A Happier Place

Chapter 2: Housebuilding

TW/CW: Phobia

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Tommy had been busy. He'd been building the three of them a house and a farm to supply them with the things they needed. While he had been doing this, he also had the task of watching the two. Michael came with the challenges of a growing toddler and Shroud came with the challenges of being a spider and being able to climb literally anything.

He had taken Ebony up on their offer a couple times, having them come over to the work in progress house and farm and watching the two mischief makers. Otherwise, he didn't want to bother them too much. They had the shop to run with Bob.

One day, as he was nailing down the shingles to the roof, the final piece on the little rustic farmhouse, someone came over to see what was going on.

Tommy had a sleeping Michael strapped to his back while Shroud was crawling around on the roof nearby.

"Who the heck are you and what the heck are you doing?!" a man maybe a few years older than Tommy shouted up at him.

"What does it look like I'm doing!?" Tommy shouted down at him.

"My name is Neddy! Do you need any help?" Neddy called up to him.

"No! I've pretty much finished it all!" Tommy called back down, quickly catching a hold of Shroud who was about to topple off the edge of the roof, the tiny child giggling in delight at hanging upside down.

Neddy watched as Tommy climbed down a ladder with Shroud attached to his front in a spider like fashion and Michael hanging off Tommy's back as he woke up.

"Hello! My name is Tommy," Tommy introduced as soon as he was standing in front of Neddy, his hand stuck out.

Neddy took his hand slowly and shook it, eyeing the baby spider who was staring him down and the baby piglin who was now staring over Tommy's shoulder.

"So... You're moving in?" Neddy asked.

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious," Tommy said, messing with the black locks of hair covering Shroud's head.

"Well, I mean.... Nobody moves here. Unless you're a villager whose village was pillaged, or you're just a fool like me and Ebony. We are the only two who live in town. Or... we were," Neddy said.

"Oh, you know Ebony?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, and you do too?" Neddy responded.

"Yeah, they were the first person I met when I got here," Tommy said, setting Shroud down in the grass at his feet. The spider instantly crawled to Neddy, making his way up the man's leg, the older blond beginning to panic.

"Are you and Ebony friends?" Tommy asked, watching the panicking man.

"No. They say I'm not cool enough and that I'm kind of a loser. Can you take him off my leg?" Neddy asked nervously, pointing down at the child who was now clung to his leg and staring up at Tommy.

"Naw, he won't hurt ya," Tommy said, waving off Neddy's plea.

Neddy looked down at the child who looked up at him and he swore he saw an evil glint in its eyes.

"Ah- Man- I don't know- I think you really need to get him off my leg!" Neddy said, rapidly looking from Tommy back to the child and back again. Michael was just watching blankly from his pouch.

Shroud answered the man's panic with climbing higher, making the man squeal. Tommy finally took this as his cue to remove the child from the poor man.

Tommy scooped Shroud into his arms, the child giggling happily.

Neddy quickly stepped back from the three, relieved to have the spider off of him.

"Well, it was nice meeting you guys! Welcome to the neighborhood! See you around!" and with that, Neddy was speeding away.

Tommy chuckled, taking his two children inside for the night as the sun was starting to set.