Chapter 6

Home Again

Matt and Aaron had been traveling for a while now.

Ever since they stayed the night at that motel, they kept going.

Matt managed to find Aaron some clothes and a face mask to help him blend in with the crowd.

They went to town after town to see if there were any buses that could take them to LA. Sadly, they were unlucky.

After days of traveling, Matt and Aaron found themselves in a neighborhood. Matt couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity looking around.

"Matt?" he heard a voice ask.

He turned around to see a familiar blonde boy wearing a jersey and brown shorts nearby. Next to him were two other guys that Matt also recognized.

"Hey, Aidan, MJ, and Camilo," Matt greeted the blonde, then the other guys. "Long time no see."

"I see you're still a big fantasy nerd," Aidan teased. He turned to his friends. "To think this dude had a crush on me. Don't get me wrong. I'd totally date a boy, just not a weirdo."

"Don't worry," Matt assured. "I'm over it now."

He turned to Aaron with a smirk. Aaron lowered his face mask. The two leaned forward and locked lips. It lasted a long while.

When they were finally done, they walked off without saying a word.

Aidan and his friends stood in silence.

"Uh, I ship them," MJ smiled.

"What just happened?" asked Aidan.

"You just got owned," Camilo replied.

Matt and Aaron kept walking down the neighborhood. As they walked, Matt looked around the neighborhood feeling a sense of nostalgia. Seeing his old adversaries was confirmation enough that he was back in his old hometown.

Aaron noticed the look on Matt's face.

"Have you been here before?" he asked.

"Yeah," Matt replied. "This place was my home before I moved to LA and met the girls. Aidan and those boys made fun of me for being a weirdo. I never really liked my life here, but I can't help but feel a bit… happy, being here again."

Right as Matt finished talking, he saw a house right in front of him. The house he used to live in before the move.

Matt then heard a car pulling up. He and Aaron got out of the way just in time.

The driver parked the car. He climbed out. He saw Matt and Aaron. He adjusted his glasses.

"Matthew?" he asked.

Matt recognized the person immediately. "Mr. Wu?"

Shang walked closer to the two boyfriends.

"What are you doing here?" asked Shang. "How are you here? Who's your friend? Is Marcy with you?"

"My friend here is Aaron," Matt replied. He then paused, as everything that happened flashed before his eyes, including what happened to Marcy. "Marcy isn't with me. Neither are Anne or Sasha."

Before Matt could continue, Shang covered his mouth.

"You two look awful," he said. "Come on. I'll bring you inside and fix you up."

Shang led Matt and Aaron inside. His wife was there in the kitchen.

When Bai saw her husband was home, she walked over to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek. She then saw Matt and Aaron.

"Hey," Matt greeted. "I know what you're thinking. Marcy's not here."

He turned to Aaron and nodded. Aaron removed his face and hood, revealing himself as an anthropomorphic frog. Shang and Bai were very shocked. Bai even passed out.

After Bai woke up, Matt filled her and Shang in on everything that happened in Amphibia…

Well, everything he knew about.

"What about Marcy?" asked Shang. "What happened to her?"

"I don't know exactly everything," Matt replied. He was holding off on mentioning the part where she died. "But she wrote about her journeys in her journal. I read some of it, but I couldn't bring myself to read it all the way."

Matt handed the journal to Marcy's parents.

As they read, Marcy's parents couldn't help but feel guilty. If it weren't for their idea to move away, Marcy wouldn't have gotten the idea to run away and escape into another world. Once they got to the end, they saw how the last entry was written differently. Matt didn't need to tell them what happened to know their daughter was killed by that evil king.

"This is my fault," Shang cried. "I shouldn't have told her straight away. I should've put more thought before accepting that job offer."

"Please, don't blame yourself," said Matt. "With that logic, it's my fault too."

"What do you mean?" asked Bai.

"I was going through my own troubles with my family," Matt explained. "I also knew about the music box. I also got the idea to run away and take her with me. Even if you didn't accept that job offer, I would've gotten the both of us trapped anyway, and Marcy would still…"

Matt couldn't finish. The memory of seeing his best friend get stabbed was just too painful. He fell to his knees and cried.

Aaron approached Matt and comforted him.

After Matt calmed down, he prepared to leave. The Wus told him to stay.

"Are you sure?" Matt asked. "I don't want to…"

"You won't," Bai assured. "We want to help you get back to your family. We also want to help stop Andrias. Please, for Marcy."

Matt pondered for a bit. After a bit, he made his decision.

"Alright. You can help, for Marcy."

Matt and Aaron waited in the empty bedroom. It was supposed to be Marcy's, but given the circumstances, that room was currently vacant.

Matt was wearing new clothes besides his school uniform and armor. He was wearing a blank white T-shirt and some beige shorts. They were worn out clothes Shang provided for him.

After a bit, Shang came in.

"I called my boss," he explained. "He's given me permission to work online for the next few months, but he wants me back in the office by February. So, are you ready to go?"

Matt nodded. He turned to Aaron, who also nodded. They took hands and walked out of the room.

Right as the four left the house, a shocking sight beheld them.

The robot that attacked Matt and Aaron earlier was back.

"What's going on?" asked Shang.

"Well, this robot attacked me before," Matt explained. "I think Andrias sent it to kill me."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" asked Bai.

"I thought I destroyed it," Matt replied. "Get in the car. I'll hold it off."

"What makes you think that…" Shang was about to ask.

Matt activated his powers. That answered his question. Shang, Bai, and Aaron got in the car and pulled out of the driveway.

Matt charged towards the robot. He prepared to punch the robot.

The robot stretched its arm and wrapped it around Matt. Its tight grip kept Matt from being able to use his powers.

Shang wasn't going to let that happen. He pulled back up. He ran over the robot. This allowed Matt to kick himself free.

Matt hurried into the car. Shang drove away from the house. The robot followed.

Shang drove out of the neighborhood and onto the nearest highway. The robot followed.

Matt looked behind and saw the robot gaining on them. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got towards the back of the minivan.

"Matt, what are you doing?" asked Bai.

Matt didn't answer. "Open the trunk."

"Seriously?" Shang reacted.

"Just trust me!" Matt yelled.

Shang was still unsure about this. He still reluctantly opened the trunk. Matt activated his powers and flew towards the robot. This time, he caught it off guard and punched it in the face. It fell to the floor.

Matt wasn't done this time. He was gonna make sure it was gone this time. He brought out its spear and stabbed it repeatedly. After a while, the eyes shut off. Matt stabbed it a few more times to make sure, then he finally stopped.

Matt finally passed out. Aaron quickly grabbed Matt before any cars could hit him. Aaron got Matt back in the car. Shang got back on the lane. Next stop, LA.

A.N.

This was an interesting chapter to write.

Matt ending up back in his childhood home during his journey was an idea I had for a while. Matt feeling a sense of nostalgia for a home he never really enjoyed was a bit inspired by my own experiences. There are some vacations where I don't enjoy it, but then I think back to it feeling a bit of nostalgia.

The scene with Matt running into his first gay crush was inspired by an Owl House Moringmark comic. If you know, you know.

As I said before, I scrapped the initial plan of having Marcy's parents go to Amphibia, but I'm still going to give Marcy's parents a bigger role than the canon show. Once they reach LA, they'll be staying for a bit and will have a part to play in the All In chapter.

And Matt's Cloak-Bot has been defeated. I intended to make the fight a bit more epic, but I didn't have time. If I'm to end this part on the two-year anniversary of Amphibia's end, then I need to speed up my pace a little.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow, and review.