"You promised you'd never do that!"

"And you promised you'd never leave me!" Tommy's voice cracked, strained from all the useless ticks of sadness.

Tubbo stops, holding his breath.

"You promised... and- and you did- you fucking exiled me!" he yelled, Tubbo's face fell, softening.

"Tommy-"

"No- no, I get it, I do, you had to, but..." his eyes filled with tears, Tubbo's regretful face blurring into a mesh of sad colors in front of him. "...you didn't even visit me, not once." he choked, "I waited for you, every day," tears slide down Tubbos's face as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth.

With the weight of Tommys pain hitting him head-on, he lets his eyes drift shut.

"I know," he whispers, opening them.

Tommy's hands fall limply at his sides,

He loves Tubbo, which he knows. It's a sort of uncontrollable love. He knows he'll never stop loving Tubbo, but even that can't stop the pain and hurt they've caused each other over the years. They know that maybe one day they might leave each other, go their separate ways and let the love beat on empty in their hearts.

Tommy and Tubbo pray that moment isn't now, though they're both feeling it. They have for a while.

"I don't have an excuse, I just- I couldn't see you, not after what I did. honestly, I thought you hated me, I hated me."

Tommy shakes his head gently and tears spill faster.

"Tommy, not a day goes by when I don't regret what I did to you, what I put you through."  He was sobbing now, arms wrapped tightly around himself and he felt himself sinking, "I'm so sorry, I'm- I- it should've been me, I should've helped you, I was awful, I'm so sorry, i- there wa- I'm so-"

Tubbos eyes widened, Tommy had stepped forward and...

hugged him,

wrapped arms around his shaking frame, and rested his head between the crook of Tubbo's shoulder blades.

He sucked in a breath, curling his hands around Tommy's torso.

They held each other so tightly, almost grasping, seeing if that love-coated feeling of friendship was still there, and after everything... it still was, chipped and broken on the outside but still filled to the brim with glowing love.

Tommy brought his hand up, resting them on the back of Tubbo's head.

"It's okay," he whispered. and Tubbo tried to shake his head under the pressure.

"No, it's okay, " Tommy cried, " I forgive you, I'll always forgive you."