In the Shadows We Fight (for justice and ourselves)

What are you feeling?

Tommy was sitting in the park. He was sitting on the bench that he had claimed for his own that was situated on a small cliff that overlooked the meadows. Behind him was an old tree with long branches that provided shade from the sun at most times of day. He had taken a shower, changing into clean clothes that actually fit him. His arm was still in a bandage, but so was his opposite hand, torso, and his ankle. Tommy didn't pay much attention to his wounds as he scrolled through a news app on his communicator. There wasn't anything that immediately caught his attention. It was mostly articles about how Dream or Schlatt was a blessing or curse for L'Manberg. Truly, those two were the only ones that people cared about. Tommy saw an article that had fuzzy picture that looked somewhat like the hero Combust and the vigilante Prescient. Most of the comments claimed it was photoshop, though, so Tommy didn't stay too long. Tommy reached an article about Nemesis and Blaze, two vigilantes that absolutely hated him, but he couldn't read the rest of the title. A dog had started barking at him.

Tommy looked up to see a dog the size of a golden retriever staring up at him with snow-white, wavy hair. Tommy sat his communicator of the bench beside him. He raised his hand out towards the dog. Tommy felt the animal smell his palm before she stood on her feet. The dog walked forwards to force Tommy's hand into petting her. Tommy chuckled as he brought his other hand up to rub both sides of the dog's face. She jumped onto the bench, laying down beside Tommy with her head in his lap. Tommy continued running his fingers through her hair, wondering how likely it would be that Clay would let him keep a pet. It would be nice to have something that was simply kind without any malicious intentions in their apartment.

"Fran! Oh my goodness, there you are!" Someone said, running over to Tommy and the dog. Fran looked behind her to see the man before settling back down. Tommy kept his gaze on the man. Tommy had seen many hybrids in his lifetime, but this was his first time meeting a creeper hybrid. It was easy to tell the man was part creeper. He had stunning green hair with sulphur yellow eyes. Even though he had tanned skin, he had green, square-shaped freckles on the bridge of his nose down to his cheeks. He had the faint smell of gunpowder around him. Another thing Tommy immediately noticed was how muscular this guy was. The man was wearing an athletic purple shirt with short sleeves that was tight enough to show off his abs, and his arms were made of nothing but muscle. He wasn't even the big, bulky type of muscular, either. He was that just right mixture that Tommy had never seen anyone master before. "Sorry about my dog. Fran can be overly friendly sometimes to people she likes."

"Damn, you have an owner that could beat me up if I stole you," Tommy said to Fran. He must not have been quiet because he heard the man start laughing. Tommy glared at him as he kept petting Fran. The dog merely yawned at Tommy's words and Sam's chuckling.

"I wouldn't beat up a child. I wouldn't let you take Fran, though," The man said, leaning down onto one of his knees to run his hand across Fran's back. Tommy felt the dog completely relax beneath him. Tommy frowned. If Fran liked the man that much, she wouldn't help Tommy take her home. Tommy supposed it was for the best. Clay and Drista probably wouldn't want a pet. They had never talked about it, and Tommy wasn't in the mood for the two of them to lecture him all the reasons why having a pet would be bad. "I recognize you. You were one of the kids at the cafe the other day. My name is Sam. I own the place."

"I'm Tommy, and I'm not a fucking child. I could take you in fight. I'm a Big Man, and you are a little one," Tommy said with narrowed eyes at the man. Unexpectedly, Sam laughed instead of getting upset with Tommy. Sam was way too odd for Tommy to handle alone. He needed back-up, but Fran was already asleep in his lap.