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.

"While I don't doubt your words, let's not test that theory. I wouldn't want to get hurt too badly," Sam said after his laughter had calmed down enough. Sam looked over Tommy, and the blonde could feel the other's gaze burning into the bandages across his body. Tommy's fingers twitched with anxiety, though he didn't know why. What if Sam asked about them? Tommy knew that he was supposed to lie. His mind had already provided him with a plausible excuse. Tommy didn't want to lie to Sam, though, and he didn't know why. Sam hadn't done anything that proved Tommy could trust him. Plus, even if Sam was physically buff, there was no way he could take on Clay. Not like Clay needed to be taken down. Clay wasn't bad. Tommy was the one that was misunderstanding the situation. Tommy took a deep breath as he began petting Fran again. That made him feel better. Especially when Sam decided on what he wanted to say. "I wouldn't want to accidentally injure you more than you already are."

"I'm fine, asshole. If you say shit like that again, I'll fucking steal your dog," Tommy said, looking away from Sam. The greenette didn't say anything as he whistled. Fran opened her eyes slowly. Tommy could have swore that he heard Fran sigh. She leaped down from Tommy's lap onto the ground. Sam rubbed her ear. Sam stood back up on his feet. Sam smiled at Tommy, carding a hand through the blonde's hair. Tommy swatted the hand away before he had a chance to find comfort in it.

"I hope to see you again, Tommy. If you come earlier in the night to cafe, I'll be the one at the cashier. If that doesn't convince you to come, you'll be delighted to know that Fran is always with me," Sam said before he continued on his jog with Fran following behind him. Tommy watched them go with a hard look on his face. Sam seemed friendly, looked intimidating, and didn't get upset with Tommy's threats to steal Fran. Tommy didn't like that, but he couldn't make himself dislike Sam. Tommy resigned himself to the fact that he wouldn't be going back to the cafe until he understood Sam.

"Tommy!" Someone called before Tommy could get his communicator back out. He turned around to see that two people were walking towards him. Even from a distance, they were clearly Tubbo and Ranboo. Tommy turned away immediately as if not paying attention to the boys would make them go away. He had managed to avoid them both for the past few days, but he knew that couldn't last for long. Tommy wasn't a person who believed in destiny, but something about the sidekick squad that came together that night at the cafe made Tommy sure they would meet again. Still, Tommy could fight against 'feelings' and fate for as long as could. "How are you, Big Man?"

"Fine," Tommy replied curtly. This didn't deter the two. Tubbo climbed over the bench to sit beside Tommy, and Ranboo walked around to sit on the other side of Tubbo. Tommy stared at them both blankly, hoping they would get the message and go away. They did not understand Tommy's silent prayer. Tubbo began talking about his day after they met at the cafe. Ranboo would speak when he was spoken to, and Tommy found himself interjecting to make corny or inappropriate jokes. Seeing how Tommy integrated himself in the conversation, Ranboo would start to say things while Tubbo was rambling. Tubbo was visibly proud of Ranboo the first time he did it, and Tommy get hit upside the head when he started making fun of Ranboo for it.

When an hour had passed, Tommy had to return to the apartment for his training session with Clay and Drista. Tommy bid the two farewell. As Tommy walked, he was finally able to read the article about Blaze and Nemesis.

Earlier this morning, witnesses report that a battle broke out between the top hero Minotaur and the self-made vigilantes titled Blaze and Nemesis in the alleyways of the Red distract. While we lack any details about how the fight went, it has been confirmed that Minotaur escaped the fight with minor wounds, Blaze had gone missing, and Nemesis left prematurely in the fight. Some witnesses claim that Minotaur had beaten both the vigilantes, and took Blaze to his base while leaving a bleeding out Nemesis. Other witnesses say that Blaze abandoned his partner in the face of justice, and Nemesis made a tactical retreat. We have not confirmed any sources. At this time, Minotaur has made no statements about what has happened. We are not aware if Blaze or Nemesis have appeared elsewhere since the incident or told anyone what happened. Please stay tuned as we attempt to find more information. Thank you for reading. This is Emma signing off from the Smoke news channel and app.

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Yes, I made myself a reporter in this universe. Deal with my self-insert.