Happier (Michael x Noah)

Vanessa

** 8 AM **

With a huge yawn, I shove my key into the keyhole of my house and unlock the door. I push it open and slam it shut behind me, then lock it. I drop my bag on the floor next to the floor.

"Michael is here," my bird, Seeto, squawks from his cage close to the entrance of the hallway leading to the bedrooms, bathroom, and my office.

"You crazy bird," I say, laughter in my voice. "Michael isn't here. You've never even met him!" I go over to my parrot and take him out of his cage. He flutters his wings and flies to my shoulder. "Let's go feed Bell, Halloween, and Shock."

"Shellshock!" he squawks.

I chuckle. "That's why he's named Shock, you crazy bird."

"Michael is here," he repeats.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard you the first time." I laugh quietly and walk down the hall to my office. I push open the door and flick on the light, greeted by my fat tabby cat laying atop my work files on my desh and tortoise sitting in his water bowl. "Bell!" I shriek, laughing more. "Get off of my desk!"

She startles at the loud noise and scurries out of my office with a pathetic mew.

With an exasperated sigh, I go over to my desk and open its bottom drawer. I grab some of Shock's food, stand up, kick the drawer shut, and go open his terrarium. I scatter it around his hollowed long--he refuses to eat his food in his food bowl, so I learned to put it by his log.

"You're such a silly tortoise," I muse as I lift him from his water bowl. I give him a tiny peck on his shell before I set him in front of his food. He slowly begins to eat it. I close his terrarium, then scratch the feathers on top of Seeto's head.

"Bell food!" Seeto squawks.

"You got that right." I leave my office, turn the light off behind me, then walk out to the kitchen.

I stop in my tracks when I see Michael sitting on the tiled floor of my kitchen. He's petting Bell as she walks in circles around him. He must've fed her already because her food bowl is full to the exact amount I give her.

"Michael?!" I exclaim worriedly, rushing to his side. Seeto flutters off of me and lands on the kitchen table. Bell scurries off, startled by my fast movement.

"Aw," Mike whines quietly. "Bye, kitty."

I bend down next to him with a heavy sigh. "Mike, what're you doing here? Noah's out looking for you!"

"He found me." He holds up his wrist, revealing his Illusion Disc, then pulls down his hood. He's not bald, purple, or wrinkly. He looks horrible. His eyes are swollen and bright red from crying. His hair is disheveled and oily, and his clothes are wrinkled and messy. He looks a little sick, too, as if he's been sitting out in the cold of Utah's brutal winter. Thinking back to what Noah said earlier, he probably did. "We... We had a big fight, and we... we decided that we need a break from each other."

"Oh," I mumble. "I'm so sorry."

He sniffles and wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. "It's all right. It's my fault, anyway."

"What about your kids?"

"He'll either watch over them or have Henry and William take care of them." He chuckles, then sighs sadly. "Don't worry about me staying here. I'll be staying at the hotel by the Pizzaplex. Noah had mentioned that he called you to watch my kids for a while, so I figured I'd let you know that I'm okay."

"Thanks for letting me know. But you don't have to stay at that crappy hotel. You can stay with me." I laugh quietly. "Jeremy would probably prefer it if you're here than if you're at that dump."

"Damn it, I knew I was forgetting something," he mutters. "I forgot that his dad is leaving for another work trip." He drags his hand down his face. "I'm so stupid."

"No, you're not." I rest my hand on his shoulder. He tenses at the touch, but I don't let go. "You've had a rough night, Mike. It makes sense that you forgot."

He pulls his phone out of his pocket. "I'll call Heremy to let him know that his schedule will look a little different this time. I made you some breakfast." He motions to the kitchen table. "Cinnamon roll flapjacks. The only thing I can actually cook."

"Thanks," I say appreciatively. "When I'm done eating, we can go buy you some clean clothes and bring you to work."