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Part Twenty-Three

  
   "Saaaaam," A voice protruded through his ears, despite his world being a black pit. "Sam Sam Sam Sam Sam S-"

   "Just let him sleep."

   "I'm not asleep," Sam grumbled, peeling his eyes open to face Elijah. His back was resting against the curve of Leo's stomach, sitting on his lap and curled up to get as comfortable as possible. With Leo fiddling with his tail, and the soft breaths blowing in and out, it might've been easy for Sam to fall asleep in his position. However, with the current situation at hand, he was in no condition to fall victim to unconsciousness.

   He wouldn't rest until Skip was home and in his sight again. That much was made clear from the minute they hung up the phone.

   "...you look stressed," Eli remarked, leaning down to give Sam a quick evaluation. "Skip will be fine. He shouldn't be much longer."

   "I know," Sam whispered. He couldn't help but worry regardless of whether Skip was okay or not. There lay a problem in the future of what to do about Jamie now that Skip threatened him, told him the truth, and left with no more explanation. Jamie was bound to get suspicious at some point, and that might lead to even more danger soon. "What are we gonna do when Jamie starts sticking his nose in things?"

   "Just play it by ear," Leo spoke up, reaching the finger that was previously occupied by Sam's tail to poke him in the side. "I think that's how we handle things best around here."

   "Well, I'm bored. I'm gonna get some breakfast if anyone wants to join me," Eli announced, swinging his legs over the bed and hopping off with incredible agility. Sam stood with wobbly legs on the blanket covering Leo's lap, holding out his arms just in time for Leo to steady them with a single finger.

   "Do you want something to eat?"

   "I'm okay," Sam replied, his stomach far too upset to be eating extra in the morning. Ever since the throw up incident, Sam tried his best to regulate his normal diet, sticking with his usual intake of food and remembering not to take extra when it was offered. Doing so in such a quick amount of time would not end well, though he was always sure to share his appreciation to his friends for being thought of in the first place. "You can eat if you want to."

   "Nah," Leo grinned down at him, holding his palm flat for Sam to climb on. "I'm gonna wait for Skip."

   The two of them followed in Elijah's footsteps to the kitchen, watching him make a bowl of pancakes from whatever ingredients were left in Leo's cabinets, before getting bored and relocating to the living room for a better area to relax in. Leo set up a pillow right beside him, placing his palm down for Sam to crawl off, and getting comfortable on the couch.

   Sam was ashamed to admit he immediately missed the warmth that Leo always seemed to have on hand. The second he hit the pillow, the draft from the vents above shocked him into a mess of curled up skin and bones, and his tail wrapped around for extra heat. Just as he was about to say something, Elijah interrupted from the kitchen and called Leo forth to figure out how to use the oven, leaving Sam by himself, desperately wishing his friends would come back.

   He didn't notice until now, but he was relying on the humans more and more everyday. Borrowing seemed to be a thing of the past now that everything was handed to him, and Sam wasn't quite sure how he felt about it. Sure, the humans were the best thing to ever happen to him, and sure, he was content being with Leo until his dying days, but everything was going so fast. His friends hadn't even known about him for a week.

   Were they getting too used to having Sam follow around like a lost puppy? Did they expect him to obey after the past three days of building a strong friendship? Was he no longer able to fend for himself?