0.14 [Closed Commentlog]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don had made a run for the infirmary, and had nearly dashed all the way back to Mike's room]

[Mike, who hadn't been sleeping properly - hadn't been sleeping at all - since his return.]

[When Don reaches the room again, he's panting a little harshly, but doesn't fumble Mike's keycard as he slides it into the lock and opens the door.]

Comments

[thepartydude]

[Mike's tired.

Actually no, scratch that. He's exhausted.

It's not that his mind has been caught on what happened, that he can't stop thinking about his death. It's that he's so determined not to, that he's not thinking about much of anything. Like if he does, he won't be able to stop, that he'll relive it.

Splashing his face with cold water for the hundredth time that day, he blots it dry with a hand towel and trudges back out into the main area, just in time to see Don close the door behind him. His chest clenches at the idea of being alone -- that's how it happened, he was overwhelmed, it was too much for him -- but he knows his brothers need to return to their own rooms sometimes. Logically he knows this. Emotionally? Ehhhhhhhh he's working on it.

He forces a superficial smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don smiles back, tired but as genuine as he can manage now, because he doesn't want to risk Mike picking up any more grief than he already has.]

Still haven't been able to get to sleep?

[The question is said softly. Like it wasn't something they'd been working on for the past days.]

[There are sleeping pills in his belt now, but they're a last resort.]

[thepartydude]

[The sudden tension in Mike's posture is obvious, and he looks uncomfortable and guilty.

He squirms slightly, avoiding meeting Don's eyes.]

I'm not tired.

[tic_tech_turtle]

[And up goes an eyeridge, though the habitual skepticism is somehwat lessened by the weariness hanging around Don's shoulders.]

Mmhmm. I can see that.

[Don wanders over to Mike's bed, to pointedly rearrange the messy, but obviously-unslept-in blankets.]

[thepartydude]

[Clamping his hand over his mouth to suppress a huge yawn, Mike pads over to the couch to snag Pandaman, flopping down to cuddle the mismatched bear to his plastron. His plastron that's not cracked anymore, or covered in blood and scorch--

A sudden shallow breath, and then it passes.

Mike rests his cheek against the back of the couch and tugs at Pandaman's ear, watching Don as a distraction.]

Where'd you go?

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don glances up from Mike's bed with a quiet hm? then reaches into a pouch at his side for the package he'd picked up yesterday, just in case.]

[He shakes chocolate drink mix almost temptingly]

I thought I'd run by the kitchens.

[thepartydude]

[Despite his lack of appetite, even Mikey lights up at the familiar package. Trust Don to know his favorites.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[That makes the smile on Don's face a little brighter, and he tucks the pouch away again, turning back to the bed and the sheets]

After we get this straightened up, of course.

[thepartydude]

[Yeah, that really was a mess. That's what days of tossing and turning and insisting on clinging to brothers in a too-small bed would do.

It's just that every time he closes his eyes, he sees it. Smells the smoke, tastes the ashes, feels his own skin crackling and peeling ...]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don was trying to act as normal as possible. Coddling Mikey while at the same time...well, Don didn't know what, exactly. He just knew that treating Mikey like glass was probably the worst thing he can do.]

[But he still glances over his shoulder as he moves the pillows into place.]

You have a glass in here, right? I thought I saw one, if you want to go get some water?

[A distraction was better than nothing.]

[thepartydude]

[Snapping out of it, Mike stares dazedly for a second before rubbing his head.]

Oh uh ... I think so ...

[Wow, who knew sleep deprivation made everything so much harder to think about?

Spotting the glass on the dresser, he heaves himself up off the couch to fetch it.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don's going to continues tidying the bed, and then the around-the-bed and will until Mike returns]

[Though in between it all, he slips a pill out of his belt and tucks it under his wristband.]

[thepartydude]

[Right now Mike's pretty much running on stubbornness and willpower, and he's nowhere near as stubborn as his brothers, so he's bottoming out.

Bringing the glass over to Don, he forces another smile. He's exhausted and shaken and desperately trying not to deal with everything that happened, but it's all a little less scary and intimidating with his brothers around, especially his best friend.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Don's going to take that glass, and sit down on the bed. Then he's going to grab Mikey by the edge of his shell and try to pull him down on the bed next to him.]

[When Mike's settled, Don will mix the chocolate drink with his customary precision - meaning muttering about ratios and grains-per-centimeter or something equally as pointless - and attempt to slip the pill in unnoticed.]

[If Mike doesn't sit down, Don will have a stare down on his hands]

[thepartydude]

[Oh Mike sits. He's okay with being pushed and pulled around since he came back, especially if it means he gets coddled and mothered. Don's insistence on mixing the drink perfectly would easily have wrung a sarcastic from the younger brother a week ago, but now he just sits quietly, Pandaman still tucked under one arm.

He starts to lean slightly against his Don. The temptation to rest his cheek against his shoulder and close his eyes is immense, but he fights it. Not sleeping if he can help it.]

[tic_tech_turtle]

[Mikey's sarcastic comments were part of the reason Don was so much a perfectionist about mixing drinks, and he was beginning to realize that]

He also edges sideways, just a little, to make it easier for Mike to lean on him. It takes Don a little longer than usual to get the drink ready, waiting for the pill to dissolve adequately, but he doesn't think Mike will notice. When it's done he nudges Mike and holds the glass over.]

All right, here you go.