A Happier Place

Chapter 6: Friends

TW/CW: Mentions of blood, violence, fighting, death, injuries...

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The ride home was quick and quiet. Michael had his face buried in Tommy's chest as he steered Clementine and Shroud was clinging to his back, head buried between his shoulder blades. Both places where their heads were buried was soaked with tears, but Tommy didn't mind. He just wanted his boys to be ok.

Pulling up to the house, Tommy could see a group of people standing around his house, Neddy being the first one to turn around and greet him home.

"Hey Tommy! I figured you weren't home considering you were taking a while to answer the door," Neddy said.

"Yeah, I was picking up the kids," Tommy said, climbing down from the horse and then taking both boys and setting them on the ground.

"You have told me about the school schedule before. I should've remembered that this is the time when you are usually just returning," Neddy responded.

The instant Shroud touched the ground, he raced to Neddy and climbed the man's leg. Neddy affectionately opened his arms for the spider hybrid to crawl into, having gotten over his fear of spiders with the help of the family of three. Now the two were the bestest of friends.

"What's wrong buddy," Neddy asked the small child who was starting to sob into his shoulder.

"People are mean," came the muffled reply.

Neddy looked over at Tommy questioningly and Tommy just shook his head.

"I'm not taking them back either," Tommy just said before asking a question.

"Who do you have here, Neddy?"

"Oh! These people came into the village about an hour ago asking around for you. They said that you went missing after a huge war broke out in the original place that you were living in, and someone had said that you had successfully made it out, not dead," Neddy said, moving out of the way so Tommy could look at the group better.

When he realized who he was looking at, a smile broke out across his face and tears began flowing slowly. He immediately lunged their way and brought as many of them as he could into a hug.

He got Freddie and Eryn into his arms while an arm of Billzo's got stuck in the interaction and Aimsey had to join the hug herself, hugging onto Tommy's back. 

"Hey friend! Hey man," Eryn said, hugging back.

"Hey Tommy," Freddie said, wrapping his arms around Billzo, Eryn and Tommy to bring them closer.

"Hey Tom," Aimsey said into Tommy's back.

"Let go of my arm!!!" Billzo shouted, starting to freak out before Freddie pulled him closer into the hug. He just sighed, accepting the fate he'd found himself receiving.

"Ah!" Tommy shakily breathed out with happiness and excitement. "How have you guys been doing?!" he then asked, not letting go of the shirts that he was currently holding on to.

"We've been doing ok. Just looking for you," Eryn answered.

"Yep. Maybe just a little tired, but we are really happy to have found you," Aimsey added in.

"Yeah. Completely fine. Just gonna ignore the fact that there was a war that we had to get through before traveling over a long ass distance. Totally great," Billzo sassily and grumpily contributed, arms crossed while he rolled his eyes.

Tommy's eyes widen before he scooped Shroud out of Neddy's arms and waved goodbye to the blonde. He then picked up Michael and climbed the stairs to the porch. He turned to the group as he opened the door to the house.