One Bite Is All It Takes (SBI Zombie AU)

Chapter 15- Found Family

Tommy POV

After a few more days of rest, Sam and Tommy were on the move again. The blonde was desperate to find his friends with no hope in sight. He had to face the facts, he had no clue where they were headed.

They had made their way back towards the river they had been separated at. But any signs of his friends was gone.

After searching for several nights, Tommy felt hopeless.

Staring into the crackling fire, he admitted defeat. "It's no use." he murmured, barely looking at the older. "I'll never find them... I'm sorry I wasted your time."

Sam glanced towards him, surprise written all over his face. He had not been expecting this from the determined blonde. He thought for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "Tommy, we still have a lot of riverbank to cover. Don't give up yet."

Tommy shook his head, moving his ankle into a more comfortable position. "I need to more on... That's the only thing I can do." He could feel his heart shatter at his own words. He would never see Ranboo again... or meet Tubbo. They were gone forever. A lone tear spilled from his eye, but he was quick to wipe it away. "I should have known I was destined to end up alone."

The man huffed beside him. "Alone? What, now I don't exist?" he questioned, amused by how dramatic the blonde was.

"Well you have no reason to stick around. Besides, I'm nothing but a liability to you."

Sam rolled his eyes. What the blonde was suggesting was absurd. "Always thinking of yourself..." His eyes met the teen's. "You really think I want to be alone again?" He went back to mindlessly poking at the fire.

Tommy couldn't believe his ears. Why would he want to continue to have Tommy around? He was one more mouth to feed. One more person to look after. Not to mention, he was an ear sore as he had been told several times before. The solution to all of Sam's problems was to leave. "Sam I-"

"I'm not leaving you Tommy. Forget it." Sam cut him off. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, seemingly fidgeting with something. Tommy had caught him doing the same exact thing on many occasions. He had always been curious, but never bold enough to fulfill his question.

Watching him, Tommy finally blurted out the longed question. "What are you doing?"

Sam spared him a glance, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I was wondering when you would finally ask."

"You knew I would ask?"

"Oh come on, when have you ever bit your tongue? I think you could talk someone's ear off if you really tried." he smirked, finally pulling the object out of his pocket. Tommy's head tilted at the sight of a pair of keyrings. They were small, designed in the shape of music discs. If Tommy squinted hard enough, he could see writing on the edge of them.

"Why... why do you have two of them?" he couldn't stop himself from asking. Regret immediately struck him as soon as he saw the pained look in Sam's eyes. He shouldn't have asked. "Sorry I-"

"No, it's alright." Sam spoke softly, running his thumb along the edge of one of the discs. Taking a deep breath, he readjusted his attention back to Tommy. "One of them is... was my sister's. I held onto it after we parted ways in the hopes that I could return it someday. But that will never happen..." He paused, closing his eyes. "She'll never be herself again."

Even without words, Tommy knew exactly what he meant. It was his greatest fear. To see the blankness in someone's eyes. To know that they are only a shell of what they once were. To know they would never be the same. That's what heartbreak felt like. "I'm sorry." he whispered, unsure of what else he could say.

Sam smiled as an idea popped into his head. "Why don't you take one?" he offered. "They were never meant to be kept together."

Tommy quickly shook his head. "I don't want... I would never dare replace your sister."

"You never could." the man responded, still holding his hand out. "But you can still have it. You're the closest thing I have to a family now." His smile never faltered. The disc laid in his hand, alone and unsettled.

Tommy slowly reached for it, gingerly placing it in his own hand. Somehow it didn't feel wrong. He looked back up at the older, a small smile playing on his lips. "We're family?"

"We're the closest thing to it."

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Sorry it's been like four months...

I swear I haven't forgotten about this book! This is the next one I'm going to focus on!

Hope you liked it!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

-Snowy