heard a banging on the door.
You opened the door just in time for Tommy to come barreling in, followed by a sheepish Techno, an exasperated Wilbur, and his amused father, Phil.
"Sorry for being a bit late," Tommy said, removing his jacket and throwing it haphazardly onto the couch. "Techno took a while to convince. No clue why he likes the tundra when he's a fuckin' piglin hybrid."
"It's 'cause he doesn't have to talk with little shits like you," Wilbur said jokingly, making Tommy let out an affronted yell and shove Wilbur.
You laughed, setting the tray of cookies by the couch and shrugging off the jacket you wore. "Now, boys, let's try not to murder anyone today."
Both of them huffed and took cookies begrudgingly. You grinned and let the family take over the conversation. And by family - you meant Wilbur, Tommy, and Phil, with you and Techno adding sarcastic comments every once in a while.
It was later in the afternoon, barely dodging the evening, when the mood grew more somber. All four of your guests excused themselves to prepare for the night's event.
You yourself dressed simply, a black [suit/dress] and plain black shoes. The sun was easing its way off the sky as a large crowd began to form in front of you.
A cough escaped your throat and you turned away for a moment.
"Sorry, everyone," you apologized. "A bit new to this whole speech thing."
Your eyes darted to the floor, trying to form words. You cleared your throat one more time before speaking again.
"It is, at this point, a mutually shared opinion that ex-president J. Schlatt's leadership was not one to be idolized. I believe myself to be a good leader. But I understand there are... conflicting opinions about that.
"I am going to try my absolute hardest to become a leader you can trust. But today isn't just about me. It's about the lives that were lost, in order to build this new future. And in order to better the world for all that follow us."
You held your hands out, beckoning the audience. "So, let's honor them. Let's honor their dream of L'manberg."
A deafening silence hung over the crowd. You swallowed, and gave your brighest smile to the crowd.
"Let's honor what it means to be truly free."
-----
1292 words (without a/n)
Header by @/pavlenko on Unsplash
AGH this chapter is one of my favorite endings <3 and exactly 50 chapters too! i'll be posting a closing notes chapter soon-ish, so i'll see you over there. thank you for joining me on this crazy long ride :)
all the recent support has been lovely. all new readers, commenters, followers... i COULDN'T be more glad for you all. please make sure to take care of yourself. i'll see you soon!
-Partially Human