Of Spirits and Circuses 5/10
Peter guided Mike to a row of bleachers and sat him down. "I hate this, Pete," Mike growled. "This thing is keeping me from doin' my fair share!"
"Come help us when you can," Peter said. "What?...you will? Thanks!"
Mike opened his mouth to ask, but then felt two small, cool hands encircle his. "Who's there?"
They squeezed, and Peter said, "She has trouble talking. But she'd like to sit and hold your hand awhile."
"Well...okay." The hands squeezed again, and Mike smiled. "Are you pretty?"
Peter laughed. "She is. Hey, I gotta go. Come when you can, okay?"
"Okay. Hey, what's your name?"
"Gloria," came a whisper so soft he barely heard it.
"Hi, Gloria. I'm Mike."
She squeezed his hand.
"Hurts to talk, huh? Okay, Gloria, I'll talk to you, then." And he did. He told her who he was and what he and his friends did.
She listened, squeezing his hand occasionally. And once, she chuckled at the turn of phrase he'd used.
"Hey," he said, beaming. "My sight's starting to return. I'll be able to help soon!"
His hand was squeezed and laid onto his lap. It was patted gently, and then her hands stopped touching him.
"Hey, no, you don't have to stop," Mike protested. "Gloria?" He frowned. "Gloria?"
Only silence met his ears. The dark curtain parted, and he turned to look at his companion.
Only to find himself alone. "Huh," he breathed. "Shy one, ain't she?"
Then he went to find the others and help.
~*~
Mike hadn't been working side-by-side with the others for very long when he heard Victor's voice boom, "If you are going to work, you can not be lazy!"
Mike blinked as Victor was suddenly - and nearly literally-- in his face. "I saw you over there! Sitting by yourself - doing nothing! I should tell Pop to fire you!"
Frowning deeply, Mike opened his mouth to reply to that, when Victor was literally spun around to face a visibly furious Peter.
"I am sick of your assumptions," Peter said in a low, dangerous voice. "He is not lazy. He has a medical condition and for that little bit, he couldn't see! Leave him alone!"
Victor huffed and stormed off. Mike looked after him, his frown deepening further.
Victor had said that Mike had been sitting by himself.
But Mike had been sitting with Gloria.