♥︎Starry Eyes♥︎ ☠︎︎Motley Crue☠︎︎

sleepover

Mick Mars

I sit down on the couch after grabbing a beer, wanting to watch a car program that is on the T.V. Before I can, the buzzer rings. People can't leave me the fuck alone. I sigh and press the button on the intercom, mentally rolling my eyes in an attempt to make the person downstairs go away.

"Yes?" I ask impatiently.

"Mr. Mars?" it's Caleb, the young man who works at the front desk.

"yeah?"

"A young girl claiming to be your niece is here. She says her name is Marilyn?"

I sigh, rolling my eyes. Why is this kid at my house? And especially late at night! Nikki and Tommy aren't with her, because Caleb would have just let them up here if they were. Confusion clouds my thoughts. Where the fuck are Nikki and Tommy?  Why aren't they with her? I swear if they're doing some dumb shit I will murder them. Did she get here by herself? My house is only a block and a half away from Nikki and Tommy, so its possible. I really don't want to have to take care of a kid today.

"Yeah send her up." I grumble.

"Okay sir." Caleb says, and I wait impatiently.

A couple of seconds later, I hear a faint knock at my door and I swing it open. Mari is standing at my front entrance, shiny tears decorating her small face, and clothes hanging off of her body. She  sees me and seems to somewhat relax, but then starts crying.

"Mari what are you doing here?" I ask, opening the door wider to allow her to come in.

"Tommy and Nikki are scary!" She cries, throwing herself around my leg.

What did those boneheads do?

"Why are they scary?" I ask, prying her from my leg.

It's fucking midnight, this kid should be asleep, not hanging onto my leg. Those bastards better have a good explanation for this bullshit.

"Well...I don't know, Uncle Nikki got a shot, and uncle Tommy was trying to clean the sugar on the table...and then they just started acting....weird and scary." Mari huffs, flopping onto my couch.

Drugs.

Fucking drugs.

Imbeciles. They were supposed to take care of her while Vince is in prison, and boom, 27 hours in and they blew it. I knew they weren't exactly stable enough, and neither am I. They're my friends though, and I wanted to trust them. I know they're good people, I really do, but none of them are exactly skilled to raise a child. Nikki is the actual poster child for daddy issues, and Tommys nose is usually glued to a line of blow.

God lets pray Vince gets out of jail soon.

"Well kid, if you're gonna stay here for tonight, you're going straight to bed." I state authoritatively.

Maris eyes don't move from where she's zeroed in to a bottle of my pills. My heart softens for the kid. She's too young to understand much, much less a crippling bone disease. I don't really want to explain it to her either, but I know she's bound to ask at some point.

Somehow, she is STILL crying. Someone needs to shut this kids tap off. I walk over to where she's sitting on the couch, and plop myself beside her, pulling her into a somewhat awkward hug. I instantly feel her skinny arms wrap around me, and her tears soak my Corvette shirt.

"kid...what's wrong?" I ask, gently patting her back and trying to stop the shaky sobs.

"w-well....I-I just- I just want daddy to..to come home...and T-Tommy an-and Ni-Nikki were fight-fighting." She sobs into my shirt, leaving a trail of tears.

"I'm sure Tommy and Nikki weren't fighting, they play around a lot kid." I try to console her, slowly picking her up and grunting at the pain that spreads through my back.

"M-maybe." She concedes, wiping her snotty nose with the back of her sweater sleeve.

I tuck her into bed in a guest room, watching as her eyes start to close. She's almost asleep, and I'm about to leave, when she suddenly sits up in bed. for fucks sake!

"Mick?" Mari asks me.

"Yes Mari?"

"When's daddy gonna be home?"

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Mari, we don't know yet. Hopefully soon though. Goodnight." I whisper, flicking the light off.

"MICK!" Mari shrieks as I'm about to leave.

"WHAT?!" I yell back, flipping the light on again.

"Can you sing me a bedtime song?" Mari asks, whipping out her signature puppy eyes.

It's impossible to say no to that face, not even Doc can. We've all tried, and we've all failed. Nikki just gives in right away, Vince doesn't put up a fight, Tommy is so chipper she never has to pull out the eyes, and what can I even say except that I just can't say no?

"Kid I can't sing for shit."

"Please Micky?"

"You know what? I'll play guitar for you instead." I concede, reaching into the room to grab a beat up acoustic guitar.

"Yayyyy!" She cheers, sitting up in bed.

I stretch my fingers, which are burning with pain, and make sure the guitar is tuned properly. Mari looks at me the entire time, seemingly fascinated with the guitar and it's workings. I love it when little kids make that face, like you're blowing their tiny little minds. I stop tuning for a couple of moments just to look at her and how much she seems to like the guitar.

"Interested?" I ask, beginning to strum lightly on the guitar trying to play a tune that will get her to sleep.

She nods and scoots closer to me, watching as I play 'Stairway To Heaven'. After a couple of minutes, I put the guitar on the edge of the bed and she quickly scuttles under the bedcovers.

"Night-Night Mick, I love you." She coos sleepily.

"Night kid....love you too." I mumble, patting her head as I grab the guitar and walk out of the room.

I head to bed as well, my body wanting a break from the aches and pains that wear on me daily. I don't stay asleep for long, soon feeling a pressure on my chest. Sticky little hands touch my face, and I can hear sniffling. "Mick?" A small voice cries out forcing me to open my eyes.

"What?" I ask, completely exasperated.

"I-I had...a....a nightmare..." Mari cries, burying her blonde head into my chest.

Fuck it's gonna be a long night