Thomas would find himself jolted from his sleep again. It was the same nightmare that always played out. The 'battle' in Saffron City all those years ago, where he was forced to fight his first Pokemon, only to have it killed right in front of him. Sometimes, the shadowy figure would mock him on different things, but it all ended the same, with Thomas being powerless to stop him as he just walked out.

Thomas would put on a pair of slip-on sneakers, and a robe over his pajama pants and t-shirt, before going to start a pot of coffee in the kitchen. After grinding down the beans he normally used, placing them in the filter, pouring the water into the reservoir, he would place the emptied pot on the hot plate, and allow the brew to slowly fill it as he went to the balcony.

Pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his robe, as well as a lighter, Thomas would light one cigarette, before leaning against the balcony rail with his arms. Taking in the familiar taste of the cigarette, Thomas would reflect on the recurring nightmare. Even after all he had done to become stronger, it simply wasn't enough. If he ever encountered the person who killed Shadow, would they still eclipse him like they did all those years ago? Now that he was an adult, would they simply opt to kill him, and rob him of his Pokemon?

From the balcony, Thomas would hear the door flying open, but not slamming against the wall. It seemed that Natsuki was finally home. It was another one of those nights that she had wandered out, probably going "home." Problem was, early on, he figured out that she didn't really have a home. She would spend most of her nights bumming off of him, while repaying him by helping him out around the place. He never really confronted her on this fact, for some reason, preferring to slowly observe her, to get whatever information on her he could, to determine what exactly she was.

In any case, Thomas would cut his smoke short, jamming the stick in the seldom-used ash tray to put it out, before leaving it in there for later. Thomas would walk back into the apartment, to see a trail of clothing leading up to the bathroom. Thomas would shake his head. "So sloppy.", he commented quietly, before walking back to the kitchen, to see that the pot of coffee he started up was nearly finished. In the meantime, Thomas would pull out a package of bacon, and a carton of eggs from the fridge.

Pulling off a fresh frying pan from the wall, Thomas would heat it up on the stove, washing his hands before going to open the package of bacon, arranging as many strips as he could along it. He would wait for Natsuki to inevitably come out of the shower. Once she was out, Thomas would call out to her.

"Yo, Natsu, how would you like your eggs?", he'd ask her.

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tags: @rora
notes: Makin' Bacon! a50f0f