You're My Chase

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tommy 3rd Person POV:

The next morning, Tommy softly awoke, yawning widely and blinking his eyes. When he glanced over and sleepily grabbed his phone, turning it on, his eyes widened.

"What the heck? How is it twelve in the afternoon?" he asked himself, looking around the room. The door was still closed shut and he could hear the minute sounds of his family walking around inside the kitchen or whatever. His small apartment was cramped with them all in, which is why they got another apartment room, but they liked to hang out at Tommy's place for some reason. "And they didn't wake me up?"

With a soft groan, he slipped out of his bed and sat against it, rubbing his eyes. After Purpled had left, he had been too excited to sleep, thinking about everything that had happened during the past few days, and of how soft Purpled was against him. Plus he was eager to think about what the other's thought of the book he had found. He didn't know if any of them would have a solution to it or not, or another clue that would help them figure out who wrote it.

With another yawn, Tommy got up and made his way to the bathroom, rubbing his eyes while. After he quickly brushed his teeth and fixed his hair, he shrugged into a new set of clothes and, feeling refreshed, walked out of his room.

Wilbur smiled down at him, expertly flipping hot dogs from the stove while they sizzled. The smell made Tommy's stomach pinch and rumble, and he realized just how hungry he was after not eating in a long while. "Morning, sleepyhead. Nothing ever changes, does it?"

Walking up, Tommy ran his hand through Wilbur's messy but stylish hair, grinning when his older brother protested and smacked his hand out of the way. "Nope."

"Oh, knock it off, mates," Dadza said, walking into the kitchen and holding Tommy close with a hug. Tommy sank into it, smiling, relieved that he finally was with his family again. "How are you?" he asked gently.

"Better," he answered, grinning. "Better by a million."

Philza sighed, and Tommy could feel his anxiety slipping out with that one breath. "That's good," he replied, finally letting go of him. "I'm sorry you got stuck in there."

"It wasn't your fault." When Wilbur placed a toasted bun down and stuck a hot dog on top, Tommy snatched it and ran to the fridge, taking out a bottle of ketchup. "Mine now, prick."

Wilbur just rolled his eyes fondly and fixed another one. "They do happen to be for eating, although you could have asked nicely."

"Not in my dictionary," he replied, squeezing some of the ketchup onto the hotdog and taking a bite into it. The flavors burst into his mouth, almost making him melt from the juicy texture of delectable meat. Never before had he realized just how good a singular hot dog can be, and he groaned.

"Don't eat it too fast," Dadza warned, taking a plate of his own. "From what Punz said, you should have been still eating things like yogurts. Eating it too quickly will upset your stomach."

He frowned and held up his hot dog. "What, this? But it tastes heavenly!"

From the other room, a snort was heard, and Techno peeked his head out. "If that's heavenly, I've got news for you, mate. It came from a processed place where they do weird things to the meat. Welcome back to the living, by the way. It was quiet without you."

Tommy rolled his eyes and took another bite, not believing a word of Technos' superstitions, this time making sure to savor the food for a little longer before swallowing. "Hello to you too. Did you miss me?"

Strolling up to take two hot dog buns, Techno shook his head, his long pink hair floating around his face. "You know I enjoy a time of peace and relaxation. Or did you forget that during your time in the library?"